Rickey Y. Kim is a native of Los Angeles and the first from his family to be born in America. As a student at UC San Diego, Rickey founded Evil Monito [EM] Magazine in his dorm room. In his spare time, he enjoys fine dining, a glass of Jameson served neat, and cutting his own hair, simultaneously. You can catch up on his daily life via - www.mrkimsays.com - his personal blog.
Michael Jackson was and forever will be the King of Pop. He opened up the doors for everyone. I remember once interviewing Mos Def and I asked him about the inception of hip-hop in mass media, how it faced the same challenges as jazz did, in the sense that jazz was at first stigmatized, then later due to persistence hip-hop too as a music genre eventually found its way in affecting the mainstream. Now while Michael certainly was not the vanguard for hip-hop, he did infuse hip-hop elements in his performance as an artist. Continue reading →
Lydia is a native of the Los Angeles suburbs, where she grew on up pop music, sunshine and the public library summer reading program. Her interests include coffee, memoirs, and synth-heavy dance remixes. She lives in New York City and daily convinces herself that cruel weather helps her think.
Interview with N.A.S.A. (Squeak E. Clean & DJ Zegon)
*** The phone rings once and an impossibly high-pitched voice comes through: “Bueno?” Confused, I ask to speak to Sam. “Yes, dis ees heem.” I’m still thinking there must be some crossed wires in our overseas Skype-to-mobile connection, and then he drops the act. “I’m just kidding, sorry. I was just being stupid.” He’s kind of high on chocolate, he explains, having just been to the “finest chocolatier in all of Antwerp.” Sam Spiegel, a.k.a. Squeak E. Clean, and his partner Ze Gonzales, a.k.a. DJ Zegon, form the hip hop collaboration N.A.S.A. They’re in Belgium for the European leg of Continue reading →
David Mongan was conceived in the epoch of gold- and sequin-accented excess. He spent his first 24 years chasing this Technicolor dream through California and Arizona, only to discover that it had been relegated to thrift stores. Now, armed with an accounting degree and a zest for discovery, he forges ahead as a freelance writer unfettered by the ghosts of corporate jobs past.
Interview with Rob Wegner
*** “Dear DiscJockey101.com—I am from Hong Kong, China, and attend university there. I would like to drop out to become a traveling rave DJ, but my parents will not let me. What should I do?”
Staring at the email in January of 2001, Rob Wegner was awestruck. His fledgling Web site, which outlined the basics of DJing, had reached someone in China and now this kid he’d never met wanted his opinion the biggest decision of his life. Continue reading →
Rick Heffernan dropped out of an Irish design school to move to a pre-EU Vilnius, Lithuania on the basis of running the Baltic's best underground night club, and since then he has never looked back and worked full time in all aspects of the music industry including record deals with boutique labels to outdoor Eastern European raves for 30,000 people. Rick learned the ropes of the music industry from Paul Murphy, 80´s London jazz DJ pioneer, many moons ago and worked with such artists as: Grace Jones, Orbital, Nightmares on Wax, et al. Soon after he took on a 3-year management contract with original Studio 54 DJ legend, Nicky Siano.
Thus far Rick lived in San Francisco, Vilnius, Helsinki and flew extensively to most corners of the planet, before anchoring himself in Barcelona’s music industry. He now calls the Catalan capital of Barcelona, more specifically the Gracia District, his home.
As prolific purveyor of 80’s dancefloor jazz and Wire Magazine’s first DJ of the year (circa 1985), Paul Murphy is one of the original London legends. Cited by everybody from Carl Cox to Gilles Peterson as their major influence, Paul was the first DJ to introduce jazz to the dance floor and thus, influenced a generation of young Londoners. Continue reading →
Jenn Chen is a relatively recent Southern California transplant. She practices law by day and contributes to EM by night from the outskirts of Los Angeles. When somehow doing neither, she enjoys a wide range of activities, including but not limited to: reading about zombies, drinking boba, and listening to freeway traffic reports.
Allicia was born and raised in the suburbs of the nation's capital. She likes sriracha sauce, live shows, college hoops, art galleries and traveling. Her favorite travel destination is Angkor Wat, a 12th century temple located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. She writes commentary to promote the political interest of individuals in her generation and is hopeful that more people will become politically engaged in the future.
Has President Obama’s presence in Washington changed the social aspect of the city? The former murder capital of America in the early ’90s is currently the place to be. After eight horrific years of Bushism, the city was overjoyed on November 4, 2008 when the U.S. elected the first African-America President. Seventy-six percent of voters in Washington voted for Barack Obama. He has certainly made an impact in Washington Continue reading →
A freelance graphic designer with an abnormal taste for peanut butter, Sunil Rampersad embodies the Gemini duality of Logic and Art. A voracious reader who takes public transportation, he’s had several articles published in the Santa Monica Observer and started going to events to be around humans after hanging out in front his computer all day. That he then got a laptop and takes it with him shows that this unhealthy relationship continues.
The Design of Flash Gordon
The quote in the title is from the Dino de Laurentis’, Flash Gordon, and aptly sums up the over-the-top design of not just the 1980 movie, but that of the 1930’s serial as well. The design of both these versions of Flash Gordon prepare you for the roller-coaster ride of the films, basically saying - check credibility at the door of the Egyptian theater (itself a flight of fantasy). The program, Designing for Science Continue reading →
Ethan Holtzman moved to Topanga Canyon when he was two years old. During his childhood years, he caught blue-belly lizards and foraged for edible fungi. He grew up singing folk songs with his family around the potbelly stove, the sole source of heat. Eventually he bought an accordion and studied under the late master, Milton Mann. He currently plays a Farfisa in the band, Dengue Fever, and tours the world.
A Parisian beatmaker and self-proclaimed “vinyl junky,” Onra (birth name: Arnaud Bernard) left France to venture out into Vietnam. The trip was more than just a casual rediscovery of his grandparents’ homeland; he happened to be on a quest for foreign records from a bygone era. Riding on the back of a motorbike through the narrow, hectic streets of Saigon Continue reading →
Interview with Boogie
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Though Hollywood has tried to render apocalyptic worlds in scores of movies with fancy, multi-million dollar special effects, none of them has had the lasting, convincing verisimilitude of Boogie’s black-and-white photographs of real places and people. In one photograph, a child in the rough working-class Turkish suburb of Zeytinburnu curiously handles a pistol, his tiny fingers not yet mature enough to Continue reading →
Sylvia Adams spent two and a half years of her childhood in Korea and Germany, before returning back to the States. While attending UC San Diego, she met up with Rickey Kim, the Founder of Evil Monito Magazine and started off as their Music Editor. After the magazine's brief hiatus, she became their Editor-in-Chief. She is an avid cinephile, whose taste ranges from Yakuzas to Nouvelle Vagues. She also has a predilection for obscure Scrabble words and Madagascar succulents.
Issue no. 24 of Evil Monito magazine explores the philosophical question of what WANDERLUST means to us. Much more than just a burning curiosity to experience remote locations in the world, the notion of travel is allegorical to the personal exploration of our souls. Together we will explore the dark world of Serbian photographer, Boogie; rediscover the musical gems of Vietnam through the beats of Parisian DJ, Onra; find out how Cambodian-psych band, Dengue Fever, is changing the face of “world music”; among other stories of seasoned travelers. Hope you enjoy!
Preoccupied with fashion, non-fiction literature and an unhealthy obsession with ELO leaves TheMissLinds with an often asymmetrical view of the world. Taking it all in stride she recently relocated from the lush green of the south to the hard concrete of NYC and while she's only been there a short while she can attest to two things: New York needs to up it's mexican food game, and girls in Brooklyn need to stop dressing like they fell out of a laundry basket. She also throws out fashion gems on her homebase, TheMissLinds.com.
First, her French counterpart Carine Roitfeld landed on CNN, now it’s Anna’s turn as the Queen Bee of American fashion sits down with 60 Minutes‘ Morely Safer to talk business, rumors and why those sunglasses, ALL the time…
Now let’s get one thing straight before I go any further: I have loads of respect for Wintour, she’s helmed one of the most respected fashion magazines in the world since the 80’s. She’s worked with some of the best names in design, photography, journalism, and modeling, no one can argue that Anna doesn’t know her stuff. However, where the colors get a little fuzzy for me is in the amount of emphasis put on Anna as the deciding voice in fashion. Continue reading →
At the tender age of eight Erin Weinger wrote a letter to Fox protesting the removal of her favorite morning cartoon show. She’s written a few things since then-- most recently for the Los Angeles Times, where she spent nearly a year as a reporter. Today her letters are more focused on reinventing the newspaper industry. But she’s ready to take on Lifetime if they ever change the Golden Girls’ time slot.
