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Speaker 1: Hello, friends and family, Welcome back to another episode of

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Speaker 1: Car Stories with Song Kang and Amelia Hartford. Today's guest

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Speaker 1: we have Rod Chong. Rod is the chief creative officer

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Speaker 1: over at the beloved Race Service and just an artiste.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well evolved human being. He shares a lot of

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Speaker 2: wisdom on his personal journey here.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and he's had a very full career outside of motorsports,

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Speaker 1: from also video games to music to fashion.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it was just a really pleasant conversation with a

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Speaker 2: person I've never met. But you've been friends with Rod

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Speaker 2: for a while.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I've known Rod for a very long time and

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Speaker 1: he is not afraid to ever go deep with the conversation,

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Speaker 1: which I appreciate the openness and willingness to go there.

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Speaker 1: All right, Well, enjoy Rod Chong everybody.

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Speaker 2: So, for the listen out there that aren't familiar with

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Speaker 2: your history and your work, can you give us a

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Speaker 2: little history of Rod and where you are now and

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Speaker 2: where you came from.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, I'm one of those kids that grew up

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Speaker 3: racing go karts from an immigrant family in Vancouver, Canada.

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Speaker 3: And I think a lot of people, I'm sure you

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Speaker 3: find this from all the people that you talk to

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Speaker 3: in the car world that often a passion for cars

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Speaker 3: tends to come from childhood. Usually, I find nine times

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Speaker 3: out of ten, so I'm no different from that. My

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Speaker 3: father and his brothers were racing cars and go karts,

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Speaker 3: and my father had a shop where they would build

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Speaker 3: custom car stereos and they'd giant subwoofers and they'd enter

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Speaker 3: them in competition. So I grew up racing. But interestingly,

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Speaker 3: I never really liked the wheel the wheel sport that much.

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Speaker 3: It's maybe this very shy, quiet Asian kid and I

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Speaker 3: like drawing and painting cars more like the creative aspect

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Speaker 3: of being a kid that was into cars. I liked

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Speaker 3: being a racing driver more so I could, you know,

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Speaker 3: have something to help with, you know, being the experience

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Speaker 3: of racism and all that stuff as Asian kid in school.

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Speaker 3: It gave me a little bit of a leg up,

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Speaker 3: and I liked to have my leather jacket I could wear.

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Speaker 3: Maybe that's a Jamaican culture coming through. But fast forward on.

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Speaker 3: I went to art school too with a plan to

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Speaker 3: design cars because I was good at drawing and painting

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Speaker 3: and got distracted with cameras and running around with cameras,

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Speaker 3: so it seemed way more fun. So the first career

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Speaker 3: was directing music videos, so that I did that in

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Speaker 3: my native Vancouver, then came to Los Angeles and then

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Speaker 3: ended up in London doing that. That kind of fizzled out.

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Speaker 3: I was living in London and I heard about this

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Speaker 3: video game that you could download all suits of different

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Speaker 3: cars and you could change it and make your own

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Speaker 3: cars for it, in your own tracks. And this was

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Speaker 3: an e called sports Car GT, a PC simulation game,

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Speaker 3: And because I'd already had a career in media, I

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Speaker 3: put together a crew of people. We started making sports

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Speaker 3: car mods for f one games, so you would take

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Speaker 3: an EAPC game and make it into a sports car game.

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Speaker 3: And I love lamon and GT racing, so this is

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Speaker 3: what we focused on. And one of our mods became

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Speaker 3: very famous, and then suddenly we all got headhunted and

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Speaker 3: overnight I was given a job designing and producing racing games.

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Speaker 3: I turned that into a job at EA and went

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Speaker 3: back to my native Canada because I figured out in

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Speaker 3: my hometown they were making this very famous racing game,

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Speaker 3: Need for Speed, and this was at the height of

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Speaker 3: tuner cars and all that stuff. There was this big

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Speaker 3: street racing scenes. Drifting was just coming up, becoming more popular,

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Speaker 3: and You for Speed was tapping into this. And this

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Speaker 3: was about two thousand and five or so. Most Wanted

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Speaker 3: had just come out and I joined the team and

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Speaker 3: they put me in t charge of the cultural elements

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Speaker 3: that were going to be integrated into the games, and

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Speaker 3: they started sending me to La to go to drifting

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Speaker 3: events and I started meeting people and getting more involved

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Speaker 3: with the community, first in SoCal, even though I lived

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Speaker 3: in Vancouver, and then the bosses said to me, Hey,

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Speaker 3: we want to make a website about car culture. Thought

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Speaker 3: about it for a couple of weeks and then came

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Speaker 3: up with this idea of speed Hunting or speed Hunters,

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Speaker 3: which became a website that we launched in two thousand

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Speaker 3: and eight. And at the same time we launched another

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Speaker 3: program called Timney for Speed, which was a drifting team,

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Speaker 3: and we started building Carshusima. But we got to travel

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Speaker 3: the world and go to all the different scenes around

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Speaker 3: the world, and that was an incredible moment to go

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Speaker 3: to Japan, Australia and New Zealand, all across Europe, all

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Speaker 3: across the US and see what people are doing. And

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Speaker 3: then I left that in twenty fourteen, did a few

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Speaker 3: other projects within racing games, sim racing, even some atanas

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Speaker 3: motorsports stuff the company called Robo Race and then joined

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Speaker 3: the Race Service team. About five years ago moved to

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Speaker 3: LA and I had the dream of coming to SoCal

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Speaker 3: to be a participant in the car scene here. People

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Speaker 3: think I'm crazy, but I kind of moved to La

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Speaker 3: so I could drive cars. And I love big cities too,

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Speaker 3: because there's a great creative scene here. As both of

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Speaker 3: you know, there's people that are doing fashion, media, films,

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Speaker 3: graphic design, whatever it is art. But you can have

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Speaker 3: that here but still enjoy driving cars, and having lived

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Speaker 3: in Stockholm. In London, it's much harder to do that.

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Speaker 3: There's great creative scenes projects. You got a nice car

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Speaker 3: in London, it's very hard to enjoy it.

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Speaker 2: Sure, and even in Canada because the weather is so

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Speaker 2: like it's gonna list out your cars.

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Speaker 3: That's salt right, yeah yeah yeah.

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Speaker 2: So So for the folks that don't know Race Service,

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Speaker 2: because we had one of your colleagues here Service Chames,

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Speaker 2: could you explain to the listening audience what you guys

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Speaker 2: do over there at Race Service.

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Speaker 3: Well, Race Service, it's been interesting Race Service has been

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Speaker 3: around about five years or so, and for the first

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Speaker 3: few years people kept saying to us, what is race Service?

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Speaker 3: What do you guys do? It seems very cool, but

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Speaker 3: what is this thing? The way that we explain it

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Speaker 3: is that it's a creative agency. So we do different

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Speaker 3: types of projects, collaborations with different brands, usually in automotive

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Speaker 3: and motorsports, but we do work in video gaming. I

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Speaker 3: do some projects in fashion as well, and our thesis

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Speaker 3: is to connect the worlds of motorsports and automotive to

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Speaker 3: wider parts of contemporary or pop culture, streetwear, music, video games,

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Speaker 3: even some Web three materials, fashion, different organizations. Like we're

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Speaker 3: an agency for NASCAR. We do a lot of projects

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Speaker 3: with AMG and Porsche Hot Wheels, this one that I'm

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Speaker 3: quite involved with. We'll want us to do content and

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Speaker 3: strategy and sometimes events to connect all these worlds together.

