I can't really agree. When I saw him for first time I was immidietly sure that he's half or quater Asian (but it didn't changed anything with enjoying the video), but actually I don't know if his face changed slightly after all those years or I just so get to see him but now I think he looks more white that I used to think
I was a scrawny kid. I was picked on, yelled at, beat up by the school bullies, etc. However, I had the ability to make friends with the burnouts. I started guitar lessons at 13 (1976), and everything in my life slowly began to change. The burnouts thought I was cool because I could play a few classic rock songs on the guitar. What came easy to me, I still had to work for; but I finally had an identity that I could call my own. My confidence grew, which motivated me to practice my guitar and bass guitar for hours every day. The guitar became my voice for an otherwise, quiet, introverted kid. By my mid teens, bullying had become a thing of the past for me. The guitar saved my life in more ways than I could ever begin to count. Thanks for sharing your story.
When I was in school.... I got picked on alot for liking bands like metallica, bruce springsteen , the worst band that did it for me was kiss.... I got called a poser for rocking out to acdc... kids can be cruel
Being Asian American, I experienced the same thing. Kids would assume I knew karate or kung fu & I also had a bowl haircut. I’m Filipino w/ Chinese ancestry though. Anyhow, teasing lessened after I started playing guitar in 8th grade & ended when I began performing in a band in 11th grade. I thought it was interesting how I was perceived to be a nerdy Asian kid, to someone well respected. I even got nominated for most talented when I was a senior.
I feel the bowl cut, was just an Asian thing. His story, he's Korean. Your story, you're Filipino. I had one, and my younger brother did, we are Japanese. I have Chinese friends who had it too!
I have noticed somewhere around 3rd / 4th grade, kids go from "cute" to "little sociopaths." Elementary school was a misery for me, it happened to each of my kids, and the transition is starting to happen for my 7 year old grandson.
I went through a phase in middle school where I became a bully. In high school, my favorite teacher was on cafeteria duty and he would sit with a kid that I would pick on. My first reaction was "Why is the coolest teacher friends with THAT kid?" The lightbulb went on over my head, and I realized "He is doing his job, to be there for ALL kids, and I'm being a jerk." That profoundly changed me, it's like my brain (and heart) received an upgrade. Now, I'm in my 30th year teaching 7th grade, and I do my best to emulate that incredible teacher (and a few others!). Mr. Silver, thank god you were my teacher. I could have gone down a much darker path. I'm paying it forward and try to model my behavior and actions to help the next generation of kids be better to each other. Bullying remains a tough issue, but I will remember how I changed and continue to be like Mr. Silver. Thanks for sharing your story, Mike! Keep up the great music and videos!
I was born in Chinatown in 1952 We moved out of Chinatown when I was 5 and entered a school where there was only one other Asian, and he was Japanese. I got glasses in 3rd grade and that's when the bullying started. Since I used to fight with my 2 brothers at home, I got into fights rather than backing down Mark Matsuno became my best friend and I used to protect him because he was small. By the time I went to Junior High, I was known as the toughest kid in my grammar school. By the time I finished Junior High, I got tired of the fights and went to a different high school that the other kids went to. That's when I started guitar. A different solution but similar path.
That was the way to “make it stop” back then: fight back and earn respect. The tough part was not becoming a bully yourself. Peer pressure was intense in 70’s MN suburb schools.
It all changed for Mike one morning when he woke up and discovered he was John Cusak. No longer did Mike think he was 'Better off Dead.' From now on Mike was so cool that his life turned into a virtual hot tub timemachine of girls, parties, guitars and some more girls.
Half Norweigan and Swedish myself (and half Black American). It’s weird to explain to Zoomers/Alphas but there was a time in most 80s/90s suburbs where you’d easily be the only black/Asian/minority kid in your school. Also tfw you had to choose which race to circle on the SAT.
True. A lot of crazy sh*t happened in the 80’s. I mean, most civil rights (including interracial marriage) weren’t even 20 years old in the 80’s. Then there was the Klan becoming more active, and a massive attack that targeted certain racial groups of people (I forgot what it was called, but it was huge and a lot of people of color passed away).
Our oldest son married a beautiful girl who was born in the Philippines , they just got back from a month visit there, They have given us the most precious grandson ever (he's 6 now!) For most of my adult life I was heavily involved in several types of Martial arts, so I've been around Asians from Koreans, Japanese & Chinese for decades & I would never have guessed you were Asian? Our son is really sensitive to any Asian hate, & Its made me much more aware! And I will not tolerate it one bit! Keep up the great work my friend!
I’m a Middle Eastern guy who grew up in the States, and honestly, the only time I ever really thought about my race was when I was around other Middle Eastern people.
That’s definitely a good experience. I’ve had friends who had terrible experiences, and some who’ve had great experiences. It all depends on which part of the country you’re in.
My wife is Korean, and she grew up in a very similar school setting that you described. Very helpful to hear your perspective, gives me more insight into how she felt and how I can support her. Thank you for sharing!
I was born in a wheelchair I know... Kids are hard core luve ur videos! I been play guitar seriously now for the last 3years I pick it up when I was like 11 but because most eltric guitar are so big and I have a small frame it was grad for me to pick it up and back then there was no interwebs Iam 38 and I got the Jackson dinky luve it it purrfect 4 me love playing guitar luve my Metallica metal.. Busy learning Anthrax madhouse! Keep up the videos luve been a huge inspiration 🎸🎹🎵🎶
Well, your not far off one million subscribers, so I guess their not laugh now!! Love your channel. You're a great teacher. I do condone the bullying, and as a caucasian guy, it really annoys me that you went through that as actually they embarass the ones that were good. I'm not saying I was perfect, I once picked on a boy because he smelt. I was young, I'm not sure how old, I even told my mum about him. She then sat me down and explained how some families weren't as lucky as ours. I'm always haunted by what I did and said. I once got a wet paper towel and rung it out over his head and said, "Have a shower". Now at 48, that regret is still there until I die. And that's how it has to be. I've seen tat same kid grow up. He's a successful mechanic with a family. I spoke to him like it had never happened. It was on my mind though, even as I spoke to him. Please teach your kids not to bully or call names. Explain to them the reasons that not everyones the same.
Thanks for sharing this Mike! This is something I really needed to hear. We pretty much lived the same life with our love of martial arts and music. It was like I was listening to my life unfold. Thanks again brother 🤙
Your story is so similar to mine. I'm not Asian but was picked on and bullied much of the time for being small and nerdy and awkward. I would find refuge from all that nonsense in obsessively practicing. In my sophmore year of high school my 2 friends and I were asked by a senior to back him up in the talent show on a song he wrote. It was my first time playing guitar in front of an audience. When the curtain opened I heard a few snickers when people saw me but that changed once we started playing. We got a huge applause at the end and I remember thinking "I want more of this!" We came in second place. The next day at school I was treated differently and kids I didn't even know were congratulating me and telling me nice job. I would still get picked on from time to time but I now had confidence in myself to not listen to it. By the way, when you mentioned your mother taking a razor to your hair I think my mom did the same thing. She would cut my hair in a big bowl like Adam Rich from Eight Is Enough and take a hair thinner and scrape it down my hair. I had forgotten all about that. I don't need that anymore since nature is thinning my hair for me now!
I’m half Korean (also have Scandinavian ancestry, coincidentally) and grew up military bases as a kid. Never really had problems in school then - the schools and bases were melting pots. It wasn’t till my family settled in rural Kentucky around age 11, that I dealt with bad bullying and/or teasing in an unfamiliar public school. Couple that with severe acne, my shyness/ awkwardness, a few years later - it was pretty brutal for a a while. It wasn’t until I started playing saxophone and later, guitar that I set myself apart from my peers. I was never super academically gifted, or a social butterfly but, I’m thankful I found & pursued my gifts. I’m 38 now & reside in Minnesota, and still play guitar when I’m not working. One day I’ll form a band. Maybe. While I’ve seen your videos in the past, you earned a new subscriber today, buddy. Cheers!
You’re absolutely right. I have found myself caught up in so much distraction with the internet, and it’s been that way for so long that the habits I used to pick up because they were fun, I’ve kinda let fall to the wayside. This is my chance to really pick up something and get hardcore with it. Maybe even two things! My two greatest passions I’ve ever had are writing and music. I think if I can learn to put things away and just dedicate myself to practice, that I’d have a much better time in my life, even than I do now. Thanks for the advice!
Im from Buffalo, MN. I was a fat kid. I was bullied a few times - but more by myself. Im sorry you had to feel excluded. I grew up in a totally right wing county - Wright. I loved my asian and black friends but we were in a super small alternative school. Im proud you are a Minnesotan, man. I love your talent and videos. (I’m 29 - you look fuggin 35 at oldest - brother its insane you are ageless!!!) Still live in Buffalo - I’ll see you at a show eventually
Hey, Mike. Thanks for Sharing your story. A tough situation there in school for you and you rose above and used it as inspiration to develop your talents and to share that amazing attitude and set of skills with all of us. My daughters are mixed race (I’m Irish, my wife is Filipino … and I’m guessing we’re about your age). We worried a bit that our daughters would face some of that bullying but were delighted when they did NOT. Sign of the times, I think. LOVE your show. Keep rockin’ brother.
I'm half Japanese, the rest is a mix of German, Dutch, and Irish. I got crap in school ranging from beatings to being accused of the attack at Pearl Harbor. I mean, what the actual f*ck??
Hey man, I'm half-Japanese, raised in the 80s in Iowa. Same thing being accused of the war, being made fun of that I lost the war, etc (as though I had anything to do with it), thankfully never got beaten or physically harmed. Mostly stereotyping and very occasional outright discrimination. Sorry to hear you went through that.
I got the same thing and guitar literally saved my life. I was totally out of control and after a nasty accident had the time to take stock and took up guitar. Sabbath influenced with long hair like Ozzy I got some stick from the others (so called friends actually). A stoner look in the 70s but did not smoke. One of the heavies at the time found out I played and asked for lessons. I agreed, and we became friends and are still in touch to this day. Practice is the thing when starting out, and I did have the time when recovering to get into serious practice. Cool post Mike.
I am Filipino and German. I grew up in Maine during the 70s and 80s. I had pretty much the same experiences as you. Music and guitar got me through it.
Same. I do recall Mike mentioning his Asian heritage before but I always assumed it was a fairly distant thing, like maybe one of his great grandparents was Asian.
Glad you shared your story. I'm half asian myself, my dad is a italian descendent and my mom is a third generation japanese born in Brasil. It's very awkward for us been called japa here, even today at work my co-workers call me that and they just don't even try to understand how strange feeling it is. No empathy at all. I think this is why I entered metal world and just consider myself an alternative type of, just for being neither caucasian, neither japanese/asian. Loved your story, man! Thanks! ❤🎉
I grew up lower middle class in a poor area and the good thing about that was you never really saw colour. It was just who was rich and who was poor lol.
Thanks for sharing this. It was like this for me even in California where there are way more Asians than Minnesota. In the 70s/80s the adult authority figures at my school almost seemed to support the other kids saying “Go back to Japan” and “Why did you bomb Pearl Harbor” to me (side note, I’m 4th generation American). I would ALWAYS be the one who got in trouble after I reached the breaking point. They never did anything to intervene while I was being harassed. This happened almost daily. Fortunately, like you and countless others who were picked on for various reasons, I found the guitar and never looked back.
I think kids will always find things to tease you about. I was a fat kid, not huge, but overweight for the mid/late 70s, so I was teased about that. I loved animals, and was the neighbourhood free vet/animal rescue guy, and one day after school Mum let my 'friends' into the back yard while I was sitting in my aviary reading a book, birds sitting on my shoulders and knees, so then I was David Do-Little. I'd always loved singing, and we'd listen to a radio show and sing along as a school 'lesson', but after a kid down the road got called Canary after appearing on a TV show called Young Talent Time (which was quite an achievement), I kept that to myself. I did start guitar lessons at 11 though. Then I grew tall, and a bit hairy, and still solid, with the Dunny (slang for toilet) nickname, and felt like the obligatory 'fat disgusting kid' in movies like Animal House. At some point I told a 'friend' about shaving my sideburns below the jawline, so I then got Shavin' Dave as well as Dunny. When grade 7 started and I turned 12 I decided that no way I was going to high school as Dunny, and just started punching people in the face without warning if they called me Dunny. Somehow, that made me a bully and I got a lot of detention for fighting, which led me to fighting after school as a junior member of a gang called the Salisbury Rockers. Skinheads vs Rockers was a big thing in '82 where I grew up (across the river from Jimmy Barnes actually, he was on the Skinhead side of the Little Para River, me on the Rocker side), so I was fighting most days just because I wore black socks and black shoes and the other guy wore red socks and white shoes (Plastic Skinheads!). So when I hit high school I was not a bullied kid because I wouldn't take anyone trying to stand over me at all, not in the slightest. Gang fights after school were a regular occurrence until I was 15 and Mum and Dad moved us to a little one street town in the country, where there was not one kid to be seen anywhere on the streets after school. Turns out, most of them were inside watching Dad's porn while getting drunk and stoned! At the new school I hit a few kids for calling me Dunny, and the whole school stopped immediately. The Rockers vs Skins just wasn't a thing there, so they weren't used to getting hit. They teased me because of my 'posh' accent (just a normal suburban accent), and a guy who I call a friend today wrote Elvis Dunn on all my books because of my sideburns, so I still got teased. When I was 16 we formed a band, and used to practice in the music room at lunch. I teamed up with a 26 year old guy out of school and sang with him and his musician friends, my first paid gigs, but at school people used to throw rubbish through through the music room windows at us while we were playing, and the football yobbos always gave us a hard time. For me, music just gave more ammunition to the people trying to pick on me. Although, one night, about 2 years after leaving school at 16, the end of year 11, it was the footy yobbos local team's end of season party, and we were the band the pub booked for the night. No stage, so it was just our cables and wedges separating us from the punters. The footy yobbos knew us from school, and were trying to act tough and pick fights, but we were trying to be professional. In the second set they stood in a line in front of the 'stage', trying to intimidate us, chests out, their faces less than a foot from ours, staring into our eyes, daring us to react So it went like this... "Get you motor running" I turn my 58 sideways, and using the palm of my hand and the mic stand as a fulcrum, smash it into the his face. Lips split, nose bled and a blood just spurting out everywhere. "head out on the highway!". Nobody bar the band and his mates saw it because they were so close to us, they bundled him out to the car and we had no trouble after that! 😁
I had a bully as well. The truth is almost everyone did. My bully was pretty much everyones. He failed several times, so he was 18 and in middle school still. He was very cinematic in that he had a mohawk and rose tattoo. It was crazy. His hobby was giving kids swirlies in the toilet. I avoided his notice for a bit but eventually it was my turn and I wasn't having it. Many kids would just go along, but I didn't. He never was able to get me in the stall, but he tried every day. He thought it was fun. I didn't like my chances in a fight, but summer came, and I got myself a job and started taking karate because I had decided I was going to fight him. School started. Inspired by Rocky, the Karate kid and especially Bruce Lee I started train to fight this kid. And I trained like you played the guitar and I was a natural. So when school came back in session, he didn't come back, and I was.pretty disappointed. Turned out he was locked up for whatever and came the second semster he came back. And I would like to say I had a coming to light moment and became like yoda or something. (That came later in life) or made friends with the guy, but no, I put a whooping on him. It was a one side affair and brief. But the negatives led to positives. I became a regional Tae Kwon Do champion. Almost made the first TKD team, met my first wife at the Dojang, and became a Master myself and helped many people help themselves. But it all started with being about as hard it to herd cats into a toilet.
Growing up, I saw friends teased and bullied mercilessly for every imaginable reason. How they dressed, where they lived, bad grades, good grades, haircuts, acne, freckles, crooked teeth, braces, being tall, being short, being jocks, being nerds, divorced parents. The list goes on and on. I don't doubt that you were teased for how you looked but so are blacks, browns, whites and everyone else. It's a universal childhood experience. It's cool that you channeled it into something so positive, but why label yourself if that's the thing you disliked other people doing? It's your channel, you can do what you want obviously, but I've been subbed for a while now and never noticed or cared what race you were. What mattered is that you're a gifted guitarist and great instructor.
Being an adopted Korean, this really hit. My parents never had to deal with racism like I did, so to them it really didn’t exist since they didn’t feel that way towards Asians. They didn’t really know how to deal with my situation. But luckily I found guitar and if I had a bad day, I would just play Black Sabbath or Kiss when I got home.
You might enjoy the show Pen15, about two 8th graders. Co-star Maya Erskine (Nishii-Peters), the daughter of an American serviceman and Japanese woman who emigrated to America (as did my wife). The conceit of the show is that two 30yo actress are playing their middle-school selves alongside real 8th graders, but that cool thing is Maya cast her real mother in the role of her TV mother. One episode in particular offers special insight into the mother’s experience making a new life in America.
