Now in Singapore after his Taiwan exhibition, he brings a series of figures and polariod images as a part of his exhibition. We talk to him about what he portrays in his works.

Your works look very anime driven. Where do you draw your influences from?
Influences come from real people; friends and family.

Your SUITMAN character was inspired by the alienation you felt as an Asian-American in New York and later in Tokyo due to culture differences. What does the suit mean and how does this symbol work?
SUITMAN is not inspired by alienation but through the experience of living outside my own culture. So I have perspectives of two cultures, and have extended these to SUITMAN. He makes the best of both cultures and builds his own world wherever he goes, which makes him at home everywhere.

Do you think you will be able to find someplace where you fit in?
It’s not actual physical place that we are looking for, but a state of mind. We (SUITMAN and I) have already found our place and are living it.

When audiences interact with your work by taking photographs of themselves SUITMAN style, there is a certain understanding and bonding between artist and audience. Does that undermine the theme of alienation in any way?
It’s not about alienation. SUITMAN conveys a message to everyone and that is to “be yourself.” It’s about celebrating individualism and finding yourself.

What sets you apart from other artists?
I don’t know… maybe I don’t consider myself an artist? I just like to have fun and am not affiliated with strong political statements or any cultural movements.

Tell us about your experiences exhibiting here in Asia, in Hong Kong and Taiwan before coming to Singapore. How have people reacted to your work?
We have received great responses in every city we have been in, including Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, Paris, and New York. When we prepare for a show, we approach it as if we’re planning for a dinner party. We want people to come and enjoy and be part of the event.

Who would you like to work with someday?
Anyone who wants to be part of SUITMAN’s world.

What is it that you love about basketball?
Absolutely everything! It’s such a great feeling to be able to do something I love day in and day out. It certainly doesn’t feel like work.

OK, so what is your position in the team?
I’m the Power Forward or Centre. I do a lot of rebounding and I run the floor.

What is your training schedule like?
We train five days a week and six hours each day. Court work, weights, and conditioning are some of the areas we focus on.

Tell us what you are like on the basketball court.
I’m pretty athletic. I’m an animal on the court!

So what is the most difficult stunt you’ve pulled on the basketball court?
I once ran and jumped two feet from the free throw line to slam dunk the ball.

Well, beside basketball, what other kind of balls you play with?
Mmm, I like all balls! I’m trying to get the patience to learn to play golf properly, but the ball is so damn small.

What other sport do you love that gets you all dirty, sweating and panting?
Erm, I can’t divulge those aspects of my private life.

Let us in on a ritual you always do before you head to a competition.
I always listen to music on my iPod. Currently playing are some old tunes by Elvis and the Jackson 5. The song “Brimful of Asha” by Cornershop is getting a good run of late too. It really gets me going.

Honestly, do you think cute cheerleaders are distracting when you are competing?
Not in the least. I focus 100 percent of my attention on the game at hand.

Is Singapore Sling your favorite drink?
I’ve tried a Singapore Sling, but I have to say coffee is my favorite drink!

In your pocket: Car keys

Never leave home without: Contact lenses

Favorite Bangkok sound: Birds and squirrels over the hedge

As a child: A nerd in school, an entertainer at home

On the Bangkok music scene: Western influence written all over it

All time fave song: “Desafinado”

Fave restaurant: Infiniti, Sheraton Pattaya

Last lie: Saying “not much” when asked “what’s up?”

Rule for life: Karma rules

First Job: A writer for Bangkok Post

Happiest moment: Watching Mr. Bean or Benny Hill DVD

Question to ask yourself: Why am I here?

Idol: Definitely not American Idol

Reading: “Life on The Other Side” by Sylvia Brown

DJ Varin can be heard playing Saturdays 1-4pm on FM 98.75, the Sawasdee India Show.
 

You never know what you’re truly made of until you’ve taken yourself out of your comfort zone.

I think I was born with the “loving challenges” gene.  I’ve always felt most alive when I’ve had to push myself to my limits mentally and physically.  

The producers were looking for an individual who was adventurous, athletic and projected a healthy persona. After scouring through the entire region, they ended up with me.

I really didn’t feel anything at first because I had already told myself I didn’t get the job. I didn’t want to be even more disappointed later on.

Of course, once I realized the magnitude and significance of this show, I couldn’t be happier or more excited to be a part of it all.

I cherish and appreciate both eastern and western cultures. Even though I am of Chinese descent and have lived in Asia for over eight years, I grew up in the United States. 

If I don’t stay under the spotlight after the show, I would go back to medical school and become some sort of a doctor. Then again, I’m not young anymore, so I may consider doing some more work behind the camera on the production side.

I picture life as a game of lessons. We either learn from our mistakes or we end up never improving our current situation.

My mother is my role model. I have always admired my mother for being open-minded enough to be happy despite that fact that her son never followed her wishes for him to be a doctor, lawyer or something like that.

I have never really thought whether I prefer to be a famous or ordinary person. I figure that as long as the people I know, love and respect hold me in a positive light, then that’s all the fame I aspire towards.

The mind and human spirit are the most powerful tools that every one of us possesses.

How did you come up with the idea of driving a tuk tuk from Bangkok to Brighton?
Jo: I went traveling in Thailand four years ago, and a tuk tuk driver let me sit in the front and pretend to drive—that’s when the idea first came to me.
Ants: Jo asked me to do the trip with her last September, but it wasn’t the right time. When a friend of mine killed herself in November I changed my mind.

What did you hope to achieve, and do you feel you were successful?
Ants: We hoped to raise money for Mind and to raise awareness about mental health. We had some great press coverage in Russia, China, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic. Moreover, “Ting Tong,” our tuk tuk, makes everyone smile and is a fantastic mobile anti-depressant.

How did you get along in such close quarters for three months?
Ants: We had a row in Russia, but it was fine after a few hours.

What was the hardest part of your trip?
Ants: The first two weeks in China. We only had a 28-day permit to get through 4,400 miles, but when we got there we were restricted to the old roads. Not only did it add at least another 600 miles to the trip, but the roads were so bad that we were averaging 10 to 20 miles per hour. It was exhausting, but there was no choice.

What was the most exciting part?
Ants: Northwest China—following the Old Silk Road, tukking along beside the Great Wall, crossing the Gobi desert. It felt really epic and very special.

How was the traffic leaving Bangkok?
Ants: Bangkok was the worst traffic we had all the way!
Jo: We were stuck for over three hours—total nightmare.

If you could have done one thing differently, what would it have been?
Jo: Taken some warmer clothes. We were so cold in Kazakhstan and Russia, we drove in our sleeping bags!

How can readers contribute?
Ants: They can make donations at www.tuktotheroad.com. It’s simple, safe and quick. Every bit helps and it all goes directly to Mind.

Based on the life of Jonathan Larson, the idealistic composer behind the Broadway hit Rent, tick, tick… BOOM! is a poignant yet lighthearted production on how aspirations—no matter how far-fetched they might seem—keep us alive. We sit down with Christian Campbell, who plays the pivotal role of Larson for a lowdown on the show.

Tell us more about the role of Jonathan Larson in the musical.
Jonathon Larson was a young composer in New York looking to create a Broadway musical with a sound and style that better represented contemporary times. He was determined and resolute that it could be done and it was only after his death that his musical Rent proved his lifelong ambition.

OK, what are some of the crazy things he has done to achieve his dream?
He lived a life of poverty in New York. He was taking whatever jobs he could to survive and leading the typical “starving artist” life.

tick, tick… BOOM! has been performed in Broadway, London and Los Angeles. What is your most unforgettable moment on stage when playing the role of Larson?
We opened two days after the London bombings in 2005, and the show and Larson’s lyrics became even more meaningful for me.

Which scene in the musical do you like best?
The final song of the show “Louder than Words” is a song that to this day, gives me chills when we sing it. Its words and meaning strike a chord in me and have a prophetic relevance to the world we live in today.