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Speaker 3: We're also in the middle of launching a streetwear fashion

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Speaker 3: brand as well that's kind of focused around collaborations with

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Speaker 3: automotive brands. But we have our online as well. That's

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Speaker 3: a bit of a new project. And then the last

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Speaker 3: part of Race Service is that we are a car

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Speaker 3: culture hub. We wanted to have a place that's a destination.

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Speaker 3: And we have meetups once a month, the first Friday

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Speaker 3: of every month at our space. We occasionally curate events

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Speaker 3: and we have a pretty active community of people that

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Speaker 3: come out to our different programs on site.

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Speaker 1: And can I invite anyone listening to go to a

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Speaker 1: Rise and Shine sometimes?

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Speaker 3: Absolutely?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that's what it's called Rising.

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Speaker 3: And Shine yea very first Friday of every month.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's a good turnout. And maybe if you're

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Speaker 1: not familiar cars, you want to get in the space,

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Speaker 1: you want to meet some cool people. I think it's

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Speaker 1: a great environment.

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Speaker 2: So you know what I love about you guys over

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Speaker 2: Race Service is that a lot of times you meet

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Speaker 2: you know, car folks and they have no fashion sense.

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Speaker 2: They look like they show up like that because you know,

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Speaker 2: my wife always bags on me. He's like, you know,

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Speaker 2: why don't you like dress up? And then everybody over

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Speaker 2: at Race Service, you guys just have a great blend

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Speaker 2: of what is hip and fashion and pop culture. And

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Speaker 2: then you mailed that with you know, car culture, which

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Speaker 2: you know, I got some schwag from you guys, and

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Speaker 2: I took it over to my house and my wife

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Speaker 2: is like, that's what you should be right, because it's

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Speaker 2: a celebration of you know, our love affair for cars

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Speaker 2: in the community. But then it's you know, it's it's

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Speaker 2: a it's a wonderful blend, you know, so.

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Speaker 3: Blends industry where and fashion install But we're quite focused

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Speaker 3: on curation. Whether we are designing an event, we'll think

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Speaker 3: of every single aspect of what someone experience is going

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Speaker 3: through that event, from the music to the posters and

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Speaker 3: every little detail and the singles. For any film project

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Speaker 3: that we do, the worst Senate Race service is to

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Speaker 3: do a project that has no style, or to take

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Speaker 3: a photograph that doesn't have visual aesthetic buy in to it.

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Speaker 3: It's something that's very important to us and I find

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Speaker 3: that that whole trajectory interesting. When I first started going

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Speaker 3: to automotive events, say you go to an event, say

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Speaker 3: drifting event in la even ten years ago, people had

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Speaker 3: some style, you know, ten years ago, ten years ago. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: And then i would go to an event in the

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Speaker 3: UK and I'm looking around and I'm thinking, what are

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Speaker 3: these people wearing? But the interesting thing is in the

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Speaker 3: past ten fifteen years that's changed, that has really changed,

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Speaker 3: and you see the intersection of street wear and modified

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Speaker 3: custom cars a lot more now in that people's personal

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Speaker 3: presentation is definitely linked in a lot of scenes anyway,

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Speaker 3: maybe not everywhere, to whatever customer car that they're building,

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Speaker 3: or how they express their personal style through a custom

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Speaker 3: car or a modified car.

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Speaker 1: And you guys do a lot of cool collubs and

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Speaker 1: help companies bridge those gaps.

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Speaker 4: Right.

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Speaker 1: One huge project that you've had lately has been Hot Wheels.

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Speaker 4: Yes, what would you guys do that? With Hot Wheels?

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Speaker 3: We've I've been personally a collaborator of Hot Wheels for

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Speaker 3: a long time through many different programs from speed Hunters,

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Speaker 3: had different collabs we did when I was seeing the

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Speaker 3: Project Cars video game, we had a line of Hot

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Speaker 3: Wheels that we collabed with them. But Hot Wheels has

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Speaker 3: been a client and collaborator of Race Service since we

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Speaker 3: started for the past five years, so we're involved with

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Speaker 3: the Legend's Car Show. We have produced numerous content programs

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Speaker 3: with them that you see on their Instagram channel. Currently,

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Speaker 3: we are doing a documentary series for a car that's

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Speaker 3: been built for rent Sport Reunion. It's going to debut

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Speaker 3: in about a week and a half. So we're always

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Speaker 3: involved with all sorts of different programs with them. I'm

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Speaker 3: a bit of a Hot Wheels collector. I love the brand.

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Speaker 3: Those little cars are so much joy in each of them. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: well you've done projects with me. Yeah, I have your cars.

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Speaker 3: I mean it's it's like every car person's Bucke list.

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Speaker 3: Yeah your car is a hot wheel Yeah.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, so cool.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, for any automotive personality or car builder, I think

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Speaker 3: that's definitely a big checklist item. Right, you've arrived, you know.

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Speaker 2: I'm sure you've seen a lot of people come and

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Speaker 2: go right trying to do what race Service does and

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Speaker 2: what do you think that sets you guys apart to

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Speaker 2: just be able to kind of help the listeners if

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Speaker 2: they have interest in doing what you guys do.

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Speaker 3: It's also a wider question of how do you take

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Speaker 3: your passion or cars and make that into your career

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Speaker 3: and then have that continue, which is not for a

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Speaker 3: lot of people. That's not easy, and that that's a

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Speaker 3: big question. Right. I would say that it's a mix

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Speaker 3: of being driven by passion, taking that passion and having

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Speaker 3: that fuel you is really really good. That'll only get

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Speaker 3: you so far, though, because you know this concept of

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Speaker 3: the ten thousand hours, right, you have to be a

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Speaker 3: good craft you have to be to be an expert. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: you just have to look at the craft of what

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Speaker 3: you want to do. So if you take you know,

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Speaker 3: we look at the content creation side of what you do.

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Speaker 3: There's a lot of craft of that. How do you shoot,

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Speaker 3: how do you talk to the camera, how do you edit?

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Speaker 3: How do you build a storyline? I believe that people

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Speaker 3: that do the groundwork to become very good at what

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Speaker 3: they do. That's very important. And then lastly, it's being

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Speaker 3: able to work on your personality so that you can

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Speaker 3: talk about what you do, you can connect with people

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Speaker 3: and find those opportunities. So for me, those are the

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Speaker 3: magic three mixes of you work really hard so that

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Speaker 3: when the spotlight swings your way, that you're ready and

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Speaker 3: you don't fuck it up, then maybe it's going to fly.

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Speaker 4: What do you think, Amelia?

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Speaker 1: I lean more towards the ladder where I think you

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Speaker 1: can achieve anything that you want to on this earth,

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Speaker 1: so long as you work for it and don't give up.

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Speaker 1: I always think of this little image of this person

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Speaker 1: who's like digging underground trying to find a light or

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Speaker 1: whatever it is, and most times people will give up

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Speaker 1: before it just takes one more swing to get there.

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Speaker 1: In acting world, you may get one hundred or a

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Speaker 1: thousands no's before you get one yes. And I think

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Speaker 1: as long as you work towards anything, you're a good person,

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Speaker 1: you can achieve. You know, what you believe, where you've

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Speaker 1: found excites you, or what you set out to do.