My daughter is half Asian. She's Jewish / Filipino here in the south. It's not that tough in this day and age, and not as bad as it was for you, I bet. Korean / Scandinavian is a nice mix. We had a phrase when I was growing up, "mean people suck". I'll be more sensitive when I joke around with my Asian friends. Thank you for the insight. Just remember that all those things that were tough for you, make you that much tougher.
Great story, Mike - thanks for sharing ! I remember reading sort of the "origin story" of Van Halen and how Eddie became the guitarist he did because his musical education & experimentation was fueled by the bullying and isolation he felt as a kid having moved from Holland to the U.S. May not always be a race or nationality thing, but the guitar & isolation combo has probably fueled a LOT of the iconic music & musicians we admire so much...
Like Mike, the Van Halen brothers are in fact half-Asian, specifically Indonesian on their mom's side. Eddie did get bullied for looking Asian too, in other words, his ethnicity did play a role in the heckling he got during his formative years prior to him becoming a musician. If you look at Alex Van Halen on the back of the VH1 album cover where he has that grin and drenched in sweat, you can see his Asian features prominently. While on the subject, some postulate that Jimmy Page has some Asian lineage. Somewhere embedded deep in his family's DNA, possibly Chinese heritage due to the long history of the region of England where his family roots orignated. If you look at a picture of Page in his twilight years, say on a red carpet event where he's smiling a lot, you can kind of make out a hint of Asian blood in him; taking on the likeness of a wise Buddha sage at certain instances.
I was thinking the same thing. I could relate closely to this story and Eddies. Different ethnicity, different epithets, different skills, but the same experience. I sent the EVH interview video to my mom, there were so many similarities.
Loved hearing your story. Every kid goes through something similar to one degree or another. You certainly made good choices and came out on top! You're a cool dude. Congrats!
Back in the early 2000's, my boss's son was just like you, half Caucasian, half Korean (his mom). He's an awesome dude. I'm always coming up with Weird-Al-ish lyrics for songs. We were talking about super heroes, and thinking up our theme songs. To the tune of Secret Agent man, I came up with Caucasian Asian man. We were all laughing our asses off. This was at a small carry out or delivery only pizzeria. On a side note, I got yelled at in traffic one time "You damn Asians." I guess it was because I was driving my 89 Supra that had a coffee can for a muffler (I bought it that way), and I had a spiked haircut. It still doesn't make sense, I was just sitting in the turn lane waiting to turn. I'm the most pasty ass white guy you can imagine. I have Finnish heritage mostly. I could use snow as camouflage. Also, this is the second video today mentioning NFL Pencils from the 80's... The other one was Jay Leno with the green International Scout. Better stock up, must be a new trend, lol All and all, in the end, I think getting bullied made us better people overall. I was picked on, but like you, it just redirected me to my interests more. I think without it these days, kids aren't forced to internally reflect on things as much. So it ends up without finding themselves, lots of therapy, and unresolved emotional damage.
As a sub-98 lb weakling with a voracious appetite for D&D, sci-fi, and horror movies I was starting to get picked on quite a bit. Then, I got into wrestling, and everything changed. Suddenly I could start to defend myself and my 'buds' were other jocks who discovered they could cheat off me in class. Next came my cousin one christmas with an electric guitar and it was like a pop in my head -- 'I WANT THIS, TEACH ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW' (which was not much haha). Wrestling and music kinda' saved me, or at least set me on a much better path toward self-reliance and confidence. I found I had to have that balance of the physical, intellectual, and emotional, and that's persisted throughout my life.
Didn’t know you played banjo. Guitar and banjo tend to work well together. The prejudice is horrible to have to go through. You’re still here and still winning.
Great story-telling, I have an half-asian son and he was teased in school too. I grew also up without internet and cellphones, but nevertheless I am more focused today than I was in my youth.
Thank you for sharing your personal story Mike. I experienced being ostracized by classmates during junior high. Really weighed heavily on my self worth. I found activities, especially guitar/bands, to work through it.
I was also bullied in da 80s because I was an introverted nerd until I started playing guitar with my friend we formed a high school band we played our first show we played 18 & life at the talent show one song change my world forever
That is a REALLY cool life story! I appreciate you sharing that, it was quite interesting. I'm somewhere around your age and I have some similar stories being a Black metalhead in Jr. High and High School who ended up hanging with some neo-nazis including one named Corey who hated me on sight and had a Jewish kid's tooth embedded in his combat boot. Somewhere along the line In school I got jumped by some half-Korean kids who ended up being my friends afterwards. I made a lot of friends because I could play guitar. I ended up hanging out with Corey playing a lot of Street Fighter on the Sega Genesis and he deviated from his nazi friends and hung out with me and our group of misfits. I also ended up hanging out with the Korean kids and my first girlfriend (and still a good friend of mine) was one of their sisters and I discovered my love for Korean food. Learning to play Metallica and Smashing Pumpkins riffs on request actually helped me to make friends in many places. Learning to fake your way through "Eruption" doesn't hurt either.
I’m half Chinese and half Czech. My friend coined “Chinese Czecher” 😂. But I had that same bowl cut (with a Flowbee in a vacuum cleaner) and in third grade, I had MY pencils stolen! Plus guitars was my way in. I can’t believe how much your experience is the same as mine.
Watching this gave me that lump in the throat sunken heart feeling. I never understood kids that treat other kids like that over something like how the person looks or for anything really. I am glad to hear your outlook on it later in life but I can imagine that felt like the end of the world for you at the time. I was fortunate to not have been on the receiving end of bullying like that. Luv your channel and all the different type of content you deliver. Rock on!!
As a kid who grew up in the 60s, that "Chinese, Japanese, Dirty Knees" poem was around even back then. It's an old one, probably going even farther back to World War 2.
I'm fully white and still got bullied excessively due to my looks/ features and humble nature and unable to defend or speak up for myself that kinda guy and bullies took advantage of that. You brought back some dark memories but you're right when you under pressure you start evaluating and try to come up with solutions but for you to do that you need to stay strong in able to do that. I'm also a guitarist and totally enjoy your channel. Thank you for sharing
My mom was a teacher at some village. She took me everyday to her school, since no one was there to look after me. We had been taking 3 different buses to go from the city to the village everyday. I was like 4-5 yo. I was bored to hell, so she started to ask me riddles to pass the time. After a while I memorized all the riddles. After she ran out of riddles, she started to ask me basic calculations, like 2x7? 3x8?. We came to a point that she needed a calculator to check my answers to questions like 43x57? That math addiction took me until I was 18. I made it to the top 100 in the university entrance exam. Being in the top 100 among 1.200.000 participants was quite a success. After that, it's been a downfall to this day.
I'm glad you are an American. Best part is, you proved it and live it. Stories like yours make me feel proud of my USA. People believe in this or that, but when we believe in ourselves we evolve into Americans.
Good on the lunch lady for doing what she did. Pity is not what a kid needs in that situation; they need affirmation that they are strong enough to endure. Honestly, if those kids weren’t so mean to you, there’s a chance you wouldn’t have gotten into martial arts. It’s like that old Dave Chappell bit: “Racism doesn’t always work out in your favor, but when it does, it is fucking sweet.” 😂 Thanks for sharing your story, Mike. It’s an important thing for people to here, especially kids my age(early twenties). Kids these days are sheltered from all adversity and relentlessly told that they can’t overcome anything on their own. It’s part of the reason why my generation turned out so damn soft! The guitar stuff is what I come here for, but I do enjoy the occasional slice of life. Much love from Kansas. Have a great day!
I taught my kids that if they referenced a kid in a crowd, so to speak, to indicate shirt color or something else besides skin color. Although I’m white my family heritage is Irish. And when my family came over they were made to feel less than human. I truly sympathize with people who are ostracized for any reason.
Cool lesson Mike. The secret weapon, is Confidence. Some little kids become jerks when they become self aware & insecure. They don't really feel superior but the opposite. Some just front better. It can happen to anyone. My parents made me a dork. Goodwill & bargain clothes, short buzzcut & I was tall with radar ears. In HS I seized the chance to start over. Demanded long hair, paper route to buy Levi's etc, worked out, picked up guitar, backed down to nobody, got a PT job in the next city, bought a red Camaro & *POOF* more cool friends (vs jerks) dated lots of girls incl a cute Cheerleader, & a smokin future Playboy playmate of the month. Joined the Submarine Navy after Graduation & never looked back except to smile. 😁 It ended my Rock "Career" but the rest has been 💯% adventure. It's all about self Confidence. You're 🎯 on. Pick a passion & chase it relentlessly. Most of the Bullies, "Cool" jerks & prom Queens burn out early, starting when HS ends and they learn they're a little fish in a Big Pond, nothing special. In our 24/7 online era, bullying is worse & your story is important a message for kids. Unique is cool because we're all different in our own way. Maybe not my "Radar ears" 😵💫... but luckily I grew into them. 🤣🤣🤣 Keep Rockin 🎸🔥 Dig ur Channel ✌️👍😎
Like teenage rebellion, teasing and bullying are just phases children go through as part of their development. Kids experiment with hurting people, because like it or not we learn a lot from hurting others and being hurt by others, that we can't really learn any other way. Virtually every child goes through some form of this, from someone, during childhood - and does it to others, whether they realize it or not. I believe it's universal and unavoidable, but that we're supposed to grow out of it. And I believe that the adult bigotries it develops into are because some people _don't_ grow out of it.
