Part Time Poker Player...Full Time Modern Cultural Phenomenon
Tila, we heard you grew up in a Buddhist Temple.
Yeah. In Houston. It was very strange. It wasn’t like a normal Buddhist Temple. Looking back now, it was more like a cult. It was very strict. We could only wear blue and white, and we couldn’t leave the temple without telling the guard at the gate where we were going and when we were going to return. They’d write down the time we came back and ask us what we’d been doing. Everyone kept tabs on us. It was very harsh and it may have had something to do with my rebellious phase (laughs).
So you became a wild child?
Yeah, my parents started to realize that it wasn’t right living there. They wanted us to do normal stuff like ride our bikes and play with the other kids in the neighborhood. They saw that something strange was going on; so they moved out, and after that I felt so free. I wanted to experience what life was and what normal people did. But the problems didn’t end there. There were still problems with inner family life and at school. There was constant trouble for me. So I left all that behind.
When I was about 18, a friend of mine in Houston was putting together a car show and asked me if I was interested in modeling for it and for a calendar he was making. I said, “Absolutely not!” because that wasn’t who I was. I was a tomboy and I had a reputation to keep. I didn’t see myself as a sexy model girly-girl. But he kept begging me for three weeks, so finally I did it, only because he was my friend. The calendar came out and we promoted it at the car show, and I was surprised at how many people there wanted to take my picture and get autographs. I didn’t really understand why.
There were some model scouts there from California who offered me more work, and I just thought, “Wow! California!” Up until then, I’d never been anywhere outside of Texas. And that was the reason I did it, because they took me around the world. And it was all paid for! Soon after that I was discovered by a Playboy scout. And, you know, the rest is history…
So you didn’t want to be a model… what did you want to do?
I just wanted to be famous. I always loved music and singing and dancing and I love attention. So I wanted to be a singer. But modeling was always too girly for me. I have tons to say and I’m so aggressive – I just didn’t feel that modeling was right for me.
And you’re just about to release your first album…
Yes. My fans and I have been waiting for three years now for this to come out and it’s finally happening. I’ve been building up the hype with my video and everyone’s really excited. My single I Love U comes out on February 27th.
Who are your music heroes?
Artists today don’t do much for me. There’s no one around who is really powerful and provocative; however, I do love Madonna in the eighties. She reminds me of me a little bit. I love Gwen Stefani and Lil’ Kim. I guess my style is Madonna but with hardcore hip hop (laughs).
You have a bit of a punk ethic going, too, with the whole “DIY” attitude.
Yeah. People forget what punk rock is really about. It’s about getting up and doing things yourself and starting a new trend. So that’s what I’m doing and so it’s definitely punk rock.
How did the whole MySpace thing happen?
When I was a modeling and traveling the world, I had my own website, tilasblogspot.com, which I’ve just re-launched. That’s how I kept in touch with all my fans as I traveled, and people would sign up to my mailing list on the site. I had 40,000 people on my mailing list. I was on this other site called FriendSurf, and they kicked me off five times because I had too many friends. But when MySpace launched, they emailed me and said we have this new site and we’ll never kick you off. So I joined; and to begin with nobody was on there because it was new, but I contacted everyone on my mailing list and asked them to join. And they all did. So that’s how I became so big on MySpace. But I definitely started this whole promoting-yourself-online thing. And now everyone in the world is doing it. But I never had any idea how big it could become. I wasn’t promoting myself to get more fans; I was just talking about myself as an aspiring model and artist because that’s what I was. But it’s very flattering that everyone’s doing it now.
What are the best and worst things about being famous?
The best thing is having all these people from all over the world recognizing you and telling you they like what you do. When you work really hard at something it’s nice to get recognition. Freebies are nice, too (laughs). You get designers sending you their latest creations.
The bad side is that fans sometimes become stalkers. They get deranged in their minds thinking that they love you so much. They don’t know when to draw the line. It’s scary…
Not you as well! You know, Tila, sometimes we forget that we’re a poker magazine. Tell us about tilacasino.com.
Gambling was always a part of my family when I was growing up. I don’t know if it’s because we’re Asian (laughs). Every Christmas, holiday, or birthday the whole family would come round and stay up until 5am playing poker. Us kids – we’d be ten years old, sitting there playing blackjack (laughs). Of all the things I’ve accomplished, of all the magazine covers I’ve made, the thing my dad is most proud of is of the Tila Casino. He’s star struck with it (laughs).
So how’s the poker going?
I want to really get into it. I’m going to be playing a lot of tournaments. I’m the “Queen of the Internet” and I’d love to take over the poker world as well (laughs). I’d love to be an international poker star. I’m going to get some serious training soon, and I’m a very fast learner, so all you poker players better watch out!
