Q&A with singer/songwriter Big Phony
"I’m not trying to get on the bus. I’m trying to avoid the bus altogether."
One of the perks of this business we call show, is that you get to meet interesting and talented people in other artistic fields. People whom you would never ordinarily meet, are suddenly thrust into your orbit for no other reason than they are also pursuing something that no rational human would ever attempt. To paraphrase Henry V, “These few, these happy few,” are my people.
For those new to this Substack, every third newsletter we have a special guest Q&A based on the Proustian questionnaire; a set of a questions by the novelist Marcel Proust in the style of a confessional album. This is a spin on that, which I’m (currently) calling the ‘20 Reps of Proust’ - twenty questions on art, habits, and career.
Our third guest is folk singer/songwriter Bobby Choy AKA Big Phony. Bobby has released nine albums, was the writer, co-director & lead of the movie Music & Reality, and was recently named one of the ‘10 Rising AAPI Artists to Know’ by Rolling Stone.
I first met Bobby in LA through our mutual friend Todd Goble, who had just been cast to play opposite him in Music & Reality (which I made an uncredited cameo in, as a guy typing on a laptop. Yes, I did my own stunts.). Given that Bobby was writing, directing, producing, soundtracking, and starring in a movie inspired by his own life - I fully expected to meet an off-the-charts egomaniac. But not only was Bobby the opposite of that, he was about as nice a person as I’d ever met. (While being ‘nice’ may seem an innocuous thing to remember, it was 2016, and ‘nice’ was in short supply.)
Yet artistically speaking, ‘nice’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘good’. In fact, at that point, fueled by romanticised notions of Ernest Hemmingway and Mick Jagger, I wasn’t even sure that ‘nice’ and ‘good’ could co-exist. Yet Bobby was good. So much so, that I continued to listen to his work as a fan, rather than an acquaintance. In fact, several years later Spotify informed that me that I was basically the only person on Earth who listened to both Big Phony and Mark Knopfler, which I took as a personal triumph.
But what stuck with me is what came after. The film, to which Bobby had put in so much… came and went. Despite a warm reception in South Korea, the film was not the success he had hoped for. Then came Covid and the world closed down, just as Bobby discovered he was about to become a father.
Shortly after, Bobby posted on Instagram that he had temporarily moved to Higashihiroshima in Japan, to work in a factory that built semi-conductors. This, after nine albums and a movie. While there is no shame in any kind of work, it is a lot harder to stomach living 8-Mile in reverse. But Bobby owned it, and took the job, grateful for the opportunity to provide for his family. Given the context, it was not only a rich demonstration of character, but one of the most quietly spectacular displays of masculinity I had seen in real life.
I imagine Bobby will be vaguely embarrassed when he reads this. I doubt he would recognise why his actions would be worthy of admiration. But that’s the rub, isn’t it? We seldom see our own value. When we talk of artists, we almost never talk about them as people, often excusing bad behaviour in light of their accomplishments. But we can and should champion our artists when their character, as well as their talent, is worthy of celebration. To me, the anecdote I have just shared is worth more than anything that Rolling Stone can, and have, said about him.
And while Bobby’s answers below, may confirm the humility of the man I have described above, they do not capture the gentle strength of his character. So, listen to his work, go see him on tour, and then say things like, “Y’know, Big Phony really reminds me of Elliot Smith.” He’ll love that. Lol.
Kris
20 Reps of Proust - with Bobby Choy AKA Big Phony
1. What is your favourite quality in yourself as an artist?
The road less travelled is very lonely. I don’t mind being alone, or being unsuccessful, to put it another way. A lot of people have told me what I’m doing wrong or what I should do, but I usually ignore them or do the opposite. I’m a fool, but I am not afraid to be alone.
2. What was your greatest fear when you began your career as a musician?
I was deathly afraid of being compared to other artists. I got compared to Elliott Smith the most, but I appreciate that more now than when I started out. What an honour. Also, I didn’t want people to find out I was Asian. Hence why I went with Big Phony as a stage name.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in your work?
Most of my recordings are stripped down and not what I initially envisioned. I hear many different arrangements in my head for most of the songs I write, but they almost never end up getting made that way. Most of the stuff out there for Big Phony are demos.
4. What is the quality you like most in another musician?
Humility. Especially when I meet a new musician, and they don’t even want to talk about music, let alone their own music. Those often turn out to be the most prolific artists when I look them up the next day.
5. What is the trait you most deplore in other collaborators?
‘By-the-book, know-it-all, don’t-fix-what-ain’t-broke’ types. I’m not trying to get on the bus – I’m trying to avoid it altogether.
6. Which living artist do you most admire?
I heard Rick Moranis gave up acting to focus on his family after his wife passed. That’s admiral. On a more personal level, when I see artists of-Asian descent that are my age or older, who have grown up outside of their parents’ countries, I have a tremendous amount of admiration for the courage it took to do something they were not expected, or even welcome to. A bunch of crazy, outlier, gambling pioneers.
7. How do you deal with your successes?
Depression immediately follows each success. That’s when I try to write, or I will try my darndest to stay so busy that I have no time for the sad stuff. Mind you, I don’t have that many successes.
8. What do you consider the most overrated quality in a musician?
Musical proficiency? Some of the most skilled musicians I know, cannot come up with anything new. I have also seen bands who play incredibly well on stage, but their songs are shite. Although if you have it – and can tap into it when you need it – there’s the rub.
9. Which other talent would you most like to cultivate?
Carpentry or multi-tasking. A secret dream of mine is to build a home from the ground up that I could retire in, which I am pretty certain I will never even attempt.
10. If you could improve one thing about yourself as a musician, what would it be?
I wish I played the piano better. I got a piano when I was in high school. Taught myself to play some chords and then a few months later my dad died, and we had to sell it to help pay for shit. It is a dream of mine to one day own a piano again.
11. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Running from San Diego to Santa Monica with a buddy of mine, without any music and just the sound of my heaving breaths. We did it in just a few days and slept a couple of nights in motels along the coast. It was hard. That final day my left foot was so swollen, I couldn’t fit it in my shoe, so I just ran barefoot whilst screaming in pain. I didn’t know it at the time but that was my first gout flareup. That run often reminds me that I am capable of more than I believe I am.
12. What is your most treasured memory of your craft?
I remember writing a song under ten minutes in the dark at a low moment in my life. I realized then that I could use my pain for good. The song is called Short Intermission.
13. What do you regard as the lowest moment of your career and how did you deal with it?
I spent a good five years writing, producing, and editing a feature length film about my music and life, only to realize super late that I had foolishly missed the mark. I am still dealing with it. The film is only available to watch in Korea unfortunately (or fortunately). It’s not a bad film, thanks to the shoulders that carried me, but it nearly took my life getting it done. I have two kids now though, and they keep me busy, so I don’t have time to dwell on it.
14. Who are your favourite artists?
Norm MacDonald for his humour, artistic choices, and commitment, plus his ability to take the most absurd chances in the name of his craft. I particularly liked him as a talk-show guest, and I love hearing other comedians tell stories about him. Aimee Mann is an incredible lyricist. Have you seen the work of the artist, James Jean? That guy is not human.
15. Who is your favourite hero in fiction?
Samwise Gamgee. Fuck Frodo. I tend to like the unsung heroes in fiction and in life.
16. Who is your fitness/athletic hero in real life?
Any underdog. Rudy Ruettiger’s story always gets me. I can’t wait to show that film to my kids.
17. What is your workout routine?
I don’t have much of a routine. Sometimes, I will go for a short run and end up doing 50 kilometres. It is very sporadic. Sometimes I will look at myself shirtless in the mirror and be disgusted. I’ll usually start running again soon after.
18. What are the pitfalls of being an aspiring or working musician that nobody ever tells you?
It is a business whether you like it or not. If you dwell on it too much, life is going to pretty much suck, as it is constantly changing and outgrowing your knowledge of it. I have often felt a victim of not being able to keep up.
19. What are the most important habits/skills to develop as a working musician?
Play live as much as possible? Write every day? And don’t ever follow my lead. I wouldn’t call myself a successful working musician. So, be wary of my words.
20. Do you have a working philosophy? And if so, what advice would you give yourself, on Day One of your career?
I like running analogies: If you have more passion than talent, then you are not a sprinter, you are a bucket-list marathon runner. If, like me, you have them short legs, then the finish line is going to be hard to reach but passion will eventually get you there. If not, maybe try something else.
Learn about money.
Leave your resume at home. When you meet with people, especially for the first time, ask questions about them and don’t let the focus settle on you. If you have it, let your decency and kindness be the lasting impression you leave.
Bobby Choy AKA Big Phony will begin an international tour in 2025. His music is available on Spotify and Apple Music.