(June 11, 2004)

Jonathan Lee

In my interview with Jonathan Lee, whom I have been practicing with weekly for a Glendale Unified School District praise night, I learned that not only does he play the drums, but also acoustic and electric guitar, and the piano.

Vivian Cho: What did you learn to play first?
Jonathan Lee: Druuuums.
VC: When and how did you learn?
JL: 8th grade. I learned from my pastor, but I mostly taught myself.
VC: Why did you choose to play the drums?
JL: I don’t know because I used to hate music when I was in Korea, but went to this retreat, this camp from church, and it changed the way I looked at music. The drummer actually sucked, but something just hit me and I started liking it.
VC: When did you learn how to play the guitar and piano?
JL: Two years later in 10th grade from my friends, random people here and there.
VC: So you didn’t know it’d be a part of your future.
JL: Yeah.
VC: That’s funny because you’re going to music school. What’s it called?
JL: MI—Musicians Institute in Hollywood.
VC: Was that the only school you applied to?
JL: Yea. It’s pretty easy to get in but it’s really expensive.
VC: What would you say is the most appealing thing to the Board of Admissions about your application?
JL: I just told them how I feel about music and how I like to play drums and what it is to me.
VC: So what is it to you?
JL: Drums are basically my life. I really love playing it. First it was just a habit, but I’m going to take it to my future, my career. Through music, or through drums, I changed a lot...like bad to good. Release my stress and stuff and all these other good things.
VC: So how’d you release your stress before?
JL: I don’t know.
VC: Just say it!
JL: I used to be bad.
VC: Bad how?
JL: Like I used to beat up people…
VC: Serious? You used to be gangster huh…
JL: …Yeah. I wasn’t in a gang but I was in a bad crew before, but I changed so it’s all good.
VC: So how is music in your future?
JL: What do you mean?
VC: Are you going to be part of band or be a one-man show since you play all these instruments?
JL: I’m thinking of becoming a part of my band, like form a band with my friends, or maybe later on, I could give music lessons or have my own school and be a music teacher.
VC: What kind of band would you prefer to be in?
JL: Everything but jazz.
VC: You don’t like jazz?
JL: I like it, but it’s hard.
VC: You can play it though, because I heard you at practice.
JL: Just the basic stuff, the simple stuff. Maybe later on, but now it’s everything but jazz.
VC: So what are you most comfortable with?
JL: Rock and…like funk.
VC: Funk? What’s funk?
JL: It’s like upbeat, [snapping] really exciting it gives you that [motions].
VC: Makes you want to dance?
JL: Sort of.
VC: What did you do for your senior project?
JL: Jazz drums.
VC: What did you intend to accomplish?
JL: I put that I never really took private lessons in my life for drums or guitar or anything. But I’m going to be learning jazz drums, how to play drums, what kind of diff styles there are, how to grab the sticks, and all kinds of different fill ins.
VC: So you grab them differently for jazz? With your middle finger huh?
JL: Yeah like that, middle finger thing.
VC: So when do you practice? At church huh?
JL: Not really, I don’t even have time to practice at church.
VC: Then how are you so good?
JL: It’s just—get my drumsticks, get in the car and practice while I’m driving.
VC: What? While you’re driving? With your drumsticks?
JL: I drive with my knees.
VC: So where do you hit?
JL: On the steering wheel.
VC: Oh my gosh! You dangerous man!
JL: But only when it’s safe, not when I’m curving.
VC: Oh okay, sure. Are there cars around when you do it?
JL: Yeah.
VC: Okay [laughing]. What kind of car do you drive?
JL: Maxima.
VC: What color is it?
JL: Over there. The dirty color. Whitish…

So for those of you who drive around Clark or Glendale, remember to watch out for a dirty white Maxima.

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Stephen Byun

My interview with a long time friend, Stephen Byun, who we chose to feature as a poet, turned out to be an interview with five of our friends who chimed in here and there with a comment about Stephen.

Vivian Cho: What would you do if you had $100?
Stephen Byun: Get some. [laughter] Just kidding. I’d go get a nice dinner at Lawry’s—prime ribs in Beverly hills.
VC: Come up with a quick rhyme about meat.
SB: Meat is neat.
VC: That was so unoriginal. So when’d you start writing?
SB: I wrote my first poem in freshman year. I got pissed at my brother, and then my friend said, “Maybe you should write a song about how angry he makes you or prevent your anger.” I said, “Okay.” I tried it and I liked it. I just wrote lyrics so it’s pretty much a poem.
VC: You write about anger; what else do you write about?
SB: I don’t know.
VC: Come on!
SB: ::coughing:: love. I don’t like to go into detail about that kind of stuff because guys don’t do that.
VC: Come on. It’s only me and the rest of the senior class. So how many poems have you written?
SB: About 50.
VC: Have you entered them in any contests?
SB: I entered one contest at poetry.com but they started sending me all this crap so I didn’t anymore. My poem was published in a book so I bought it for 50 bucks but I don’t really care for it.
VC: What was the poem about?
SB: About a girl who my friend is going out with now. But I don’t really care.
VC: Is writing of any sort in your future?
SB: Yeah, I wanna try to write a book—some messed up love story.
VC: Non-fiction or fiction?
SB: Fiction.
VC: But it’ll reflect your life right?
SB: No…maybe a little.

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Sona Gevorkyan

Sona Gevorkyan was “born to dance.” She has been imitating her favorite dancers and creating moves of her own since the age of four. Ten years ago when her parents opened a dance school, Vartan and Siranush Gevorkyan International Dance School, she became an ardent student, and is teaching and performing with the group to this day.

Lilit Manucharyan: Do you see yourself dancing in the future?
Sona Gevorgyan: Definitely. I’m planning on making dance a major part of any career that I choose in the future, whether it’s following in my parents’ footsteps and becoming a teacher in their school, or making one of my own.
LM: Would you change anything about your parents’ school if you were to become a teacher there?
SG: Most students are Armenian because they don’t know English very well. When I join I’ll try to encourage people of all nationalities to join the group.
LM: What are some interesting places that you’ve performed at?
SG: We’ve performed at Disneyland, the Kodak Theater, the MGM Hotel and Casino at Las Vegas, and even Armenia.
LM: What have all these years of dancing taught you?
SG: I’ve learned how to work with all kinds of people, be responsible, keep up with practices, and I’ve developed creativity skills by choreographing dances.