Interview with Nick Carbo
By: Rommel Matundan

R: can you briefly describe your life (i.e. birthday, childhood, how many brothers/sister, school, change of address, occupations, clubs, organizations, etc.)? anything significant that impacted or describes your life.

N: My life began under the shadow of Mayon Volcano on the outskirts of the City of Legaspi, Albay in the Bicol province of the Philippines. I don't know anything about my birth parents because I was adopted as an infant.  All that I have is a birth certificate from 1964 that says "illigitimate birth," with no mention of a birth mother or father. I could say I was the product of an illicit affair between a rich land owner and his querida (mistress) from Sorsogon, or the child of the parish priest and the beautiful wife of the Vice Mayor of Tigaon, or the illigitimate child of John Lennon and a local beauty queen who seduced one of the Beatles when they visited Manila in 1964 (just a fantasy, the Beatles came in 1966). More likely I was probably the result of an affair between the hacienda chauffer and a maid.  The point is that I have no knowledge of my biologic past and I can conjure up fantastic stories about how I got here.  One thing that my adoptive parents say is that they wanted me to grow up with a sibbling so they also adopted my natural sister when she was born a year later.  But her birth certificate doesn't say "illigitimate" so I could only be a half-brother. Or, maybe they finally got married and gave away my sister. Anyway, I grew up being close to my sister and my adoptive parents.


R: According to the NPR website, I understand that you lived in the Philippines and had Caucasian parents. Can you explain how that came to be, and/or what happened to your biological parents. How do you think you were brought up differently than other Filipino children who had Filipino parents?

N: Now that you know that my adoptive parents are white, I can tell you about the milieu of cultures I grew up with.  My father's father came to the Philippines around 1898 from Barcelona, Spain to help defend the Spanish colony from the Americans during the Spanish-American War. My father's mother came from Soria, Spain and she married my grandfather in Manila.  My mother's father was a Greek immigrant from Pireus who's surname is Stilianopulos. Because of my Spanish and Greek heritage, I have the names Carbo y Stilianopulos in my passport.  We spoke Spanish and some Bicolano at home. We ate Greek dishes like sujukakia, keftedes, avgolemono soup, and spanokopita alongside Filipino dishes like pinakbet, guinatan, pancit luglug, kare kare, and adobo. When we moved from Legaspi to Manila, my sister and I were enrolled in the San Lorenzo School in Makati.  We grew up like other Filipino mestizo kids in Makati. When I was in the second grade my parents enrolled us in the International school which had an American style curriculum and students from around the world. We didn't belong to the ritzy Polo Club in Forbes Park so we became members of the Army & Navy Club which was situated on Manila Bay right next to the Luneta park. That's where we spent most of our weekends socializing and playing with Filipino, Chinese, American, and mestizo kids.  I remember this skinny pesky girl who used to chase me all over the club playground trying to kiss me on the lips when we were eight or nine years old. Maybe I should have let Joyce-Ann Burton catch me at least once and give me a kiss because she grew up beautifully to make it all the way to the Miss Universe Pageant to represent the Philippines. Now, she's married with kids and is an anchor woman on T.V. in Manila.


R: As a child, what were some of your past times, hobbies, favorite things, fears? What were some of the influences you had while growing up? Has your history or your countries history affected the way you write, or what you write about?

N:  Some of my hobbies were stamp collecting because I had relatives writing from Australia, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Helvetia, model WWII fighter plane and battle ship building, reading horror and science fiction stories (Edgar Allan Poe was a favorite), playing chess, and playing tennis at the Army & Navy Club. In Middle School I joined the Boy Scouts of America (through International School) and that is where I first got a taste of white American boy nastiness because I was different from them. During one of our camping trips a blonde kid peed in my water canteen when he and the other scouts thought I was not looking. Well, I got back at the whole lot of them when I gathered a bucketfull of tadpoles and poured them down the main camp's water supply tank. Nobody new who did this. I made them all suffer of thirst.