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Speaker 4: But there's so many fucked up people that achieve success.

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Speaker 1: Right.

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Speaker 2: But i'stell business they go that guys in the fuck

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Speaker 2: or so and so is it's such an asshole?

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Speaker 4: What do you think?

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Speaker 3: I tend to focus on creatives, being a creative minded

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Speaker 3: person myself, and there's a category of creative me and

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Speaker 3: my friends call them naturals, and they don't really spend

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Speaker 3: a lot of time thinking about it. Yeah, some people

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Speaker 3: would would say that if you're too smart or you

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Speaker 3: think too much, you might paralyze yourself thinking about all

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Speaker 3: the possible abilities and if I do that or should

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Speaker 3: I have that strategy? And then that will light to

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Speaker 3: that to that, and sometimes if your your brain isn't

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Speaker 3: clogged up with all this stuff, you just do stuff

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Speaker 3: and you go for it.

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Speaker 2: Yah.

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Speaker 3: I think that also relates to your culture. I'm not American,

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Speaker 3: I'm from Canada originally, and you know immigrant parents and

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Speaker 3: all that whole thing. But one thing have immigrant My

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Speaker 3: father is from Jamaica, Jamaican Chinese, my mother's from Columbia

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Speaker 3: and South American. But one thing, having moved here five

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Speaker 3: years ago, that I love about American culture is they

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Speaker 3: can do spirit. But also the way that people support

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Speaker 3: each other in the communities. I think that that's fantastic.

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Speaker 3: If you say I'm going to do this thing and

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Speaker 3: you have a good support network, people will generally say,

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Speaker 3: from my experience, anyway, Okay, we're going to support you.

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Speaker 3: Go for it, we're going to help you. We're going

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Speaker 3: to talk to that person do that. Whereas in other

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Speaker 3: cultures that may have tall pop syndrome, you say I'm

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Speaker 3: going to do this thing, and they're going to say,

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Speaker 3: who do you think you are?

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Speaker 4: Tall poppies.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's like a field of poppies and one tries

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Speaker 3: to grow taller, the other poppies are going to try

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Speaker 3: and gang up and cut that thing down. Really get

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Speaker 3: back in your place. Yeah, there's a lot of cultures

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Speaker 3: like that, and it's harder to get going.

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Speaker 1: Right.

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Speaker 2: Do you think that fueled your hunger or desire to

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Speaker 2: prove everybody wrong because people are trying to cut that poppy.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I would say, because I'm a little older and

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Speaker 3: you didn't have the Internet as a place to have

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Speaker 3: community to show what you could do. I used to

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Speaker 3: make these crazy videos and I would finish them, put

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Speaker 3: them on the tape, and put them in a drawer

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Speaker 3: because it was before YouTube launched. So now the world

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Speaker 3: is a lot flatter. So if you're from a smaller

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Speaker 3: city or a different place, you can still show what

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Speaker 3: you do. You put it on the internet, build fans,

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Speaker 3: figure out how you're gonna blaunch your career and great

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Speaker 3: content whatever it is. So things are very different now.

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Speaker 2: You know what I what I really envy about you, Amelia,

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Speaker 2: is that you're driving the cars that you're building, right,

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Speaker 2: Like you always show up here with like some cool cars,

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Speaker 2: and you know, I get so frustrated with these cars

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Speaker 2: that I have because the notion of like driving a

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Speaker 2: vintage car and if you're like, yay, I'm James Deeney,

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Speaker 2: you know, Hollywood, and then like an hour later it

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Speaker 2: starts to overheat and then you're you're on the side

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Speaker 2: of the road. Man, I don't like that anymore. Like,

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Speaker 2: you know, it was cool like for the first like

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Speaker 2: three times that happened. But then always these old cars

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Speaker 2: have some problem and you know, the gauges don't work

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Speaker 2: like I think half the cars the gas fuel gauge,

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Speaker 2: I'm not sure if it.

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Speaker 4: Sound empty or full, because this is going up.

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Speaker 3: And that's a little bit of the argument for the

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Speaker 3: whole ev swap thing, right if it takes out that

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Speaker 3: you can just enjoy the thing. It probably doesn't drive

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Speaker 3: in the same way, but the thing runs and it's

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Speaker 3: probably ten times as fast. Also, yeah, that's really fair.

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Speaker 1: When I build cars, I keep streetability in mind, like hardcore.

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Speaker 1: Like I just bought a sixty nine Camaro and I

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Speaker 1: already bought everything I need to put AC in it

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Speaker 1: because I never again will I take out a C

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Speaker 1: from a car build a car that ice'. There's just

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Speaker 1: so many layers. I wanted to be comfortable driving because

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Speaker 1: I don't want to end up on the side of

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Speaker 1: the road. And when I moved here with my two

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Speaker 1: forty SX that was constantly overheating, how to pull over

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Speaker 1: no AC, going to auditions with like my makeup running

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Speaker 1: and sweat driven down my back, spelling like gasoline because

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Speaker 1: it was run and rich. I just like I think

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Speaker 1: now I want to be able to enjoy the cars,

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Speaker 1: and it makes me so sad if they park for

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Speaker 1: too long that I maybe it's my OCD a little bit,

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Speaker 1: but I almost make them a little too perfect.

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Speaker 3: It's a challenge of classic car ownership modified cars. I've

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Speaker 3: given up on dreaming of air conditioning in mine. I

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Speaker 3: bought a fan off Amazon, and I just just blows

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Speaker 3: a little bit of air.

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Speaker 2: I've been thinking about liquidating all my cars and just

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Speaker 2: focusing on one and like making.

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Speaker 3: That that's what I'm doing.

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Speaker 2: I just have one because I love vintagch cars, but like,

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Speaker 2: get that thing like completely sorted out, where as they

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Speaker 2: see has everything that I need, all the creature comforts

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Speaker 2: where I can drive it across country to New York

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Speaker 2: and then.

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Speaker 4: Drive it every day.

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Speaker 2: Because I look at these cars and you know, I'm

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Speaker 2: getting older, and I go, when am I going to

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Speaker 2: actually enjoy this? When am I going to be able

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Speaker 2: to drive it into canyons? When am I going to

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Speaker 2: be able to take it to the track, Because I'm

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Speaker 2: always paranoid like it's going to break down?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, right?

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Speaker 2: And I think I shifted to like I love the

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Speaker 2: process of bringing these cars to life.

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Speaker 4: But then that really fully alive kind of limping through.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's hard. He like lose trust in a car

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Speaker 1: sometimes two when it breaks down one too many times.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I've done something a little crazy with my car.

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Speaker 3: Is I had a digital twin made, well, a digital

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Speaker 3: twin if I commissioned someone. No, it's an add on

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Speaker 3: for this PC simulation game, a set of corsa. So

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Speaker 3: I had this guy in Europe build it. We scan

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Speaker 3: the car and he built a three D model of it,

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Speaker 3: did all the physics and everything. So I can sit

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Speaker 3: in my living room because I'm in the PCSM racing

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Speaker 3: with a VR head set, and I've driven the car

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Speaker 3: across Tokyo for example, two hundred miles an hour in

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Speaker 3: virtual reality.

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Speaker 1: You have your car on a set of corso, yeah.

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Speaker 3: And I've driven it on the on the La Canyon.

