72 Time June 6/June 13, 2022 PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER ASH LEE
Michelle Zauner is my
favorite kind of artist. She’s favorite kind of artist. She’s
one of those musicians, one of those musicians,
writers, vocalists, and cooks writers, vocalists, and cooks
who has the ability to meld who has the ability to meld
all her media into perfect all her media into perfect
concert with one another. concert with one another.
To read about her cooking To read about her cooking
is to be reminded of her is to be reminded of her
albums. To learn about her albums. To learn about her
mother’s life is to flash back mother’s life is to flash back
to the dazzling visuals in her to the dazzling visuals in her
music videos.music videos.
Speaking of her videos, Speaking of her videos,
my first exposure to Michelle my first exposure to Michelle
was seeing her dressed in a was seeing her dressed in a
Korean hanbok, shredding Korean hanbok, shredding
guitar while sitting on an guitar while sitting on an
18-wheeler. I immediately 18-wheeler. I immediately
knew I would be obsessed knew I would be obsessed
with this person. Her recent with this person. Her recent
output has been just as thrill-output has been just as thrill-
ing and affecting. ing and affecting. Crying in Crying in
H MartH Mart is a memoir I will never is a memoir I will never
forget, and the Japanese forget, and the Japanese
Breakfast record Breakfast record JubileeJubilee cap- cap-
tures joy in its true, ephem-tures joy in its true, ephem-
eral spirit. Like all her work, eral spirit. Like all her work,
they are beautiful conduits for they are beautiful conduits for
empathy.empathy.
This is what makes This is what makes
Michelle so incredible to me Michelle so incredible to me
and many others. While she and many others. While she
intertwines the threads of intertwines the threads of
her art into perfect plaits, her art into perfect plaits,
she lets us find something in she lets us find something in
our own lives, a new strand our own lives, a new strand
with which to adorn our-with which to adorn our-
selves. It doesn’t get better selves. It doesn’t get better
than that. Everybody wants than that. Everybody wants
to love her.to love her.
Yang is an Emmy-nominated Yang is an Emmy-nominated
actor and writeractor and writer
MMichelle ichelle
ZaunerZauner
Transcendent artistTranscendent artist
B Y B O W E N YA N GB Y B O W E N YA N G