„Consumption ultimately destroys culture…”

mashKULTURE: Please introduce yourself.

Mr. Kim: Hello, my name is Mr. Kim. I live in Echo Park and I enjoy hosting Sunday dinner parties. I’m the Creative Director/Founder of Evil Monito. I also run a blog called Mr. Kim Says, I assist in brand management and public relations with the House of Cassette brand, and I also manage the LA edition of 944 Magazine.

mashKULTURE: How much sleep on average do you get a day?

Mr. Kim: Average about 4 good hours.

mashKULTURE: Challenging social constructs has been the focal point of Evil Monito since its inception in 2001. How successful do you feel Evil Monito/you have been in doing so?

Mr. Kim: From the start of Evil Monito, we set a new way of looking at popular culture through an academic lens. Everything that Evil Monito has been involved with has been to corral a community together and to allow their stories to be heard. In the past we’ve had many opportunities to interview with some of the most dynamic individuals in popular culture. Once we interviewed Mos Def and as opposed to praising him for his artistic talents, we spent a great deal discussing the topic of privatization of the prison systems. When we had a chance to connect with Yoko Ono recently, we really delved deep in the idea of what “peace” means in this day and age. It is extremely important for us to slow down the internet and provide space and time for us all to contemplate on the greater challenges we face in mankind.

mashKULTURE: Tell us a bit more about Evil Monito.

Mr. Kim: Evil Monito is a strange entity. We started as an online political journal… Later Evil Monito found itself manifested in tangible format via co-branded products ranging from footwear, toys, bikes, clothing etc. Evil Monito now retains a physical studio space where it is a place where creatives are constantly gathering for ideas. With Evil Monito re-establishing itself online again this past May 2008, it is now another challenge to bring an alternate forum to the internet. We want to set a new standard in in-depth intelligent journalism, coupled with trends and unique items of interest that is generated from the community which we are very much a part of.

mashKULTURE: Since its relaunch in May, evilmonito.com has grown and shows no signs of slowing down. What has the feedback been like? How’s the readership?

Mr. Kim: Feedback has been incredible. When we went on hiatus in 2005 the internet was changing. Everyone was on the ADD hype blog tip. As an observer and a participant in the realm of street culture, we became very much desensitized with what was going with street culture. Emphasis from storytelling veered toward consumer culture in the streetwear blogs. Consumption ultimately destroys culture. With EM coming back, we realized the terrain has changed in the way people are absorbing culture. We felt the need to up the ante in discussing popular culture in an intelligent manner. Thus far feedback has been tremendous. We are steadily growing with about 20,000 unique visitors a month. We are constantly updating the site architecture to enable more interaction with our readers whether it be via emphasizing comments or later on allowing them to actually contribute to EM. As you can tell on our features our interviews are varied including such names as T.C. Boyle to Janelle Monae to Yoko Ono. We are reaching a higher sense of consciousness and we hope to continue to relay that thought process to our readers.

mashKULTURE: How many people are involved/employed by Evil Monito? How many in the day-to-day work?

Mr. Kim: Total our network is vast. We have over 40 freelance bloggers on EM. On a day-to-day basis, it is a team of 4 individuals who oversee everything from content curation to design.

mashKULTURE: Evil Monito is focused on pop culture, and its continuous evolution. Where do you see the next stage in its on-going progression?

Mr. Kim: Well naturally with ‘09 we are going to delve back to creating tangible goods and also provide programming at the Evil Monito studio for film screenings, creative salons, etc… The key is to connect and lead discussion within the creative community.

mashKULTURE: Do you feel streetwear in itself today carries negative connotations? if so, why?

Mr. Kim: Streetwear leaving the idea of community into consumption is negative. People finally being able to make a buck is great. People making a buck with shoddy product is bad.

mashKULTURE: What changes - if any - have you noticed in consumer consumption over the past few years? What are your thoughts on this? In what direction do you feel the trend is going? How have your consumption habits changed, if at all?

Mr. Kim: I think the demographic who consumes streetwear is very young. It is a whole new generation of kids who might glimpse and equate certain brands, individuals and movements being the same with the older pioneers of the game. This produces zombie-like drones who consume for the sake of consuming. I call this the “Dude dressing for Dude” syndrome. Peep most streetwear parties and you’ll see more shemagh patterns on dude’s necks than is necessary. In the end you should always wear something for yourself. Otherwise you’re living and giving into someones idea of what they think is cool, and that’s when you lose self identity and you become nothing more than a cog in their ecosystem. Kids need to wake up.

mashKULTURE: What’s currently in the works? Projects, collaborations, etc…

Mr. Kim: Currently we have many projects but I cannot mention anything.

mashKULTURE: Your personal blog Mr. Kim Says seems that it in itself would suffice as a full-time job. It’s clear to see you that you take it very seriously. Do you do it mainly for yourself as a sort of online diary, is it a way of sharing your thoughts with others, or is it a way to vent, to clear your mind, etc…? How much time/energy does it require?

Mr. Kim: I run Mr. Kim Says by myself. It has become much for autobiographical as of late. It takes time but it’s all worth it. It’s my therapy.

mashKULTURE: Does your current schedule ever get overly exhausting? Do you ever feel the need to slow down?

Mr. Kim: I’m always exhausted. But that’s what whiskey is for.

mashKULTURE: What would Rickey Kim be doing for a living had he been born 100 years ago?

Mr. Kim: I don’t think about that. I think the mode of thinking I maintain now is the result of the environment and social constructs I was raised in. I could’ve been born in Korea and I would’ve been a completely different person. I think the difference is that I was born in LA at a pivotal moment. What I do is simple untangling the world around me to better understand who I am.

mashKULTURE: Where do you see yourself, and Evil Monito in five years?

Mr. Kim: Myself, maybe in Washington DC. I have aspirations to enter politics and/or academia. Evil Monito? A strong resilient brand that will always connote two things: Intelligent Community.

mashKULTURE: Is Rickey Kim a happy person?

Mr. Kim: Not nearly as he should be.

Evil Monito

Mr. Kim Says