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Speaker 3: I mean, that's stupid because I could do that in

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Speaker 3: real life because that's in LA. But still it's funny

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Speaker 3: that I can drive my car in my living room

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Speaker 3: around racetracks around the world. Way to enjoy it.

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Speaker 1: A set of courso for those listening, think of not

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Speaker 1: to compare to Grand Trisma or I racing, but it's

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Speaker 1: a racing video game essentially. That I said, of course,

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Speaker 1: is specifically a lot of drifters like to use for

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Speaker 1: the realism of being able to get a car sideways

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Speaker 1: and get seat time without actually spending money on tires

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Speaker 1: and gas.

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Speaker 3: That's so cool anyway, That's the way that I enjoy

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Speaker 3: my my classic car virtually, so much.

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Speaker 2: Different than playing it in like Grand Turismo or so

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Speaker 2: because I have my car in Grand Turismo and.

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Speaker 1: That's less street and more tracks into it.

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Speaker 4: I was like, yawn, it's different than we are.

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Speaker 3: If you have a full PC simrig, you're you're you're

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Speaker 3: able to trick your nervous system. It actually thinks you're driving. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: it's very different than a TV.

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Speaker 4: I like that. Yeah, huh.

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Speaker 1: I'm curious about what makes you tick, I guess, and

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Speaker 1: how you go into going.

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Speaker 3: To get into it? Okay, yeah, let's go. Yeah, let's

401
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Speaker 3: steep dive. What would you like to know?

402
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Speaker 1: Let's start with what makes you tick? What what makes

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Speaker 1: you choose the decisions that you do on a daily basis,

404
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Speaker 1: and where are you hoping to go with your career.

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Speaker 3: It's an interesting question when you ask someone like why

406
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Speaker 3: are you here? What are you here to do? Or

407
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Speaker 3: what do you stand for? I find that very fascinating.

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Speaker 3: Whenever I meet people, I sometimes look in the mirror

409
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Speaker 3: and think, what must I do? Not what do I

410
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Speaker 3: want to do? What must I do in order to

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Speaker 3: not go crazy? And for me it comes down to

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Speaker 3: two things. One is I exist to imagine things and

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Speaker 3: bring those visions to life and through creative projects. That's

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Speaker 3: the thing I must do. And if I'm not doing that,

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Speaker 3: then there's sadness start going crazy. So that's a bit

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Speaker 3: of the hardwiring. For my personal philosophy. I define it

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Speaker 3: as I exist to grow and learn. That for me

418
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Speaker 3: is very important to continuously be a student and to

419
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Speaker 3: continuously try and look at where my blind spots are.

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Speaker 3: It's kind of hard to do because of they're blind spots,

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Speaker 3: but try and keep learning and keep never become too solid,

422
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Speaker 3: never say okay, this is me. I'm not going to

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Speaker 3: grow anymore. But the thing that I exist for maybe

424
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Speaker 3: my mission, which has maybe only come together in the

425
00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,479
Speaker 3: past few years, is you can ask a question, how

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Speaker 3: are you going to contribute to the world? What are

427
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Speaker 3: you going to do? And for me, it comes down

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Speaker 3: to trying to fight for a bit of equality, whether

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Speaker 3: that's in the creative projects or the people that I'm

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Speaker 3: giving opportunities to, or if I'm putting a creative team together,

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Speaker 3: who are those people? Can I try and hire some

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Speaker 3: women in the automotive scene into the projects that I'm

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Speaker 3: involved with. Can I try and give opportunities to people

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Speaker 3: of color? Or if I see a young kid that's

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Speaker 3: just starting who comes from maybe a lack of a

436
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Speaker 3: better term, disadvantaged background, but they're really passionate, can I

437
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,000
Speaker 3: help them? Can I give them advice about how to

438
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,160
Speaker 3: develop their careers? So those that's the main mission. I'm

439
00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:17,439
Speaker 3: still working through the best ways to actualize that, but

440
00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:20,480
Speaker 3: I'm trying to live by that and to affect change

441
00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:20,879
Speaker 3: around me.

442
00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:22,040
Speaker 4: That's a great answer.

443
00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:25,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, very well thought out, and I know you take

444
00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:29,040
Speaker 1: a Yeah, I know. Have you had many mentors in

445
00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:29,560
Speaker 1: your life?

446
00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:31,560
Speaker 3: Yes? I don't know where I figured that out. Somewhere

447
00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,679
Speaker 3: along the line, I figured out that it's helpful to

448
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:38,760
Speaker 3: have people to learn from, and from the very beginning

449
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,320
Speaker 3: of my career, even when I was in art school,

450
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,080
Speaker 3: I would hang out with the teachers. I'd go for

451
00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:46,120
Speaker 3: lunch with them, and I just try and learn, and

452
00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:50,280
Speaker 3: wherever I went in the different stages of my career,

453
00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:52,760
Speaker 3: I've always had people that were much further along than

454
00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,840
Speaker 3: me who took an interest in what I was doing

455
00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:58,879
Speaker 3: and gave me advice. Sometimes might criticize me for the

456
00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,520
Speaker 3: way I was going about things and give support, maybe

457
00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:05,520
Speaker 3: make some introductions, and I try and do that as well.

458
00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,280
Speaker 3: Now with when I'm going about my business, I'm having

459
00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:11,679
Speaker 3: a bit of a strange year in that I'm for

460
00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,840
Speaker 3: the first time since I can remember, I have a

461
00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:18,280
Speaker 3: little bit of spare time. And I found that very

462
00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:23,359
Speaker 3: disconcerting for me, having a to do list that's you know,

463
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:31,560
Speaker 3: crazy long, intense deadlines. That friction creates a sense of order.

464
00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:35,479
Speaker 3: Maybe I became addicted to having that friction and just

465
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:39,440
Speaker 3: being busy. Now that just for the past four months,

466
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,280
Speaker 3: I'm coming off a four year project. I have a

467
00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,600
Speaker 3: little bit of time to think about things and just

468
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:49,560
Speaker 3: to focus on myself, and for the first few months

469
00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:54,560
Speaker 3: I was kind of disturbing. I have to build internal

470
00:24:54,600 --> 00:25:01,000
Speaker 3: motivation versus external motivation from a deadline or just having

471
00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:03,399
Speaker 3: people calling you or having things that you have to

472
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:05,479
Speaker 3: get done it a project on fire?

473
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:10,480
Speaker 1: Is that not setting goals, though, setting deadlines for.

474
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:11,560
Speaker 3: Yourself creating friction.

475
00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:15,680
Speaker 1: Sure, I mean friction can be defined as many things, right,

476
00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:19,000
Speaker 1: I mean anyone would say setting a goals creating friction

477
00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:20,200
Speaker 1: because you have to do something about it.

478
00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:26,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, I've been changing my methodology to be maybe more

479
00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:31,680
Speaker 3: about having a way of approaching every day or having

480
00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,120
Speaker 3: things that I focus on, but less about saying we're

481
00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:37,840
Speaker 3: going to have that done by then, I need to

482
00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:40,000
Speaker 3: earn that amount of money by this point in time,

483
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,840
Speaker 3: or this has to be done then, because I find

484
00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:48,080
Speaker 3: that that creates stress and I don't always feel that happy.

