Interview: Andy Bell (Kaiju Big Battel) Jan 31, 2012

Going to a Kaiju Big Battel event is something you will never forget, even if professional wrestling isn’t exactly your thing.

In Kaiju (which means beast in Japanese) Big Battel, performers dress up like ferocious monsters and wrestle in matches that walk the line between campy and cinematic. These brave performers adorn elaborate costumes and fight on top of carefully constructed buildings on the surface of a pro-wrestling ring in tournament-style performances.

Many of the Kaiju matches mimic great fight scenes from classic monster movies, filled with oversized beasts towering over helpless cities and villages. Beyond simply showcasing monster battles, Kaiju has a mythology that traces the roots of its characters through interweaving backstories not unlike a classic sci-fi program.

The man who builds many of these artificial cities, and has held nearly every position in Kaiju over the years, is Boston based performer/producer Andy Bell. What makes Andy more than your average member of the entertainment industry? When he’s not building costumes for aliens and monsters to engage in epic battles, Andy Bell teaches high school art near Boston, Massachusetts (full disclosure: he was my teacher). I recently sat down with Andy to learn more about Kaiju Big Battel and understand how the unique environment informs his pedagogy.

If aliens landed on Earth, how would you describe Kaiju Big Battel to them?

Well, it’s a tough call. I don’t know if I’d stay in character or out of character. Before this interview, I was wondering if I would stay in character. Sometimes fans are into it. We don’t break the fourth wall. It’s wrestling; it’s kayfabe. Monsters are real, we will concede that our wrestling is fake, but monsters are real and danger can happen. I’d tell the alien that some of its friends are involved, tease and joke with it, and say: Kaiju is a conflict of epic proportions; good versus evil. We allow monsters to fight in the ring to save cities everywhere. If they were battling through Manhattan or Boston, it would be untold destruction. We create a safe format for monsters to fight everywhere. We can’t have monsters running around major cities. We create a format that is safe and enjoyable for them to fight without damaging cities everywhere. We work with a lot of independent wrestlers, lots of punk rock bands, and very talented video/audio people.

At a Kaiju event, you’re not Andy Bell?

No, no, no, I’m Andy Salbino. I’m a construction worker. I design all the buildings that act as the mat of our wrestling ring in Kaiju! I signed my first autograph this year, actually. I’m a total character while there. I create the cities and put them in the crushable urban cityscape between matches or during matches. Since I’m in charge of the buildings, when bad monsters of low moral standing start to fight, it’s my job to say, “hey! Don’t destroy that building! It took me a long time to create these buildings!” Which isn’t a lie. I actually do create these buildings. I created most of them, though not so much anymore. Randy [Borden, creative director of Kaiju Big Battel] actually designs most of them now. If they’re into the back-story of Kaiju then they’ll know me. A lot of people show up for the first time, so they don’t know. I’m almost always there. If it’s a travelling show, then I may sit it out, but its been years since I’ve missed a show. They see me in character wearing a hardhat, drinking beer (which is fake), setting up buildings, and catching pieces of the set if it flies into the stands. Sometimes I have to be a bouncer and kick people out. If people get too close to the ring, then it’s an insurance liability, so I have to ask those people to leave.

How strict are you about remaining in character at Kaiju events?

I don’t take it too seriously. During the show is when I’m on. Lots of people have had my character since the late 90s. I started in 2003. Some people use fake Italian accents, which I don’t. I just yell at the monsters for ruining my buildings and chat with kids in the front row. I ham it up, drink my fake beer, and have fun with the crowd. We try to do fun things at Kaiju that play off the location of the event. Hell Monkey, the satanic simian, almost got married at a Kaiju show in Las Vegas. He chose someone out of the audience, some gorgeous chick, and brought her up. There was a wedding, big music, and then the hero came out to ruin everything. We have to maintain kayfabe, you know, the babyface monsters have to go over the heel.

Tell me about your history as a pro-wrestling fan prior to working with Kaiju

I was a fan like everyone was of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1980s. I always liked the characters and all the production elements. Their bodies are superhuman and they’re elaborate characters. I stopped following wrestling in the 1990s, so I came to Kaiju from an artistic standpoint, not a wrestling fan. However, after doing Kaiju for almost ten years, I have a healthy respect for the business. I’ve seen lots of great wrestling. I’ve worked with Dragon Gate USA and they’re awesome; they do crazy maneuvers off the ropes. I love Chikara, those guys are awesome, but I don’t follow the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) much. In the Kaiju van, when you’re talking with other employees or veteran wrestlers, you’ll hear stories, like,“Oh, did you hear about Jake the Snake? Did you hear about Big Boss Man?”

