Still a Big Phony

Since we last saw him in Issue 12, musician Big Phony aka Bobby Choi has acquired fans, lost pounds, and gotten more sociable. Well, kind of. After listening to him croon to a packed crowd at the Living Room in June, we invited Bobby to the Theme office to perform for us and then peppered him with questions. 
Look for a YouTube video of Bobby’s latest songs soon. For now, he talks about changing diapers, hating karaoke, and reverse psychology.

What were you doing before you turned to music full-time?
I was working for the Apple store for a couple of years. I started out as a sales guy. It was not a good fit for me because I was so annoyed with people asking the same questions about their iPods. They were like, “How do I turn this on?” or “I dropped this in the water, and it’s not working. And I want my money back.” And I got sick of that so I changed from sales to inventory, where I didn’t have to deal with anyone. [Laughs.] It was better that way.

Are you really good with technology then?
I’m really not, so working at Apple was kind of weird. I would pretend like I knew what they were saying, but really I was just watching their lips move and not listening at all.
[Before that] I was taking care of my brother’s kids for good five or six months. At the time (last year), my nephew was three years old and my niece was just two weeks old. I started taking care of them like nine-to-five, five days a week. It got me ready, and kind of scared me as well. I’m not going to want to have kids for a while, but I can change a diaper with one hand. 

Tell me about the song “The Bully.”
It’s loosely based on my brother Eddy. He didn’t really beat me up. Well, that’s not true. I don’t want to get him in trouble, but we used to fight a lot.
It’s about how even bullies can affect your life in a positive way because they toughen you up. At least my situation worked out that way. There’s a line in the song that says: “The bully saved a life.”

Has he ever said the line, “Sorry for kicking your head in all the time?”
He never said it, but through actions he’s shown that he’s sorry for treating me the way he did. He’s actually my best friend now. He’s so supportive of everything I do.
I’m really lucky that way. My family is really supportive. I know a lot of people that don’t have that. Especially artists, you know? I lucked out.

What was college like for you?
I went to Gordon College. It’s a small, liberal arts Christian college. It’s like 1200 kids with maybe ten Asians in the whole school. It’s funny, because I was in all the brochures and stuff at one time because they wanted to show that there was diversity [there], which was total BS. I didn’t have a really great time at school. That’s why I probably started writing the most in college. I wanted to be alone, and I would go in the bathroom and just practice and write.

Didn’t you want to be a pastor once?
I thought I did, so I went to a Christian college and I thought that was the right path for me. I got there and it didn’t take long for me to realize that I didn’t want to do that. I actually turned away from the church.

But I started going to church again recently and it’s been good. When I was younger it was more of an emotional thing and I didn’t know what I really believed. I wasn’t honest with myself. But now that I’m older, I’m more honest with myself.

Do you read a lot? You got the moniker “Big Phony” from “The Catcher in the Rye.”
I don’t read a lot. I try to read at least a book a month. But I don’t listen to a lot of music. I don’t watch movies. I don’t read. I don’t know what I do. Actually, when I can, I watch a lot of Food Network. I’m a huge Anthony Bourdain fan, so I watch his show repeatedly. I’ve read all his books. I like how harsh of a critic he is. He’s kind of an ass sometimes and I love that about him.

So you don’t listen to a lot of other people’s music?
It’s just that I have a hard time finding new music. I don’t buy a lot of music. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t gravitate towards any artist. But the ones that I do [like], I kind of stick with those and listen to them over and over again and hope that they can come out with something new. There’s so very few of them.

How much time do you spend working on writing new songs?
I try to write at least a couple of songs a week, just to keep it up. I’ll normally practice playing maybe like a few hours a day, and within that time ideas usually spark. I don’t plan on writing a song. It just kind of has to come about while I’m practicing.

Does a lot of your inspiration come from daily life?
Yes. Sad situations, tragedy…those are the things I like to write about. I don’t have any really happy tunes. Right now I’m just focusing on the sadness of life. [Laughs.]

It’s not all that sad…the Living Room was packed last night with fans.
It was really surprising that so many people were there. Maybe they’re just looking for someone who plays sad music.

Are a lot of your fans Asian?
A big part of why I’m still doing what I’m doing, and I’m able to, is because of such a strong Asian community backing. They’re very nurturing in a way, because so many of them are so committed to helping me out. I don’t know why. But they’re sort of the backbone.
Lately at the shows, there’s at least fifty percent Asian crowds. I’m so grateful for that. I hope that it continues. I just want to do this for as long as I can, because I don’t want to be unhappy and right now I’m really happy.

Do you get fangirls?
Fangirls? No. I’ve very bad with the ladies. I wish I were more eloquent or something. More well read, more interesting.

Do you ever get stage fright?
I do in weird, specific situations. Like, if my family is there, or people that I know or grew up with are there, I get really nervous for some reason. I feel like because they know me, they can see right through me. But normally I don’t get nervous if there’s no one there that I know.

Who does all the album art for you?
My friend Brian Won does all my artwork. Brian has a company called National Television that he started with two of his art school buddies. It’s a motion graphics company. They’ve done tons of commercial work and music videos that anyone would recognize.
He got a hold of my first album from a mutual friend. We met and Brian was down to help me. He said that he would love to be a part of this whole Big Phony thing, and ever since then we’ve been really close friends. He does everything for me for free, which is amazing.

If you wanted to settle down, would it be Los Angeles or New York?
If it were between New York and Los Angeles, I would want to stay in Los Angeles. I like the pace there. It’s more laid back and there’s less pressure. The beer, the food, everything’s cheaper there. My dollar goes a lot further.

Do you do karaoke?
I really don’t like going to karaoke, but that’s all anybody ever does in Los Angeles. Like every night you hang out in Los Angeles you should be prepared and know that you’re going to end up at a karaoke joint.
I don’t like it because people always expect me to sing, and I can’t sing other people’s songs. People who don’t really know me very well will say: “You gotta sing for us,” and I get on the mic and I’ll sing a song and it will be so bad, and they’ll be like “For real? You’re a singer?”

What song would you choose when you’re forced to go?
There’s nothing I really like in there, but they always have these random Radiohead songs in there. They’re so hard to sing. Nobody can sing them, but I’ll sing it anyways.

Have you ever had any training in singing?
No, I don’t even consider myself a singer. I’ve never really focused on that just because I’ve always been self-conscious of my voice. I always spent more time on songwriting, trying to be a better songwriter. I don’t even know how to correctly warm up my voice. I don’t know where to start. I’m not a singer.

Do you have a lot of contacts among creative people?
I do. At first when I moved to Los Angeles I was very much a homebody. I didn’t want to meet people because I’m just bad at it. I’m a shy kind of guy, so it’s really hard to meet people. But recently I’ve been getting out more and meeting a lot of other artistic people, specifically filmmakers because Los Angeles is just full of them.

Are they going to put you in any movies?
No, that would be a mistake. But I actually have a few music videos in the works. As soon as I get back to Los Angeles we’re going to shoot for a couple of music videos. That’s another new thing I’m working on.

Are you getting more used to talking to people, like fans and people from magazines?
No, I’m not used to it. I wish I were more eloquent. I keep thinking that. But I’m weird in that on stage, I’m not as shy. I think I like being on stage because something takes over and I’m more comfortable up there. And then in real life I’m just like this awkward…you know…awkward loser.

That’s not true. You can think of it as reverse psychology, like the “I hate Big Phony” shirts and whatnot.
I love that. I love saying that I hate myself, and I want people to be involved with hating me. So that’s part of the mission. That’s a big thing I want to get out there. I want that to be a common phrase: “I hate Big Phony.” I want that to catch on.

People hating you?
Hating me so much that they love me. [Laughs.] I just never want to take myself too seriously. I want people to know that I’m a real person just like they are. I’m not trying to be someone I’m not. That’s a big reason why I go with “Big Phony.” There’s a whole message behind it and there’s so many things involved with it and I love it.
A lot of people understand what I’m going through right now.

What’s happening next for Big Phony?
I have a new album out [Straight to Bootleg]. It’s a collection of demos that I made at home. I put it out there just because I’m not playing any of those songs [from the first album anymore]. I’ve been playing at venues, and I’m singing songs that nobody can get a hold of, so I thought I would put out a disc with all the demos that I was singing at shows.
Plus I put it out there to see if anyone can have a vision for my songs [and] help me produce a proper album. I have a few producers that I’ll be working with. I’m going to do a couple of tracks together with each producer. Whoever it works out the best with, I’ll go with. Maybe.

What are some long-term plans you have for your music?
I want to have a new album out by the end of the year. A proper album, one I’m considering my first album. It’s just the matter of finding the right producer. There’s some more exciting stuff happening that I don’t really want to talk about right now just because I’m very superstitious. I don’t want to say something and then have it not happen and then feel stupid about it. But a lot of exciting things may happen. 

Here’s hoping that they do. —Amy Ni Pan