485
00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,560
Speaker 3: So I've been trying to focus more on the art

486
00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:54,680
Speaker 3: of making every day count in different aspects of life,

487
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:59,399
Speaker 3: whether it's physical health, being inspired, updating my skill set,

488
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,560
Speaker 3: my personal projects like my car, or looking at what

489
00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,920
Speaker 3: how to steer my career, and new goals that I'm

490
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,560
Speaker 3: setting for myself. So I've been trying to be slightly

491
00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:15,920
Speaker 3: less goal oriented and more about having a very good process.

492
00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:18,520
Speaker 3: That's a better way to say it. That's a new

493
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,199
Speaker 3: thing that I've been working through just this year. You know,

494
00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:28,280
Speaker 3: the whole chop would carry water business that I think

495
00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:31,080
Speaker 3: that might come from the karate kid the saying is,

496
00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:36,800
Speaker 3: before enlightenment, chop wood carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood

497
00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:41,560
Speaker 3: carry water, and that you focus on making everyday count

498
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:48,600
Speaker 3: and it's the art of doing simple tasks or just

499
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:52,040
Speaker 3: taking care of business and projects for the sake of

500
00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:54,440
Speaker 3: doing a good job of that and having a balanced life.

501
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,080
Speaker 3: That is the way forward. At least I'm working with this.

502
00:26:58,240 --> 00:26:59,800
Speaker 3: I'll get back to you to see if this is

503
00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:01,080
Speaker 3: all bunch of nonsense or.

504
00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:05,320
Speaker 1: Not that reminds me of I'm not going to do

505
00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:09,800
Speaker 1: the story justice. But there is an old story about

506
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,600
Speaker 1: a fisherman who's on a boat and some rich billionaire

507
00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:15,399
Speaker 1: comes to go fish with him because whatever's on vacation

508
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:16,080
Speaker 1: or whatever it is.

509
00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:17,800
Speaker 3: I've heard this story.

510
00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:20,440
Speaker 1: Have you heard this one song? It's ad one And

511
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:22,840
Speaker 1: I'm not going to do a justice. So this billionaire

512
00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:27,240
Speaker 1: goes fishing with this fisherman's small town and he's just fishing,

513
00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,760
Speaker 1: and the billionaires like, oh, well, if you have three

514
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,080
Speaker 1: fishing rods set up, you can catch three times as

515
00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:35,560
Speaker 1: much and then you can grow your business here to

516
00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:38,920
Speaker 1: do this, to then catch more fish, to sell more fish,

517
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:42,119
Speaker 1: to make more money. Have employees, yeah, have employees, and

518
00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:44,480
Speaker 1: then the Fisherman's like, well, why would I do that.

519
00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:46,159
Speaker 1: He's like, well, so then you can.

520
00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:48,960
Speaker 3: Retire and then you could come back here and you know,

521
00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:52,560
Speaker 3: be with your boat and fish. It's a simple retirement.

522
00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:55,479
Speaker 1: He's like, but I'm doing that now. Have you been

523
00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:58,880
Speaker 1: able to find happiness in that shift from going from

524
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:00,960
Speaker 1: being gold driven to focus more on the moment.

525
00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely. I've had moments in my life where I've

526
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:07,879
Speaker 3: been very much about the goal. When I first started

527
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,399
Speaker 3: at EA, I was very obsessed with getting to a

528
00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:13,600
Speaker 3: point where I made one hundred thousand dollars a year.

529
00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,520
Speaker 3: I was just focused on that, and every time I

530
00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,080
Speaker 3: saw my paycheck, I wasn't making one hundred thousand dollars

531
00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:21,800
Speaker 3: a year. And then I became very focused, I need

532
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:25,280
Speaker 3: to be a sea level executive, and I would present

533
00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:27,960
Speaker 3: myself like that when I said, EA, it's very casual.

534
00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:32,040
Speaker 3: All these programmers with their the T shirt that they've

535
00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:33,320
Speaker 3: been wearing all week.

536
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:35,760
Speaker 4: That's what sea level stands for. Casual.

537
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:42,960
Speaker 3: No no, no, like C suite, like CEO, oh an executive.

538
00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:46,760
Speaker 3: I would wear like colored shirts sports jack be I'm

539
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,640
Speaker 3: a decision maker and all of you will think of

540
00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:51,800
Speaker 3: me as a decision maker. This is the thirties where

541
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:54,760
Speaker 3: I was felt like I was behind. I went for

542
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:58,479
Speaker 3: years just thinking about my not sea level life, and

543
00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,720
Speaker 3: even more recently, I had this goal. I needed to

544
00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,120
Speaker 3: have a supercar and I wanted I've done a lot

545
00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:08,040
Speaker 3: of projects with McLaren and they occasionally give me cars

546
00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:12,280
Speaker 3: to drive, and you know, the amazing machines. And my

547
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:17,480
Speaker 3: daily is a twenty nineteen Cayman S. It's an amazing car,

548
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:21,320
Speaker 3: but for the longest time it was a not McLaren. Right,

549
00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:25,400
Speaker 3: So I'm getting in this beautiful, incredibly engineered, well handling

550
00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:29,080
Speaker 3: sports car and I'm driving around my not McLaren. And

551
00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,560
Speaker 3: that's what I mean by external goals, and I'm not

552
00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:36,240
Speaker 3: appreciating this incredible car that my life has taken me

553
00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,560
Speaker 3: to drive, right, And it's fabulous to be an LA traffic,

554
00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:43,120
Speaker 3: Canyon track day, just the best, well rounded machine, good

555
00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:47,920
Speaker 3: fuel economy, turbo four cylinder. I've been working to get

556
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:53,040
Speaker 3: rid of those external checklist items so that you can

557
00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:56,320
Speaker 3: appreciate the life that you have now. If we get

558
00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:59,440
Speaker 3: back to what we're talking about earlier, imagine someone that

559
00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:03,960
Speaker 3: love shooting cars, right, They've got their camera, they're going

560
00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,400
Speaker 3: to car meets. They've got friends that have some cool cars,

561
00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:09,600
Speaker 3: they're getting together to do shoots. But they might still

562
00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,680
Speaker 3: have a day job, and someone might become so focused

563
00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,880
Speaker 3: on the fact that they're not making a living as

564
00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:20,080
Speaker 3: a professional automotive media creator that they become miserable. But

565
00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:23,640
Speaker 3: the point I'm making is that just the moment where

566
00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:26,719
Speaker 3: you have good friends, just looking at this case study

567
00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:29,400
Speaker 3: shooting cars, you're in a position where you have your

568
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:31,880
Speaker 3: health and your camera and you're out doing some fun stuff.

569
00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:35,040
Speaker 3: You should just have fun with that and be able

570
00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:36,640
Speaker 3: to be in the moment a little bit more.

571
00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:36,959
Speaker 1: So.

572
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:38,360
Speaker 3: That's that's what I'm working through.

573
00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:42,360
Speaker 2: I completely understand. I completely understand. You know, the Sienna.

574
00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:46,120
Speaker 2: There was a time where I would not ever be

575
00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:49,640
Speaker 2: seen driving this car, right, And the reason I love

576
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:52,600
Speaker 2: this car so much is because not only does it

577
00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:55,920
Speaker 2: have eighteen cup holders smiles again.

578
00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:57,200
Speaker 1: And non sponsor.

579
00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,280
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's not like I have no association to tellya that, right.

580
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,760
Speaker 2: I think they're very They're very especially the minivan departments,

581
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:08,080
Speaker 2: like really happy that I talk about the Siana.

