The Operatic Journey of The Slants
Mixed Asian Media - March 16, 2023
By Melissa Slaughter
L to R: Simon Tam (Co-composer and co-librettist of Slanted: An American Rock Opera) & Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (stage director)
Photo Credit: Macy White/Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
If I told you to see an opera about a Supreme Court case surrounding trademark law, you’d probably tell me you’d rather watch paint dry. But if I told you that this was a rock opera about an Asian American rock band fighting for the right to reclaim a long-held slur and make it their own, perhaps you’d perk up your ears.
If this story sounds familiar, it’s because it’s ripped from the headlines. In 2017, the case of The Slants, an all-Asian American rock band made waves when they were allowed to trademark the pejorative term as their moniker.
In the five years since band leader Simon Tam got the ruling from the Supreme Court, the band has broken up, and The Slants Foundation — a nonprofit focusing on the intersection of art, social justice, and the Asian American diaspora — has risen from the ashes. Now, Tam and fellow bandmate Joe X. Jiang are the composers and librettists for Slanted: An American Rock Opera, premiering at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis New Works Collective this March.
L to R: Simon Tam & Joe Jiang, co-composers and co-librettists of Slanted: An American Rock Opera
Photo Credit: Macy White/Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Director Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (of Indo-Afro-Caribbean descent) told me via email that when he first read the piece, he was struck by how “it [was] rooted deeply in the search for identity in a country that is in cultural fragments… It really is about community and the pursuit of that elusive principle we all call American Democracy.” Maharaj has worked in all kinds of performance mediums, from musical theater, to opera, to dance. In 2021, he was the assistant director to Fire Shut Up In My Bones, the first opera by a Black composer to make it on the Met Opera main stage.
When I asked Maharaj why this piece was well-suited to be an opera, he said, “I see the opera as an opportunity for social change and civilized discourse to occur. It remains one of the few sacred places left in a far too noisy, often divided world where people of different backgrounds, cultures, gender identities, and communities can still sit in the quiet dark together, think a while, and be awakened. Opera is a form of storytelling where one can gain a richer connection to the fragility of beauty and pain that exists in all art and life.”
I also got the chance to email with Matthew Pearce, the half-Korean tenor who plays the character of Simon Tam in the show. He admitted that he didn’t know much about The Slants, Tam, or the court case when initially cast. But he “went on a deep dive into their discography and the case. I asked many a lawyer friend if they knew anything about it and it was then that I realized how important this case was. Knowing Simon and Joe would be in the room, I wasn’t going to walk in uninformed and now I know I am collaborating with history makers.” Playing Simon also meant that Pearce had to work closely with the man he would be portraying: “I think the piece is an incredible testament to his character and creativity. There is a fiery determination that underlines every moment… while sharing the vulnerability of his own plight as an Asian American growing up.”
Matthew Pearce, tenor, singing the role of Simon in Slanted: An American Rock Opera
Photo Credit: Macy White/Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
The lyrics are moving, ranging from introspective (“Growing up I was told to play my part/ To stay in my role/ But if I could step into dreams, what would they hold?/ To be seen/ To be able to choose an identity/ Indeed of letting others define who I can be”) to comedic (“I think I’m love with a Supreme Court Justice”) to empowering (“When it comes to the subject/ Of my identity I want to disenchant/ And inject new meaning into the slant”). The subject of how to define one’s self is crucial to people of any race, but an especially acute journey for those of mixed-race descent. Matthew told me, “I grew up culturally American AND Korean. That said, I don’t look stereotypically Asian. But getting to know Simon and Joe and work in the space with other BIPOC artists, I have come to the realization that at the end of the day, I am Asian American… I am more assured of who I am because of this process.” And for Maharaj, working on this piece made him feel “humbled and at home in a way that I don't often feel in my craft. Being able to have a space where I can elevate my South-Asian lineage and ancestors is fulfilling and one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
The opera is also more than just an identity piece. It explores hate speech versus free speech, reappropriation versus racist epithets. It even features the character of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. And musically, it bends the genre of opera. Pearce told me, “Slanted is a rock opera in every sense of the word. Expect synths, drums and a killer guitar solo. It’ll be more like coming to a rock show than it will the opera and we want people from all walks of life to know that they are welcome to experience it!”
“I would first tell them that this is a story rooted in the American experience,” Maharaj said in the end. “The music is so powerful and is a beautiful blend of opera, rock, punk, and musical theater that will inspire [the audience] to be a catalyst for change in the world.”
Slanted: An American Rock Opera is at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis New works Collective from March 16 - 18. Tickets can be purchased here.
Melissa Slaughter has lived in all four time zones in the continental United States. She is a podcast producer based in Brooklyn, New York. You can hear her work on shows from Pineapple Street Studios, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple, and HBO.