Written and performed by Emily C. Chang and Ray Archie, “Need Your Near (The Happy Nunchucks Song) is a wonderful quirky music video that I caught hold of, thanks to the lovely Kai Ma. While the lyrics sometime get clunky at various parts of the song, it is nevertheless a vibrant joy to behold and listen to as it is crystal clear that the creators had a lot of fun while making this video.
The power of media is an important aspect that I always take note of whenever I watch depictions of Asian Americans, whether on the big screen, the TV, or on the Internet. Watching this, I can confidently say that this is another strong entry on what I like to call the “Kickass Asian Woman.”
Defying conventional aesthetic expectations, you see an Asian American playing a 1950’s All-American woman, roles that are conservatively reserved for white folks. But even if the Asian American character has a white boyfriend, but you aren’t going to see any Madame Butterfly syndromes here. Instead, you see a woman who gets what she wants, declares that “pink carnations suck//and I only called you//coz I needed a fuck”, and at the end, traps her useless boyfriend in a black & white TV set.
That’s power, baby.