582
00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:09,000
Speaker 4: Because they get no love.

583
00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:11,440
Speaker 3: Nice.

584
00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:14,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, but this is this is like a gift to mankind.

585
00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:18,880
Speaker 2: But anyway, when I drive this car, and when I

586
00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:23,160
Speaker 2: look at this car, I get so happy or there's

587
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:27,600
Speaker 2: a feeling of contentment because this is a representation of

588
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:29,880
Speaker 2: I don't give a fuck what you think about me.

589
00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:33,760
Speaker 4: And it took so many years to get to that place.

590
00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:39,160
Speaker 2: And once somehow, and it's actually because of this car, right,

591
00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,160
Speaker 2: I met the mentors. Like when I was in Hawaii,

592
00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,760
Speaker 2: I would see all of these you know, older gentlemen

593
00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:50,719
Speaker 2: driving this or Toyota Tacoma, like pieces of junk that

594
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:54,160
Speaker 2: are being rusted up because of the salt water in Hawaii,

595
00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:57,000
Speaker 2: and then I would like get to know them, and

596
00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,280
Speaker 2: friends would introduce me and they go, yeah, that guy's like,

597
00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:02,400
Speaker 2: you know, almost a billionaire, or he owns half of this,

598
00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,240
Speaker 2: or he's this or he's that, And I'm like, but

599
00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:07,360
Speaker 2: he drives a Sienna. He's like yeah, because he doesn't

600
00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,520
Speaker 2: care what people think. And I was like, man, that

601
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:13,160
Speaker 2: was my north star. I was like, I need to

602
00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:17,280
Speaker 2: get to that place where whatever is on the externals

603
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,640
Speaker 2: not for others, and like, look, we should love the

604
00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:24,120
Speaker 2: finer things in life if it's sincere and if it's

605
00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:26,960
Speaker 2: not for somebody else, Like even the way like I

606
00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:27,800
Speaker 2: dressed today.

607
00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:29,160
Speaker 4: It was like when I was younger.

608
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:31,800
Speaker 2: It was like I dressed because I was like, oh, hey,

609
00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:35,000
Speaker 2: I need that person to think that I'm something, that

610
00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:35,640
Speaker 2: I'm cool.

611
00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:40,200
Speaker 4: And now I wear what I look as like. I

612
00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:40,560
Speaker 4: like that.

613
00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:45,760
Speaker 2: I like the ethos behind that. And this the Toyota CNA.

614
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:50,400
Speaker 2: The engineers of this car, they created a masterpiece. Yeah,

615
00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:52,760
Speaker 2: well I fix it when it's not broken, right.

616
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:57,200
Speaker 3: I find myself appreciating cameras. Sometimes I look at the

617
00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:59,160
Speaker 3: corner of my eye, see this wide loasedan. I think,

618
00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:00,760
Speaker 3: what is that? Oh, it's a camera.

619
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:02,240
Speaker 1: Is this what I have to look forward to? As

620
00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:02,800
Speaker 1: I get older?

621
00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:05,680
Speaker 3: I find as I get older, I become more extreme

622
00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:11,560
Speaker 3: extreme extreme. It's an interesting one. As you get older,

623
00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:15,240
Speaker 3: there's different directions that you can go. I like looking

624
00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:19,680
Speaker 3: at archetypes, and there's several art types that I feel

625
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:23,640
Speaker 3: myself heading in the direction of. One is the the outlaw.

626
00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:28,720
Speaker 3: Sometimes I go to lowrider events in detail. I live

627
00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:31,280
Speaker 3: in the arts district in downtown LA and I go

628
00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,440
Speaker 3: to these little rider events and I see I see

629
00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,040
Speaker 3: these older like Mexican gentlemen, you know, with their shaved

630
00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:40,600
Speaker 3: heads and their tattoos, and I think, damn, this is

631
00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:44,440
Speaker 3: they look so amazing and they're like sixty. And then

632
00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:47,040
Speaker 3: the other the other arch type that I love is

633
00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:51,120
Speaker 3: the avant garde artist or artiste that people that get

634
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:57,080
Speaker 3: older become more out there visually. So I think by

635
00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,680
Speaker 3: the time I'm like eighty, I'm gonna have like tattoos over.

636
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,840
Speaker 3: I don't know, it's just it's the direction I'm heading in.

637
00:34:17,040 --> 00:34:17,239
Speaker 1: You know.

638
00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:20,160
Speaker 2: Speaking of the low writer community, I don't know if

639
00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:24,200
Speaker 2: this urban legend is true, but it has been told

640
00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:31,160
Speaker 2: that the person that actually sparked or created the lowriters

641
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:33,720
Speaker 2: is actually a Japanese American.

642
00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:36,280
Speaker 4: That's true, Pazo. I think his name is Tazzo.

643
00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:41,919
Speaker 3: I saw the story recently that the first car that's

644
00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:47,600
Speaker 3: considered the prototype lowriter there was a Asian American gentleman.

645
00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:50,279
Speaker 3: But it was the same with Have you heard of

646
00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:53,600
Speaker 3: Bob hiro Hata No In the nineteen fifties, he worked

647
00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:57,880
Speaker 3: with Sam barrass and they created the hiro Hata Mercury.

648
00:34:57,920 --> 00:35:01,040
Speaker 3: It's a fifty one Mercury, the most famous custom car

649
00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:06,080
Speaker 3: in the world and dead Japanese American. This is a

650
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:10,040
Speaker 3: whole other subject, but yeah, certainly the stories of Asian

651
00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:15,880
Speaker 3: Americans in the history of hot rotting, drag, racing, custom cars.

652
00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:19,440
Speaker 3: It's a there's so many stories and people that have

653
00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:21,280
Speaker 3: contributed along the way.

654
00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:25,399
Speaker 2: That have been invisible, I guess because of media. Yeah,

655
00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:26,239
Speaker 2: to control that.

656
00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:31,040
Speaker 3: It's a program I did with Hot Wheels two years

657
00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:33,279
Speaker 3: ago and one year ago to tell more of these

658
00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:35,439
Speaker 3: stories during AAPI month.

659
00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:36,320
Speaker 4: What did they say?

660
00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:38,759
Speaker 3: Well, we we They came to us and said, hey,

661
00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:44,760
Speaker 3: let's celebrate API Asian American Pacific Islanders and their contributions

662
00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:49,160
Speaker 3: to the automobile and car culture. So we did several

663
00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:52,719
Speaker 3: articles that were on Hot Wheels Instagram channel, and we

664
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:56,400
Speaker 3: looked at who are the people that have done some

665
00:35:56,600 --> 00:36:02,200
Speaker 3: crazy stuff like Larry Shinoda he worked on the Stingray

666
00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:08,880
Speaker 3: Corvette and the really Mustang. But there's numerous people that

667
00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:15,480
Speaker 3: have designed iconic cars, motorsports legends and Yeah, often these

668
00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:19,520
Speaker 3: stories are not told. And it's also fun to try

669
00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:21,920
Speaker 3: and find new people that are coming up to see

670
00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:23,040
Speaker 3: if we can help them.

671
00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:24,560
Speaker 4: Yeah.

672
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:28,279
Speaker 3: One thing that when you talk about Asian Americans and

673
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,160
Speaker 3: Asian Americans in car culture that I find a little

674
00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:34,680
Speaker 3: maybe worrying to look at is when I look at

675
00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:39,600
Speaker 3: Formula D right now, there's not many Asian Americans competing anymore.

