They Call Us Bruce

Jeff and Phil welcome Andrew Law, creator, co-showrunner and co-star of the Netflix animated sitcom Dang! He talks about the show's evolution from a live-action dramedy to animation; telling culturally specific stories about sibling dynamics (despite being an only child) and flawed, messy Asian American characters; sussing out partners with possible Asian fetishes; and weirdly horny church worship songs (that are also total bangers). Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Dang!

Jeff and Phil welcome their old friends George Kiriyama and Traci Kato-Kiriyama, siblings who recently lost their mother, Ikuko Kiriyama, to talk about remembrance, grief (or pre-grief), and letting go. They share personal stories of the Kiriyama family's journey with loss; the role of caregiving and supporting aging parents; the lessons learned from honoring a loved one's legacy; and the emotional process of letting go and moving forward.

Jeff and Phil welcome Kiana Hall, the Seattle resident who spotted and named the viral phenomenon "Jimothy," the unusually-shaped raccoon who has captured the internet's heart. She talks about the fateful evening she encountered Jimothy on a neighborhood walk ("What am I looking at?"); why Jimothy has become a symbol of joy and resilience for so many, especially in this moment; the unexpected viral attention Kiana has received from the discovery; and the inevitable attempts to monetize and exploit Jimothy's image. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of discovering and naming Jimothy.

Jeff and Phil welcome Alice Chu, President of the legendary Great Star Theater in San Francisco's Chinatown -- the oldest Chinese theater in North America -- and David Chiu, City Attorney of San Francisco, to talk about the rich history, legacy and future of the Great Star and Chinatown at large. They talk about the mission to preserve and revitalize the century-old performing arts venue to serve the community; the continuing resilience of Chinatown businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond; and the Great Star's interesting connection to this podcast's namesake, Bruce Lee. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of San Francisco Chinatown's historic legacy.

Jeff and Phil welcome their old friend Leonardo Nam, who stars in Disney's Descendants: Wicked Wonderland. He talks about his journey as an artist from Argentina to Australia to Hollywood, where he first broke through in films like The Perfect Score, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift; his unexpected and delightful villainous turn as Maddox Hatter in Disney's wildly popular Descendants franchise -- including his very own full-fledged musical number; and the joy of getting to share this family-friendly project with his kids. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.

Jeff and Phil welcome Annie Lee, Managing Director of Policy for Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Sandra Wong, great-granddaughter of Wong Kim Ark, whose landmark 1898 Supreme Court victory established birthright citizenship in the United States. They discuss the history of United States v. Wong Kim Ark and its profound impact on American citizenship and civil rights; the contemporary political challenges to birthright citizenship and the erosion of constitutional rights; and the importance of educating the next generation about Wong Kim Ark's legacy.

Jeff and Phil welcome actor, martial artist, and stuntman Brian Le of MartialClub, whose credits include Everything Everywhere All at Once, Paper Tigers, and this summer's gritty action thriller The Furious. He talks about his humble beginnings from watching kung fu flicks on bootleg VHS, to making YouTube videos with his brother Andy as self-taught action stars; getting to work with some of the world's best film fighters in The Furious -- and the steep learning curve of making action movies in Asia; and channeling his inner baby to play the unstoppable henchman Ho. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making The Furious. This episode is sponsored by National Asian American Theatre Company's acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts, which brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Performances from June 9 through July 19. Use code H6BC for $59 tickets!

Jeff and Phil check in with Christine Chen, Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), and Karthick Ramakrishnan, Executive Director of AAPI Data, to get a pulse on the upcoming midterm elections. They discuss the challenges of voter engagement — including new and ongoing barriers to voting (and how you can take action); significant data trends across Asian American and Pacific Islander voter demographics; some of the urgent issues affecting AAPI voters; and key races to keep an eye on that could shape the future of our democracy. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of the upcoming midterm elections.  This episode is sponsored by National Asian American Theatre Company's acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts, which brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Performances from June 9 through July 19. Use code H6BC for $59 tickets!

Jeff and Phil welcome Kevin Jeung, Chef of Research and Production at the legendary restaurant Noma -- named the World's Best Restaurant -- which is finishing up a 16-week residency in Los Angeles. He talks about neglecting to inform his parents when he dropped out of college to pursue cooking full time; the culinary experimentation (both failure and success, but mostly failure) that happens inside Noma's Fermentation Lab; and what that $1500 per seat menu actually looks and tastes like. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of doing a restaurant pop-up in Los Angeles. This episode is sponsored by National Asian American Theatre Company's acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts, which brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Performances from June 9 through July 19. Use code H6BC for $59 tickets!

Jeff and Phil welcome back comedian, writer, podcaster, and sister in rice Jenny Yang to catch up, kick off the summer, and spread the word about her Good Egg Immigrant Grocery Store Standup Comedy Tour, in which she jokes about growing up as a "good" immigrant kid, the importance of food to our cultures, and her own failed fertility journey. Jenny shares about the personal struggles that led her towards her first standup special and a nonprofit comedy tour benefitting immigrants rights organizations -- performed in immigrant grocery stores around the country. We're talking durian, bok choy, air conditioning, bad lighting, and Jenny's jokes. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of Jenny's fertility journey. 

Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura to talk about Third Act, his deeply personal documentary about his father, pioneering filmmaker Robert A. Nakamura, aka "The Godfather of Asian American Media." Tad talks about growing up in the shadow of his revered artist/activist parents, and the pressure that evolved into pride and partnership; making the movie he always knew that he had to make, and the challenges of putting himself front and center in the film; and how the camera -- and the ticking clock -- became the ultimate intermediary for father and son. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Third Act.

Jeff and Phil welcome back acclaimed legendary playwright David Henry Hwang, who talks about his new take on the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song, now playing at East West Players in Los Angeles. He talks about rewriting and re-contextualizing the book for this beloved show (still only one of the few Broadway musicals to center Asian Americans); refreshing some of the more outdated and regressive elements of the story -- including a few of the cringe-inducing lines from David's own 2002 revisal -- for contemporary times; and how this staging of Flower Drum Song represents a full-circle moment for David's life and career.

Jeff and Phil welcome back friend and filmmaker Bao Nguyen, director of the Netflix documentary BTS: The Return, which follows global pop supergroup BTS -- Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook -- as they reunite and record their highly anticipated comeback album Arirang. Bao talks about riding shotgun and spending the summer with the biggest band in the world; getting an intimate glimpse into the group's camaraderie, artistry, and unique dedication to their massive fanbase; and what it means for BTS to represent their nation and culture at this pivotal moment in their career. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making BTS: The Return.

Jeff and Phil welcome their old friend, writer and educator Scott Kurashige, author of American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism. He talks about his personal journey into Asian American activism and movement scholarship; the erasure of anti-Asian racism and colonial violence, and why we are constantly learning and re-learning this history; and why legislating and prosecuting hate crimes isn't necessarily the answer for multiracial solidarity. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of writing American Peril. 

Jeff and Phil welcome rapper/actor/writer Jonnie Park, aka Dumbfoundead, author of the new memoir SPIT: A Life in Battles. He talks about why the time felt right to share his story through this book; coming up in Koreatown and finding his voice as an artist through the Los Angeles battle rap scene; making the leap from music to movies and TV in projects like K-Pops! and Beef; and why Phil is the only person who calls him by his government name. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of writing SPIT.

Jeff and Phil welcome back their best pals in podcasting, cultural critic/journalist/educator Rebecca Sun and Dino-Ray Ramos of DIASPORA, to re-connect, reset, and share what they've been watching/consuming/experiencing lately in pop culture and beyond. They discuss, among other things, Asians in the Regency romance of Bridgerton; the possibility of a brown James Bond in Riz Ahmed's offbeat comedy series Bait; the audacity of multiple Asians as health care workers on The Pitt; and how far pretty privilege can get you on The Traitors. Also: Jeff finally watched Pop Star Academy. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans, a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.

Jeff and Phil welcome writer/director Amy Wang and actress Shirley Chen to talk about their new film Slanted, a horror/comedy described as "Mean Girls meets The Substance." They discuss blending body horror and black comedy to tell an Asian American story about race, shame, and belonging; why the American high school prom is a useful and universal -- they love this movie in Germany! -- cinematic narrative device to interrogate some big ideas; how to find the "whitest" stock footage for your fake karaoke video; and why McKenna Grace speaks Chinese so well in the movie. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Slanted. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans, a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.

Jeff and Phil welcome back Daniel Chong, director of the Disney/Pixar animated feature Hoppers. They discuss the silly, unlikely pitch for "Penguin Avatar" that actually got the green light; centering an angry Asian young woman at the heart of this adventure (and why this movie arrives amidst an incredible moment for animated Asian movie heroines); and all the fun world-building that goes into crafting a story set in the animal kingdom. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Hoppers. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans, a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.

Jeff and Phil ring in the Lunar New Year and welcome journalist Kimmy Yam to talk about trial runs, fresh starts, and the Year of the Horse. They discuss the unfortunate and untimely shutdown of NBC Asian America -- and the loss of representation, trust, and cultural power; the incredible depth of reporting and coverage of the Asian American community that Kimmy was able accomplish during her tenure at NBC; and what the future looks like now for authentic and sustained news coverage of marginalized communities. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of the new year. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans, a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.

Jeff and Phil welcome poet/author/activist Bao Phi and Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Laura Yuen to talk about the ongoing and escalating crackdown by federal immigration operations in Minnesota. They talk about Laura's recent piece about her family and their citizenship; the temperature on the street, particularly in the wake of recent killings by ICE agents; the widespread fear and uncertainty among community members just trying to move through their lives; and the kindness of everyday Minnesotans who are helping each other survive the siege. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of being in Minnesota right now. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans, a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.