Why he's interesting This Shaker Heights high school teacher's latest hit "Molecules Gone Wild (Bio Style)" parodies Psy's "Gangnam Style" and will teach you a thing or two about macromolecules. With 70,740 views, Hsu's YouTube sensation has made its way to living rooms and college campuses. While Hsu prefers live performances, he's made videos using beats from Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" to the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way."
Cellular start Hsu first released his inner rapper while student teaching in a biology class at Shaw High School. "A student laid down a beat and I rapped about mitochondria. I tried. I was terrible, but I felt that it was a bonding experience. That destroyed my sense of shame for the rest of my teaching career."
Prep and production It takes an average of 40 hours to produce one of his videos from writing, singing, recording and filming. "For 'Molecules Gone Wild (Bio Style),' I actually kept a log from start to finish. It took 55 hours."
Record deals "There's the constant joke of making an album. If the ideas come to me, then maybe I'll try to do something."
Finding inspiration Hsu was in a doctor's office waiting room when the idea to make his first video, "Cell Respiration" struck. "On the drive over I was hearing Black Eyed Peas' ["I Gotta Feeling"] then the idea just came to me. By the end of the night, I had the first verse written out."
TV Teachers His favorite TV teacher is Boy Meets World's Mr. Feeny. "I like a lot of how he supported Cory, how he was more than just a teacher. Every now and then when I am able to connect with the child and make a difference in their life, I feel good about my job and I think that's a lot of what Feeny was about."
Snake charmer Hsu cares for two nonpoisonous snakes in the science department: a small corn snake and a small ball python. "I have picked [the ball python] up just fine, but I've been bit by him. It didn't hurt, but it was definitely all bloody."
hey, kool-aid man! Pop culture can be used to break down the walls in the classroom. "Teaching can be subversive sometimes. You have to lead them to the water to get them to drink it by pretending its full of Kool-Aid."
