Mel Chua: Ex-Farm Boy, Banana Inside a Twinkie, Fueled by Spite, Dance Community Builder

Mel is what I would call a boomerang. The way I define it is growing up somewhere, going somewhere else, and then ultimately returning to that first place for… reasons. Perhaps belonging, or a lack of belonging. 

Mel is also a twinkie, which also requires a definition. A twinkie is someone who is Asian on the outside, but white on the inside. But Mel is also originally from Singapore, so hes got another yellow layer inside there.

Like many of my friends, I first met Mel on the dance floor. We danced, felt each other’s bodies, connected physically, and left with only a nod and lingering eye contact. A true one dance stand. And then about half a year later, I ended up at his rooftop for other dance related reasons and we had our first conversation.

Mel is one of my friends that feels the most like home, because we have west coast origins and have gone through similar paths and struggles to get to where we are now.

In this episode, we have a very wide range discussion on our life paths, the inflection points that made us who we are, the role of self-loathing and spite in shaping our goals, and both of our criminal histories. Thanks, Mel!