counterculture

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‘Beats’: Up Close and Personal with Brian Welsh and Steven Soderbergh

We got a front-row seat to an exclusive interview with Director Brian Welsh and Executive Producer Steven Soderbergh, as they talk about their latest film, 'Beats,' give tips to young aspiring filmmakers, share their thoughts on the future of the indie cinema, and more.

Music

‘Le Guess Who?,’ One of the More Forward European Festivals Goes Live Streaming

Ljubinko Zivkovic

The Netherlands music and avant-garde festival to stream for free on November 13-15, 2020, and will keep with its usual forward-looking concept.

Film & TV

‘Time Warp’ Is a Fun, Breezy Look Back at Cult Classic Films

Stephen Silver

'Time Warp' is a wonderful achievement and a total blast to watch, with well-chosen talking heads, and an all-abiding love for cinema and what makes it connect with crowds, albeit often years after the film was originally released.

Art

7 of the Most Shocking, Weird, and WTF Styles of Contemporary Art

Editorial Team

Whether it's shocking, inspiring, or just plain weird, that's up to the eye of the beholder. Here's some of the contemporary art styles that have invoked the strongest reactions from audiences.

Culture

After 67 Years, ‘Mad Magazine’ is Effectively Coming to an End

Ljubinko Zivkovic

After Issue 9 (August 2019) the magazine will no longer be available at newsstands, and Issue 10 will be the last to have new content.

Culture

ASMR: The Collective Online Exhale

Shannon Griffiths

The ASMR community is growing every day...but WTF is it and why should you care?

Culture

Busking in Malaysia: From Haram to Super Trendy

Emmanuel Marshall

"If the cops saw a busker playing music on the street they would make us go away or even beat us. Busking used to be seen as just a kind of begging. It was a low-class, haram thing to do. If you played music on the street people would assume you were very poor, maybe homeless..."

CE5: Making Contact with E.T. through Meditation | Features | LIVING LIFE FEARLESS

Film & TV

CE5: Making Alien Contact through Meditation

J.K.A. Short

In his latest documentary, 'Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind', Dr. Greer argues that Contact Groups around the world (including his own) have for decades made peaceful contact with EBEs through a series of peaceful protocols he designed. It might be time to suspend your disbelief.

Film & TV

CREEM – One of the Most Iconic Rock Magazines – is Subject of a New Documentary

Ljubinko Zivkovic

'CREEM: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine' will premiere in August 2020 and will include interviews with Alice Cooper, Cameron Crowe, Joan Jett, Michael Stipe, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Kirk Hammett, Thurston Moore, Peter Wolf, and more.

Books

David Byrne Releases Another Edition of His Online Magazine

Ljubinko Zivkovic

David Byrne's latest entry into his multimedia project, 'Reasons to be Cheerful', has just launched and it tackles division within society through interactive storytelling.

Film & TV

Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat: A Throwback to the Notorious Rave Culture of the ‘90s

Francesca Escarraga

As a proud ‘90s kid, 'Beats' took me back to the glorious days of EDM when attending rave parties and festivals was a rite of passage to adulthood.

Culture

Fear Of and Loathing For the Democrats: Hunter S. Thompson Pointed Out Their Mistakes in ’72 – They Didn’t Learn

Nick Hilden

In 1972, journalist Hunter S. Thompson provided characteristically unique insight into why the Democrats lost the election against Nixon. In 2016, we learned that the DNC didn't learn from their past mistakes.

Film & TV

‘Deep Throat’ is Getting a 50th-Anniversary Re-release, Which Raises Many Questions

Stephen Silver

'Deep Throat' is quite possibly the most famous pornographic movie of all time and is angling for a 50th anniversary cinema return, but that raises a litany of questions that need considering.

Music

‘Nuggets’ Compilation 50th Anniversary Now to be Celebrated with an All-Star Concert

Ljubinko Zivkovic

After getting the 50th-anniversary vinyl box set, 'Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era,' Lenny Kaye has now put together an all-star tribute show happening at Los Angeles' Alex Theatre.

Film & TV

20 Years Later: It’s Still Hard to Believe ‘Freddy Got Fingered’ Was Real

Stephen Silver

The early 2000s were a very different time. That's one of the only explanations for the existence of 'Freddy Got Fingered' ― the unreconstructed comedic id of Tom Green.

Music

A New 3-Disc Compilation Focuses On Prime Mod and R&B Sounds From Britain

Ljubinko Zivkovic

New 3-disc compilation titled 'Feelin’ Alright? Mod Rock, Funky Prog and Heavy Jazz 1967-1972' focuses on those grooves coming from Britain.

Culture

Anthony Bourdain: A Belated Obituary to a Working Class Hero

Nick Hilden

For me, Anthony Bourdain wasn’t a celebrity, but more of an elder statesman of a cosmopolitan tribe made up by my fellow travel and culture journalists. He was much loved because we saw ourselves in him and in his heroism we recognized our own.

Reviews

Book Review: ‘1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times’

Stephen Silver

'1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times' takes an interestnig, albeit weel worn, look at the bizarre 90s

Culture

Cannabis, Creativity, and the Mind: Facts vs Fiction

Marcos Dickson

From musicians and artists to writers and filmmakers, many have claimed that cannabis enhances their creativity, but is that true?

Film & TV

Celebrating David Lynch (1946-2025): From Raw Surrealism to “Auteur Television”

Ivan Trimarchi

As one of the most influential directors of our time, David Lynch gave us some of the most exhilarating experiences in modern cinema.

Music

David Ackles – Taking A Subway to The Country to Find The American Gothic

Ljubinko Zivkovic

If there ever was an artist that would perfectly embody an artists' artist and critical darling, it would be David Ackles, whose short career spawned one of music's most highly regarded albums.

Culture

David Icke – Renegade of the Zeitgeist

J.K.A. Short

Let's examine 'Renegade: The Life Story of David Icke', a film in which Icke discusses how he was faced with historic levels of ridicule because of his ideas and he explains that we are in an awakening period now where speaking your truth is utterly crucial to where humanity goes from here.