(POP)LICKING OURSELVES
As most of you should know, Junichi is the official "embedded" blogger for the Dixie Chicks. Back when he got this gig, after I managed to lift my jaw off the floor, I asked if I could interview him about going on the road with the group for the site: seems to me this is a pretty fascinating gig (to say the least) and personally, I had a ton of questions I was curious about.
Junichi said sure, after things settled down a bit and that brings us here. This interview was done over IM (and edited to be more readable) on Saturday night (shows you what kind of exciting lives we both lead). If you haven't seen the Dixie Chicks site and blog yet, check it out.
CONTINUE READING...
Oliver Wang.: Ok, to begin: How have you decided to spend your HBO loot? I'm eyeing a G4 Gulfstream myself.
Junichi Semitsu: I've decided to spend my HBO loot on HBO. I feel like it's not enough for me to have the basic HBO channel. I need HBO East, HBO Taxicab Confessions 24/7, and of course, HBO All-The-Wire-You-Can-Eat.
O.W.: Awesome. Ok, first real question: how's the Dixie Chicks gig going?
J.S.: By the way, this is my first time ever really engaging in an IM chat. So I feel like you're basically busting my AIM hymen. Can't you start off with a little more foreplay? Do I need to use chat abbreviations like LOL (Laughing Out Loud), TTFN (Ta-Ta For Now), and GMMSBQOW (Give me more soft ball questions, Oliver Wang)?
The gig is going great. I've learned more than I wanted to know about the music business, touring, obsessed fans, media interviews, and the makeup process. It's a bit exhausting, however, balancing that job with my teaching job, which started up a few weeks ago.
O.W.: Work load aside, has it been weird readjusting to "normal" work (as “normal” as academic work can be considered)?
J.S.: Yes. For example, I was in Toronto a few days ago for the Toronto Film Festival. I'm pretty sure I was the only one at the gala premiere who left the afterparty early to go back to the hotel and grade papers.
O.W.: How many of your students knew (or now know) about the gig? What has their reaction been?
J.S.: I think all my students from last year know about the gig because I mentioned it in class. Also, there was an article about me in the SD Union-Tribune over the summer, which many read. I have no idea how many of my current students know, however. Their reaction has largely ranged from indifference to "Can you score me backstage passes?" to "Here's my bluegrass demo tape."
O.W.: You don't show up to class in your "Man Ass" t-shirt?
J.S.: I definitely don't show up to class in my "Man Ass for the Dixie Chicks" shirt, although I have had many people at shows ask me if they can buy one.
O.W.: Let's return to the basics: how exactly did MSN find you for this gig? Had you ever posted on the Dixie Chicks (DC) before?
J.S.: Let's just say that a collection of incriminating photos of Bill Gates goes a long way.
O.W.: All it got me was a lousy beta-tester of the Zune player. It crashes all the time.
J.S.: There was a gentleman named Brad Wright at Microsoft who was in charge of content for this project. Initially, he found a reporter at a Seattle newspaper, but the Dixie Chicks rejected her, in part, because they were looking for somebody with a fresh perspective and not a professional journalist/critic. (This is all hearsay, of course.) So he literally started surfing the web, looking for somebody who could write about music and politics with a sense of humor that matched the Dixie Chicks. He stumbled upon Poplicks.
I've always suspected that he read some of your stuff but thought it was mine. I actually did a Google search to see whether I had ever written about the Dixie Chicks. And nope, I hadn't. But you had!
O.W.: I had?
J.S.: Yes. (It was probably back in the Pop Life days.)
O.W.: Damn, how come I'm not on tour then?
J.S.: If he did mistake the two of us, by the way, it will be the first time that I've appreciated that other people think all Asians are alike.
So Brad asked for some writing samples. Then, a few days before my wedding, I found out that I had been hired. In fact, I was hired without ever meeting a single person from Microsoft and without ever meeting the Dixie Chicks or anybody in their camp. They had no way of knowing that I wasn't a kleptomaniac or that I didn't hate Southern people or that I didn't suffer from a contagious form of explosive diarrhea.
O.W.: How many different cities have you been to since you started in the late spring?
J.S.: Probably 15. It's very weird to go to sleep in Pittsburgh and wake up in Boston, by the way.
O.W.: What's been the most interesting place you've gotten to visit so far?
J.S.: The truth is that I didn't get to take advantage of being in most cities. For example, when we were in Boston, I spent lots of time in the inside of the Fleet Center and then went to the Dunkin Donuts across the street to wolf down some donut holes. And that was it. It's the problem with having to constantly write and observe and write and observe.
I think being in Canada and London has been interesting because there definitely are some differences between Canadian, British, and American audiences. I've noticed the obvious demographic differences. There aren't many Asian Americans (descending from East Asia), for example, in the UK. Also, the Americans shout, while the Canadians shoat. Also, one of my biggest pet peeves in life is when a person can't figure out how to clap on the 2 and 4 (and clap on the 1 and 3 instead). I only noticed this problem in the states. American audiences are more likely to stand. British audiences are more likely to have men in the audience (although it's majority female in every city/country, for sure).
Also, when I was in Philadelphia, I wrote Duncan Black of Atrios (the progressive political blogger) on a whim. He happens to be a big fan of the Dixie Chicks. I took him and his wife out to dinner, which was great. We talked about Democratic candidates in 2008, which ended up being a depressing topic. But I was happy to engage in a little professional blogger networking, if you will.
O.W.: As the first "embedded blogger" what are your thoughts on the worth of such a position?
J.S.:, I think there is a lot of worth in the position to the extent that most artists are too busy to really communicate with fans. Also, when you're a band that keeps getting targeted (or lauded) as political rabblerousers, it's nice to have a blogger who can humanize you and cast you in different lights.
I would certainly create a blogger position for any band that is naturally funny or interesting to observe and keeps having issues with the way they're represented in the media. I will soon be available for hire, George Michael. And the Wu-Tang Clan. And Britney Spears. And Michael Jackson.
O.W.: I don't think Britney's hitting the stage again. Maybe Surreal Life.
J.S.: Speaking of Surreal Life, I can't believe that Flavor Flav is now more popular and arguably "powerful" than Chuck D.
O.W.: What's been the best experience you've had so far?
J.S.: When we were in Winnipeg, the Chicks decided to organize a post-show party that included a jam session. The "band" included members of the Dixie Chicks' band as well as opening act Bob Schneider's band. Natalie ended up forcing me to play keyboards, which I agreed to do only if she sang "Livin' on a Prayer." I also ended up accompanying her or Bob on "1999," "Blister in the Sun," "Sweet Child O' Mine," and "Billie Jean." Thank God I knew all those changes ahead of time.
O.W.: How about the worst experience?
J.S.: The worst was my first night on the tour bus. I was told that Rule #1 on the bus is that you can't go #2. This scared the crap out of me, although, thankfully, not literally. I couldn't sleep, in part, because I was on a moving bus, and also because I was worried that I'd force an entire parade of buses to pull over so I could drop a deuce. Apparently those expensive buses aren't equipped with grinders to deal with "solids".
O.W.: How have the DC treated you? By which I mean, this is a new thing: to have an embedded blogger. Did they know "what to do with you?"
J.S.: They've been very kind, very comfortable, to the point where they reveal some seriously disgusting/personal/embarassing details, trusting that I won't post that. It helped that they already had a documentary crew following them around for a few years.
One time, Natalie even invited me to join her (and one of the makeup guys) on the bus to play Yahtzee, for example. But that said, it still feels like a professional relationship. I'd be shocked if I got a call from any of them on my birthday.
O.W.: I heard an NPR story on the group where it was being suggested that they've more or less decided to move away from courting their hardcore country base and instead, look towards more crossover audiences - their changes to the tour schedule (less red states, more blue and Canadian dates) was supposed to be a sign of that. Would you say this is true?
J.S.: I think they look at it as the country base - especially country radio - has abandoned them. So they've definitely focused on other markets and other forms of media/promotion.
O.W.: Obviously, I can't speak - remotely - from the perspective of her former country base but what Natalie said would hardly be considered remotely controversial at this point in time, when a lot of folks are seriously questioning the Bush administration. Do you think it was bad timing? Or if the same thing had happened now, instead of before, do you think country fans/radio would have turned on them so bad? I'm also wondering if it's because they're women. That had it been, say, Garth Brooks (however unlikely) making a similar comment, far fewer would have made such an issue out of it.
J.S.: This is just my personal opinion: I think it was bad timing, plus the fact they're country singers, and to a lesser extent, the fact they're women. Unlike Natalie, I do think gender plays a role. There are male "progressive" country singers like Willie Nelson, but they get put in that "outlaw" category. But on the other hand, the Dixie Chicks were very opinionated and vocal before 2003 (See lyrics of "Goodbye Earl"), and yet, were still immensely popular. So it's hard to say.