I grew up in the 80s/90s in Virginia and was usually the only Asian kid in class. I heavily relate to this topic, except I never developed any redeeming qualities, it just made me insecure about myself and shameful of my ethnicity. I even went by an English sounding name to avoid the teasing. No worries though, I developed confidence throughout college and later in life. I teach in Vegas and it's way more diverse out here. And it's funny that Asian culture, specifically Korean culture is cool now.
Unfortunately, I was on both sides of the bullying experience growing up. In most cases-namely mine-kids who are bullied turn around and bully others. And if you show me a bully, I'll show you someone who has a low opinion of himself. The fact that you came out of these awful experiences and channeled your feelings into activities that make people happy-music and teaching-says much about the kind of person you are, Mike.
Although I didn’t received that level of ridicule like Mike but I did receive some snide comments from people in middle school for me being Asian. But seeing a guitarist who happens to be Asian (or half Asian) like Mike or RJ Ronquillo on UA-cam was relatable to me. Felt like I wasn’t the only one.
Thank you for your story. I was the most bullied kid in school and I never really pulled out of it until after high school. Life is fine now but it sucked then! I guess what teachers and the administration were complicit!
I was born and grew up overseas although my parents were Americans. I lived in Germany and Brazil and learned to play soccer, which was the sport played there. I busted my butt learning to use both feet and managed to eventually make my way into the starting lineup on a club team in Brazil but I was always looking over my shoulder worrying that somebody was going to show up and take my spot. Then in HS my family moved to MN and suddenly I was the star player!! However I recognized that it wasn't that I had become a better player but that the competition had gotten worse. In a certain way this took away a certain amount of the joy and motivation from the game. During this time I also started playing guitar and in a lot of ways the move had the opposite effect, that suddenly playing the guitar seemed like the competition was so much stronger and that seemed like a greater challenge. I did manage to make money playing guitar while I doubt would have ever managed to do that playing soccer.
I understand.....as a black guy from the suburbs in the south in the early 70s and often the only person of color in classes I remember the chants of " boy, girl , n-word, squirl"....I had no allies, even with the teachers.
When you said “razor blade” i remembered there was this little comb thing with a blade that my mom got off TV a commercial that was supposed to make cutting your hair easy. She tried it on me only once. It mostly just pulled your hair strands and hurt.
I have been over 6 ft tall since the 6th grade. Herman munster. Lurch. Frankenstein. Etc. I heard them all. Mike, I wanted to say that I appreciate you calling it teasing. That's the way I've always seen it. I think the word bullying is extremely overused. Just realized this morning that I wasn't subscribed. Been watching you for a year. Your friend from across the river in Wisconsin. ✌️❤️🤘
I grew up in the 80s and early 90s in South Florida. Not many Korean people around. Got teased mercilessly - same squinty eye gestures and the same stupid rhyme. Without music, things could’ve gotten really dark. Still had a very angry adolescence and early adulthood. Dealt with a lot of shame, anger and denial about being Korean. These feelings only held me back and dragged me down, and I was too close to it understand why my life sucked. It all came crashing down (in a good way) when I became a dad. I cast off all that anger, shame and denial. It would be so unfair to my child if I was ashamed of being Korean since my child is half Korean. Took up martial arts later in life and had stuck to it for the past 9 years. Started playing guitar again about 4 years ago. Still bad at being Korean though. I was almost 50 before I ever bought a jar of kimchi and it was from Trader Joe’s.
With the accent I thought you were part American Indian. Now you can thank Asia for looking half your age. I remember bullying being crazy in the ‘80s. It was like the law of the jungle back then. It still pisses me off thinking of the times I got sucker punched.
Your story is so similar to mine, right down to the bowl haircut and the foam nunchucks, which I later gave to my son. I'm not Asian, but it's funny how similar our past lives are. Keep shredding, bro! \m/
I was bullied for being a redhead. I was way into Ninja movies and Karate Kid. I wanted to be Asian. I had the rubber nun chucks, broomstick bo-staff, etc. too. I also bullied other kids too. Kids can be dicks. Thanks for sharing your story.
Me and my sister grew up in Madison, WI and we had it, if I can say, a little worse being Malay Malaysian for the first couple years. With no Caucasian blood whatsoever, I remember wishing Mike that I could raise my hand without feeling self-conscious for being brown. After the guitar, and for my sister, hip hop (not to mention a few fightbacks standing up to the mostly white/black, and some Asian-on-Asian bullies), the identity tide started swinging our way. Our native friends were among the most genuine and they were a huge part in our self-empowerment. I regret ever thinking that way and couldn't be prouder of my vessel for decades now, as I'm sure you are. p/s it's mostly true all the Asian stereotypes we get, I'll always remember my Little League baseball coach turning the narrative by giving me the nickname, Malaysian Tiger 😂
Bruce Lee was and is a huge influence on me too. I watched a lot of ninja movies as a kid, the one I remember most was Prey for Death. The thing that I think about to this day is girls telling me they would be my friend if I gave them a piece of gum.
I had no idea you were interracial. My wife is Filipina, and our son is mixed. Nobody has ever made fun of her in 17 years., and we live in the Gulf South
great story,thanks for sharing with us. ❤ playing guitar and performing on talent shows helped me a lot too. had one bully going after me for years, always looking over my shoulder and checking that my bicycle was in order before setting of. then I did som local talent shows with funny metal covers of dull songs and people liked it and that bully probably felt like he could not go after me anymore. got a job as a radio dj at age 16 (my voice was very grownup) and then he suddenly started to call me and wanting to be friends, lets say I left him hanging (if thats the phrase, I'm mostly Norwegian with a hint of Portugal) as of your looks, never thought of your origins just that you have criminally good hair that annoys me a little bit..😄
I thought he looked like he was from Ohio🤷🏻♂️
Mate, you just wrote the best 80’s movie script ever 👌
oh yeah!
BTTF?
I would totally go see that movie
Lol I honestly never even realized he was Asian. He looks like a regular white dude.
For real I thought I was the only one but now that he said he’s half Asian I can definitely see it
Same here, although you can see it more in the pictures of very young him he showed.
I can't really agree. When I saw him for first time I was immidietly sure that he's half or quater Asian (but it didn't changed anything with enjoying the video), but actually I don't know if his face changed slightly after all those years or I just so get to see him but now I think he looks more white that I used to think
Obviously not.
Same as Jimmy Page, who is part Chinese
I was a scrawny kid. I was picked on, yelled at, beat up by the school bullies, etc. However, I had the ability to make friends with the burnouts. I started guitar lessons at 13 (1976), and everything in my life slowly began to change. The burnouts thought I was cool because I could play a few classic rock songs on the guitar. What came easy to me, I still had to work for; but I finally had an identity that I could call my own. My confidence grew, which motivated me to practice my guitar and bass guitar for hours every day. The guitar became my voice for an otherwise, quiet, introverted kid. By my mid teens, bullying had become a thing of the past for me. The guitar saved my life in more ways than I could ever begin to count. Thanks for sharing your story.
When I was in school.... I got picked on alot for liking bands like metallica, bruce springsteen , the worst band that did it for me was kiss.... I got called a poser for rocking out to acdc... kids can be cruel
Being Asian American, I experienced the same thing. Kids would assume I knew karate or kung fu & I also had a bowl haircut. I’m Filipino w/ Chinese ancestry though. Anyhow, teasing lessened after I started playing guitar in 8th grade & ended when I began performing in a band in 11th grade. I thought it was interesting how I was perceived to be a nerdy Asian kid, to someone well respected. I even got nominated for most talented when I was a senior.
I feel the bowl cut, was just an Asian thing. His story, he's Korean. Your story, you're Filipino. I had one, and my younger brother did, we are Japanese. I have Chinese friends who had it too!
i thought all the asian kids inherently knew some form of martial arts. so i never messed with them.