I met Honky Tonk Man recently and he was cool. He was eating his breakfast sandwich and was totally nice. He was not involved with Kaiju, but I met him at a nearby comic-con. That’s something Kaiju often does; we try and schedule events near conventions that might attract new fans. How about the feud between Warrior and Hulk Hogan? Is it still going? They’re nuts. [Ring of Honor wrestler] Chris Hero has worked with us a few times, he’s super sweet and very nice. The first time he worked with us, he actually gave us some pointers on how to run matches. We’ve also had the Japanese wrestler Munenori Sawa work an event for us.

Tell me about your history with Kaiju Big Battel.

I started in 2003 as a production assistant. I was an artist. I had just moved to Boston and there wasn’t much for me. The art scene wasn’t ready for me at that time and I wasn’t ready for it. There wasn’t a lot going on. So, I found another group of artists doing something offbeat and weird. I was already doing costumes and weird stuff, so I fell into it pretty nicely. I started just doing production, but now I do a lot of organization and coordination. I act as a producer for the most part nowadays. Kaiju has always been centered in Boston, but in 2010 they moved to New York City. So I’m not as involved with day-to-date operations, like paperwork and those things. It’s fine with me because I don’t want to be a paperwork guy… I’m not sure what I want to do. Before 2010, my role was getting larger and larger. As people left, I took their responsibilities. I was essentially an office manager: making calls, finding people for live events, filming on sets at various studios or in live locations, acquiring props, or usually producing live shows. One of my former students is the audio guy. Before him, I’d coordinate music for the event, organize lots of the video work, and make sure cameras were where they needed to be. Basically, I’ve done everything except creative directing.

Describe how your role with Kaiju changed since 2003 when you began.

I’ve stepped back since they moved to New York. I adjust my schedule when shows are coming up and then coordinate which performers and workers come in to the show. I’m not hiring new people; they do that in the New York office. We work with Chikara, but I don’t really know those guys. They’re great performers and awesome dudes. I coordinate the old group, and the New York office does the newer projects. My role is getting smaller and smaller, which I’m fine with. I have my own project I want to work on. I want to create a pilot. I’m making costumes and starting production. I know video people, I know audio people, and now that I’m moving away from Kaiju’s coordinating duties, I have lots of free time. Likewise, I know pro-wrestlers who I hope to get involved. A lot of wrestlers, by their 30s, are trying to slow down. I know one girl in particular who feels she’s getting too old to wrestle.

You mentioned that there’s a mythological backstory within Kaiju. How important is that story to fans? Is it always evolving?

Like any wrestling show, there are plots lines for each character that go for a while or get dropped when it’s exhausted. Maybe one character will have a running joke for a long time. We had a monster that always lost and he still does, so when he wins it will be great. We use a lot of classic wrestling tropes. Instead of a single heel and babyface, we have stables. Kaiju Big Battel is essentially four factions: Heroes, Dr. Cube’s posse (they’re evil depending on the city), the Rogues (they’re all out for themselves and are not on anyone’s team), and Team Space Bug. The crowd usually wants the Heroes to win and they get behind them. Other towns support Dr. Cube and his posse. Our fans take these factions very seriously. Dr. Cube garners a lot of heat. He got punched in the face at an event one time.

Does the Kaiju universe exist in a vacuum or do they acknowledge things from the real world?

We definitely rely and react to things going on in the real world. We joked about Hell Monkey’s ear being bit off by Dr. Cube after Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear off [during a boxing match]. Hell Monkey still has the bite mark to this day. We maintain these jokes forever. We did a lot about Occupy Wall Street when we were in New York. People get it and they’re talking about it. Sometimes it goes too far. Dr. Cube once joked about a Tsunami that killed a lot of people in the south Pacific. We have meetings before every show so we can touch base and go over everything before we go out there. At our creative meeting beforehand we decided not to use that joke. Some people thought it was funny, but I knew it wasn’t cool, even if Dr. Cube is a villain. People were on the fence. The performer decided not to do the joke, but at the show, Dr. Cube did the joke. If you look at the tape, people clearly have their hands on their heads. Our heels are wildcards, they’re villains, they’re unpredictable.

Going off that example, each monster in Kaiju does things the performer would never do in their ordinary life. How important is it to separate the individual from the character?

I think it’s very important. A lot of performers get into that. When dressed up like monsters for Kaiju Big Battel, they can do things they’d never do in real life. We do a lot of appearances, like dance nights, where it’s a “Monster Dance Night.” People that would never dance at a party are now dancing because they’re in character. If things go over the line, like the Tsunami incident, it does make me uncomfortable.

