Sharing Some Bizarre Love Theories

Guest Post by Oliver Wang

Back in 2011, Angry Asian Man was celebrating its 10th anniversary, and Patrick "DJ Phatrick" Huang and I had been asked by Phil and his wife to DJ the party. It was a packed event, filled mostly with people like ourselves: Asian American Gen Xers and older Millennials. Naturally, at some point, Phatrick and I turned to each other and asked, "So when are we going to play 'Bizarre Love Triangle'?"

Odds are, as you're reading this on Angry Asian Man, you're already in on the joke but just in case: for many Asian Americans who came of age in the 1980s and 1990s, New Order's 1986 synth-pop classic "Bizarre Love Triangle" (BLT) serves as an unofficial Asian American anthem. (Note: it's the 12" remix by Shep Pettibone that's the anthem, not the original LP mix.) In fact, back in 1995, not even a decade after the single's release, music writer Ben Kim told the Chicago Reader, "There's a cliché that the Asian American youth anthem is 'Bizarre Love Triangle.'"

Over the years, writers have offered different explanations for BLT's enduring popularity. Despite different explanations, the core conclusion remains the same: somehow, four white musicians from Manchester, England created one of the most enduring touchstones in Asian American musical memory.

They Call Us The Moons of LA

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome actor/producers Ken Jeong and Daniel Dae Kim, and writer Paul Bae, key creatives behind the Audible Original series The Moons of LA. They talk about the project's journey from television comedy pilot to coming-of-age dramedy audio series; assembling an all-star cast that includes Randall Park, Jimmy O. Yang, John Cho, Sherry Cola, and Liza Soberano; mining the personal to tell a resonant Korean American story about family, relationships and mental health; and why a certain synth pop anthem absolutely had to make it into the show for authenticity's sake.

Pearl River Mart Presents RISE: The Exhibition

On view November 7, 2026 to January 3, 2027 at Pearl River Mart Gallery in New York City

If you're in New York City, you are invited to check out a new exhibition at Pearl River Mart, based on RISE: A Pop History of Asian America From the Nineties to Now, the New York Times bestselling book I wrote with Jeff Yang and Philip Wang. Curated by Jeff and designed by Jonathan Lo, RISE: The EXHIBITION brings some of the book's highlights to life, transforming portions of RISE into an immersive multimedia experience.

RISE: THE EXHIBITION is on view from November 7, 2026 through January 3, 2027 in the Pearl River Mart gallery. Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, November 7. Attendance is free but registration is appreciated. For more information about the exhibition, go here.

REWIND: They Call Us Eric Bauza

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we revisit our conversation with celebrated voice actor Eric Bauza -- the iconic voice of Bugs Bunny, among many other characters -- who recently passed away at 46. Recorded in December 2020, we discussed issues of diversity and inclusion in voice acting, cracking the code of a good impression, and how a Filipino kid from Canada ended up as the voice of animation's most wascally wabbit. Rest in peace, Eric Bauza.

They Call Us Dang!

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome Andrew Law, creator, co-showrunner and co-star of the Netflix animated sitcom Dang! He talks about the show's evolution from a live-action comedy to animation; telling culturally specific stories about sibling dynamics (despite being an only child) and flawed, messy Asian American characters; sussing out possible Asian fetishes; and weirdly horny church worship songs (that are also total bangers). Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Dang!

They Call Us Preparing for the Inevitable

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome our old friends George Kiriyama and Traci Kato-Kiriyama, siblings who recently lost their mother, Ikuko Kiriyama, to talk about remembrance, grief (or pre-grief), and letting go. They share personal stories of the Kiriyama family's journey with loss; the role of caregiving and supporting aging parents; the lessons learned from honoring a loved one's legacy; and the emotional process of letting go and moving forward.

Christian Metal Band Sues Netflix Over Kpop Demon Hunters

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Christian Metal Band Demon Hunter Sues Netflix Over 'KPop Demon Hunters'

The Christian metal band Demon Hunters is suing Netflix and AEG Presents over the mega-hit animated film KPop Demon Hunters, for trademark infringement and unfair competition, among other claims. The lawsuit claims that the movie has caused “a substantial likelihood of confusion” and resulted in an “existential crisis” for the band, which holds the "Demon Hunter" trademark in several categories.

"In the lawsuit the band have provided some examples of confusion that already occurred, including an email they received in February from a man asking for a refund after he spent $500 on tickets to their gig for his 5 and 6 year-old daughters in the belief he was buying tickets to see the fictional girl band."

I'm sorry, but mistakenly dropping five hundred bucks on Christian metal band tickets, thinking you're getting Kpop Demon Hunters tickets, is a level of carelessness and laziness that defies trademark infringement.

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Calif. Bill Could Create Designation for Asian-Serving Colleges

A bill moving through the California State Assembly would create a new designation for colleges in the state that serve large numbers of Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Although the bill itself doesn't allocate any money to those institutions, advocates hope that they could eventually use the designation to access funding for initiatives that improve college access, retention and completion.

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Aoife Hinds & Billy Howle To Lead BBC And A24 Series 'The Ministry Of Time'

Aoife Hinds will star in BBC and A24's drama series The Ministry of Time, based on the best-selling debut novel by Kaliane Bradley. The series is set around a newly established government department that gathers 'expats' from across history to test the viability of time-travel. Hinds plays Sophy, who achieves a hard-fought promotion in the civil service, only to learn that her role is to help a time traveller -- Victorian polar explorer Commander Gore -- acclimatize to the modern world as part of a top-secret Ministry program. The Ministiry of Time is currently filming in London.

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LEENALCHI: Live on KCRW

I absolutely love this band. Seoul-based LEENALCHI brings their undefinable pansori-infused traditional Korean vocal styling and rhythmic pop rock funk sound in-studio for a Live on KCRW session.

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Dallas Asian American Film Festival

Dallas film fans! You are invited to the inaugural Dallas Asian American Film Festival, a hyperlocal film festival showcasing Asian American film with an Asian Texan focus, presented by the Dallas Asian American Art Collective. It's happening August 28-29 in the Dallas Arts District. For information and tickets, visit daaart.org/daaff.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's Bollywood Dance Team Battles to Be the 'Best of the Best'

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Check out the trailer for the upcoming Netflix comedy Best of the Best, set in the cutthroat world of Bollywood fusion collegiate dance. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia star as childhood best friends, Maya and Anjali, who join UCLA's competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team, only to discover that the road to winning the U.S. Championship is far more raucous and cutthroat than they ever imagined. Think Pitch Perfect by way of Bollywood. Best of the Best, directed by Lena Khan, hits Netflix on September 18.

By the way, this movie should not be confused with one of my favorite movies, the 1989 martial arts drama Best of the Best, starring Phillip Rhee, Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones. However, may I suggest that these two identically titled Best of the Best movies are part of a shared cinemamatic universe? Why not. Unless someone else convinces me otherwise, I'm sticking with that.

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This Bay Area city became a Filipino American haven. Now many can’t afford to stay

Daly City, CA is sometimes called the "Pinoy capital" of the Bay Area and even the United States. For decades, the city of about 100,000 has been home to the highest concentration of Filipinos of any American city. But the rising cost of housing, decentralization of certain jobs and changing economic opportunities have been driving forces behind a recent mass exodus of Filipino residents from the historic enclave.

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Chang-rae Lee on Channeling His Immigrant Childhood Into Fiction

"All immigrant children know how complicated this 'new world' is, and that no matter how much their parents may try to ride herd, they are essentially traversing this realm solo. It's a journeying full of excitement and fright, and laden with a startlingly heavy burden of responsibility, given that they are often the ones necessarily leading the way. I certainly felt so, wanting to do the right thing by us all but never knowing if we were heading in a good direction or towards some maelstrom."

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Marvel Artist Archive: Jim Lee

For your crowdfund consideration: Marvel Artist Archive: Jim Lee, an officially licensed hardcover art book showcasing superstar artist Jim Lee's iconic artwork for Marvel Comics, currently wrapping up its Kickstarter campaign. For me, Jim Lee is the greatest of all time, and his work for Marvel is foundational. I might have to get this.

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Mayor Mamdani Wears a Bike Helmet. Finally.

While New Yorkers have delighted in spotting Mayor Zohran Mamdani riding around the city on a bicycle, some safety advocates have scolded him for his failure to use a helmet. It seems that he has listened. On Tuesday, the mayor posted a video on social media, showing him viewing comments on his phone about his not wearing a helmet. Then, he unboxed one at City Hall and fit it on his head. "Safety first, New York," he said. "See you out there."