I have noticed somewhere around 3rd / 4th grade, kids go from "cute" to "little sociopaths." Elementary school was a misery for me, it happened to each of my kids, and the transition is starting to happen for my 7 year old grandson.
I always viewed School as a "Prison Tutorial"
I went through a phase in middle school where I became a bully. In high school, my favorite teacher was on cafeteria duty and he would sit with a kid that I would pick on. My first reaction was "Why is the coolest teacher friends with THAT kid?" The lightbulb went on over my head, and I realized "He is doing his job, to be there for ALL kids, and I'm being a jerk." That profoundly changed me, it's like my brain (and heart) received an upgrade. Now, I'm in my 30th year teaching 7th grade, and I do my best to emulate that incredible teacher (and a few others!).
Mr. Silver, thank god you were my teacher. I could have gone down a much darker path. I'm paying it forward and try to model my behavior and actions to help the next generation of kids be better to each other. Bullying remains a tough issue, but I will remember how I changed and continue to be like Mr. Silver. Thanks for sharing your story, Mike! Keep up the great music and videos!
I was born in Chinatown in 1952 We moved out of Chinatown when I was 5 and entered a school where there was only one other Asian, and he was Japanese. I got glasses in 3rd grade and that's when the bullying started. Since I used to fight with my 2 brothers at home, I got into fights rather than backing down Mark Matsuno became my best friend and I used to protect him because he was small. By the time I went to Junior High, I was known as the toughest kid in my grammar school. By the time I finished Junior High, I got tired of the fights and went to a different high school that the other kids went to. That's when I started guitar. A different solution but similar path.
That was the way to “make it stop” back then: fight back and earn respect. The tough part was not becoming a bully yourself. Peer pressure was intense in 70’s MN suburb schools.
It all changed for Mike one morning when he woke up and discovered he was John Cusak. No longer did Mike think he was 'Better off Dead.' From now on Mike was so cool that his life turned into a virtual hot tub timemachine of girls, parties, guitars and some more girls.
Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn.
Yep, it just happened one crazy summer and now it's like he can say anything.
As a Chinese European, lemme tell you: mum's bowl haircut is universally shared 😂
Half Norweigan and Swedish myself (and half Black American). It’s weird to explain to Zoomers/Alphas but there was a time in most 80s/90s suburbs where you’d easily be the only black/Asian/minority kid in your school. Also tfw you had to choose which race to circle on the SAT.
Yea it was difficult in the early 80's.
True. A lot of crazy sh*t happened in the 80’s. I mean, most civil rights (including interracial marriage) weren’t even 20 years old in the 80’s. Then there was the Klan becoming more active, and a massive attack that targeted certain racial groups of people (I forgot what it was called, but it was huge and a lot of people of color passed away).
Those were the days. 😎😎😎
Success is the best revenge.
Well said! 👍🏼
Our oldest son married a beautiful girl who was born in the
Philippines , they just got back from a month visit there, They have given us the most precious grandson ever (he's 6 now!) For most of my adult life I was heavily involved in several types of Martial arts, so I've been around Asians from Koreans, Japanese & Chinese for decades & I would never have guessed you were Asian? Our son is really sensitive to any Asian hate, & Its made me much more aware! And I will not tolerate it one bit! Keep up the great work my friend!
I’m a Middle Eastern guy who grew up in the States, and honestly, the only time I ever really thought about my race was when I was around other Middle Eastern people.
I ask as a Turkish, what do they call Middle Easterns there as a race? Arab?
That’s definitely a good experience. I’ve had friends who had terrible experiences, and some who’ve had great experiences. It all depends on which part of the country you’re in.
@kozatas we DONT. In America, we don't care.
I'm Norwegian living in Norway and primary school was pretty brutal. The immigrant kids were relentless lol. It is what is it is
Jeg fikk samme inntrykk av innvandrere. Det kan gå begge veier antar jeg.😅
You've got that early Bruce Dickinson hairstyle nailed!!
My wife is Korean, and she grew up in a very similar school setting that you described. Very helpful to hear your perspective, gives me more insight into how she felt and how I can support her. Thank you for sharing!
I was born in a wheelchair I know... Kids are hard core luve ur videos! I been play guitar seriously now for the last 3years I pick it up when I was like 11 but because most eltric guitar are so big and I have a small frame it was grad for me to pick it up and back then there was no interwebs Iam 38 and I got the Jackson dinky luve it it purrfect 4 me love playing guitar luve my Metallica metal.. Busy learning Anthrax madhouse! Keep up the videos luve been a huge inspiration 🎸🎹🎵🎶
I hope learning Madhouse is going well. Anthrax songs are so much fun to play once you figure them out 🎸🥁🎙🎵🎶
Well, your not far off one million subscribers, so I guess their not laugh now!! Love your channel. You're a great teacher. I do condone the bullying, and as a caucasian guy, it really annoys me that you went through that as actually they embarass the ones that were good. I'm not saying I was perfect, I once picked on a boy because he smelt. I was young, I'm not sure how old, I even told my mum about him. She then sat me down and explained how some families weren't as lucky as ours. I'm always haunted by what I did and said. I once got a wet paper towel and rung it out over his head and said, "Have a shower". Now at 48, that regret is still there until I die. And that's how it has to be. I've seen tat same kid grow up. He's a successful mechanic with a family. I spoke to him like it had never happened. It was on my mind though, even as I spoke to him. Please teach your kids not to bully or call names. Explain to them the reasons that not everyones the same.
Thanks for sharing this Mike! This is something I really needed to hear. We pretty much lived the same life with our love of martial arts and music. It was like I was listening to my life unfold. Thanks again brother 🤙
I’m not gonna lie I never thought you were Asian from watching your videos. But thank you for sharing
Your story is so similar to mine. I'm not Asian but was picked on and bullied much of the time for being small and nerdy and awkward. I would find refuge from all that nonsense in obsessively practicing. In my sophmore year of high school my 2 friends and I were asked by a senior to back him up in the talent show on a song he wrote. It was my first time playing guitar in front of an audience. When the curtain opened I heard a few snickers when people saw me but that changed once we started playing. We got a huge applause at the end and I remember thinking "I want more of this!" We came in second place. The next day at school I was treated differently and kids I didn't even know were congratulating me and telling me nice job. I would still get picked on from time to time but I now had confidence in myself to not listen to it. By the way, when you mentioned your mother taking a razor to your hair I think my mom did the same thing. She would cut my hair in a big bowl like Adam Rich from Eight Is Enough and take a hair thinner and scrape it down my hair. I had forgotten all about that. I don't need that anymore since nature is thinning my hair for me now!
I’m half Korean (also have Scandinavian ancestry, coincidentally) and grew up military bases as a kid. Never really had problems in school then - the schools and bases were melting pots. It wasn’t till my family settled in rural Kentucky around age 11, that I dealt with bad bullying and/or teasing in an unfamiliar public school. Couple that with severe acne, my shyness/ awkwardness, a few years later - it was pretty brutal for a a while. It wasn’t until I started playing saxophone and later, guitar that I set myself apart from my peers. I was never super academically gifted, or a social butterfly but, I’m thankful I found & pursued my gifts. I’m 38 now & reside in Minnesota, and still play guitar when I’m not working. One day I’ll form a band. Maybe. While I’ve seen your videos in the past, you earned a new subscriber today, buddy. Cheers!
You’re absolutely right. I have found myself caught up in so much distraction with the internet, and it’s been that way for so long that the habits I used to pick up because they were fun, I’ve kinda let fall to the wayside. This is my chance to really pick up something and get hardcore with it. Maybe even two things! My two greatest passions I’ve ever had are writing and music. I think if I can learn to put things away and just dedicate myself to practice, that I’d have a much better time in my life, even than I do now. Thanks for the advice!
Im from Buffalo, MN. I was a fat kid. I was bullied a few times - but more by myself.
Im sorry you had to feel excluded. I grew up in a totally right wing county - Wright. I loved my asian and black friends but we were in a super small alternative school.
Im proud you are a Minnesotan, man. I love your talent and videos.
(I’m 29 - you look fuggin 35 at oldest -
brother its insane you are ageless!!!)
Still live in Buffalo - I’ll see you at a show eventually
Hey, Mike. Thanks for Sharing your story. A tough situation there in school for you and you rose above and used it as inspiration to develop your talents and to share that amazing attitude and set of skills with all of us.
My daughters are mixed race (I’m Irish, my wife is Filipino … and I’m guessing we’re about your age). We worried a bit that our daughters would face some of that bullying but were delighted when they did NOT. Sign of the times, I think.
LOVE your show. Keep rockin’ brother.
You kind of look like Markiplier
I'm half Japanese, the rest is a mix of German, Dutch, and Irish. I got crap in school ranging from beatings to being accused of the attack at Pearl Harbor. I mean, what the actual f*ck??
Hey man, I'm half-Japanese, raised in the 80s in Iowa. Same thing being accused of the war, being made fun of that I lost the war, etc (as though I had anything to do with it), thankfully never got beaten or physically harmed. Mostly stereotyping and very occasional outright discrimination. Sorry to hear you went through that.
White kids that do this....
I got the same thing and guitar literally saved my life. I was totally out of control and after a nasty accident had the time to take stock and took up guitar. Sabbath influenced with long hair like Ozzy I got some stick from the others (so called friends actually). A stoner look in the 70s but did not smoke. One of the heavies at the time found out I played and asked for lessons. I agreed, and we became friends and are still in touch to this day. Practice is the thing when starting out, and I did have the time when recovering to get into serious practice. Cool post Mike.
I am Filipino and German. I grew up in Maine during the 70s and 80s. I had pretty much the same experiences as you. Music and guitar got me through it.
Bloody hell! I never even realised you had Asian heritage. I can see it NOW of course, but I was blind to it before. Wow.
Same. I do recall Mike mentioning his Asian heritage before but I always assumed it was a fairly distant thing, like maybe one of his great grandparents was Asian.
Same here. As a short small blonde MN kid I got bullied, but it went away when I got good at guitar, about 9th grade.
Glad you shared your story.
I'm half asian myself, my dad is a italian descendent and my mom is a third generation japanese born in Brasil. It's very awkward for us been called japa here, even today at work my co-workers call me that and they just don't even try to understand how strange feeling it is. No empathy at all. I think this is why I entered metal world and just consider myself an alternative type of, just for being neither caucasian, neither japanese/asian.
Loved your story, man! Thanks! ❤🎉
I grew up lower middle class in a poor area and the good thing about that was you never really saw colour. It was just who was rich and who was poor lol.
This is what makes your channel so great - it's life & guitar is all wrapped into it. 🤘
Thanks for sharing this. It was like this for me even in California where there are way more Asians than Minnesota. In the 70s/80s the adult authority figures at my school almost seemed to support the other kids saying “Go back to Japan” and “Why did you bomb Pearl Harbor” to me (side note, I’m 4th generation American). I would ALWAYS be the one who got in trouble after I reached the breaking point. They never did anything to intervene while I was being harassed. This happened almost daily. Fortunately, like you and countless others who were picked on for various reasons, I found the guitar and never looked back.
Aside from a being a fantastic guitar player, you are also a fanatastic story teller
I think kids will always find things to tease you about. I was a fat kid, not huge, but overweight for the mid/late 70s, so I was teased about that. I loved animals, and was the neighbourhood free vet/animal rescue guy, and one day after school Mum let my 'friends' into the back yard while I was sitting in my aviary reading a book, birds sitting on my shoulders and knees, so then I was David Do-Little. I'd always loved singing, and we'd listen to a radio show and sing along as a school 'lesson', but after a kid down the road got called Canary after appearing on a TV show called Young Talent Time (which was quite an achievement), I kept that to myself. I did start guitar lessons at 11 though. Then I grew tall, and a bit hairy, and still solid, with the Dunny (slang for toilet) nickname, and felt like the obligatory 'fat disgusting kid' in movies like Animal House. At some point I told a 'friend' about shaving my sideburns below the jawline, so I then got Shavin' Dave as well as Dunny.
When grade 7 started and I turned 12 I decided that no way I was going to high school as Dunny, and just started punching people in the face without warning if they called me Dunny. Somehow, that made me a bully and I got a lot of detention for fighting, which led me to fighting after school as a junior member of a gang called the Salisbury Rockers. Skinheads vs Rockers was a big thing in '82 where I grew up (across the river from Jimmy Barnes actually, he was on the Skinhead side of the Little Para River, me on the Rocker side), so I was fighting most days just because I wore black socks and black shoes and the other guy wore red socks and white shoes (Plastic Skinheads!). So when I hit high school I was not a bullied kid because I wouldn't take anyone trying to stand over me at all, not in the slightest. Gang fights after school were a regular occurrence until I was 15 and Mum and Dad moved us to a little one street town in the country, where there was not one kid to be seen anywhere on the streets after school. Turns out, most of them were inside watching Dad's porn while getting drunk and stoned!
At the new school I hit a few kids for calling me Dunny, and the whole school stopped immediately. The Rockers vs Skins just wasn't a thing there, so they weren't used to getting hit. They teased me because of my 'posh' accent (just a normal suburban accent), and a guy who I call a friend today wrote Elvis Dunn on all my books because of my sideburns, so I still got teased. When I was 16 we formed a band, and used to practice in the music room at lunch. I teamed up with a 26 year old guy out of school and sang with him and his musician friends, my first paid gigs, but at school people used to throw rubbish through through the music room windows at us while we were playing, and the football yobbos always gave us a hard time.
For me, music just gave more ammunition to the people trying to pick on me.
Although, one night, about 2 years after leaving school at 16, the end of year 11, it was the footy yobbos local team's end of season party, and we were the band the pub booked for the night. No stage, so it was just our cables and wedges separating us from the punters. The footy yobbos knew us from school, and were trying to act tough and pick fights, but we were trying to be professional. In the second set they stood in a line in front of the 'stage', trying to intimidate us, chests out, their faces less than a foot from ours, staring into our eyes, daring us to react
So it went like this...
"Get you motor running"
I turn my 58 sideways, and using the palm of my hand and the mic stand as a fulcrum, smash it into the his face. Lips split, nose bled and a blood just spurting out everywhere.
"head out on the highway!".
Nobody bar the band and his mates saw it because they were so close to us, they bundled him out to the car and we had no trouble after that!
😁
I had a bully as well. The truth is almost everyone did. My bully was pretty much everyones. He failed several times, so he was 18 and in middle school still. He was very cinematic in that he had a mohawk and rose tattoo. It was crazy. His hobby was giving kids swirlies in the toilet. I avoided his notice for a bit but eventually it was my turn and I wasn't having it. Many kids would just go along, but I didn't. He never was able to get me in the stall, but he tried every day. He thought it was fun.
I didn't like my chances in a fight, but summer came, and I got myself a job and started taking karate because I had decided I was going to fight him. School started. Inspired by Rocky, the Karate kid and especially Bruce Lee I started train to fight this kid. And I trained like you played the guitar and I was a natural.
So when school came back in session, he didn't come back, and I was.pretty disappointed. Turned out he was locked up for whatever and came the second semster he came back. And I would like to say I had a coming to light moment and became like yoda or something. (That came later in life) or made friends with the guy, but no, I put a whooping on him. It was a one side affair and brief.
But the negatives led to positives. I became a regional Tae Kwon Do champion. Almost made the first TKD team, met my first wife at the Dojang, and became a Master myself and helped many people help themselves.
But it all started with being about as hard it to herd cats into a toilet.
Growing up, I saw friends teased and bullied mercilessly for every imaginable reason. How they dressed, where they lived, bad grades, good grades, haircuts, acne, freckles, crooked teeth, braces, being tall, being short, being jocks, being nerds, divorced parents. The list goes on and on. I don't doubt that you were teased for how you looked but so are blacks, browns, whites and everyone else. It's a universal childhood experience. It's cool that you channeled it into something so positive, but why label yourself if that's the thing you disliked other people doing? It's your channel, you can do what you want obviously, but I've been subbed for a while now and never noticed or cared what race you were. What mattered is that you're a gifted guitarist and great instructor.
I had no idea you were Asian, I just thought that's what Minnesotan's looked like!
Your story is so close to my own, but so much cooler! Thank you for sharing, it really puts some perspective on what we go through
Being an adopted Korean, this really hit. My parents never had to deal with racism like I did, so to them it really didn’t exist since they didn’t feel that way towards Asians. They didn’t really know how to deal with my situation. But luckily I found guitar and if I had a bad day, I would just play Black Sabbath or Kiss when I got home.
You might enjoy the show Pen15, about two 8th graders. Co-star Maya Erskine (Nishii-Peters), the daughter of an American serviceman and Japanese woman who emigrated to America (as did my wife). The conceit of the show is that two 30yo actress are playing their middle-school selves alongside real 8th graders, but that cool thing is Maya cast her real mother in the role of her TV mother. One episode in particular offers special insight into the mother’s experience making a new life in America.