R: I understand that the Philippines has a lot of American influences. As you grew up, did you strive to go to America, if yes, why? What are the push and pull factors that influenced you to come to America?

N: From 1898 to 1945 the Filipinos were under direct American colonial control. And ever since the end of WWII it has been a neocolonial affair. Guess who helped install every Filipino President since Manuel Quezon? American imported products flood the markets and American name-brand products  made under license in the Philippines dominate the local commerce. For example: Marlboro Reds is one of the most popular brands of cigarettes in the Philippines and they are made locally in factories with cheap Filipino labor. Do you know how much percentage of each pack sold is sent back to Philip Morris the parent company located in the U.S.? They make millions on just the Philippine market.  Well, growing up I strived more to go to Spain and Greece. Those places seemed to have more culture than the U.S.


R: According to the NPR website, it seems as though you came to America to pursue a College degree began to show your writing abilities. Since adolecense is a big part in growing up, what events influenced you to write, in middle school or highschool? So why do you write (in general), when did you start writing literature?

N: Well, in the sixth grade at the International School I remember my Social Studies teacher accusing me of plagiarizing on a report I had done for class. What I really did was just make up dates and names and add them to some real events to make them sound more fantastic and exciting. (An early version of creative writing). In high school I was late quite often to my first period class and every time I had to fill out a tardy slip stating the reason for being late. After the seventh time I ran out of normal excuses so I started writing little narratives about spies from the Russian embassy mistaking us as a car with defectors and them chasing us all over Ayala Avenue, crashing into Jeepneys, and scaring street sweepers in pointy straw hats.  I thought nobody read these silly tardy slips until one day the Vice Principal Mr. Lauchengco called me into his office holding a stack of those slips in his fist.  He said, "Mr. Carbo, it looks like you live the life of James Bond. You have a very good imagination, now just imagine sitting at a desk for three hours straight, not moving your hands, legs, head, or even your eye lashes.  You are under detention for two weeks starting today!"

R: So where do you currently live and do?

N:  I am currently teaching in the graduate MFA poetry program at Columbia College, Chicago.

R: I was told by my teacher, Wei Ming Dariotis, that Secret Asian Man is written as seperate poems, yet it flowed as one story. What were your intentions in this writing style? If there is a story behind the book, what did you base your story on?

N: Looks like your teacher's last name has Greek influences too. She is very smart in making that comment. Yes, each poem is a separate entity but I also wanted the book to read like a novel. So it falls into the category of "novels in verse." I wanted to continue the tradition of the ancient Greek epics the Illiad and the Odyssey which were written in verse but had several narratives weaving throughout. In Secret Asian Man the main "hero" is Ang Tunay na Lalaki and he goes through several adventures in New York City. I am also following the tradition of James Joyce in his novel Ulysses where the main character moves throughout Dublin and experiences several adventures in one day. The naming of specific streets, restaurants, cafes, buildings, and monuments in New York City gives the book a distinctive American feel. The city is not only the setting of the action but also becomes a character in the novel especially when the reader is made to interact with the sights, sounds, and smells in the instruction poem "Ang Tunay na Lalaki is Given Instructions for his last Workshop Poem."


R: In the book Secret Asian Man, you have very interesting characters. A lot of them are western characters, it seems to me that you chose these characters to appeal to Asian American readers. As an Asian American myself, it is very interesting to see the use of these characters and how they play in our society. How did you concieve such characters, like barbie, barney, hello kitty, Sally, etc, to be or what influenced you to use these characters. As you grew up, did you associate yourself with these characters to make you feel more American, or to accustom yourself to the american culture? please expand on you answer.

N: The only character that I invented was Sally. The other characters already exist in Filipino T.V. commercials, American Toys, advertising, and Western literature. I took them out of their normal context and placed them in my book to interact with the other familiar characters.  So, think of a giant play house and how children use toys and dolls to represent characters and they make up stories where anything can happen.  Hello Kitty is Japanese and she represents all the cute Asian kids while Barney is the typical American. Orpheus is a character from Greek mythology and he represents European culture, history, and tradition. He gets killed in the end of the book.


