Written an Photographed by: Dakota Pendleton
Edited by: Anna Holtry

THE $200 MILLION DOLLAR ART PIECE

Once famously known as the world’s richest artist, David Choe is still a full-blown artist two decades later. David’s wealth would come after a commissioned project for Facebook's first president, Sean Parker. In a gambler fashion, Choe would choose his payment to be in company stock instead of the $60,000 offered. That choice would grow to become $200 million worth of stock.

A TRUE CREATIVE

When I think of the word “creative”, David Choe immediately comes to my mind. After deciding he was going to live as an artist in a world that is financially dry to the occupation, he committed to a life of crime for survival. Between hitchhiking, train hopping, sleeping in abandoned buildings, and stealing, he would spray paint his art. A lot of his art would be an explosive mess of the aerosolized paint, featuring strong emotionally driven portraits amongst the colors and fluid lines. Much of this activity was documented in his Vice show “Thumbs Up” which would be my introduction to Choe, showing a journalistic side to him.

Years later I would see a new David Choe in various podcasts and interviews. His show, “The Choe Show” where he is the interviewer, would be the most memorable to me for its deep exploration of the guests and their emotional battles.

I would come across “Thumbs Up”, “The Choe Show”, and the band “Mangchi” all separately before I would finally connect them all being creations of David Choe. His band, “Mangchi Hammer”, was created in 2014. They would celebrate their 10-year anniversary and form “VeggieHammerr”. The band would be a collaboration between part of "Mangchi" along with artist “Lealani”.

VEGGIEHAMMERR

As “Mangchi” was, the band has proved to be raw and unapologetic with a chaotic blend of punk rock, humor, and hip-hop. Choe continues to use “VeggieHammerr” as a platform to explore themes of identity, raw expression, and humor.

When Choe announced his band was performing I knew I had to make it to see the elusive music side of David Choe. I bought a ticket from 3 states away with no plan and thankfully secured a cheap plane ticket a week before the show. In classic Choe fashion, I braved the streets for the first night. The second night I would stay downtown in a hotel paid for by journalist Andrew Callaghan (That’s a story for another time though). After catching up on sleep in a neighborhood park somewhere in Hawthorne I would finally commit to figuring out the west coast bus system. Eventually, I would make my way to the east outskirts of downtown directly under the “Ribbon of Light Bridge”. After stashing my skateboard in a nearby construction area, I joined a collective outside of a small venue surrounded by old graffiti-covered buildings. Due to the mix of punks and vegetable costumes I had no doubt I was in the right place.

ALBUM RELEASE PARTY

Their album release event was beyond a event, it was an experience. The party, starting at 2 pm and continuing until late in the night, was filled with a day of arts and crafts accompanied by handmade childhood snacks. VeggieHammerr’s debut album would loop through most of the day, sparking conversations between fans and providing inspiration at the DIY costume-building stations. David Choe, Lealanie, and the rest of the crew would make an appearance throughout the day behind a glass window labeled “Nong Prophitt Office”, where they made art and snacks for the surrounding crowd. Markers and Play-Doh sat on each side of the glass for our use, it would become a sort of collaborative art performance between the band and fans.

Scenes of the daytime including T.J. Ysseldyke wearing his homemade broccoli warrior armor that he succesful transported on his flight.

Well after the Los Angeles sun would set and a light mist of rain would fill the air, member Money Mark would take the stage to open with his own performance. The rest of the band would eventually join him also rocking similar DIY costumes in sync with the crowd. They would open with the first song on the album, “Good Morning”, a song on the calmer side of their discography. As the performance continued with heavier songs the crowd would do their best to keep their veggie-warrior cardboard and construction paper intact as they moshed to songs like “On My Phone”, “Tie My Shoes”, and “Fried Rice Night”. A Lowe’s trash can for a kick drum (that would sound shockingly good), a surprise appearance by comedian Bobby Lee (who is the brother to original Mangchi member Steve Lee), and crowd surfing an 8ft mushroom, all appropriately set a fitting tone for VeggieHammerr’s live platform.

ZERO TOMATOES, ALL APPLAUSE

ETERNAL KIM

Tears, carried by heavy emotions, would accompany the performance of “Angel Food” following a chant for Eddie Kim. Three months before the album debut party, following their first US show, the Mangchi and VeggieHammerr family would tragically say goodbye to DJ Eddie. David would write “Today I just buried my brother Eddie Kim…I just woke up from bed went downstairs loudly cried in the kitchen and went back upstairs to sleep. Without Eddie there is no [Mangchi Hammer] he was the backbone for our band he was the glue that made my musical dreams come true”. He would explain that the music was only a small percentage of their relationship and add “tomorrow is not promised and nothing lasts forever. Eddie is now known to me as eternal kim he was one of the most positive loyal toughest powerful funny caring sweet loving humans I’ve ever met he did not believe in regrets or dwelling in the past he just said yeah duu it’s all good and keep moving forward”.

The band embarks on the new journey of VeggieHammerr with Eddie’s influence alive and well. With a plan for a San Francisco show that was canceled due to the LA fires, there is a chance of future VeggieHammerr shows. For now, their Los Angeles show exists heavy in my head reminding me of the raw passion we all owe our own art.