Getting To Know: Karl Custer and Uncle Yo Part 3

Please read Part 2 of the interview before reading Part 3

Being Uncle Yo On And Off The Web

His trademark appearance is the black button down shirt and a silver tie. One may have seen it during his convention stage performance or appearances, such as the one in this video:

“The decision to wear all black and the silver tie came from the hope that I could icon-ize my image as something memorable.” He believes that wearing the same attire continuously will create a possibility that the public will recognize him. Another reason for the attire is that “black slims” him down, while it draws attention to his face. In regards to the silver tie, it “is a stark contrast and makes me look like a manga character.” Plus, the tie is like a bouncing ball in a sing along video. “People see the tie leaping everywhere as I'm moving, and can follow along easier. It also helps to make me look just a tad professional.”

Now that you know about his presence off the web, let’s check out his online presence, his website. Browsing through his site, there are both factual and fictional information mixed or grouped together, especially his “resume.” As a fan of anime and manga, I can guess which is fact or fiction. However, if someone is not familiar with his work or anime and manga, how can one, such as a potential employer, differentiate? His response is:

“An excellent point about combining fact from fiction in my resume page. We are in the process of drafting rewrites, making a solid separation from Karl Custer to public speaker, and Uncle Yo the bouncy, otaku comedian who dropkicks robots and flies around on a cupcake. We are still debating the best way to use the resume page to pitch myself as a convention personality and public speaker vs. making a totally separate persona.”

Another promotional tactic on his site is calling himself a "Renaissance Nerd." This is to tell “all sorts of conventions” that “‘I can fit your audience, you want to hire me.’” Now, how in the world is one man able to relate to the general audience at any convention? Custer not only explores anime, but he also checks out comic books, Tabletop RPG's and recently Dr. Who. “It helps round me out and be able to make multiple jokes to the same audience. My obsession becomes my focus for the year.” How does trying to know so many things help him as a performer? “A Renaissance Nerd can dabble in everything to make sure no one in his audience is left out.”
© 2011 Linda Thai

Photography by Linda Thai

Stay tune for Part 4 of the Uncle Yo interview!