My daughter is half Asian. She's Jewish / Filipino here in the south. It's not that tough in this day and age, and not as bad as it was for you, I bet. Korean / Scandinavian is a nice mix. We had a phrase when I was growing up, "mean people suck". I'll be more sensitive when I joke around with my Asian friends. Thank you for the insight. Just remember that all those things that were tough for you, make you that much tougher.
God Bless you man. We all go thru shit and I think going through it make us stronger.
Great story, Mike - thanks for sharing ! I remember reading sort of the "origin story" of Van Halen and how Eddie became the guitarist he did because his musical education & experimentation was fueled by the bullying and isolation he felt as a kid having moved from Holland to the U.S. May not always be a race or nationality thing, but the guitar & isolation combo has probably fueled a LOT of the iconic music & musicians we admire so much...
Not just from Holland, but also half Asian for EVH.
Like Mike, the Van Halen brothers are in fact half-Asian, specifically Indonesian on their mom's side. Eddie did get bullied for looking Asian too, in other words, his ethnicity did play a role in the heckling he got during his formative years prior to him becoming a musician. If you look at Alex Van Halen on the back of the VH1 album cover where he has that grin and drenched in sweat, you can see his Asian features prominently. While on the subject, some postulate that Jimmy Page has some Asian lineage. Somewhere embedded deep in his family's DNA, possibly Chinese heritage due to the long history of the region of England where his family roots orignated. If you look at a picture of Page in his twilight years, say on a red carpet event where he's smiling a lot, you can kind of make out a hint of Asian blood in him; taking on the likeness of a wise Buddha sage at certain instances.
I was thinking the same thing. I could relate closely to this story and Eddies. Different ethnicity, different epithets, different skills, but the same experience. I sent the EVH interview video to my mom, there were so many similarities.
And Eddie was 1/2 Asian
Loved hearing your story. Every kid goes through something similar to one degree or another. You certainly made good choices and came out on top! You're a cool dude. Congrats!
Great stuff... Moral of the story, lean into what ever your differences are and OWN IT and make part of your rizz!
Back in the early 2000's, my boss's son was just like you, half Caucasian, half Korean (his mom). He's an awesome dude. I'm always coming up with Weird-Al-ish lyrics for songs. We were talking about super heroes, and thinking up our theme songs. To the tune of Secret Agent man, I came up with Caucasian Asian man. We were all laughing our asses off. This was at a small carry out or delivery only pizzeria.
On a side note, I got yelled at in traffic one time "You damn Asians." I guess it was because I was driving my 89 Supra that had a coffee can for a muffler (I bought it that way), and I had a spiked haircut. It still doesn't make sense, I was just sitting in the turn lane waiting to turn. I'm the most pasty ass white guy you can imagine. I have Finnish heritage mostly. I could use snow as camouflage.
Also, this is the second video today mentioning NFL Pencils from the 80's... The other one was Jay Leno with the green International Scout. Better stock up, must be a new trend, lol
All and all, in the end, I think getting bullied made us better people overall. I was picked on, but like you, it just redirected me to my interests more. I think without it these days, kids aren't forced to internally reflect on things as much. So it ends up without finding themselves, lots of therapy, and unresolved emotional damage.
As a sub-98 lb weakling with a voracious appetite for D&D, sci-fi, and horror movies I was starting to get picked on quite a bit. Then, I got into wrestling, and everything changed. Suddenly I could start to defend myself and my 'buds' were other jocks who discovered they could cheat off me in class. Next came my cousin one christmas with an electric guitar and it was like a pop in my head -- 'I WANT THIS, TEACH ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW' (which was not much haha). Wrestling and music kinda' saved me, or at least set me on a much better path toward self-reliance and confidence. I found I had to have that balance of the physical, intellectual, and emotional, and that's persisted throughout my life.
Didn’t know you played banjo. Guitar and banjo tend to work well together. The prejudice is horrible to have to go through. You’re still here and still winning.
Great story-telling, I have an half-asian son and he was teased in school too. I grew also up without internet and cellphones, but nevertheless I am more focused today than I was in my youth.
The internet thing is so real, very hard to really focus if you don’t have the best discipline but, I try my best and this channel keeps me going ;)
I watched your videos for years without even suspecting you were half asian. Also, it's really cool that you're half Scandinavian! Kom till Sverige!
Every day in 6th grade (87/88), everybody would buy two NFL pencils during lunch to play Pencil Break
Thank you for sharing your personal story Mike. I experienced being ostracized by classmates during junior high. Really weighed heavily on my self worth. I found activities, especially guitar/bands, to work through it.
Thanks for sharing ❤ you changed the nunchucks for an axe and slayed them all 🎉
I was also bullied in da 80s because I was an introverted nerd until I started playing guitar with my friend we formed a high school band we played our first show we played 18 & life at the talent show one song change my world forever
That is a REALLY cool life story! I appreciate you sharing that, it was quite interesting. I'm somewhere around your age and I have some similar stories being a Black metalhead in Jr. High and High School who ended up hanging with some neo-nazis including one named Corey who hated me on sight and had a Jewish kid's tooth embedded in his combat boot. Somewhere along the line In school I got jumped by some half-Korean kids who ended up being my friends afterwards. I made a lot of friends because I could play guitar. I ended up hanging out with Corey playing a lot of Street Fighter on the Sega Genesis and he deviated from his nazi friends and hung out with me and our group of misfits. I also ended up hanging out with the Korean kids and my first girlfriend (and still a good friend of mine) was one of their sisters and I discovered my love for Korean food. Learning to play Metallica and Smashing Pumpkins riffs on request actually helped me to make friends in many places. Learning to fake your way through "Eruption" doesn't hurt either.
I’m half Chinese and half Czech. My friend coined “Chinese Czecher” 😂. But I had that same bowl cut (with a Flowbee in a vacuum cleaner) and in third grade, I had MY pencils stolen! Plus guitars was my way in. I can’t believe how much your experience is the same as mine.
Watching this gave me that lump in the throat sunken heart feeling. I never understood kids that treat other kids like that over something like how the person looks or for anything really.
I am glad to hear your outlook on it later in life but I can imagine that felt like the end of the world for you at the time. I was fortunate to not have been on the receiving end of bullying like that.
Luv your channel and all the different type of content you deliver. Rock on!!
As a kid who grew up in the 60s, that "Chinese, Japanese, Dirty Knees" poem was around even back then. It's an old one, probably going even farther back to World War 2.
I'm fully white and still got bullied excessively due to my looks/ features and humble nature and unable to defend or speak up for myself that kinda guy and bullies took advantage of that. You brought back some dark memories but you're right when you under pressure you start evaluating and try to come up with solutions but for you to do that you need to stay strong in able to do that. I'm also a guitarist and totally enjoy your channel. Thank you for sharing
My mom was a teacher at some village. She took me everyday to her school, since no one was there to look after me. We had been taking 3 different buses to go from the city to the village everyday. I was like 4-5 yo. I was bored to hell, so she started to ask me riddles to pass the time. After a while I memorized all the riddles. After she ran out of riddles, she started to ask me basic calculations, like 2x7? 3x8?. We came to a point that she needed a calculator to check my answers to questions like 43x57?
That math addiction took me until I was 18. I made it to the top 100 in the university entrance exam. Being in the top 100 among 1.200.000 participants was quite a success. After that, it's been a downfall to this day.
I'm glad you are an American. Best part is, you proved it and live it. Stories like yours make me feel proud of my USA. People believe in this or that, but when we believe in ourselves we evolve into Americans.
whoaaa it's been such a long time since i've gotten one of your videos recommended to me. i'm glad you're still doing videos!
Good on the lunch lady for doing what she did. Pity is not what a kid needs in that situation; they need affirmation that they are strong enough to endure.
Honestly, if those kids weren’t so mean to you, there’s a chance you wouldn’t have gotten into martial arts. It’s like that old Dave Chappell bit: “Racism doesn’t always work out in your favor, but when it does, it is fucking sweet.” 😂
Thanks for sharing your story, Mike. It’s an important thing for people to here, especially kids my age(early twenties). Kids these days are sheltered from all adversity and relentlessly told that they can’t overcome anything on their own. It’s part of the reason why my generation turned out so damn soft!
The guitar stuff is what I come here for, but I do enjoy the occasional slice of life. Much love from Kansas. Have a great day!
I taught my kids that if they referenced a kid in a crowd, so to speak, to indicate shirt color or something else besides skin color. Although I’m white my family heritage is Irish. And when my family came over they were made to feel less than human. I truly sympathize with people who are ostracized for any reason.