676
00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:41,719
Speaker 4: And there used to be tons. Why do you think

677
00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:42,120
Speaker 4: that is.

678
00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:45,160
Speaker 3: I've talked to Jim Law about this, and Jim Law.

679
00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:48,200
Speaker 2: Used to be the head of FD now so he's

680
00:36:48,239 --> 00:36:51,560
Speaker 2: no longer. There is of Asian he said. He said

681
00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:55,320
Speaker 2: that it's hard for people to find sponsorship because they're Asian.

682
00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:58,880
Speaker 3: That's one thing he said, yeah, and I don't know,

683
00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:02,560
Speaker 3: but it's it's definitely something we've noted. The challenges.

684
00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:02,879
Speaker 1: Yeah.

685
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:05,520
Speaker 2: I mean, we had Hurt here formerly from Hoon again

686
00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:08,839
Speaker 2: and we were asking him like, how come there're very

687
00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:13,239
Speaker 2: few pro African American drivers? Yea, if any, like I

688
00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:17,080
Speaker 2: never saw any. And then last FT even I went to,

689
00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:19,839
Speaker 2: I think there was Die was still racing, and there

690
00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:21,920
Speaker 2: was Ken Gucci and that's.

691
00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:24,120
Speaker 3: There from the beginning, right old school.

692
00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:27,719
Speaker 2: But they also were saying I remember kenn Or Die

693
00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:29,759
Speaker 2: was telling me. He's like, yeah, we can't, we can't

694
00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:34,440
Speaker 2: compete with you know, the dudes like h On. He's like,

695
00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:36,560
Speaker 2: I can't, I can't compete with him because he has

696
00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:41,240
Speaker 2: He was look at their like you know, their their pits,

697
00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:44,359
Speaker 2: like you know, it's like it's millions of dollars where

698
00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:47,040
Speaker 2: he was saying like I can bear it. We have

699
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:49,520
Speaker 2: he had to tow the cars himself, like Ken he

700
00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:53,280
Speaker 2: was saying, right, and like his whole crew are staying

701
00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:56,160
Speaker 2: in a motel six, right, So it's all about sponsorship.

702
00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:59,200
Speaker 2: So I mean, I I don't know, man, it's like

703
00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:02,480
Speaker 2: a challenge. Or you look at women in motorsports, right,

704
00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:06,120
Speaker 2: same thing. It's at least good that there's dialogue about

705
00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:09,719
Speaker 2: these things and there's still people that break through, thankfully,

706
00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:13,879
Speaker 2: and there's still marker moments that happen if we look

707
00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:15,960
Speaker 2: at you know, through the lens of people of color

708
00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:19,759
Speaker 2: and women and their progression and automotive. But I think

709
00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:24,160
Speaker 2: one has to keep pushing and keep trying to help,

710
00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:27,280
Speaker 2: or you can to find opportunities for people, keep encouraging

711
00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,520
Speaker 2: others and share what you've learned along the way hopefully.

712
00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:31,120
Speaker 1: Yeah.

713
00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,680
Speaker 2: I mean, look, it's it's important to talk about this,

714
00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:37,440
Speaker 2: but it's also it's I think it's important also to

715
00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:42,160
Speaker 2: not be delusional. Of course, talk about it realistically, right,

716
00:38:42,239 --> 00:38:44,560
Speaker 2: I mean, I mean you brought up the fact like, yeah,

717
00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:47,880
Speaker 2: why are there are very few Asian like you know

718
00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:51,200
Speaker 2: drifters and the pro league. That's a question that I

719
00:38:51,239 --> 00:38:55,160
Speaker 2: would like to answer you know, and is it because

720
00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:58,320
Speaker 2: they're inferior drivers or is it that because their face

721
00:38:58,400 --> 00:38:59,560
Speaker 2: does not sell the product?

722
00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:02,520
Speaker 4: Is that even true? I mean I deal with that.

723
00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:05,960
Speaker 2: It's like like when I deal with like corporate like America,

724
00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:09,719
Speaker 2: They're like, yeah, your face doesn't work in America, and

725
00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:13,480
Speaker 2: then I go outside and Asia and Europe, it's like

726
00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:17,200
Speaker 2: I'm appreciated. Is like, you know, there's value there, but here,

727
00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:20,680
Speaker 2: being American and growing up here is like has its

728
00:39:20,719 --> 00:39:24,560
Speaker 2: pros and its cons. But I always feel like, you know,

729
00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:25,680
Speaker 2: I'm in the backseat.

730
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:28,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, I agree with you. I definitely have experienced that.

731
00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:32,920
Speaker 3: In my first career music video directing, I was working

732
00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:37,359
Speaker 3: with industrial metal bands like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch

733
00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:40,080
Speaker 3: Nails and this kind of stuff. But I think when

734
00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:42,080
Speaker 3: I was up for music videos, if I was going

735
00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:43,600
Speaker 3: to be invited to write on and they saw this

736
00:39:43,719 --> 00:39:47,400
Speaker 3: name Rod Chong, I don't believe that that necessarily helped

737
00:39:47,440 --> 00:39:51,040
Speaker 3: me in my progression. This is in the nineties, but

738
00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:55,080
Speaker 3: I'd like to think that maybe now it wouldn't be

739
00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:58,200
Speaker 3: quite as much friction as it was back then.

740
00:39:58,239 --> 00:39:58,799
Speaker 4: I don't think so.

741
00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:01,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't think it's you know, it's at bad

742
00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:03,680
Speaker 2: as the nineties. I think it's getting better and better

743
00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:06,920
Speaker 2: and better, but I think the dialogue and not to

744
00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:09,359
Speaker 2: complain about it, like I'm not a soapbox guy, and

745
00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:12,120
Speaker 2: like I don't not like to talk about, Oh, the

746
00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,560
Speaker 2: world is racist and I'm the victim, Like it's not that.

747
00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:18,239
Speaker 2: But it's also like again, ignore truth, Like how is

748
00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:23,640
Speaker 2: drifting this sport that so supposedly it was inspired by Japan?

749
00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:24,200
Speaker 3: Yeah?

750
00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:28,680
Speaker 2: Right, and there's nobody from Japan participating in the sport

751
00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:31,360
Speaker 2: in America. But Hurt actually brought up a good point

752
00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:34,279
Speaker 2: when we spoke to him. He said, what did you say, Mail?

753
00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:37,920
Speaker 2: He said that the Japanese cars were where there's this

754
00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:45,000
Speaker 2: American sensibility or the American version of Japanese car culture.

755
00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:48,040
Speaker 1: Right. I think he was talking, if I remember correctly,

756
00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:51,359
Speaker 1: about the different drifting styles, and what he liked about

757
00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:55,520
Speaker 1: Final Bout was it had more Japanese influence where FD

758
00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:58,600
Speaker 1: today has more American influence of form over function, function

759
00:40:58,680 --> 00:40:59,080
Speaker 1: over form.

760
00:40:59,280 --> 00:41:03,080
Speaker 3: Yeah. Finally, I remember talking to some of the OG

761
00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:06,600
Speaker 3: Japanese drifters. I went to Japan for a tour in

762
00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:08,120
Speaker 3: two thousand and eight and we spent a lot of

763
00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:11,200
Speaker 3: time with Team Orange back then they were talking about

764
00:41:11,239 --> 00:41:14,120
Speaker 3: how the style of drifting that was coming up was

765
00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:17,080
Speaker 3: more like sideways power sliding, which kind of makes sense.