R: Throughout your books, i've noticed that Orpheus has appeared in your other pieces. Can you explain who is Orpheus is and his role in the poem "revenge"?

N: Orpheus does not only represent western culture and poetry, he is only one of two characters who has the self awareness of being a character in a book and knowledge of who the author really is and what he's up to. It is up to the reader to interpret what his role is.


R: Who is Ang Tunay na Lalaki, does this character reflects your personality if not, who does this character reflect?

N: Ang Tunay na Lalaki does not reflect my character in any way. He is the real man and does what a real man does.


R: It seems as though a lot of your writings are very political, especially El Groupo McDonald. In Secret Asian Man, Wonder Woman fights an Aswang. After reading this piece, it seems as though America sees Filipinos as primitive, or beastly. It seems as though you have portrayed Filipinos as victims of American cultures. In your view, like the Aswang, who or what have Filipinos done to fight back against American oppression (your definition of oppression). If we are seen as victims, then what should Filipinos and/ or Filipino American look to for inspiration and pride in our people?

N: To understand the deeper meanings in my book one must know some important events in Philippine history. 1521 to 1898 (?), 1896 (?), 1899-1902 (?), 1940-1945 (?), 1972-1986 (?). And important names you have to know, Lapu Lapu, Mactaan, Magellan, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, Gomburza or Gomez-Burgos-Zamora, Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Commodore Dewey, General Merritt, William Howard Taft, Frederick Funston, General Arthur MacArthur and his son Douglas MacArthur. If you want to understand the political issues you must do more research or take classes on Philippine history.


R: Just out of my own curiosity, why do you write very graphic sexual scenes? Does your topics and style of writing, reflect Filipino/ Filipino American culture.

N: My inclusion of such graphic material is an attempt to bring back the sexual dignity of the asian male. In contemporary American society and throughout its history, the asian male has always been emasculated, desexualized, or made feminine. He has been portrayed as submissive and a nerd with no chance of attracting the female lead. Look at Fu Man Chu, Charlie Chan, the Evil Emperor Ming, in the movie Sixteen Candles there's Long Duk Dong. Outside of the stereotypical Karate and Kung Fu movie roles, what leading romantic roles have there been for asian males in Hollywood? There is this unspoken notion that an asian male is not good enough, not sexy enough to bring in the audience and the big bucks. What I am saying in my sexy poems is that we have important sexual lives and identities.


R: Since your writings are very political, what do you hope to achieve with your writings?

N: I hope to educate more and more people about their hidden history, their valuable place in this society.

R: Can you give your thoughts on this saying by Laurence Yep

"Children sometime think you have to have special experiences to write, but good writing brings out what's special in ordinary things... Writing only requires taking one step to the side and looking at something from a slightly different angle."

N: That's a wonderful quote from Laurence. Children have the most creative minds and they should be encouraged to explore their imagination from different angles, not just of vision, but also sounds, textures, emotions, tastes, and smells. This could also apply to college students.



Thoughts and reflections on the interview

When I first was assigned to get an interview with Mr. Nick Carbo, I did not know what questions to ask him and how it would be relevant to this website. But I tried to make initiate an interview where I focused on the author more than the work, because I think it is important to understand the author and understand why authors writes the way they do. As a Filipino American, I like to analyze other peoples psyche because I was told that Filipinos don’t have their own identity, no culture to call their own. Since the Philippines was colonized by the Spanish and the Americans, Filipinos are influenced by Spanish and American culture, and make a culture of their own. Through this interview I tired show how Nick Carbo is a significant part of the Filipino community as well a role model for future writers.