Just as Kaiju lets people use characters to take personal risks, do you try and transfer that sentiment to your classroom?

That’s something I’ve never considered. Everybody takes their own role as an art teacher, just as they might as a producer. For me, I like making things, making art, and that’s how I run my class. I do a lot of jobs to make money, where I’ll build something that I don’t have a big emotional investment in. Sometimes it’s work. A lot of art teachers try and focus on helping students create deep meaningful pieces, as if that’s what’s important about art class. Instead, I try and say to students, “here you go, you need to learn these tools, you need to learn how to make stuff. If you have a job, you have a deadline and you need to put it out there. You need to learn how to meet a deadline.” I’m more of a dude. I’m more of a guy.

You said that the Boston art scene wasn’t ready for you, and you weren’t ready for it. Tell me more about where you were as an artist in 2003.

I didn’t think there was a lot going on, and to an extent I still don’t think there is. I’m still disappointed with how it works. A lot of galleries are focused on established artists or university artists. Some are university run and hard to get into. There are little places to show if you’re some lowbrow artists like me. It was easier to join forces with a group that already does cool things. I have a day job which supports me, and allows me to take odd jobs doing art that brings in a couple bucks here or there. It’s not a fast track to financial success.

What was your philosophy on art when you first got to Boston and joined Kaiju?

Well, a quick background. When I graduated college and eventually came to Boston I didn’t know my identity as an artist. Back then I was like, “well, I draw, I paint, I do a lot of things.” I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Then I realized that I needed to do costuming and performance. I’ve always been obsessed with monsters, so finding Kaiju was perfect for me. Building costumes was something I really wanted to get into. I started at the bottom when Kaiju asked people to make buildings. I’ve made hundred of buildings to date. Everything you see at a Kaiju show gets smashed and it was all hand-made beforehand. It dovetails with my philosophy of art, which I try to carryout in my day-job. I’m a high school art teacher. I try to tell my students and employees at Kaiju that it’s not about the product that you make, but it’s about the process. We did a Kaiju show at the Warsaw in Brooklyn and spent two months creating a scale model of the Empire State Building. It was smashed in ten minutes. People asked, “doesn’t that hurt?” and I said, “no, it’s about making it. It’s process over product. That’s important.”

How do you negotiate your role with Kaiju with your job as a high school teacher?

It doesn’t really conflict at all, honestly. I get a lot of time off as a teacher, about three months a year. Things always work out. I use my two personal days a year as a teacher to go do shows in New York or Philadelphia, as I did last month. I use my vacation time to work with Kaiju and make art for them. Sometimes, I think I have to be two different people. As a teacher, I’m different than I am as a Kaiju person. Backstage at Kaiju, I’m not as sensitive with adults as I am with kids in my classroom. Working with kids and knowing how sensitive they are has made me more approachable as a manager with Kaiju. We used to have an executive producer who was tough to work with. However, he helped people reach excellence as best they could. Now, coming back to teaching after working with people in a more business environment in the entertainment industry, I don’t sweat dealing with managers or supervisors because it was so much harder doing it with Kaiju.

How do you find talent for Kaiju?

Performers? Ok, well we usually go for independent wrestlers. Kaiju began as a school project with Randy [Borden] and his friends in Boston. They realized that people loved getting involved with the monsters in public. They started doing wrestling matches and eventually began renting out halls. As it grew, our talent got more diverse. For instance, we recently had a guy who went to wrestling school in California and then moved to Boston. He looked up different promotions and found Kaiju to be the most interesting. He was a good fit, very well trained, so he is great. Our announcer is the announcer for Chikara, so we have lots of those guys and they’re all awesome. We’re kind of like Chikara in the sense that we try to do absurd things every now and then. Some of our jokes totally bomb after we write it. For instance, we have a tree monster. In one match, he had stuffed squirrels crawling all over him. We wrote it as him throwing the squirrels at the crowd. Everything has to line up perfectly for a joke to work. The announcer has to be in key with the performer and the audience. For some reason, things didn’t work out even though it was funny when we wrote it.

Are you on the creative team for Kaiju then?

I don’t do much writing/creative work. When a script comes together, Randy knows what he wants to happen. Jack, our announcer, is his biggest ally in New York. Jack can say, “we have this plot, and we have these characters,” then they’ll call me and I’ll coordinate the costumes or performers. I make suggestions from time to time, and they sometimes make it into the script. I’m more logistical than creative; I’m a producer. I don’t produce everything. I’ve organized everything for certain shows, but for others, I may just organize audio. It really depends on the situation. When they first moved to New York from Boston in 2010, I didn’t consider moving and doing Kaiju full-time because I love teaching too much. I’ve done every job at Kaiju. When you know how to do every job, and you’re willing to do it for free, then you move up quickly. It’s like being in a band; it’s a labor or love.