766
00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:21,040
Speaker 3: Whereas if you look at those early drifting events where

767
00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:22,959
Speaker 3: they I remember I went to a D one GP

768
00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:25,359
Speaker 3: event in two thousand and six at Arndale and they

769
00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:29,799
Speaker 3: had different rules for cars below three hundred horsepower, So

770
00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:31,839
Speaker 3: the eighty six is that were drifting back then. They

771
00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:34,600
Speaker 3: didn't have to drift the bank at Arundel because they

772
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:39,120
Speaker 3: couldn't have enough power, and there was a bit more

773
00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:43,560
Speaker 3: of a playing field that was designed for those low

774
00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:46,160
Speaker 3: horsepower cars and all that. But that's a bit more

775
00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:50,480
Speaker 3: of the traditional JDM drifting thing, which it's a bit

776
00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:52,560
Speaker 3: more like final about I'd say, is more of a

777
00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:56,200
Speaker 3: throwback to the original spirit of what drifting was like

778
00:41:56,320 --> 00:42:00,600
Speaker 3: in late nineties, early to mid two thousands. It's kind

779
00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:02,759
Speaker 3: of gone in a different direction now. Yeah, and I

780
00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:05,200
Speaker 3: still am a big fan. I go I try and

781
00:42:05,239 --> 00:42:08,000
Speaker 3: go to the Long Beach and Rundel every year, So

782
00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:09,120
Speaker 3: I still love drifting.

783
00:42:09,239 --> 00:42:10,080
Speaker 1: Yeah.

784
00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:13,040
Speaker 2: And also you know, when I step back and look

785
00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:18,319
Speaker 2: at you know, the landscape, but you know professional drifting. Yeah,

786
00:42:18,360 --> 00:42:21,480
Speaker 2: the positives is that you know this thing that came

787
00:42:21,520 --> 00:42:25,520
Speaker 2: from Asian culture is now accepted and embraced by people

788
00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:29,239
Speaker 2: that are not Asian. And it's not this like you know,

789
00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:33,840
Speaker 2: this like exotic foreign thing. It's like, oh, it's you know,

790
00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:37,000
Speaker 2: it's part of American culture now, right, which is awesome.

791
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:40,560
Speaker 3: European culture too. The biggest drifting event in the world

792
00:42:40,640 --> 00:42:44,840
Speaker 3: just happened in Poland. Really there were six thousand people

793
00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:48,000
Speaker 3: there was in a stadium, I mean fifty six thousand.

794
00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:48,720
Speaker 4: Wow.

795
00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:52,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, So there. It's it's moving around the world. It's

796
00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:54,439
Speaker 3: kind of become it's its own thing. Yes, the roots

797
00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:55,800
Speaker 3: are in Japan, but.

798
00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:56,520
Speaker 4: What do you think that is.

799
00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:59,920
Speaker 2: You think it's because it's a car event or something

800
00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:02,800
Speaker 2: that is accessible to just the layman.

801
00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:06,880
Speaker 3: Think about skiing and mountains, right, Skiing is being around

802
00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:09,600
Speaker 3: a long time. You know, people go on mountains, and

803
00:43:09,680 --> 00:43:12,160
Speaker 3: it was there for a long time, and then suddenly

804
00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:16,320
Speaker 3: this new group of people came snowboarders, right, they dressed differently,

805
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:19,440
Speaker 3: this in different mus Totally it was a culture and

806
00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:21,839
Speaker 3: all the traditional skiers were looking at going what is

807
00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:22,319
Speaker 3: this thing?

808
00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:22,600
Speaker 1: Right?

809
00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:26,120
Speaker 3: Who are these people? Snowboarding has you know gone and

810
00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:30,440
Speaker 3: it's its own thing now totally international sport and pastime,

811
00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,360
Speaker 3: but it still is happening on ski slopes, right, And

812
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:38,920
Speaker 3: you could think of traditional motorsports happening on racetracks, et cetera,

813
00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:42,280
Speaker 3: and then suddenly these drifters come out and they're different.

814
00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:43,399
Speaker 4: Right.

815
00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:48,480
Speaker 3: It's a lifestyle more comparable to snowboarders and skaters, i'd say,

816
00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:51,879
Speaker 3: if you wanted to draw a parallel, But it's also

817
00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:55,640
Speaker 3: just fun to watch. And I believe it's the last

818
00:43:55,840 --> 00:43:59,960
Speaker 3: new motorsport that's happened in an age. I think rallycross

819
00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:03,160
Speaker 3: was invented in the early seventies, but aside from that,

820
00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:06,360
Speaker 3: there's not really anything you maybe maybe monster trucks or

821
00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:08,600
Speaker 3: the other new sport if you want.

822
00:44:08,440 --> 00:44:11,080
Speaker 1: To call it that that's trippy to think about that,

823
00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:14,920
Speaker 1: drifting or maybe monst trucks. I don't know which came first,

824
00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:17,520
Speaker 1: but to think that that's one of the newer forms

825
00:44:17,800 --> 00:44:21,120
Speaker 1: and maybe the last form of motorsport, Yeah, racing.

826
00:44:21,120 --> 00:44:22,920
Speaker 3: And it's just it's it's entertaining.

827
00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:23,160
Speaker 1: Right.

828
00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:25,920
Speaker 3: You've got the crazy, out of control action that you

829
00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:29,479
Speaker 3: might seem rallying. You've got the side by side door

830
00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:33,160
Speaker 3: banging you might get in NASCAR, the smoke pomp and

831
00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:36,560
Speaker 3: circumstance you get in drag racing, you know, big power cars,

832
00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:42,200
Speaker 3: and but then you've got this knockout timeline, whereas regular motorsports, Right,

833
00:44:42,239 --> 00:44:43,960
Speaker 3: you're going around in circles and you get to sit

834
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,680
Speaker 3: in the grand stand as a fan and room room right,

835
00:44:47,719 --> 00:44:50,000
Speaker 3: the cars are going left right, and then someone wins

836
00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:52,000
Speaker 3: and then it's over. And yeah, it's usually not that

837
00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:56,600
Speaker 3: exciting as much as I love motorsports. So I think

838
00:44:56,600 --> 00:45:01,360
Speaker 3: that that's why drifting has developed in the way that

839
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:03,040
Speaker 3: it has. You know, there was a while there in

840
00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:06,440
Speaker 3: the US that rally cross came in and took all

841
00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:08,320
Speaker 3: the oxygen out of the room, and all the factory

842
00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:11,799
Speaker 3: programs left. Formula D went to rally cross, and then

843
00:45:12,320 --> 00:45:14,719
Speaker 3: there's new forms of electric rally cross coming in, etc.

844
00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:19,040
Speaker 3: But it stayed that often it keeps going. The fan

845
00:45:19,120 --> 00:45:22,040
Speaker 3: engagements there still fun. We love drifting.

846
00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:24,320
Speaker 4: Well, thank you, Ron, this was a great conversation.

847
00:45:24,640 --> 00:45:27,440
Speaker 1: This has been a really deep and lovely conversation.

848
00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:30,359
Speaker 3: My pleasure. Yeah, we went pretty deep. I feel very

849
00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:32,120
Speaker 3: close to both of you now, and so do we