November's Peculiar Person of the Month: Writer Hal Johnson

By
David Rondinelli

Hal Johsnon Drawn Portrait

I first met Hal Johnson while waiting in line at Midtown Comics, a large comic book retail store in NYC. It is often the playground of sacred space for many nerds and pop culture junkies to congregate for new and old titles. I’ve been familiar with his friendly face while being greeted by him at the register and his ability to always point me to the appropriate shelf where I can find the latest comic releases of the week. It was on one of these weekly excursions that I saw him signing copies of his book Immortal Lycanthropes at the same store. Immortal Lycanthropes is a YA novel that follows Myron Horowitz. Who is a disfigured boy who finds out that he can shape shift into an animal while discovering a world within a world of others that share the same ability. Johnson sat down with me to talk about the book, his writing process, and how he was once bitten by a mountain lion. Perhaps that bite was what put all the bite in his book as Hal Johnson is November’s Peculiar Person of the month.

This Peculiar Life NYC: Your story takes place in PA. Why did you choose this setting? Are you originally from there?

Hal Johnson: This may sound crazy, but I’m always a little suspicious of authors who set all their books in or near their own hometowns. I understand the impulse — you don’t want to get caught out in an absurd error by the locals, dropping mountains in Ohio or trees in New Jersey — but at the same time, I tell you: you can’t let the readers smell your fear. So I try not to set everything, or anything, in Connecticut, where I grew up. Pennsylvania is kind of a cheat; I’ve driven through parts of it, so I assumed I could bluff it enough to fool any hostile Pennsylvanians. No one’s called me out yet!

TPL NYC: Myron Horowitz is disfigured. You make a pretty bold choice in choosing a main character that isn’t considered attractive. I think it is refreshing to have a character that doesn’t look like a lot of the plastic on t.v. Why did you choose to make him disfigured?

HJ: I was doing a presentation at a library last week and a girl raised her hand and demanded to know why I made Myron ugly.

I probably did it partially just to be perverse, you know, because I knew protagonists should be beautiful, for the movie version. And partially because you want life to be hard for your protagonist, and what could be harder than being a runty high school freshman with a grotesque pan? I thought I was so clever.

And then R.J. Palacio came out, the same year I did, with a book about a kid with his face all jacked-up. Everyone in the book’s really supportive of him, and he gets an award at the end. It’s not a bad book, but it’s pretty much the opposite of any book I could possibly write; it has a protagonist who looks like Myron —and everyone love Palacio’s book. I’m serious, it's the toast of the town! Read it, you’ll probably love it too. I almost did.

That book is my nemesis.



Cover

TPL NYC:  You also take an interesting approach with the narration and the slow reveal of the other Lycanthropes, was it hard to write a book through that perspective?

HJ: I knew I wanted to start things normal — I mean, in a recognizable “real-world” high school setting — and move slowly into a stranger and more dangerous world. It’s the classic set up for any kind of fantastic narrative, and it has the advantage of letting the reader and the protagonist learn things simultaneously.

 

The idea of another world under or around this one has held a great fascination for me ever since I saw Mary Poppins as a kid, so it was pretty much a given I was going to write about a journey from this world to that one. And it’s got to be slow, right? One does not simply walk between worlds.

 

TPL NYC: When it comes to the mechanics of writing, how long does it take you to find the voice and the perspective to tell the story through?

 

 

HJ: This was probably the hardest part of the whole book — and I hit upon it as a kind of compromise. I didn’t want to tell the book from a first-person Myron perspective, first of all because I thought it would make Myron less mysterious to come at things from his head but also because I think adventure novels in the first person are kind of lame. I know there are lots of counterexamples, and I love Treasure Island, Warlord of Mars, and Allan Quatermain, but as a reader, I don’t like knowing the hero’s going to survive, and I don’t like him telling me about the dangerous scrapes he gets into — sounds like bragging. So I didn’t want Myron to tell his own story.

 

But at the same time, I’ve always been uncomfortable writing in third person. I picked a subsidiary character, and let him piece the story together. I figured this’d solve all my problems, and also allow for some dramatic irony, as the narrator is a little delusional.

 

I’ve been told that the book is just written in my own voice, and that if you know me, Arthur’s speech sounds exactly like my own. But man, that wasn’t intentional.

 

TPL NYC: How long did it take you to write the book?

 

HJ: It was about nine months, which I guess is a fair gestation time for my species.

 

TPL NYC: You also bring in a diverse cast, with the Lycanthropes being so different, are many of the animal counter parts found in many of those countries?

 

HJ: Yeah, I tried to keep things accurate. Of course, I was trying to match people and animals with where they would have been found 10,000 years ago. I mean, there are no longer any moose in Scotland; but there used to be.

 

TPL NYC: How did you go about deciding what animal each character was going to turn into?

HJ: I started with a list of animals I wanted in the book, and then worked towards the human. Really I just picked animals I liked. I thought a gorilla would look funny in an old lady’s robe, which is why the gorilla is an old lady. There probably isn’t much connection between the animal and the personality their humans got.

 

TPL NYC: Often, when readers get the finished manuscript they don’t always know what went into crafting the story. Which part of the book represented the most challenges for you to write?

 

HJ: Chapter nine, which is really the heart and soul of the book, is the part I had to go over and over to get right. It’s the narrator’s summary of his life and philosophy, and I wanted to let him talk — he’d been offstage for most of the book, this was his only real chance to get a word in — but at the same time I didn’t want the book to devolve into the boring old-man ramblings of a crazed binturong. I’m really happy with how it turned out, but, like a bear cub, it took a lot of shaping.

 

TPL NYC: On the flip side, what part of the book did you have the most fun writing?

 

HJ: I really liked writing the con games Gloria ushered Myron through. There used to be a lot more of these, but they got cut for space, which is too bad. I could write a whole book about nothing but a self-righteously amoral gorilla bilking people out of their money and then squandering it on gin. That probably wouldn’t be a kids’ book, I guess.

 

TPL NYC: Your book is in the Young Adult genre. What is it about this genre that appeals to you?

 

HJ: One of the most appealing things about YA is that publishers will publish it, and readers will read it. It’s a section of the bookstore that’s actually growing. The only other thing that grows is a bookstore is the despair.

There was one great thing about writing a YA book. It gave me the freedom to imagine a reader who wasn’t jaded and weary. I remembered the books I’d read as a kid, how they were brimming with ideas. It’s because I was young enough to accept and appreciate something new. I could have my mind blown. I wanted to blow someone’s mind, and I hope I did just that.

TPL NYC: Do you like to write in any other mediums?

HJ: I like to write songs. I think it would be a pretty good job, to be a lyricist, except it doesn't exist any more. Now they just put a bunch of cliches into a computer, and it spits out song lyrics.

Comic books take up a large portion of my life, so I wish I could write them, but I find it really hard to. I spend all my time trying to imagine how the panels should go on the page, and it ends up either boring or incoherent.

 

 

TPL NYC: Aside from writing, do you have any other interests or hobbies?

HJ: I spend more time reading than writing. I’d like to pretend I’m a writer, but really I’m a reader. I also run some Dungeons and Dragons games that take up a lot of my time. I used to write a lot for the game, ancient texts the players would need to dig up and decipher, scrawled confessions and historical treatises, or codes and riddles. They're getting pretty good at my riddles, but they still haven’t cracked my code. My players complain that I don’t write as much for the game any more, but I only have so much time.

I’d like to meet the man who answers this question “no.” That would be a single-minded man.

TPL NYC: What is your writing process like? Do you have any rituals or techniques, or do you just sit down and write?

HJ: A schedule is more important for me than a ritual. When I’ve got enough ideas together that I’m seriously writing a book, and not just daydreaming about it — I find it useful to assign myself a quota every day. Even if it’s just a nominal amount, forcing myself to sit and crank out some words is more productive than slipping back into the daydreaming.

TPL NYC: Are you a self-taught writer, or did you get formal training to be an author?

HJ: Is anyone allowed to be a self-taught writer nowadays? I mean the government frog-marched me at gunpoint to school, where I ostensibly got a rudimentary education in composition.

There’s probably a level of workshopping insidership that would see me as lacking formal training. Of course, most of my theory and practice of writing texts I learned from reading, so you see how it’s all connected.

TPL NYC: What do you do to get a good pacing for something as lengthy as a novel?

HJ: That’s a great question, because the pace of a novel is one of its most defining characteristics, but it rarely gets talked about.

We tend to believe, I think, that plot defines pace, but it’s really the narrative voice. You can tell a plot-heavy story really quickly, like a pulp, or you can drag it out over a great many pages, like Alexandre Dumas. So the question you have to figure out is at what clip does your narration go — and will you have enough room to tell the whole story if it stays at that clip.

I like to write ten or twenty pages “free-style,” just winging it to get an idea of how fast things are moving, before I plot a book out. That way I feel like I have a handle on the narrative speed, and I can make sure that I don’t cram so much into a book that it becomes unwieldy.

The other answer is: if your pacing starts to flag, the editor will just make you cut things out. The editor’s scissors are always there, like an ax outside the chicken coop.

TPL NYC: What do you think is the most effective way to tell a good story and how did you incorporate that into Immortal Lycanthropes?

 

 

Some original sketch work by Hal Johnson

 

HJ: There are as many ways to tell good stories as there are good stories. Borges, always a favorite of mine, invented the method of writing a story by pretending that someone else had already written the story, and then talking about this hypothetical preexisting text. I’m not saying every story should be told that way, but I love “The Approach to Al-Mu’tasim.”

I only slightly self-consciously tried to work a bunch of different narrative modes into the book. Some people tell their own stories and some people tell other people’s stories, and sometimes the narrator gives a summary of a vast swath of events, and sometimes he tells you all the dirt. Just to keep it interesting.

TPL NYC: You seem to have a special interest in animals. What are some of your favorite animals?

HJ: I love animals, but I want to stress that I don’t have a romantic idea of animals. Nature is red in tooth and claw for a reason, and animals are either constantly scared or constantly killing things — there’s very little middle ground. I know that there’s a pretty bleak picture of humanity painted in chapter 9 of Immortal Lycanthropes, and I’d hate to have anyone think that animals are better in comparison. Animals can’t make moral decisions, and I think it’s clear that if they could, they would, like us, choose evil pretty consistently. A great many insects can’t even reproduce without doing something horrible and disgusting; I mean horrible and disgusting even compared to the horrible and disgusting things humans do. It’s unlikely a girl I fancy is ever going to eat my corpse.

Obviously I love binturongs, and red pandas. I also love most mollusks, especially octopuses and snails, and arthropods, especially praying mantises.

TPL NYC: Do you have any pets?

HJ: I live in New York, so it’s part of my lease that I am forbidden to have any vertebrate pets, but I am apparently obliged to have thousands and thousands of tiny, invertebrate ones.

TPL NYC: If you could turn into an animal, which one would you like to be able to turn into?

HJ: I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. There’s a lot of temptation to be an elephant or a lion so you can mess with anyone; but it might be smarter to be something small that can slip away, a weasel or a bat. My answer will change depending on the day, but today I’ll say a cheetah: you’re big enough to fight, but you can also sprint away from danger.

Alternately: as Bart Simpson says, “Nobody suspects the butterfly.”

 

More original sketch work by Hal Johnson

 

 

 

TPL NYC: Can we expect a sequel to Immortal Lycanthropes? Where would you like to see the story go?

HJ: I think it’s all wrapped up in a neat little package, with nowhere else to go. I guess if everyone wrote into Houghton Mifflin, inundating them with demands for more adventures, I could get corralled into turning this book into the first of a Baby-sitters Club–style series. “You’ve got to do it, Johnson,” my editor would roar, his cigar flying out of his mouth as he pounded his desk. “You’ve got to do it for the fans.” Other scenarios are less likely.

TPL NYC: How about other projects? What are some of the other things we can expect to see from you soon?

HJ: I’ve got several irons in the fire, but I am sworn to secrecy most direly. Anyway, every time I’ve made a prediction about what was coming up, I’ve been wrong. But it’ll be something, soon, and then you’ll see. “Deeds, not words,” as we say in Megaforce.

TPL NYC: This blog is about peculiar things, so what is the most peculiar thing that you have ever seen or been a part of while living in NYC?

HJ: Peculiarity is always a local phenomenon. Any time you leave your comfort zone, which in my case is made up completely of nerds, things get peculiar. I once tried to ride my bicycle from Newark Penn Station to Newark Airport in the middle of the night because my plane was too early for me to catch a bus and I thought it was ridiculous to pay five bucks to travel four miles; the bicycle was an ancient, tiny, one-speed with coaster brakes that squeaked and it drove the feral dogs insane as I got lost in Newark; they chased me. Everyone I asked for directions was clearly under the influence, but was still nice enough to warn me that in the direction I was headed, I was certainly going to be murdered. The point is, Newark at four in the morning was a surreal experience, but for the people I got directions from, or for the feral dogs, it must’ve just seemed like business as usual.

This is what’s beguiling about New York, the feeling it gives you that you can slide between worlds by walking one block in a different direction, or entering a storefront you’ve never gone in; this feeling that there are hundreds of peculiar worlds all around, and the one you happen to live in is only one of many possibilities.

TPL NYC: In the same vein, what is the most peculiar thing that has ever happened to you?

HJ: I was once bitten by a mountain lion. I would prefer not to elaborate.

 

Hal Johnson will be doing a reading and signing at the Enigma Bookstore (3317 Crescent St., Long Island City, NY 11106) on Novemnber 9th at 7 PM. He will also be doing a "teens only" event at the Queens Public Library, Cambria Heights branch, on November 27th at 3:30 PM.

Check out his website at immortallycanthropes.com, and his Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ImmortalLycanthropes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peculiar Person of the Month: Monster Impressionist David G. Hardy

By
David Rondinelli



(Hardy, right, with Sara Karloff)

Artist David Hardy specializes in bringing his own style to the macabre. An avid fan of monsters since the time of his boyhood, he derived a lot of inspiration from the old creature features that would be broadcast every Friday night. Combining his love of art and monsters, he became an impressionist in many different mediums from pencil to pastels. Hardy, who will gladly take commissions, displays his work at many retro shows and comic cons in the tri-state area. He describes his work as “kitschy” subjects from the 1930’s to the 1960’s. Here at This Peculiar Life NYC, Hardy opened up about his love of monsters, comics, growing up in what he considers a wonderful age of art and striking a familiar chord with folks who never quite fit in.

This Peculiar Life NYC: What got you into doing portrait’s specifically?

David Hardy: I have always had a fascination with the human face. It is, after all, “the mirror to our soul!” Being perverse in nature, I chose the hardest subject to conquer! I have a drive to get the best likeness I can no matter what media I’m using! If it is someone famous, of course I want to make a work that is instantly recognizable, but even the most seemingly obscure subject deserves the same dedication!

TPL NYC: Do you use any other forms or mediums to express your art? If so, which ones do you prefer?

DH: Right now, I’m working primarily in pencils, brush, and ink. Because my subjects generally lend themselves to gray scale (I do a LOT of classic monsters from black and white films!) I have worked in just about every medium from oils, acrylics, watercolor, and pastels.

TPL NYC: You have a special interest in monsters and monster movies what do you think it is about these monsters that appeal to you so much?

Hardy's rendition of Sammy Terry

DH: Yes I do! I think there is a bit of the perceived “oddity” and outcast hiding in all of us if we are honest with ourselves! I think the classic monsters such as Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, are all extensions of ourselves placed in a context that most intelligent people can understand. I see a LOT of myself in these misunderstood fellows! I was an extremely shy and introverted little boy growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana in the late fifties and sixties. The “Shock Theater” package was being sold at the time to stations around the country. Most stations created a local ghoul or mad doctor to introduce the films. In my local area, we had Nightmare Theatre horror host Sammy Terry!  I LOVED those magical Friday nights when I could immerse myself in those glistening, silver gray, shadow filled, storm drenched masterpieces of gothic horror. Although, the master, Boris Karloff, hated that description of what he did and preferred to refer to his “babies” as TERROR films!  I saw myself in those misunderstood, perceived “monsters.”  I too was outcast somewhat and misunderstood by many! Still am ha!


TPL NYC: Do you have a favorite monster that you enjoy following and drawing the most?

DH: My favorite monster to watch is The Creature From the Black Lagoon. Again, I can relate to this shy, imposed upon creature simply trying to live his life and be left alone. My favorite monster to draw, however, is the Frankenstein Monster. Boris Karloff’s interpretation, of course 

TPL NYC: What was the first monster movie/book/t.v. show that you remember seeing?  

DH: Wow…the very first one? Hmm… probably the original 1931 Frankenstein. I remember it took me a couple of tries to get through it.  Obviously, it made quite an impression on me!

TPL NYC: You have a preference it seems for the old B-movies and horror movies of the 40’s and 50’s. What is it about this time period that you like so much?

DH: That’s true!  Well…for one, I am of that time period! I was born in 1955. I think it was just a wonderful time when all the “stars” aligned to create this great golden era of fantasy and science fiction films! We will never see the like again. Great directors such as James Whale, Tod Browning, Karl Freund, Earl C. Kenton, Roy William Neil, also great actors and actresses such as (Boris) Karloff, Lon Chaney Sr. and Jr., Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Lionel Atwill, Dwight Frye, Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, Gale Sondergaard, Evelyn Ankers, etc…a wonderful era!

(Hardy's rendition of The Creature from the Black Lagoon)

TPL NYC: How do you feel about the state of horror movies today? What do you like about them and not like about them?

DH: The state of horror films today?!  Uhh…don’t get me started! Ha! Seriously, I don’t see the quality of acting or the strong hand of a GREAT director in today’s films. I don’t believe that they are character driven stories anymore. Everything today is special effects and “bigger is better!”  Some of the best horror films ever made were made for little money and the directors and actors had to build that story for us and make it immersive to us.  I see that lacking in today’s work. I’ll stop there.

TPL NYC: You share a very famous birthday with a famous horror icon? Who is it?

DH: Yes I do!  The one and only “Karloff the Uncanny” and his daughter Sara are also born on November 23rd. No wonder we have a connection!

TPL NYC: Do you feel that you share a lot of similar qualities to Karloff?

DH: I would like to think so. According to his lovely daughter Sara Karloff, he was a gentle, loving man who had a special affection for children and dogs. I’d like to think he and I shared a work ethic as well, do the best you can at whatever it is called upon you to do! Give one hundred percent EVERYTIME!

TPL NYC: Have you gotten a chance to meet any of the people that you have drawn? What was that experience like?

(Hardy's rendition of Karloff as the monster)

DH: I’ve met many of my youthful idols. I’ve met Van Williams who played the Green Hornet on
t.v. I’ve met three of the Hammer Girls Martine Beswick, Caroline Munro,  and Veronica Carlson, I’ve met Judith O’dea, but probably my biggest thrill so far has been presenting gifts sketches to my all time crush the lovely Miss Julie Adams of  The Creature From the Black Lagoon fame and Richou Browning who played the Creature in all three films! When I met Miss Adams, the first time I couldn’t even talk to her, my wife Tracy had to go up to her and ask her if I could get an autograph and a picture!  

Another of my favorite subjects that I’ve met is Miss America 1955 and well known actress Miss Lee Meriwether! She is one of the nicest and most beautiful women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting!  I’ve met Miss Barbara Steele who made all of those iconic Italian gothic masterpieces in the sixties. I’ve met Miss Sara Karloff, daughter of my favorite monster maker Boris Karloff! A HUGE thrill! I’ve met Lon Chaney, the grandson and great grandson of Lon Chaney Sr. and Lon Jr. I’ve been a very fortunate man!

TPL NYC: How long does it usually take you to compose an image from initial conception to finished drawing?  

DH:  I work FAST! I usually get an idea for a piece, research images, and decide on a particular one that says what I want it to say and then I go at it!  I find that if I work to slowly, I start over thinking the process. I like to channel that original enthusiasm into the final product!  Depending on the size and detail…perhaps one to two hours!

(Hardy's portrait of Vincent Price)

 TPL NYC: Tell me about some of your travels? What are some of the places you have gone to in order to promote your work? Are there any special conventions or exhibits that you have showcased at?

DH: I’ve been to quite a few conventions. My favorite is the Monster Bash held annually in Mars, Pennsylvania. It’s three days of immersive monster fun! This past “Bash” I was especially honored to have some of my artwork in Monster Bash Magazine. It made the experience that much more satisfying for me!  I’ve had my work at several different venues such as the Clifton Comics Expo, Hasbrouk Heights Comic Show, Sketch Con, The Geek Flea Market, and I did Free Comic Book Day at Comic’s Explosion in Nutley. I’ll be the guest artist of the month at the upcoming Wayne, New Jersey Toy Show. I’ll be down the shore at the Jersey Shore Comic Con. I’ll also be appearing at the SCR, Langhorne Square, PA, Mini-Con at the end of this month!  I keep busy. Ha, ha!

 

(Hardy does Black Canary)

TPL NYC: You also draw some lovely ladies that in a pin-up style. Is there one that you like to draw the most or that you use to reference as inspiration?

DH: Yes, I love to draw pin-up style girls! I love women! I’ve done pieces with Bettie Page, Diane Webber, and I like to just make up my own ideal girl a lot of the time! It makes her more personal for me!  I love the work of Gil Elvgren, Frank Frazetta’s women are gorgeous, Fritz Willis, Zoe Mozart and many great artists who captured the beauty that is woman!

TPL NYC: Aside from monsters, you also do a lot of images of superheroes and comic book characters. What comics got you interested in drawing?

DH: I do some comic book characters. I grew up during the Silver Age of the late sixties and seventies, so I gravitate to those characters. My first idol in comics was Batman. I love the fact that he has no super powers! He is a true hero who is willing to face death every time he combats evil.  I’m a fan of the Sub-Mariner and Green Lantern. [When it comes to] newspaper strips [I liked] The Phantom, Rip Kirby, Hogarth’s Tarzan are some of my favorites!

TPL NYC: Are there any comic book titles that you still follow? If so, which ones are you reading?

DH: I still follow The Rocketeer, when it’s handled correctly. I’m loving this new book combining Eisner’s Spirit with The Rocketeer it looks great! And the story seems solid, which for me is a very important element!

(Hardy's rendition of Jack Nicholsen as the Joker)

 TPL NYC: Aside from you art, what else do you enjoy doing? Any other hobbies or interests that you would like to explore?

DH: I love to read!  I enjoy listening to music. I love nature, walking and taking photographs for possible future paintings!  I like to play the guitar … I LOVE classic film obviously!

TPL NYC: Of all the pieces that you have worked on, which ones have you found to be the most rewarding?

DH: The ones that I feel “flowed” from me. I consider myself an impressionist. I work fast and I strive to build that kinetic energy into my work. When I feel as though every stroke is right, every shadow falls where it should, every highlight is spot on…that’s when I feel I’ve done my job! Ironically, most of the work I thought was my best usually doesn’t illicit a strong response from the public. Ha!

TPL NYC: Also, which ones do you find to be the most challenging? 

DH: Most challenging?  Probably commissions I couldn’t connect to in a personal way. Pieces I had to sort of “piece together” from reference given to me. I’m a very individual (read that as PECULIAR! Ha! ) artist and I find it very difficult to do work that I don’t connect to on some personal level.

TPL NYC: Of all the different characters that you draw, which one do you feel customers have demanded the most?

DH: Easy … Karloff’s Frankenstein Monster!  Although, Godzilla also does quite well, and Mars Attacks! aliens!

(Hardy's rendition of the Wolfman)

TPL NYC:So this blog is about Peculiar People. What is the most peculiar thing you have every witnessed or been a part of in your life that you can recall?

DH: It is ironic and highly appropriate for me to be in an article honoring the peculiar! Since I am proud to count myself amongst them, the most peculiar… I guess me dressing up as a mask luchador at the Monster Bash Night of Mexican Wrestling Films.

TPL NYC: What is the most peculiar thing you have ever experienced in New York City?

DH: I LOVE New York City! [I like] going into the city at Christmas time to experience Rockefeller Center and seeing a group of clowns talking to Santa Clause. AWESOME!

To learn more about David Hardy you can follow him on his Facebook page Retro Reflections and Modern Impressions of David G. Hardy. His

portfolio is also featured on the main page on the official Boris Karloff website (www.karloff.com).

To meet him in person, Hardy will be a guest artist at the Wayne, New Jersey Toy Show on Saturday, October 6^th.  Then you can see him at the Jersey Shore Comic Con on November 3^rd in Forked River, N.J. You can find out more on his Facebook page.

 

(Hardy combines Bettie Page with Wonder Woman)

 

Peculiar Person of the Month: Yumi of The Oishii Project

 

By
David Rondinelli

Yumi

Yumi is a member of Oishii Project who has taken her love of fashion and singing into the group to become one of its strongest members. At 3’11” Yumi packs a powerhouse of time management into her day between performing, learning new dance routines, and being the group’s event coordinator, proving that it really is the little things that matter. Aside from being a part of Oishii Project, she is also a singer/songwriter for a second band called Psycho Bando all while being a champion gamer at Animal Crossing. Yumi was kind enough to talk to This Peculiar Life NYC about all that it entails to being an online singer.  

This Peculiar Life NYC: Tell me how you found out about Oishii Project and what made you want to be a part of this group?

Yumi: I’ve been active with looking for auditions involving both acting and singing, and I happened to stumble on Oishii Project from a Google search of auditions. Curious, I checked it out and I’ve always been into Japanese music, culture, and fashion so I decided to give it a go!

TPL NYC: On some of the videos, the girls refer to their time in the group as "generations". How long is a generation in Oishii terms, and what generation are you?

Yumi: The term generations is used to indicate seniority in the group. For example, if you were among the first group of girls to get accepted into Ichigo (strawberry), Kiwi, or Lychee, you would be considered a first generation member. [We also have  Mini Cherries who are the girls in training.] Since Micchi and I are among the second group of girls to join Ichigo, we are considered second gen. members.

TPL NYC: Along the same lines, I hear that the girls are split into groups. What group are you in? Did you get to pick, or did you get assigned?

Yumi: I’m in the Oishii! Ichigo group. We didn’t get to pick our groups. Instead, we were assigned to our groups.

TPL NYC: Do you ever get shuffled around to different groups?

Yumi:  Each group was formed to bring out the strengths in each group of girls. Ichigo is both sweet and sour, so musically, our group personifies those certain characteristics. Kiwi is tart… ish. Hahaha! I love kiwis, they’re delicious. Anywho, the music for the Kiwi group is a little more edgy. Lychee is sweet, therefore the Lychee group has music that’s more… well in my words ‘cutie pop’! I make up my own genres of music too, can’t you tell, ha, ha, ha!

TPL NYC: What is your favorite part of performing with the group and what is the hardest?

Yumi: Oh man, it’s so hard to say what my favorite part is when it comes to performing with them. As a part of the U.S. branch, we haven’t been given the opportunity to make our debut yet. The U.K. branch, however, has had many performance opportunities! Lucky girls! 

It is much easier for the UK girls, though. Here in the U.S. we’re so spread out, so coming together for a performance can be costly. Come back to me again next year, and I promise I’ll have something to say about in terms of performance!

TPL NYC: I know there are auditions; could you tell me what the audition process is like to become a part of the group? In the same vein, what was your audition and how did you put it together?

Yumi: I have a terrible memory, but if I remember correctly, we were told to put together a video that contains two minutes of introduction, two minutes of singing one song in Japanese, two minutes of singing another song, and finally, two minutes of dancing. I had such a hard time with my audition because I talked a LOT, and I couldn’t just say something in two minutes without having to cut an extra four or five minutes of talking. Everything took so much time for me. I wasn’t used to filming myself, so I had to film everything separately and then put it all together at the end.

 

TPL NYC: What are rehearsals like? Do you ever choreography you own routines? If not, how long does it take you to learn one?

Yumi: Rehearsals are normally by myself. For learning music, it really depends on how much time I have for learning a song. Generally, I’ll listen, sing-along several times, and work on areas that have a harder time memorizing. Dancing is a different story. I’ll admit, when it comes to dancing, I have two left flippers, haha! If I have to memorize a dance, I’ll set up an hour or two during the day where I’ll practice my dancing. It also helps to be in a group full of other girls that dance! So if I ever have any questions, I can always run to one of my girls to help me out.

TPL NYC: What do you feel it is about yourself that makes you stick out from the other girls?

Yumi: I’m fun-sized!

TPL NYC: You want to be a singer/songwriter. Who are some of your influences in style and music that made you want to pursue this?

Yumi: Some of my biggest influences are Cream Vision, Utada Hikaru, Koda Kumi, Mika Nakashima, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, M-Flo, Whitney Houston, Ne-Yo, and just recently I’ve been listening to some K-POP too! Like 2NE1 and Girl's Generation.

TPL NYC: Is it difficult to write music?

 

 

Yumi: It really is different for everyone. What works best for me might not exactly be what works best for someone else. I personally take a little longer to write music than I would like to, but it’s something I’m continually working on. Hopefully I’ll get much better at it!

TPL NYC: Of the original songs that you have written, which one do you enjoy performing the most?

Yumi: My performances are usually in front of an American demographic, so I usually perform “Dear Cupid”.

TPL NYC: You have so many different looks. Just about every Vlog you do, you look different. Is it hard for people to recognize you with so many different looks?

Yumi: I LOVE exploring with fashion and playing around with the different sub-styles of *gyaru. I haven’t thought too much about whether or not people would recognize me online. It might be a little more difficult to pick me out online, but offline I’ll probably be the first person you notice.

 

*Gyaru are various fashion styles dependant on different subcategories, but generally describes glamorizing tanned skin, blonde hair and old Hollywood glamour.

 

TPL NYC: Either way, how do you approach creating a new look? What do you use as inspiration? And how long does it take to make yourself look like that?

Yumi: I’m a big fan of the Japanese gyaru style. It’s something that I’ve been immersed in for about five years now, so that’s where I take my main inspiration from. When I’m feeling playful though, I’ll look at some favorite artists, music videos, or even fashion brands to mix and match. For a video, I usually have an outfit put together in 10-15 minutes. It’s fun! However, the downside to all of this is that my room simultaneously gets turned upside down.

Yumi in cosplay

TPL NYC: What is it about the J-Pop/ Cosplay look that appeals to you?

Yumi: I feel like the Japanese street styles I love look very unique, glamorous, playful, and cute! Gyaru itself has many substyles of its own! All of it is art! There are so many different styles, but at the end of the day, it all boils down to your own individual look as a result of how you feel you can best express yourself.

 

 

TPL NYC: Are you an anime/ manga fan, does that inspire your look? If so, do you ever cosplay as a certain character?

Yumi: I was much more into anime/ mange when I was in middle school and high school. I think I love my games a little more.

TPL NYC: What anime and manga do you enjoy watching and reading, and what got you into it?

Yumi: The last manga I was reading was Barajou no Kiss, I love the Aya Shouto’s art! When it comes to anime, I love mysteries and ghost stories, so shows like Umineko no Naku Koro Ni, Ghost Hunt, and Another are right up my alley.

TPL NYC: Tell me about the new Oishii Boot Camp? Why was that created, and what does the boot camp entail? I've heard on some of the vlogs that they have to turn things in. What do they have to turn in and what happens if they don't?

Yumi: The Oishii Bootcamp was done to encourage audience interaction, hone our skills, and to give fans and viewers a chance to get to know us. Most of the challenges were vlogs. The most recent one, however, was more of a musical challenge. Next to everything else that the public sees, behind the scenes, we also had various miscellaneous assignments we were required to turn in for the bootcamps. If any group fails to have all their individuals turn their assignments in on time, the entire group will be subject to punishment!

TPL NYC: Do you see Oishii Project as a stepping stone into more mainstream scene or do you like being a part of this niche?

Yumi: I hate looking at things as “stepping stones”. When I choose to become a part of something, I will try to give it my all. I don’t exactly feel like I completely fit in to the idol niche. However, I feel as if Oishii! Project does not completely conform to the idol stereotypes either.



Yumi with fellow Oishii member Jenny.

TPL NYC: One of your Vlogs mentions that you are tiny in stature. You also have a very cute look, do you feel that this makes you more marketable in something like Oishii Project?

Yumi: I am 3’ 11” totally fun-sized and fun-loving. Oishii! Project has a very cute vibe, so it never hurts to add to it.

TPL NYC: Aside from singing and songwriting, do you enjoy any other endeavors or hobbies?

Yumi: Aside from singing and songwriting, I also love fashion, nail art, working out, playing video games (holler at you Animal Crossing players!), and reading!



 

TPL NYC: How did you come up with your name Yumiko?

Yumi: The Kanji for Yumiko is 由美子, and it means Reason Beauty Child. It sounds fierce, strong – maybe a little bit diva. The name itself, however, sounds playful and cute.

TPL NYC: If you weren’t in Oishii Project, what do you think you would be doing?

Yumi: Outside of Oishii! Project, I’m involved in another band called Psycho Bando. So I would probably just have more time working on Psycho Bando as well as some of my other original pieces.

TPL NYC:  With a busy schedule, what is a typical day like for you?

Yumi: It depends on what day of the week it is. Sometimes I have band practice with Psycho Bando in the evening, and I usually have work three to five days a week. Recently I was also accepted as a staff member for Oishii! Project, and I am now in charge of U.S. booking and event coordinating, so Sundays I’ll have a morning staff meeting to attend to for Oishii! Project as well. In between all that time, I’ll have housework that I take care of, music recordings, and practice. When I can squeeze some more time in, I’ll be scoping the net for auditions.
 

TPL NYC: What does your family think of you being a part of Oishii Project?

Yumi: My family is very supportive! It’s a great experience to be part of a net idol group.

TPL NYC: Do you feel like you have had to sacrifice a lot of your personal life to be a part of Oishii Project?

 

 

 

Yumi: If you want to succeed in anything, sacrifices are inevitable. It’s great time management practice. I’m lucky that the people I love and care for are very supportive of what I do.

TPL NYC:  What are some upcoming events that Oishii Project has coming up?

Yumi: The Mini Cherries, our trainee group, are having their graduations soon! Right now they are going through a testing period. Some will be going into our pre-existing groups, and I have heard talk of perhaps a new mini group or two. We are also planning a U.S. Oishii! Project debut, so keep a look out for that in the next coming months!