Of course, "bad timing" suggests like it was a bad decision. Ultimately, I don't think the Dixie Chicks have regrets. While they've lost a lot of fans and suffered a lot of stress (death threats are never fun), they've also greatly benefited in exposure and earned a lot of new fans.
Jennifer Aniston called Bush a "f-ing idiot", I believe. One wonders what happened to the big Friends boycott of 2003 or the stomping on Office Space DVDs.
O.W.: So what do you have left?
J.S.: My contract now goes until December. So there are plenty more shows, media appearances (they'll be on the Ellen show and taping VH1 Storytellers next week), and some recording sessions.
J.S.: Hopefully, I can accompany them to some award shows, as well. I also have an arrangement to play Scrabble with Martie's husband, Gareth. Winner gets $100 per game.
O.W.: Were you at the VMAs?
J.S.: Are you kidding? I'd be shocked if there has ever been a Dixie Chicks video played on MTV unless Beavis was making fun of it. They're in a documentary, however, that has a good chance of getting nominated for best documentary. So I'm eyeing the Oscars, quite frankly.
So if you, Oliver, had been offered the Dixie Chicks gig? Would you have done it? It's hard for me being away from wife. I can't imagine how much harder it would be to be away from my daughter, as well. But then again, everybody needs a break from diaper duties.
Maybe one weekend, you can go my in my place, and we will see if anybody notices.
O.W.: That is a fine, fine question. On principle? Absolutely.
But in reality - it would have been very difficult for me to have left [my wife] Sharon to take care of our [daughter] Ella by herself. A kid changes a lot, especially a young one. I would have also been in the middle of my job process and that would have meant trying to start up a new job down in Long Beach while doing the Dixie Chicks gig on the side.
But honestly, if it hadn't been for the family aspect, yeah, I think I would have done it despite the challenges it would have presented. It's such a ridiculously, inconceivably great opportunity on multiple levels. I also think this was very forward looking - the "embedded blogger" idea.
J.S.: Yeah, I'm glad I have a few more months, because I still don't feel like I've come close to taking full advantage of it. It is a pretty fresh idea. The only difficulty is that I still have to get approvals and deal with some editorial restrictions, so the full spirit of blogging is missing. I suspect I'm setting a pretty low bar for future band bloggers.
You know, this reminds me ... when I was a kid, I always wanted to be the first Asian American something. I idolized the Jackie Robinsons and Thurgood Marshalls of the world. So I wanted to be the first Asian American basketball player, or the first American American Supreme Court Justice. It never occurred to me that I could be both the first band blogger -- of any race -- not to mention the first person to do an interview with journalist Oliver Wang while completely naked.
O.W.: What makes you think you're first?
Anyways, this may not be an appropriate question to ask since you're still on contract so feel free to pass but: if you could redesign the job, what would you have changed? (This isn't specific to your relationship. with the DC, but rather, the parameters of what you can do/can't do)..
J.S.: The problem with the parameters is this: if the Chicks didn't have approval rights, then they would censor themselves more often and/or limit my access. From the blogger's perspective, the ideal gig, of course, would involve finding a band of similar talent/humor/success/controversy that does not give a rat's booty about what gets released to the world.
O.W.: If they offered you a chance to renew, would you?
J.S.: As long as (1) the Chicks wanted me to return, (2) the fans seemed to continue appreciating what I'm doing, (3) I don't feel burnt out, and (4) my wife is cool with it, I would.
O.W.: DC aside, if you could have been the band blogger for any group, in any era, who would you have chosen?
J.S.: Ooooh ... the "any era" part makes this hard to answer. I certainly would've loved to follow the Jackson 5 (and especially Michael) from beginning to Bahrain. I also am fascinated by the life of Ol' Dirty Bastard.
But upon further consideration, I'm going to go with the Baha Men. Who let the blogs out?
No, excuse me, my monkey took over my laptop.
I probably would've chosen Elvis Presley. He's a hero to most, but he never mean s**t to me. I would've nonetheless be fascinated to observe his rise to fame, how he arrived at his decisions to emulate (steal?) black music, his shocking of values, his drug addictions, his acquisitions of tacky paraphernalia for Graceland, his miliary service, his Hollywood years, and his current state of hiding in Guatemala.
That's a stupid answer. I'm going back to the Baha Men.
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