What do you get from teaching that you don’t receive from working in Kaiju?

I’m good at teaching. I come to a place with lots of people that I like. This room we’re in right now, the art-room, this is my happy place. I can draw throughout the day if I need to. The process over product theory is very important. It’s all about making art, not keeping it afterwards. I was with Kaiju before becoming a teacher and it strengthened me as a teacher. It’s all about the attention of the audience. You can hold their attention for only so long, and then you have to redirect it. The feeling of losing a crowd’s attention is identical to losing a classroom. In teaching, I might show a video and then do another activity or switch it to, “watch me do this!” and create an activity. If I’m at a wrestling show, I get bored. That’s why with Kaiju we show you wrestling and then cut to a “commercial” where we show some live footage or stuff filmed in a studio.

We want to keep your attention throughout. We keep changing things up for people with an MTV-generation attention span. As a teacher, I can gauge what kids like and what they’re into. Sometimes people at Kaiju want to do certain things that are outdated. For instance, a song will go over the heads of 90% of people out there, so I’ll choose something else to connect to the audience. I know what’s good with the hipsters, the anime kids, etc.

How do you approach students who are artists that are having difficult locating a niche like yourself before you found Kaiju?

I see a lot of students that I wish I could take into Kaiju. Sometimes I see kids who are great with video and I’d love to get them involved. I see lots of kids who can’t find their niche. I send them off to art school and hope that it straightens them out. I don’t think much about students when I think about what I’m trying to do with my work. When I go home it’s Andy Time.

When you leave the classroom, you focus more so on using art to support yourself. How important is it for artists to understand the concept of doing artwork to pay the bills, regardless of their emotional investment in it?

Well, you have to do jobs. I take almost every job that somebody offers me, even if I don’t get paid a lot. I just did a logo for a band called Rotten Tongue. I take most jobs with the hope that I’ll get really good and people will notice and hire me for other jobs that pay for money. I pretty much do what I want, even at work…I do what I want all the time. Everybody takes a different path. If you have a paying job on the side, you can do whatever you want with art. Do I tell my students that it’s important to do work/do jobs to get by as an artist? I don’t think too far in my student’s future. I’ll see that they have certain skills and push them in that direction. However, I’m trying to prepare them for college. They’ll ask me what I’m working on and I show them. I try to instill the fact that you have to do work; you have to do smaller jobs. For them as artists, sometimes you have to do an English paper and that’s work to them. That’s their job that they have to do to get by.

Five years from now, where would you like to be in relation to Kaiju Big Battel?

I’d like to still be involved in some capacity. I would like to see “Kaiju version 2.0” with fresh blood. I don’t want to get rid of our old performers, but I’d love to see more independent wrestlers such as those from Chikara. I’d like to see a couple storylines that we’ve dropped to come back. We have a monster that’s a kid, and I’d love to see them grow up. We have a couple toys out, but I’d love to see more. I’d also like to wrestle. I’ve taken a few bumps here and there, but I’d like to do a full match.

How has teaching changed your life as an artist?

My teaching position is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s a place I can go where people like what I do, my co-workers feel that I’m an expert in my craft, and I have a great time. There was no real art department when I got to this school. I built it up to what it is today. When I came to this school there was a supply closet piled high with junk. I went through it, found the good stuff, got more good stuff, and found books that were good. I began integrating technology into the classroom before it was popular. I taught kids PhotoShop, set up a TV in the classroom and let them see slideshows of their art. Integrating technology into the classroom is very popular now, but I was doing it six years ago.

I teach a lot of outcasts, and I mean that in a very positive way. I love working with these kids. I have kids who aren’t planning on going to art school, but it’s important to me as a teacher to understand what a student wants to get out of art class. Some art teachers feel that you need to know how to draw a perfect still life. Not every kid needs that. Some of my students need to blow off steam, they need to just draw, they need to make a mess, and they can learn to draw still life pictures in art school if they really want. I’ll let a kid relax and put his head down in my class if it means he’ll succeed elsewhere. I’ve created something amazing here, and the fear is that if I ever left, who would take it? This is my dream job.

Want to know more?

To learn more about Kaiju Big Battel and find out how you can see their unique performance live, check out http://www.kaiju.com.

Be sure to watch the following video to see Andy Bell referring a Kaiju match in 2011:

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