Cool lesson Mike. The secret weapon, is Confidence. Some little kids become jerks when they become self aware & insecure. They don't really feel superior but the opposite. Some just front better. It can happen to anyone. My parents made me a dork. Goodwill & bargain clothes, short buzzcut & I was tall with radar ears. In HS I seized the chance to start over. Demanded long hair, paper route to buy Levi's etc, worked out, picked up guitar, backed down to nobody, got a PT job in the next city, bought a red Camaro & *POOF* more cool friends (vs jerks) dated lots of girls incl a cute Cheerleader, & a smokin future Playboy playmate of the month. Joined the Submarine Navy after Graduation & never looked back except to smile. 😁 It ended my Rock "Career" but the rest has been 💯% adventure. It's all about self Confidence. You're 🎯 on. Pick a passion & chase it relentlessly. Most of the Bullies, "Cool" jerks & prom Queens burn out early, starting when HS ends and they learn they're a little fish in a Big Pond, nothing special. In our 24/7 online era, bullying is worse & your story is important a message for kids. Unique is cool because we're all different in our own way. Maybe not my "Radar ears" 😵💫... but luckily I grew into them. 🤣🤣🤣
Keep Rockin 🎸🔥
Dig ur Channel ✌️👍😎
Like teenage rebellion, teasing and bullying are just phases children go through as part of their development. Kids experiment with hurting people, because like it or not we learn a lot from hurting others and being hurt by others, that we can't really learn any other way. Virtually every child goes through some form of this, from someone, during childhood - and does it to others, whether they realize it or not.
I believe it's universal and unavoidable, but that we're supposed to grow out of it. And I believe that the adult bigotries it develops into are because some people _don't_ grow out of it.
I grew up in the 80s/90s in Virginia and was usually the only Asian kid in class. I heavily relate to this topic, except I never developed any redeeming qualities, it just made me insecure about myself and shameful of my ethnicity. I even went by an English sounding name to avoid the teasing. No worries though, I developed confidence throughout college and later in life. I teach in Vegas and it's way more diverse out here. And it's funny that Asian culture, specifically Korean culture is cool now.
Unfortunately, I was on both sides of the bullying experience growing up. In most cases-namely mine-kids who are bullied turn around and bully others. And if you show me a bully, I'll show you someone who has a low opinion of himself. The fact that you came out of these awful experiences and channeled your feelings into activities that make people happy-music and teaching-says much about the kind of person you are, Mike.
Sorry this happened to you. Thank you for being so candid and authentic.
Although I didn’t received that level of ridicule like Mike but I did receive some snide comments from people in middle school for me being Asian.
But seeing a guitarist who happens to be Asian (or half Asian) like Mike or RJ Ronquillo on UA-cam was relatable to me. Felt like I wasn’t the only one.
Thank you for your story. I was the most bullied kid in school and I never really pulled out of it until after high school. Life is fine now but it sucked then! I guess what teachers and the administration were complicit!
I was born and grew up overseas although my parents were Americans. I lived in Germany and Brazil and learned to play soccer, which was the sport played there. I busted my butt learning to use both feet and managed to eventually make my way into the starting lineup on a club team in Brazil but I was always looking over my shoulder worrying that somebody was going to show up and take my spot. Then in HS my family moved to MN and suddenly I was the star player!! However I recognized that it wasn't that I had become a better player but that the competition had gotten worse. In a certain way this took away a certain amount of the joy and motivation from the game.
During this time I also started playing guitar and in a lot of ways the move had the opposite effect, that suddenly playing the guitar seemed like the competition was so much stronger and that seemed like a greater challenge. I did manage to make money playing guitar while I doubt would have ever managed to do that playing soccer.
I understand.....as a black guy from the suburbs in the south in the early 70s and often the only person of color in classes I remember the chants of " boy, girl , n-word, squirl"....I had no allies, even with the teachers.
I'm half Asian too and you summed it up perfectly
I've been watching your channel for years and I swear I've never noticed you are half Korean. Now that you say it, yeah I can see it now.
When you said “razor blade” i remembered there was this little comb thing with a blade that my mom got off TV a commercial that was supposed to make cutting your hair easy. She tried it on me only once. It mostly just pulled your hair strands and hurt.
Every Elementary school class picture has at least one kid wearing that top left kid’s expression.
My fellow Minnesotan! Go Vikings! I also grew up in a small town in Minnesota where I was the only Asian kid in a crowd of white people.
I have been over 6 ft tall since the 6th grade. Herman munster. Lurch. Frankenstein. Etc. I heard them all. Mike, I wanted to say that I appreciate you calling it teasing. That's the way I've always seen it. I think the word bullying is extremely overused. Just realized this morning that I wasn't subscribed. Been watching you for a year. Your friend from across the river in Wisconsin. ✌️❤️🤘
I grew up in the 80s and early 90s in South Florida. Not many Korean people around. Got teased mercilessly - same squinty eye gestures and the same stupid rhyme.
Without music, things could’ve gotten really dark. Still had a very angry adolescence and early adulthood. Dealt with a lot of shame, anger and denial about being Korean. These feelings only held me back and dragged me down, and I was too close to it understand why my life sucked.
It all came crashing down (in a good way) when I became a dad. I cast off all that anger, shame and denial. It would be so unfair to my child if I was ashamed of being Korean since my child is half Korean.
Took up martial arts later in life and had stuck to it for the past 9 years. Started playing guitar again about 4 years ago. Still bad at being Korean though. I was almost 50 before I ever bought a jar of kimchi and it was from Trader Joe’s.
If you haven't read "Brothers" by Alex Van Halen, you should. Eddie and Alex faced those same problems being both Dutch and Indonesian.
I thought that picture of you was of Ace Frehley as a teenager?
Class Act! Thank you. We love you.
With the accent I thought you were part American Indian. Now you can thank Asia for looking half your age. I remember bullying being crazy in the ‘80s. It was like the law of the jungle back then. It still pisses me off thinking of the times I got sucker punched.
I'm Norwegian. Absolutely love your channel! 🤙🏼🎸🎶
Your story is so similar to mine, right down to the bowl haircut and the foam nunchucks, which I later gave to my son. I'm not Asian, but it's funny how similar our past lives are. Keep shredding, bro! \m/
I was bullied for being a redhead. I was way into Ninja movies and Karate Kid. I wanted to be Asian. I had the rubber nun chucks, broomstick bo-staff, etc. too. I also bullied other kids too. Kids can be dicks. Thanks for sharing your story.
Me and my sister grew up in Madison, WI and we had it, if I can say, a little worse being Malay Malaysian for the first couple years. With no Caucasian blood whatsoever, I remember wishing Mike that I could raise my hand without feeling self-conscious for being brown. After the guitar, and for my sister, hip hop (not to mention a few fightbacks standing up to the mostly white/black, and some Asian-on-Asian bullies), the identity tide started swinging our way. Our native friends were among the most genuine and they were a huge part in our self-empowerment. I regret ever thinking that way and couldn't be prouder of my vessel for decades now, as I'm sure you are. p/s it's mostly true all the Asian stereotypes we get, I'll always remember my Little League baseball coach turning the narrative by giving me the nickname, Malaysian Tiger 😂
You're got good stories dude. Even tho I'm a white boy who grew up in an all white small Midwest town, I can relate to a lot of the things you said.
5:15
“Pencil Pimp” is a perfect band name
Bruce Lee was and is a huge influence on me too. I watched a lot of ninja movies as a kid, the one I remember most was Prey for Death. The thing that I think about to this day is girls telling me they would be my friend if I gave them a piece of gum.
You might think I'm crazy but this is the first time I noticed your Asian heritage! 😮
Brother, not one time have I ever thought that you are Asian when I view your videos.
I had no idea you were interracial. My wife is Filipina, and our son is mixed. Nobody has ever made fun of her in 17 years., and we live in the Gulf South
great story,thanks for sharing with us. ❤ playing guitar and performing on talent shows helped me a lot too. had one bully going after me for years, always looking over my shoulder and checking that my bicycle was in order before setting of. then I did som local talent shows with funny metal covers of dull songs and people liked it and that bully probably felt like he could not go after me anymore. got a job as a radio dj at age 16 (my voice was very grownup) and then he suddenly started to call me and wanting to be friends, lets say I left him hanging (if thats the phrase, I'm mostly Norwegian with a hint of Portugal) as of your looks, never thought of your origins just that you have criminally good hair that annoys me a little bit..😄
I lived across the river from you. We grew up in a different time for sure. Sounds Ike every high school was about the same.