This was not a good week for print. How do I know? Twitter told me so. The San Antonio News-Express is set to cut 135 people from their newsroom. Over at the Hartford Courant, the ax is falling on 100. Ditto that number at the Providence Journal. The New York Post dropped famed gossip columnist Liz Smith. In San Francisco, the Chronicle is hemorrhaging $50 million a year. The respective homes of the L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune will be sold as part of the ailing Tribune Company’s bankruptcy proceedings. And last but not least, today marks the final issue of The Rocky Mountain News, which would have been 150 years old in April. Continue reading →
During a news conference this afternoon, Sarah Palin announced that she will not run for re-election in 2010 and will resign as Governor of Alaska. She stated, “We know we can affect positive change outside of government” to the media. Her resignation Continue reading →
The Strange Boys have the youthful, wide-eyed good looks of a pop punk band, although once you start listening to their music, they are anything but twee and PG-rated. Jangly guitars, classic garage rock structures and scratchy vocals quickly make way for the kind of whiskey-fueled, devil-may-care nonchalance that bands like the Black Lips have popularized in recent years. By the time the band arrived on stage, the front row—previously occupied by flannel shirts, fedoras and aspiring groupies—made way for a younger, less suffocating crowd. Continue reading →
There comes a point where you need to stop waiting for what you want and take matters into your own hands. That’s exactly what online menswear magazine h(y)r collective decided to do as they debut their new webstore. Carefully tailored oxfords from Gitford Bros, Japanese Porter bags, and selvedge from APC are the start of something truly beautiful. Continue reading →
Deastro
Ghostly International
(2009) ***
Deastro is the alter ego of Detroit native Randolph Chabot, a 22-year-old songwriter who made his grand debut with a “greatest hits” compilation of demos that he produced since the age of 17. It may seem presumptuous to release a record of hits even before producing a proper album, but given Chabot’s songwriting and producing talents, we can only hope that he’ll produce enough body of work in the near future for a real greatest hits compilation. Deastro plays an eclectic brand of synth-driven music Continue reading →
Two men separated by an Irish civil war. Their connection? One murdered the other’s brother. Now twenty-five years later, they meet for the first time. Hold your breath, because Five Minutes of Heaven is anything but predictable and more plainly ninety minutes of curiously gripping drama. Continue reading →
Can you remember where you were the first time you listened to My Bloody Valentine? I do. I was 14 and awkward and totally enamored with music. I never had any jaded, escapist older brothers or sisters of my own to look to for underground bands and the next big musical movement, so instead I ravaged magazine aisles and talked my friends into the dangerous task of rummaging through their sibling’s cd books and record Continue reading →
In the times that we live in today, it’s apparent that corporate scandal affects our livelihood. This upcoming film starring Matt Damon provides comedy relief in an otherwise solemn subject.
About “The Informant”:
A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his companys multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion. But before all that can happen, the FBI needs evidence, so Whitacre eagerly agrees to wear a wire and carry a hidden tape recorder in his briefcase, imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent. Unfortunately for the FBI, their lead witness hasnt been quite so forthcoming Continue reading →
KCRW 89.9FM Presents NICKODEMUS
Zanzibar - Santa Monica, CA
7/2/09
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After a strong first album release entitled, “Endangered Species,” Nickodemus is finally ready to unleash the second solo album, “SUN PEOPLE!” Inspired by the big fireball in the sky & some wonderful people, it features some uplifting dance music from all parts of the World including Guinea, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Romania, India, Turkey, UK & his hometown in Brooklyn, NYC! Continue reading →
Photo by Damien Dovarganes, Licensed under Creative Commons
Alex Sanchez, 37, the Executive Director of Homies Unidos, a violence and gang prevention organization, was arrested by the FBI on June 24, 2009. Alex is a highly respected gang intervention counselor and a longtime advocate for justice in the immigrant community. He also works closely with the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) in the struggle against police violence throughout the Americas.
EM: What neighborhood do you closely identify with? What makes your community so unique?
I live and work out of Pasadena right now and I love it. Its calm, cozy, and still close to everything that is cool in Los Angeles. Continue reading →
sam said, "
David Mongan said, "
Sunil Rampersad said, "
Mr. Kim said, "
Foodandbeats said, "
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About “The Informant”:
