An Interview With Shyaporn Theerakulstit Author: Bob Johnson

The name Shyaporn Theerakulstit may not immediately come to mind when thinking of Godzilla, and it will most likely not come rolling off the tongue. However, a video on YouTube, rapping about the big lizard has crept its way through a few Godzilla fans` computer screens, as well as non-fans who just like sifting through the millions of videos on the famed site. SciFi Japan caught up to Shyaporn and now we take a look at the man behind the Godzilla rap. SciFi Japan: Not a lot of readers really know you, so we should start with your background. Where did you grow up? What were/are your interests? Shyaporn: I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and both my parents are from Thailand. As for what my interests are, I started writing them out but it began to read like an online personal ad, so let`s just say they`re fairly broad and varied, or at least I`d like to think so. Nerdy and otherwise. SFJ: When did you start making videos and what inspired you to start? Shy: I wish I had a better answer for this. I started making videos in an attempt to get onto the first couple of seasons of SURVIVOR, almost a decade ago. Sad, I know, but back then there wasn`t a glut of reality TV garbage - it just seemed like a really cool chance to go spend a couple of months on a tropical island. After I gave up on that, I found I enjoyed entertaining my friends with my videos, so I entered a few 24-hour video making contests, Project Greenlight, and then began making videos for YouTube directly.

SFJ: The internet in general, and YouTube specifically, have both freed up the creativity of many people whose videos would have not otherwise been seen. Is that the main outlet for your videos or do you release them in any other format? Shy: Well, before YouTube I basically would just show my shorts to my circle of friends. That`s still the main reason I make videos - to make my friends chuckle. SFJ: Looking through the 30+ videos you have on YouTube, there is quite a variety of subjects. How do you come up with a concept for a video and how do you go about shooting it? Shy: I haven`t the faintest idea how I come up with most of my hackery. Sometimes it`s a prop or costume piece I come across and want to use. Upcoming holidays or events will often give me a idea for a video (and conveniently, a deadline). But usually it`s just random, tangential thoughts that come from everyday living. When I do have ideas, I write them on my mirror in dry erase marker. Then when I feel like making something, I take a look at the list, see what won`t cost me more than $10 to shoot, and then make that video. I usually write my video scripts out in shot list format, and then just check off shots as I go along.

SFJ: Do you feel pressured now to come up with videos on a regular basis? Or do you make them as the ideas present themselves? Shy: I do kinda feel pressure to make videos more regularly, but that pressure comes from myself, not from any outside source. I have a tendency to procrastinate, and I have a huge list of video ideas I could easily be making except for my own laziness. There`s really no excuse for people who call themselves filmmakers not to make movies regularly. The technology is SO accessible these days, it`s ridiculous. SFJ: I was watching your video of "500 Impressions (In 2 Minutes)". I lost count somewhere along the line... were there really 500 names? Were they all legit and where did you come up with that many actors? From someone who`s watched a fair share of Asian films... great concept! Shy: There are at least 500 unique names in there, and they`re all real people. Some are off the top of my head, some are Asian friends of mine, but most are culled from looking up the cast lists of various films from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Thailand on IMDB. SFJ: So, is there really a secret society and master plan as described in "ASIANS: The Asian Response to Asian Responders"? Should we all be nervous...?

Shy: No. And yes. SFJ: So that brings us to the reason you`re here, to talk Godzilla mostly... so, what prompted you to come up with the Godzilla rap, "Up From the Depths"? Shy: Years ago a friend`s band was goofing off in between sets with a short little riff on the chorus to the theme song of the old 80`s Godzilla cartoon. It was just 4 lines, and it stuck in my head, so I eventually wrote some verses to go in between. Then, several more years down the line, I finally got around to recording it and then shooting the video.

SFJ: You seem to have your Godzilla lore down pretty well (right down to the Takeshi Shimura necktie tuck). Was this through a crash course or have you been watching these films for years?
Shy: I`d always been a fan of the big G, and had sort of picked up Godzilla lore through osmosis as I was growing up. However, I hadn`t seen the 1954 Japanese original until our local revival house, the Film Forum, ran a remastered print of it back around the turn of the century. It was truly fantastic. And I`ve always been a Takeshi Shimura fan, so watching the subtlety and specificity of his performance was a treat. And his prop work has always been great; the necktie bit, for example, tells you everything you need to know about his character in one simple motion. SFJ: How has the response been to this video compared to your others? I know it had Godzilla fans buzzing for a while.... Shy: It`s definitely one of my more popular videos, though my most popular video was the "500 Impressions" video you mentioned earlier. That one somehow went mini-viral; it`s up over a million views now. It`s sort of impossible to truly predict what will appeal to people online. But I`m glad people liked it - it was definitely the most work I`d put into any video to date.

SFJ: Is this your first attempt at a rap? Does Godzilla sort of lend itself to that musical format? I guess you wouldn`t do a soft guitar ballad about him... Shy: It`s the first one I`ve written. That I would admit, anyway. Back in the mid-90`s I had to lip-sync a Japanese rap for a musical I was starring in about an artist dying of brain cancer. But other than that, I have pretty much zero hip hop credentials. As it should be. As for a soft guitar ballad, I think that could easily work. Godzilla crosses all musical boundaries. Violently. To see more of Shyporn Theerakulstit`s YouTube videos, visit his video page at youtube.com/shyaporn. Also visit his webpage and blog at shyaporn.com