Is this musical personally relevant to you in any way?
Every artist struggles often with choosing to pursue the life of an artist, as it is, more often than not, a life of struggle, with little money and constant self examination. I’ve lived the “starving artist life,” and although I am now relatively successful, I still question whether I should have pursued a career where I would have more stability even if I may not be as fulfilled.

What is one message you hope the audience will take home?
Follow your bliss. It’s not results, such as the acquisition of money, material objects or power that matter. It is the effort that matters. Our efforts are the sum total of our entire existence. The effort is our life.

Pay a listen to New York blokes Astro & Glyde. This up and coming DJ duo, which is signed to John Digweed’s Bedrock label, serves house beats so dirty, they’re hot, hot, hot! We catch up with Astro for a little banter.

What draws you to DJing?
It’s the feeling on the dance floor. That feeling a group of partygoers share as the music rocks the room attracts us.

Describe your sound in five words.
“Eye of the tiger, biotch!” or “Get the party started yo!”

Who are your influences?
Danny Tenaglia, John Digweed, John Creamer, Tini Tun and Stevie and The Beastie Boys are just a few.

At what speed do you normally work at?
We like to write music at 128 bpm and DJ at about 130 bpm, but it goes up and down, thank God.

Name your top 3 DJs or producers.
Eric Prydz, Angello and Ingrosso, and Tom Novy

What are you guys listening to now?
We are listening to Goldfrapp, Tom Yorke and bad-ass house music.

What are some killjoys in any party?
Technical difficulties and minimal dance snobbery would be it.

What gets you grooving non-stop?
Bass lines and diggity bomb tracks!

With his rock musician-style ponytail, Michael hardly looks like a stiff upper-lipped corporate man. He likes to dress informally or casually and is usually garbed in a black t-shirt. The funky man tells us what he does in his free time.

What is your current state of mind?
Exhilarated and contented.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Initially, I wanted to be an avionics engineer designing inter-galactical spacecraft, then the music bug got into me and I subsequently wanted to be a musician-singer- songwriter. But I ended in the world of large ticket structured finance.

What is your biggest achievement?
I have some creditable achievements so far, but like most people, I am constantly faced with new “mountains” to climb. And the highest peak is yet to be scaled.

What inspires you?
People with the incredible ability to create and an enormous capacity for compassion.

What personal trait do you appreciate the most in others?
Clearly understanding one’s own abilities and limitations.

Do you have a cause or do you support one?
The well-being and future of our 4,300 employees.

Which living person do you admire most and would like to invite for dinner?
Lou Gerstner—ex Chief Executive Officer of IBM.

What are you reading?
Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? by Lou Gerstner and Albert Camus’s I Myself.

How do you spend your Sunday mornings?
I roller blade along East Coast beach and then leisurely read the Sunday papers while savoring a cup of fragrant Earl Grey tea.

What is your idea of hell?
Living with the pain and hunger and witnessing the agony of poor and sick children and less privileged fellow humans, while millions of dollars are wasted on another widget which the world really does not need.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Digging into a giant brownie and ice-cream sandwich.

How do you recharge?
Playing one of my guitars. I find that immersing myself in music helps me focus on my inner self and get in touch with my emotions. Not only do I find this refreshing but also healing.

What’s playing in your iPod/MP3/CD player?
Life for Rent by Dido, Like A Star by Corinne Bailey Rae, and Try This by Pink.

What do you collect?
Guitars and memories.

Where would you like to live?
My current and absolute favorite home is Singapore, but Paris can be great in winter and Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc is exhilarating in the fall.

What is your favorite item of clothing?
Louis Vuitton black t-Shirt and slim-cut Dolce & Gabbana blue jeans.

What accessory sets you apart?
I have been wearing boots almost all of my life.

If you had to play a character in a movie, which movie and which character?
Howard Hughes in The Aviator.

What did you believe at 18 that you wish you still believe now?
What I miss most is the ability to dream freely without being limited by boundaries created by convention and having someone else’s ideas dictate what can and cannot be done.

Are the cowboy hat and spurs necessary for line dancing?
In Singapore, the spurs are not really that important. The cowboy hat is optional. Some people like to wear it, some don’t. It’s not compulsory.

Is it really only old people who line dance?
No, line dancing is open to all ages. We have students from the age of four to my oldest student who is 74. He’s very good.

Have you ever had a student with very poor psychomotor skills?
Oh, yes. Some of them have what we call “three legs!” No matter how you teach them, they just can’t get it.

Anyone ever start talking with a John Wayne type accent after each class?
No, not really. Don’t get the wrong concept that because you dress like a cowboy, you must speak like one.

What is the strangest music you have ever danced to?
There’s a song-and-dance set entitled “Genghis Khan.” Line dancing should be more or less about country music—something very pleasant to the ears.

What do you think are some of the misconceptions that people have about line dancers?
There aren’t many really, it’s just that to an ordinary person, it doesn’t make sense for a guy to dress in cowboy clothes and dance to Latin music. To me it doesn’t make sense! I believe most people agree with me, only that they don’t ask why they’re dressed like this.

We’ve heard that the Macarena is considered a line dance. Is that true?
Actually, you can consider it a line dance because the dancers all stand in line. The only thing is that they don’t move as much as us. They just turn around a little bit but, in line dancing, we move a lot.

Do you know how to do it then?
No, I never liked that dance! It’s good for the ladies, not the men. But the inventors are men, those Italian guys.

Are you sick of hearing “Achy Breaky Heart” yet?
No, it just keeps getting better!

New York act Scissor Sisters, with its signature OTT electro-glam look, burst into the music scene in 2004 with a self-titled debut album. Made up of Jake Shears (vocals), Ana Matronic (vocals), Babydaddy (bass, guitar, banjo and keyboards), Paddy Boom (drums) and Del Marquis, this band have recently produced some rather dancey, fabulous and kitschy tunes (again) in their sophomore effort Ta-Dah. Marquis talks to us about the music and what success has bestowed on them.

How did your love for music start? Have you always known you wanted to be a musician?
I have an older sister and older brother. I borrowed their albums, and begged them to take me to concerts, and that started an insatiable appetite for music. I never knew I would be a musician. It was more of a daydream, I thought I would move on and do something else. (I studied in a design school and worked as a designer previously.)

Is there any guitarist that inspires you a lot?
Robert Smith, ’80s rockers, and moody guitar players inspire me. But right now, I am equally inspired by great songwriters or piano players.

Scissor Sisters shot to fame with the remake of “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd. What inspired you guys to record that track?
We are all Pink Floyd fans to different degrees. At that time, it was more of an exercise to just record it and when you do a cover, there’s not much point in sounding just like the original. It wasn’t a conscious effort to make it a hit, but we all recognised that it was a good cover, and it got us lots of attention. But we don’t want it to overshadow our other songs at the same time.

OK, let’s talk about the new album Ta-dah by Scissor Sisters then. What kind of issues do the lyrics deal with this time round?
Jake wrote a love song, and there will be songs from a third perspective, songs about nothing at all and songs about death. It’s about different points of view.

Some people say your music is electro-dance, some say it’s pop, others say it’s rock. Do you care about such labels?
Not at all. But I think pop music is a good category. It encompasses EVERYTHING!

Many people dig Scissor Sisters’s wild stage antics. Do you think that stage antics help people to notice you more, or do you think that causes people to take you less seriously?
There are certain people that look at us, and are completely put off by our music. But when you are performing live, you want to capture attention. Else you might as well stay home. And we are excited when we play live, we feel a lot of adrenaline and what people see on the stage is the result.

Would you say success came easy?
The fact that success came at all is amazing. But we toured a lot, and we worked very hard for it. Touring is definitely tiring, but we’ve just started this time, so we are still fresh and new. Both touring and playing live, and staying in the studio and making music have their merits and drawbacks.

Sum up Scissor Sisters in a few words.
We are about the celebration of life.