Reflection on his life:
Nick Carbo was born and raised in the Philippines, but his life is very different than most Filipino children. When he was born, he was adopted by a Caucasian family, his father is Spanish and his mother is Greek. Interestingly like the Philippines, his personality and interests are influenced by these two cultures, and Nick Carbo blended these two cultures with his Filipino cultures. “We spoke Spanish and some Bicolano at home. We ate Greek dishes like sujukakia, keftedes, avgolemono soup, and spanokopita alongside Filipino dishes like pinakbet, guinatan, pancit luglug, kare kare, and adobo.”
As he grew up his passion for writing began in middle school when he was in detention. He created fictional stories to explain his actions. Furthermore as a child he experienced some sort of hatred from “white” people. During his time in Camp, he found out that a blond kid peed in his canteen bottle, in response he switched the water from the water tank and put pond water in it. His experience during his adolescent year gave him a lot of material to work with. His creative mind began at an early age and as a result it seems his mind began to explore the field of creative writing, later blossoming into a more professional form of literature.

Reflection on Secret Asian Man:
After reading the book Secret Asian Man, I found it interesting to see Nicks style of writing reflects Greek writing. Like I mentioned earlier, Nick Carbo has Greek influence, and he took his poems and made it into a story similarly to the poem, The Odyssey, by Homer. It is a series of poem combined to create and epic journey. In this case the journey it taken on by a Filipino. The book itself is a good read for Filipino Americans because they have something to relate too. Also the book explores the mind of a Filipino, how they think and how they act. Like Carbo said in the interview, “The naming of specific streets, restaurants, cafes, buildings, and monuments in New York City gives the book a distinctive American feel. The city is not only the setting of the action but also becomes a character in the novel especially when the reader is made to interact with the sights, sounds, and smells in the instruction poem "Ang Tunay na Lalaki is Given Instructions for his last Workshop Poem." After writing this book, the main character, Ang Tunay na Lalaki, has taken a form of it own. Carbo has created a real person for people to read.

•    Characters: The characters in this book I found was interesting as well. “N: The only character that I invented was Sally. The other characters already exist in Filipino T.V. commercials, American Toys, advertising, and Western literature. I took them out of their normal context and placed them in my book to interact with the other familiar characters.  So, think of a giant play house and how children use toys and dolls to represent characters and they make up stories where anything can happen.  Hello Kitty is Japanese and she represents all the cute Asian kids while Barney is the typical American. Orpheus is a character from Greek mythology and he represents European culture, history, and tradition. He gets killed in the end of the book.” For the most part I agree with his characters persona. It painted the different colors that made the book interesting. By using such characters, he can attract a more broader audience and characters for people to relate too. Personally I found Orpheus to be the most interesting character in the book. While reading the book I did not know who Orpheus was but, I looked in the internet and found that he is the He was the greatest musician and poet of Greek myth, whose songs could charm wild beasts and coax even rocks and trees into movement. According to Nick “Orpheus does not only represent western culture and poetry, he is only one of two characters who has the self awareness of being a character in a book and knowledge of who the author really is and what he's up to. It is up to the reader to interpret what his role is.” As an artist myself, I found it interesting how Nick Carbo presented this character in the book. Basically, what he is trying to say that Orpheus creates his own destiny and writes his own lines and sings his own song, much like how I try to live my life, one day at a time.

•    Sexuality: In response to his view about sexuality, I just want to give him “props “ for addressing the issue of sexuality. I like how he tries to show that Filipinos are just as good as everyone else. “My inclusion of such graphic material is an attempt to bring back the sexual dignity of the asian male… What I am saying in my sexy poems is that we have important sexual lives and identities.”

•    Politics: Basically Nicks Writings are very political, and he tries to be a source of inspirations to the Filipino Community. He tries to use his writings to educate the Filipino community about their hidden history and open their eyes to see that Filipinos have their heroes too. As the heroes in WWII, Filipino American War, and Philippine Revolution, Nick Carbo hopes to be a hero to future writers, activists, and artists.


After interviewing Nick Carbo, I have a more deeper respect for him as he mapped out his life and explained the themes in his book. It good to see someone step up and educate the community about the Filipino culture, Nick Carbo has become a source of inspiration to others. I would like to wish him God Speed in what he chooses to do in his life.