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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    What it means to reject the Asian American community you grew up in

    In the play “King of the Yees,” Larry Yee is part of an obsolescent Chinese men’s club, but his daughter Lauren thinks the club is no longer relevant -- and neither is the Chinatown she grew up in. The play looks at their father-daughter relationship, Chinese American culture, and how Asian Americans are represented onstage.

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    By Madeleine Brand • Jul 19, 2017 • 51m Listen

    Photo left to right: Angela Lin, Rammel Chan and Daniel Smith in "King of the Yees." (By Liz Lauren)

    In this episode

    5 stories
    1. 0:00

      Health care isn't the top issue for Republican voters

      Terrorism and immigration beat out healthcare as top issues for Republican voters, according to a recent Harvard poll. Meanwhile, President Trump’s approval ratings have dwindled to historic lows. He’s now the least popular president at this stage since modern polling began. But among his core supporters, Trump still gets high marks.

      Read the story
      9 min
    2. 8:47

      Officials tackle suicides at Pasadena's Colorado Street bridge

      On the east side of the Colorado Street bridge in Pasadena, there’s a sign that says “There is hope,” along with a crisis hotline number. So far this year, police have been called to the bridge on 21 “mental health” calls. Six of those were suicides. Work crews have put up temporary barriers to stop jumpers.

      Read the story
      8 min
    3. 16:51

      In a tiny Mexican town, women fought corruption and won

      When residents of Cheran got sick of too much corruption and violence, and couldn’t trust the police or authorities to do anything about it, they took matters into their own hands. They staged a revolt and established their own government. For six years, there hasn’t been any serious crime -- not one murder.

      Read the story
      9 min
    4. 25:41

      In 'King of the Yees,' what happens when your parents' values are no longer useful to you

      The play “King of the Yees” centers on the divide between a father and daughter. Larry Yee is part of an obsolescent Chinese men’s club, and his daughter Lauren doesn’t like the club or her life in San Francisco’s Chinatown. But after her dad disappears, she has to embrace her Chinese-American heritage to get him back.

      Read the story
      14 min
    5. 40:00

      'Despacito' gets remixed by Justin Bieber: Cultural appreciation or appropriation?

      “Despacito” is the most streamed song in history, with 4.6 billion streams and counting. That includes both the original by Luis Fonsi, a Puerto Rican singer who has conquered charts in Latin America, and the remix with Justin Bieber. The song reached #1 on the Billboard charts in May and hasn’t budged.

      Read the story
      9 min
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Gina Pollack

      Producer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

      News

    In this episode

    5 stories
    1. 0:009 min

      Health care isn't the top issue for Republican voters

    2. 8:478 min

      Officials tackle suicides at Pasadena's Colorado Street bridge

    3. 16:519 min

      In a tiny Mexican town, women fought corruption and won

    4. 25:4114 min

      In 'King of the Yees,' what happens when your parents' values are no longer useful to you

    5. 40:009 min

      'Despacito' gets remixed by Justin Bieber: Cultural appreciation or appropriation?

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand