Light Culture

Maha Satva – Art and Hip Hop

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 00:00:27 GMT

Maha Sattva is an artist inspired by social media, pop culture and hip hop. The likes of Kanye West, Drake and J. Cole have his portraits in their collection and his reputation is growing, even as he works outside the gallery system from his base in Wisconsin. An active presence on twitter and Instagram has brought him a growing fan base both intrigued by his creative work and the life-coaching that comes with it. We talk about the time he flew to a Kanye concert in the hope of meeting and delivering a painting he’d made to his favorite rapper. How painting people he admires inspires him.Turning losses into lessons. And how he was saved from selling his soul.

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Michelle Lhooq – On Underground Nightlife and Drugs

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 00:00:10 GMT

“Goddamnit I am hooked on nicotine again thanks to this fucking Flum!” writes Michel Lhooq. “I can’t even fucking deal!!! Just when I thought I’d left my crackhead vaping days behind, motherfuckers pulled me back in with this thing that literally looks like a whippit canister capped by a nipple-shaped teat.” Dubbed by some as “a female Hunter Thompson,” the drug guzzling gonzo writer of yore, Michelle is making a name for herself with her brazenly open cultural commentary and field notes from the fringes of underground nightlife and drugs. The author of “Weed: Everything You Want to Know But are too Stoned to Ask” and the Substack newsletter: “Rave New World,” Lhooq was an editor at VICE in New York covering electronic music and global nightlife before moving to Los Angeles to write about the counterculture and political autonomy. We talk about the shift from alcohol to psychedelics in nightlife culture and the rise of mushroom parties, the transformational power of weed, the false binary of medical and recreational, and pleasure as a tool for transformation.

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Estelle Bailey-Babenzien – Designing Dreams

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 00:00:10 GMT

As both a creative and a business owner, Estelle Bailey-Babenzien sits at the intersection of art and commerce. She’s a partner in the clothing brand Noah with her husband Brendon, formerly of Supreme, and the owner of Dream Awake, an interior design studio whose clients have included Adrien Grenier. Born and raised in the UK, and of half Ghanaian descent, Estelle moved to New York in 1999 with a fashion degree from London’s prestigious arts and design college Central St. Martins. Responsible for the interior architecture and spatial experiences of the brand’s retail spaces in New York, LA, London and Tokyo, she puts sustainability and social conscience at the top of her brand ethos. Today, her company Dream Awake Inc. is a full service Interior Architecture and Experiential Design studio that embodies her philosophy of life and enables her to bring her unique perspective and sensibility to the table. We talk about New York in the early aughts, being inspired by travel, Supreme’s incredible success, the travails of the music business – especially for women – and how she’d approach designing a cannabis lounge.

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Buff Monster’s – A Master’s Class on Business and Art

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:25 GMT

Buff Monster is a street artist who first made a name for himself by pasting thousands of silk screened posters across Los Angeles. Over the 20 years or so that he has been an artist, his colorful Buff Monster character has inspired paintings, stickers, toys, murals, NFTs and private commissions. Born in Hawaii to a family of artists, he went to college in LA to study business, but decided that New York City was the place to be. He is an active presence on social media where he talks directly to his legion of fans eager to hear more about his latest Internet drop, zine or collection of vintage-style trading cards created in homage to the Garbage Pail Kids called The Melty Misfits. We talk about art as business, Kaws, Andy Warhol, his love of heavy metal, collecting art, insider v. outsider, and how to make it in the art world.

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Mark “The Cobrasnake” Hunter – Long Live Indie-Sleaze

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 00:00:11 GMT

It’s one of those happy moments for the photographer Mark “The Cobrasnake” Hunter. His new book, “The Cobrasnake: Y2Ks Archive,” features a kaleidoscopic selection of photos that helped define the party scenes of Los Angeles and New York at the beginning of the 21st century. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also earning kudos (and photo assignments) as a visionary of what fashion magazines are calling “a mid-aughts Indie Sleaze” revival. His relentless pursuit of the next party and the next photo brought him to the edgier fringes of the fashion, music, and art worlds, where he documented LA’s burgeoning underground nightlife scene that attracted up-and-coming stars like Kanye, Katy Perry, Jeremy Scott, Beth Ditto, Steve Aoki, Smanatha Ronson, Virgil Abloh and his personal muse Cory Kennedy. Before there was Instagram, there was The Cobrasnake snapping away and capturing the last generation of partiers to predate social media. We talk about his hope for the Indie Sleaze revival; growing up in LA; American Apparel; the return of Interpol, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and The Strokes; Paper and Nylon magazines.

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Saul Williams’ Sci-fi Afro-Futurist Musical

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 00:00:03 GMT

Saul Williams is a legend who refuses to rest on his laurels. A pioneer of the Hip hop meets spoken word movement of the 90s, he created a lane that drove poetry from the musty halls of academe into the modern era. As a recording artist, he has worked with Rick Rubin, Trent Reznor, Nas, The Fugees, Erykah Badu, KRS-One, Zack De La Rocha, De La Soul, as well as poets Allen Ginsberg and Sonia Sanchez. Perhaps his most ambitious project to date is Neptune Frost, a sci-fi Afro-Futurist musical movie written, composed and co-directed by Williams. We talk about his love of Broadway, the writing of a modern musical, African e-waste camps where our tech goes to die, hip hop’s continued relevance as mixed media, making connections between the ancient and the future and much more.

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Travis Mills & Nick Gross – Pop-Punk’s Girlfriends

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 00:00:25 GMT

Travis Mills and Nick Gross are Girlfriends. No, not like that. Like the pop punk band Girlfriends that’s dropping new singles as we speak with a full-length album out this summer. Once known by the stage name T.Mills, Travis rose to fame as a rapper collaborating with the likes of T.I., Dom Kennedy, and Ty Dolla $ign. He is also an actor and the host of the “Travis Mills Show” on Apple 1 Radio. Nick has produced songs for Ariana Grande and Wiz Khalifa while also playing drums for the band Goldfinger. He’s a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Big Noise Music Group. We talk about the resurgence of pop-punk, outlaw culture, the punk-hip hop connection, genre-free music, mental health and giving back.

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Valentina Ferrer – J. Balvin’s Better Half

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 00:00:08 GMT

Valentina Ferrer is half of a power couple with the father of her child, the Reggaeton super star J. Balvin. The Miss Universe contestant and entrepreneur grew up in modest circumstances on a mountaintop in Argentina in a large “hippie” family. Her lifestyle today as a supermodel and co-founder of Kapowder, a “superfood for superhumans,” is very different. We talk about being a businesswoman, raising a son in the age of social media, growing up a tomboy, her baby daddy J. Balvin and her love for Ed Sheeran, Beyonce and New York.

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Jefferson Osei of Daily Paper – From Blog to Global Fashion Brand

Wed, 18 May 2022 00:00:16 GMT

Daily Paper is an unlikely name for a fashion brand founded as a blog by three childhood friends from Ghana, Morocco and Somalia who met while living in Amsterdam. But there you have it. My guest today is Jefferson Osei, who along with his childhood friends Abderrahmane Trabsini and Hussein Suleiman, first started a blog – hence the name Daily Paper – that focused on their shared love for music, art, fashion, and culture. All that changed when they released a small collection of t-shirts that went viral. Today Daily Paper is a growing luxury fashion brand Inspired by African heritage –as well music, art, fashion and culture – translated toward a more western narrative. With retail stores in Amsterdam, New York and London – and fans like F1 driver Lewis Hamilton – it’s full steam ahead for this forward thinking brand.

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Sevana – Queen of Jamaican Pop

Wed, 04 May 2022 00:00:19 GMT

As a teenager, Sevana was in a girl group competing on Jamaica’s version of American Idol. She came in third, positioned to take her career to the next level. But that wasn't the path taken by my guest Sevana, at least not at first. For Sevana, the journey from reluctant pop star to a recording artist fully embracing her black female identity is a story of professional and personal maturity. With the result that we are gifted by the presence of an artist who has found her voice. And with breakout hits like “Mango” and “If You Only Knew,” she is ready, willing and able to share it with her growing global fan base. We talk about the changing face of reggae, “Euphoria” Jamaican-style, her love of Marvin Gaye, Gunna and dance hall, starting her own label and raising positive vibrations with her music.

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Ted Lidie of Alien Labs

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 00:00:31 GMT

Ted Lidie is the man behind the premier west coast cannabis brand Alien Labs. A Cannabis Culture OG, he was born into a family business of growers in Northern California and learned the ropes working his way up from local dealer to dispensary door man to dispensary manager to his exalted position today as an industry elder who was able make the business legitimate in the 21st century. We talk about his preference for black market weed, the end of cannabis culture, the definition of “good weed,” and why New York City is primed to be the biggest cannabis market.

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Whitney Beatty’s “Tea” Party

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 00:00:57 GMT

Whitney Beatty wasn’t particularly interested in the cannabis plant until a personal, transformative experience turned her around. For Whitney, it was a doctor’s suggestion that got her to pivot from entertainment industry executive to founder of Josephine and Billie’s – as in Baker and Holiday – the nation’s first black women-owned cannabis speakeasy. We talk about her transition from being a Detroit kid who said No to Drugs to an LA “Tea Pad” power player with backing from Jay-Z’s social equity fund. It wasn’t easy and she’s still putting in long hours, a rare black woman executive with a mission to help women connect with cannabis, whether by massage, talks, edibles or a good old fashioned smoke down. Her story is unique but universal, someone to watch as the cannabis world continues to unfold and expand.

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Kyle “K$ace” Nelson – Born Ready

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 00:00:13 GMT

One fateful day Kyle Nelson rolled up to a Sweet 16 party wearing a Versace suit that prompted a friend to call him KSace. It stuck and he’s been building his name one improbable success story after another. You might say he’s been lucky. At the right place at the right time, naturally swag, fluidly moving from skate punk to Teen Vogue model to TV to rapping to becoming the face of YouTube music to his position with the fashion label When Smoke Clears. Yeah, he’s been lucky. But there’s more to it than pure luck. People say that when luck strikes you've got to be ready to seize the moment. You might say Kyle Nelson aka KSace was born ready. We talk about his love of fashion, the hard work behind “being lucky” and why 50 Cents is his favorite rapper of all time.

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Alex Todd – Bling’s Cannabis Connection

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 00:56:55 GMT

When bling meets hip hop meets cannabis the business synergy can be explosive. At least that’s what Alex Todd of Saucy Farms and Extracts is counting on. Better known as a “celebrity jeweler” to clients like Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kevin Hart, he’s feeling his way into a business which is very much of a moving target as rules and regs wind their way from local to state to national approval. We talk about his pivot to cannabis and its future in New York; east coast v. west; being an indie; and why it’s so hard to make money in this rapidly growing industry.

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Curt Smith of Tears for Fears

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 01:00:00 GMT

Once upon a time the British synth-pop group Tears for Fears sold over 30 million records with anthems like “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Shout,” peaking in the late 80s before the duo of Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal decided it was time to break up the band. Reuniting in 2000, they’re back with a new album that’s energizing their passionate fan base as well as those who discovered them through samples and covers by The Weeknd, Kanye, Lorde and Nas. We talk with Curt Smith about New York back in the day, on not being a fashionable band, writing from the heart, the cult TV Show “Psych,” staying true to your roots, cannabis and California, getting sampled and dealing with Kanye.

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Brett Heyman Founder of Edie Parker

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 01:00:14 GMT

If you have a picture in mind of what a typical stoner looks like, Brett Heyman is here to prove you wrong. Married with children, she is the founder of the irreverent handbag company, Edie Parker, and its cannabis and smoking accessories brand Flower by Edie Parker. A red carpet regular who has her home featured in Architectural Digest, she's a veteran of the fashion world who has worked for Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana. While the rest of the fashion world sits on the sidelines of cannabis, Brett has made it her crusade, from both a personal as well as a social advocacy point of view. Dubbed the Coco Chanel of luxury cannabis by Forbes, she continues to literally make a statement by incorporating words like “Weed” and “Dope” into the design of her irreverent bags worn by the likes of Kacey Musgraves and other cannabis lovers attracted to her brand ethos: “For a good time, call Edie Parker.” We talk about New York as the epicenter of cannabis culture, the likes of Gucci and Chanel getting on the cannabis bandwagon, children and weed, and lighting up at the CFDA Awards.

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Trevor Andrew’s “Gucci Ghost” Story

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 01:00:42 GMT

Olympic snowboarder, musician, artmaker, streetwear designer, filmmaker, NFT creator, Trevor Andrew is perhaps best known today as the man behind the fashion brand Gucci Ghost. What started as a playful hack using bootleg Gucci fabric caught the eye of the fashion brand’s creative director Alessandro Michele who brought him on board for an official collaboration. Andrew’s amazing journey from world-class snowboarder to prolific creator includes recuperating from a terrible snowboarding accident with his then-girlfriend, now wife, the singer Santigold. She encouraged him to make music. The rest, as they say, is history. We talk about skateboarding and creativity, Gucci’s Michele and Dapper Dan, his love affair with NFTs and the ongoing influence of his mentor Jake Burton.

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Kenny Hamilton -- From Justin Bieber’s “Mentor” to Music Biz Exec

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 01:00:14 GMT

If I were to make a modern day version of the Kevin Costner-Whitney Houston movie “The Bodyguard,” it would be based on the life of Kenny Hamilton. His experience handling security for a 14-year old Justin Bieber, would give writers plenty of material to work with. In his current incarnation as managing partner at thet CSH group, Kenny focuses on artist development and music management. We talk about fan mania, what he learned from Bieber, how Jerry McGuire changed his life, cannabis and his stint with the Navy, Atlanta as a rap music breeding ground, the art of keeping safe at big festivals and the secret of his friendship with then-on-the-rise mega mogul Scooter Braun.

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JR -- Photographer, Provocateur, Change Agent

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 01:00:44 GMT

JR is the famous photographer who shoots larger than life portraits and pastes them on buildings and walls for the local residents to see and be seen. JR’s disruptive hands-on collaborations and interventions get the treatment they deserve in his new documentary, “Paper and Paste” which takes us on a journey through some of JR’s most impactful activations -- a Paris ghetto, a supermax US prison, the Mexican-American border and a favela in Rio. We talk about what inspires him, how he deals with dangerous situations, his own immigrant background, creating art around the Pyramids of Egypt and JR’s belief in the power of art to manifest change, both in the private as well as public space.

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Tammy Pettigrew -- Aka “Cannabis Cutie”

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 01:00:17 GMT

With cannabis legalization for New York a done deal, there's an ancillary economy growing around the fringes of the industry that’s rarely tabulated and has little to do with the growing, buying or selling of the plant and its CBD offshoots. Millions more go into the economy thanks to all the creative businesses and financial spinoffs cannabis generates -- consulting, publishing, the arts, legal, fashion, finance, design, influencer, media and home entertainment among others. That's where LA cannabis fixture Tammy Pettigrew comes into the picture. Better known as The Cannabis Cutie, she’s armed with an MBA and the blessings of Snoop Dogg. We talk about her mentor Snoop, cannabis and sex, the importance of authenticity in the cannabis world and why celebrity brands don’t really cut it in the quality department.

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Jim Jarmusch’s Un-Hollywood Ways

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT

While Hollywood pursues it's blockbuster driven agenda, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch continues to do it his way, most recently the zombie-com “The Dead Don’t Die.” Whether casting accomplished actors Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Johnny Depp and Adam Driver or musicians Iggy Pop, Neil Young, Joe Strummer, Tom Waits and RZA, his off-beat movies never fail to enchant and surprise. A Cannes Film Festival regular, Jarmusch’s low-budget 80s trilogy “Stranger Than Paradise,” “Down By Law” and “Mystery Train” established him as a new voice of American cinema and he’s never looked back, spinning off a growing body of idiosyncratic music and, most recently, art. We talk about his obsession with collage, Adam Driver, Neil Young, avant rock, Spike Lee and why Bill Murray gave him the keys to his car.

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Jason “Problem” Martin -- From Rapper to Rapreneur

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 00:00:54 GMT

With LA the epi-center of cannabis and hip hop, it’s not surprising to find the two worlds cohabiting in the music and mindset of Problem. Immersed in LA rap royalty that includes Wiz Khalifa, Snoop and Kendrick LaMar, the one-time party bad-boy from Compton “changed the narrative” and it shows in his dress, demeanor and desire to transcend labels, set tables, and still stay true to his community and ongoing relationship with cannabis. When he’s not dropping mixtapes like “Coffee and Kush'' and inhaling its eponymous cannabis brand, he’s building a superteam to create nothing less than a “new future.” We talk Nipsey, Kendrick, Compton and his favorite set-in-New York TV show “Billions,” its new season centered around the emerging world of finance and cannabis. We caught up with him at Chace Infinite’s Harum Coffee Shop in Leifert Park

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Madison Margolin and the Psychedelic Evolution

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Along with cannabis, psychedelics like Ayahuasca, ‘Shrooms, MDMA, LSD, Ketamine and other mind altering substances are resurgent, finding their place as part of the plant-based health and wellness movement. Spurred on by medical studies and the support of the psychiatric community in search of answers to PTSD, depression and a growing list of mental problems, the movement to legalize these previously outlawed psychedelics is rapidly advancing what many have suspected all along: that far from being the killer portrayed in the war on drugs, what we today call plant based medicine, is actually good for you. As a journalist and cofounder of Double Blind Magazine, Madison Margolin is a leading figure in the 21st century movement to benefit from these plants and their off-shoots. We talk about psychedelics, spirituality and religion, Ayahuasca’s potential for world peace, microdosing and the legacy of 60s LSD evangelist Timothy Leary.

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Fab 5 Fred Brathwaite & Bernard Noble — Team Up for Prison Reform

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:00:57 GMT

Can you imagine how it must feel to be serving a 13 year prison sentence for possession of two joints in the midst of a gold rush in the growing, selling, and marketing of weed. Well, Bernard Noble can. He was that guy, but now he’s in the cannabiz thanks to the efforts of, among others, filmmaker and hip hop legend Fab 5 Fred Brathwaite. How Bernard got released and went into business with Brathwaite on BNoble prerolls is both a cautionary tale and an inspiring rare example of justice served better late than never. Both blessed with gifts of gab, their story is recounted here in vivid detail that will make you both jump for joy and gasp in alarm.

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Cheryl Dunn -- Dash Snow Doc Director

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT

One art world Insider called him “the most charismatic artist since Jean Michel-Basquiat.” Like the great Basquiat, Dash Snow was a graffiti writer who showed in galleries, was dismissed as a lightweight clown, became an international art star and died a drug-related death in his 20's. There's more, much more to the story of Dash Snow, an heir to a fortune who immersed himself in New York’s art world demimonde of the early 2000's. Now, Cheryl Dunn's long-in-the-making documentary begun with Snow's cooperation, “Moments Like This Never Last,” is out and destined to add to the legend of this self-destructive bad-boy artist. I talk to the director about what drew her to Snow, his impact on the art world, how the legend grew and its impact on the world.

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Light Culture Classic - RIP Frenchy Cannoli

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:17 GMT

Frenchy Cannoli’s legendary life came to an end on July 18th. Recognized world-wide as an evangelist for Hashish, he was also a throwback to another era when adventurers trekked the Himalayas in search of ancient wisdom. Having him on my podcast was one of my career highlights. We honor his life as we rerun this classic Light Culture podcast from January, 2020. RIP Frenchy Cannoli.

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Light Culture Classic - RIP Ricky Powell

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 00:00:08 GMT

Ricky Powell was a living legend who died earlier this year. A photographer who documented popular culture including hip hop, graffiti and pop art, he toured with the Beastie Boys and took some of the most iconic photos of that era. He was also very funny as you will hear in this rerun of one of my all time classic Light Culture podcast episodes from 2019. RIP Ricky Powell.

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Jeremy Elkin – When Hip Hop Met Skate

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 00:00:24 GMT

Jeremy Elkin’s documentary “All the Streets Are Silent” tells the story of New York in the 90s, a decade in downtown history when hip hop met skate and set off a combustion of energy that catapaulted a youth culture to stardom and mainstream appeal. We talk about Elkin prepping at Vanity Fair; finding vintage vids of Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Method Man; Eli Gesner’s legendary Zoo York “Mixtape”; the influence of Larry Clark’s “Kids” on the scene, and much more.

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Leo Fitzpatrick – Still In It For The Kids

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT

From his unlikely casting in Larry Clark’s movie “Kids” at 16 to his cult status as an actor and consummate art world outsider, Leo Fitzpatrick’s don’t-give-a-shit ethos has worked, landing him a role in the Wire and a co-director gig at the blue-chip Marlborough Gallery. Though he recently shut his St. Mark’s Pl. gallery, his commitment to youth-driven culture continues unabated. We talk about New York’s mean streets and the tragic loss of his friend, artist Dash Snow, his reverence for Larry Clark, the “Beautiful Losers” generation, and being the father of a five-year-old boy.

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Verena von Pfetten – She Also Smokes Weed

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 00:00:01 GMT

What would make an editor/writer with a Conde Nast and Huffington Post pedigree chuck it all to start a cannbis-centric lifestyle magazine? As the co-founder of Gossamer, von Pfetten has channeled her love for travel, design, art, culture et al into a print venture that looks to update the stoner aesthetic for the 21st Century. We talk with the Vancouver born von Pfetten about her pride for BC Bud, her love-hate relationship with “wellness,” women in weed and why she thinks we make fun of Gweneth Paltrow and Goop.

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Jason DeLand – The Anomaly Behind Dosist

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:00:26 GMT

Jason DeLand has been selected to both Adweek's list of “20 Most Influential People Under 40” as well as High Times “Top 100 Most Influential People in Cannabis.” As the founder of the ad agency Anomaly and the popular Dosist e-pen, he’s a defacto futurist who looks into his crystal ball to talk about the coming world of cannabis in New York, building brands in today’s changing world, CBD, sleep and his personal journey and the scientific learning that came with it.

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Cole Cuchna Dissects Kanye West

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 00:00:32 GMT

On the popular serialized music podcast Dissect, Cole Cuchna geeks out on iconic hip-hop albums, focusing on one song per episode. This time it’s a deep dive into Kanye West’s 2013 album Yeezus, looking at the life, times and music of this iconoclastic shape-shifter. We talk about Kanye in terms of Dylan, Stravinsky, Wagner, Nipsey Hussle and Kendrick Lamar. We also learn the fascinating backstory that birthed the Dissect podcast.

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Eunice Chang -- Skating’s Funny Girl

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT

In her popular YouTube and Instagram videos, Eunice Chang’s found a lane that allows her to be serious and lighthearted about her greatest passion -- skateboarding. Her infectious personality shines through with her version of the skatepark community’s fun-filled antics. We talk about her love of the Jackass movies, defying Asian-American stereotypes, social media’s impact on the sport’s fanbase, and why she wants to move to New York City.

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Shaun Ross -- Model, Activist, Pop Star

Wed, 19 May 2021 00:00:30 GMT

Shaun Ross has a great story to tell. Born black, gay and albino, he defied the odds and became a super model. Featured in Vogue, GQ and Paper, he walked the runway for Givenchy and Alexander McQueen and appeared in videos with Beyonce, Lana Del Ray and Katy Perry. Today he’s focused on a music career and his recently released album Shift show he’s got what it takes. We talk about the inequities of the fashion world, making a difference with music, fitting in, his love of voguing and his dream audience for a life performance.

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Chace Infinite -- Cultural Hustler

Wed, 05 May 2021 00:00:07 GMT

Over a long career, he's been an L.A. rapper, worked with A$AP Rocky and currently manages the Buffalo-based rap collective Griselda, which includes Westside Gunn and Benny the Butcher. We talk with the founder of Agency 78 and L.A.'s Harun Coffee about making emotional connections, Kendrick, Drake and J. Cole as conscious rappers, hustling weed and what he learned running a streetwear brand/hangout on New York’s Lower East Side.

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Rob Kenner – On the Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:54 GMT

When the author of the best-selling The Marathon Don’t Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle began work on his biography little did he know that LA’s iconic rapper, entrepreneur and social activist would be shot and killed on his beloved streets of Crenshaw. We talk about what made Nipsey special, how he worked to transcend and build on his street life and whether we’ll ever know the truth behind the murder of this man who made a difference.

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Viktoria Modesta – From Fetishist to Futurist

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 00:00:20 GMT

Called the world’s first bionic pop artists, Viktoria Modesta lives at the intersection of science, technology and the arts, She’s also performed at the Paralympics and been a fellow at the MIT Media Lab. I speak to the one-time fetish nightlife queen about her years at London’s Torture Garden, post-disability sensitivity, Artificial Intelligence, selling a video as an NFT and her friendship with Nadya of Pussy Riot fame.

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Adrian Younge’s Retro Futurism

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 00:00:30 GMT

The soundtrack of Adrian Younge’s mind includes Ennio Morricone, blaxploitation movies, Jay Z, Kendrick and Wu Tang recorded in his studio on analog where he plays all the instruments. Also a filmmaker, it all comes together in The American Negro, the multi-media project he describes as James Baldwin hooked up with Marvin Gaye produced by David Axelrod. We discuss the aforementioned, the sorry state of pop and why he thinks the past is a blast.

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Al Baseer Holly – From Hip Hop to Hip Art

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 07:30:00 GMT

Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, The Fugees, Pharrell all wanted a piece of Philly’s Most Wanted, but then the dream fell apart, forcing Al Baseer Holly to go back to the beginning, finding comfort and success in his first love, painting. We talk about the early days, what went wrong, how he’d do it different and why painting Rita Ora’s Birkin Bag changed everything.

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Lila Iké -- Reggae’s New Sound and Star

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 00:00:14 GMT

Lila Iké rocks to her own melody, a fusion of contemporary reggae with elements of soul, hip hop, and dance hall. We talk about her producer/mentor Protoje, the enduring legacy of Lauryn Hill and how she and fellow women recording artists like Koffee, Sevana and Jaz Elise are changing the game.

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Josh Madden

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 00:00:22 GMT

Josh Madden has an outsized role at MDDN, a management and production company founded by his brothers, Benji and Joel Madden. Living at the intersection of art, music, and fashion, he launched Nylon Men's Magazine and is a creative director of streetwear brands X-girl and X-Large. We take the cultural temperature and talk about growing up in Maryland, when he knew his twin brothers were superstars, why print magazines matter and the eternal appeal of Michael Stipe.

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Kennedi Carter -- Photography’s Phenomenal Phenom

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 01:00:57 GMT

It's extremely rare for a 21 year-old of any race or gender to shoot the cover of a fashion magazine such as British Vogue, especially when it’s Beyonce on the other side of the lens. Carter still doesn’t quite know how she came to be one of our era’s most sought-after photographers, but we kick some theories around. We talk about her love of the south, black cowboys, personal v commercial work and, of course, The Queen Beyonce.

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Jason Calacanis -- On Poker and the Art of Angel Investing

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 01:05:21 GMT

Jason Calacanis likes to play high stakes Poker and bet on tech startups like Uber when it was little more than a penny stock. Perhaps best known for Launch, a meetup and schmoozefest for aspiring entrepreneurs, he also hosts the podcast This Week In Startups, is a regular on Squawk Box, an intimate of tech moguls, an adversary of Mark Zuckerberg, and an all-around gadfly.

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Tengku Jamidah– Her Highness

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 01:00:58 GMT

Of Malaysian royal birth and a celebrated fashion entrepreneur back home, Tengku Jamidah decided to ditch it all and move to America where she has emerged as a cannabis activist advocating for its use in wellness and spiritual growth. We talk about her youth in a country where possession of cannabis can lead to a death sentence, its long history in Asian religion and medicine and how she went from a non-smoker to where she is today.

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Shawn Gold– On Cannabis and Creativity

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 01:00:20 GMT

Marketing maven Shawn Gold has launched Pilgrim Soul, a company engineered to optimize human performance around cannabis and creative thinking. We talk about a workbook he published and the special cannabis blend he created to facilitate the process, the financial challenges of being ahead of the curve, psychedelics in the tech world, getting high with the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, what he thinks of Snoop Dogg’s weed and why you shouldn't email your boss when you’re stoned.

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June Ambrose -- Hip Hop’s Fashion Futurist

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 01:00:30 GMT

Caribbean born, Bronx raised, Ambrose is responsible for some of hip hop's most iconic images: Jay-Z, Missy Elliott and Nas have all benefited from her creativity. Newly appointed creative director of Puma, she has a slew of “projects'' in the works and her first collection coming this fall. We speculate about the future of athleisure post Corona, laugh at her brief stint in finance, and ponder the meaning of Jay-Z’s suit v. Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie.

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Jonnyshipes -- Cinematic Music Founder on the Art of the Hustle and Grind

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 01:00:46 GMT

Music comes first for this visionary entrepreneur. Even if it means taking risks with artists like Joey Badass, Nipsey Hussle and Yungeen Ace. Graduating from the school of hard knocks, Shipes has parlayed his street cred into a growing empire of media plays, including his new cannabis venture The Smoker's Club. We talk about the role of luck, instinct and basketball in the making of a modern day mogul.

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Sarah Andelman -- Collete Curator’s New Idea

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 01:00:15 GMT

Designers, artists, rappers, models and stylists galore traipsed in and out of Colette, the legendary Parisian concept store founded by Sara Andelman. Whether to see the latest exhibit at the gallery or explore the boutique café, Water Bar, or just people watch and make the scene, there was something for you, from watches and phones to sneakers and couture fashion. We talk about Paris then and now, Karl Lagerfeld’s shopping habits, a recent Kenyan safari, why she closed Colette and her new consultancy, Just An Idea.

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Lee Quinones -- Street Art’s Reigning OG

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 01:00:00 GMT

Just a kid, he was already celebrated for his subway artistry and for being the city’s most wanted vandal. Recognized as a grand master of the spray can, Lee talks about surviving on the Lower East Side, riding the graffiti wave to pop culture history as the star of the iconic movie Wild Style and emerging as an artist with work in major museums and private collections.

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Denisse Ariana Peréz–Have Camera, Will Travel

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 01:00:02 GMT

Denisse Ariana Peréz is an artist for our times. Her photographs feature a beautiful range of portraits and still lifes that have themes of earth, water, love, family, and relationships. Both personal and universal, Peréz’s work defies and defines our existential moment. Join us for a glimpse into her process and inspirations.

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Vikram Gandhi -- Understanding Tekashi69

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 01:00:58 GMT

69 is a phenomena well worth understanding. Gandhi, the director of the new documentary, “69: The Saga of Danny Fernandez,” tells us what he’s learned about the rise and fall of the controversial Bushwick rapper who rode social media and criminal behavior to fame and fortune, only to lose his friends, family and wind up in prison. The film’s director talks about Bushwick, pop, politics and the attention economy; the dangers and seduction of fame; and how his years at Vice News prepared him for his career.

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Xeni Jardin on Jeffrey Epstein, Cancer and Cannabis

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 01:00:41 GMT

Xeni Jardin is a one-time straight edge who discovered cannabis after being diagnosed with cancer. A digital media commentator, tech culture journalist and co-editor and contributor to the website Boing Boing, she is also at the forefront of investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted pedophile who wooed world leaders to his dirty den and died in prison under suspicious circumstances. We talk to the former National Public Radio, Wired magazine and Wired News contributor about Epstein, cannabis and cancer and the New York tech scene of the 90s.

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Kenny Scharf, Artist

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 01:00:07 GMT

In a career that spans 40 years, Kenny Scharf has gone from wunderkind pal of Haring and Basquiat to art world drop out to OG working in a reconstituted LA studio making one masterpiece after another. We talk about finding inspiration in head shops. Performing with Ann Magnuson and Club 57. His psychedelic Cosmic Cavern. Recycling for arts sake. Hanging with Warhol. Miami when it reminded him of the East Village. And much, much more so listen up.

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Nora Vasconcellos -- Skateboarding’s Reggie Rocket

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 01:00:14 GMT

Not only a champion athlete, she’s also a reluctant role model for young women who have to fight their way into the skate park. The first ever female rider of Adidas skateboarding speaks out on a variety of subjects: fashion, overcoming personality disorders, skate moms, misogyny, racism and why she stopped competing when it was no longer fun.

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B Real's Green Thumb

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 01:00:15 GMT

As part of Burb’s #LightUpTheHolidays campaign, we’re giving you four weeks of Light Culture re-releases with guests who know how to Light It Up.

First up is BReal, the aptly named Cypress Hill band member and cannabis entrepreneur.

B Real has been shaking the foundation of contemporary culture since he started out with Cypress Hill some 30 years ago. A cannabis entrepreneur and content creating machine, we speak about the Cali-NYC connection, touring and smoking onstage back in the day and how Ramellzee and the Beastie Boys influenced his style.

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Doggface208 -- A Feel Good Story

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 01:00:59 GMT

Sometimes good things happen to good people. When a modest family man and cannabis movement advocate goes from zero to hero, the world takes a victory lap and toasts his success. Doggface’s TikTok video riding longboard to Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams while drinking Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice went viral and his life turned upside down. Even with new found friends like Snoop Dogg, Berner and Wiz Khalifa, his priorities to family and community remain the same.

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Lady Bunny -- From RuPaul’s Roommate to Drag Legend

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 01:00:40 GMT

Along with bandmate RuPaul, Lady Bunny found a home at the Pyramid Club and went on to change cultural history. She can barrage us with off-color jokes, get us dancing to an eclectic mix of music to die for, provoke us with her political punditry and entertain us in everything from movies to TV shows. Bunny defends the white male, takes pokes at Biden-Harris-RuPaul and talks about the history of drag and why gays may not like it.

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Janette Beckman -- From Punk to Dior

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 01:39:35 GMT

Janette Beckman is a British-born photographer who has made a career following her musical tastes and cultural preferences. From her punk days in London shooting the likes of Pete Townsend, The Police, Sex Pistols, The Clash and Boy George to New York City in the 80s capturing a teenage LL Cool J or Salt-N-Pepa decked out by Dapper Dan. Today she shoots campaigns for Dior and Levis and documents demonstrations for social justice.

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Straight out of Lagos -- Olaolu Slawn and the Motherlan Skate Collective

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 01:00:12 GMT

Hypebeast favorite, Motherlan makes waves with their clothing brand, championing DIY skate culture and pushing positive politics. We talk to Olaolu Slawn and his crew about “crazy concept of America”, Lagos skate scene, cults, blood rituals and Fela Kuti.

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Micaiah Carter -- And The New Black Renaissance

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 01:00:58 GMT

Only 25 years old, he’s a highly sought after photographer who gets prime assignments shooting Selena Gomez, Sia and Naomi Osaka for top fashion magazines. We talked about his shoots with the stars and what it’s like being in the spotlight as a young, black creative.

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April Walker -- The Chanel of Streetwear

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 00:00:31 GMT

We talk about how she was there with Biggie Smalls, making the scene when Brooklyn was a scary place. And how after her super successful Walker Wear line launched, she became the rap world’s go-to stylist. Years later, still on her game, Walker has emerged as an elder stateswoman to a new generation as designer, mentor, life coach, consultant and all around inspiration.

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Roger Gastman -- Graffiti and Street Art Entrepreneur

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 00:00:32 GMT

One of the world's foremost authorities on all things graffiti and street art talks about how he’s carved his own lane, museums’ reluctance to get on board the movement and where it’s going next.

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Glen “F*ck You Heroes” Friedman

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 00:00:51 GMT

The uncompromising photographer of seminal skate, punk and hip hop scenes connects the dots from Cali’s Z Boys to Black Flag, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes.

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Marcus Samuelsson Stirs the Pot

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 00:01:00 GMT

Top Chef Master, James Beard Award winner and Chopped judge, Samuelsson’s cooked for the Obamas and become the face of a global American cuisine, championing diversity in food and society. We talk about Anthony Bourdain’s vulnerability, fine dining v. street food, Covid’s impact on the eating experience, and how Prince and Bowie inspire him.

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Jerome Lamaar’s Beyond Beyonce Moment

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 00:00:16 GMT

He’s a self-described polymath, creative strategist, futurist, and costume designer. The media likes to call this iconoclastic outsider from the Bronx Beyonce's designer because of the dress he created for Beyonce's Black Is King movie.

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Legs McNeil -- Still Punk After All These Years

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 00:00:38 GMT

He literally wrote the book on Sex, Drugs and Rock n’ Roll and called it “Please Kill Me, an Oral History of Of Punk Rock.” We talk about why the Ramones hated the Sex Pistols, New York then and now, founding Punk magazine, Lenny Bruce, porn star Ron Jeremy, Charlie Manson and pop culture, good and bad.

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Carter Cruise – Bad Girl Gone Good, Kinda

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 13:38:09 GMT

From porn star to DJ, recording artist and beyond, Carter Cruise has a plan she keeps in her wallet. To follow her on IG, you have to at least agree that Black Lives Matter and sex workers shouldn’t be stigmatized.

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How Did Hip Hop Find a Home in Fashion?

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 00:01:00 GMT

Oh, the stories they tell: Special Zoom Saloon with Fred “Fab 5 Freddy” Brathwaite, Zoo York’s Eli Morgan Gesner, “The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion” Producer/director Lisa Cortes and surprise guest April Walker.

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Nora Vasconcellos -- Skateboarding’s Reggie Rocket

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 00:01:00 GMT

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Alex Winter’s Excellent Adventures

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 00:01:00 GMT

“Bill and Ted” movies star Alex Winter also directs ambitious documentaries like “Showbiz Kids” currently on Netflix. We talk about his pal Keanu Reeves, the new “Bill and Ted Face the Music” and why this series has become so iconic.

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Steven Smith -- Kanye’s Design Director

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 00:01:00 GMT

Sneaker guru Smith is responsible for the iconic Reebok InstaPump, Nike Air Zoom Spiridon Caged 2 Retro Fury and, of course, the wildly popular Yeezys. The Godfather of the Dad shoe tells us why working with Kanye West is the best job he ever had.

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Lisa Cortes and Farah X on “Hip Hop x Fashion”

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 00:01:00 GMT

In this Netflix documentary, the co-directors explore the untold, behind-the-scenes stories of the women rappers (L’il Kim, Mary J Blige et al) and designers (Kara Walker, Misa Hylton, Dapper Dan) who helped make luxury fashion synonymous with hip hop.

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Briana King–Model/Skateboarder/Teacher

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 00:01:00 GMT

Briana King’s mission is to change skateboard culture by teaching girls and her “queer homies” how to shred. We talk about why she does it, how she got here, and how it made her into a better model.

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Eli Morgan-Gesner’s Zoo York Chronicles

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 12:49:01 GMT

Zoo York was the east coast skateboard company in the early 90s, co-founded by my guest Eli Morgan Gesner. A new documentary All the Streets Are Silent, which Eli narrates, tells the story about how a reluctant businessman helped hip hop and skateboarding cross over to birth the streetwear industry. Listen to learn more about NYC youth culture, Graffiti, Hip-Hop, Zoo York, Supreme, the movie Kids, and Ashton Kutcher.

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Skateboarder Boo Johnson Just Likes to Have Fun

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 00:01:09 GMT

Just Have Fun, the name of Boo Johnson’s skatewear company, is also a mantra he lives by. Despite personal and global tragedies, his optimistic personality and outlook on life persist. Staying true to himself has made him one of the most inspirational figures in the culture today.

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John Terzian And L.A’s Nightlife Reboot

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 00:01:44 GMT

Delve into the mind of L.A.'s #1 nightlife entrepreneur as he shuffles his deck of blue chip club, bars and restaurants in the wake of the global reset. After transforming LA at night, friend-of-celebrities John Terzian has to do it all over again. What has the co-founder of Mr. NiceGuy, Bootsy Bellows, SHOREbar, Blind Dragon et al. learned from the pandemic. And what's the next move for his hospitality/media upstart The H.wood Group.

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Bevy Smith’s Bevelations Revealed

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 00:01:16 GMT

Bevy Smith’s new memoir tells a hilarious and inspirational story of walking away from a lucrative career in fashion to reinvent herself as the woman and media personality she is today. We talk about Cardi B being cancelled, Anna Wintour’s late-to-the-game wokeness, Kim Kardashian’s butt and as well as more serious subjects like Covid and BLM. Bevy was a regular on the camp classic Bravo's “Fashion Queens” and is a frequent guest on shows like The View and Good Morning America. She is also the host of Sirius XM’s Bevelations.

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Kevin Powell Brings It

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 00:01:51 GMT

Author, activist and MTV Real World vet, Kevin Powell’s latest book is a collection of essays about race, family, justice, sexism, Oprah Winfrey, Tupac and Russell Simmons. He’s run for political office in Brooklyn and is a frequent commentator on race and politics. Powell describes himself as a very imperfect, fragile person.

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Kevin Leong’s Creative Complex

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 00:01:43 GMT

As Creative Director of 300 Entertainment, Kevin Leong does the visual branding for Young Thug, Megan Thee Stallion, Gunna and many others. With a background in graffiti and streetwear, he served time at Phat Fashions, rebranded L’il Wayne’s Trukfit, worked with skate legend Stevie Williams and picked up a shit-load of collectibles along the way. Let’s find out how a kid from Brooklyn does it all.

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Chef Matty Matheson’s Cooking with Fire

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 00:01:18 GMT

Certified wild man, chef, TV personality, podcaster and youtuber takes off his apron to talk about the world outside his window.

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Adam22’s NoJumper Remix

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 01:01:15 GMT

The wildly popular “No Jumper” podcaster reflects on life after Covid and the Black Lives Matter Uprising. Adam22 is a lifelong hip hop fanatic and social media personality living in LA and expecting a baby with cam girl @Lenatheplug.

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TJ Mizell -- Jam Master Jay’s Legacy Lives On

Wed, 27 May 2020 00:01:39 GMT

As ASAP Ferg's DJ, the son of Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC has become one of the most innovative DJ’s working today. TJ Mizell is a new generation turntablist who knows how to mix it up -- from rap to rock n’ roll and EDM.

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Angelo Baque’s Creative Direction

Wed, 20 May 2020 00:00:24 GMT

As Brand Director for Supreme, Angelo Baque worked behind-the-scenes with founder James Jebbia to create visuals that defined the brand’s identity as it grew into a brand valued at $1 billion. We talk about culture, politics, hip hop, weed, giving back, Virgil Abloh and why he went off on his own to start Awake NY and Baque Creative.

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Aaron Levant’s Secret Sauce

Wed, 13 May 2020 00:00:05 GMT

What did Jimmy Iovine, Drake, LeBron and others see in Aaron Levant that made them invest in his new startup NTWRK? Find out for yourself as we talk to the founder of Agenda, ComplexCon and Hall of Flowers.

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Rose McGowan Spaces Out

Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:40 GMT

Activist, author, actor and now recording artist Rose McGowan has an album out called Planet 9. But whatever she’s doing, Rose is Rose by any other name. We talk about astral projection, Marilyn Manson, being brave and life after Weinstein.

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Better Call @wiresonly

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Where do Floyd Mayweather, Jamie Foxx, French Montana, Future, L’il Pump and other elites of the Hollywood-Hip Hop crossover culture go when they want to blow a bundle on a Lambo, Ferrari or customized Rolls. Meet RD Whittington aka @wiresonly and discover the secret sauce to making million dollar deals with the world’s most selective clientele.

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@NewYorkNico’s Street Smarts

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 00:00:52 GMT

NewYorkNico’s #newyorkaccent challenge went viral on Instagram providing much needed comic relief for beleaguered New Yorkers living in the Covid virus epicenter. In love with New York street “characters” like Larry the Birdman, Tiger Hood, Vinny Peanuts, Mo the Butcher, Charlie Da Wolf and others, he’s become one himself. We “tawk” to Nicolas Heller about how he arrived at his persona, his favorite New York movies, and why he thinks New York City will endure and thrive post-Corona.

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Michael Alago Tells All

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 01:00:13 GMT

He’s a gay Puerto Rican AIDS survivor and recovering alcoholic who signed Metallica and White Zombie. Huh? Not what you might expect, but Michael Alago has been exceeding expectations since he was an underage kid sneaking into Max’s Kansas City. We talk about how he got into the music biz and partied with everyone from Patti Smith to Cindy Lauper, John Lydon and Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys.

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B Real’s Green Thumb

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

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Alchemist’s Kitchen’s Lou Sagar

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Health and wellness in the age of the Corona Virus brings herbs, botanicals, mushrooms and cannabis front-and-center. Lou Sagar is the activist CEO of Alchemist Kitchen and Evolver, two mainstains of alternative medicine practice. He breaks it down for us.

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Underground Icon Carlo McCormick

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

The enfant-terrible of New York’s legendary 80s downtown scene is now all grown up. Though the former Paper magazine Senior Editor and High Times columnist is still a bit of a contrarian, his advocacy of an alternative art history with graffiti, street, psychedelic and outsider art at its center is now widely accepted as visionary.

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CannaCuisne’s Miguel Trinidad and Doug Cohen

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

He’s best known for putting Fillipino cooking on the map, but Miguel Trinidad’s cannabis cuisine side hustle is equally groundbreaking. A foodie’s delight, Trinidad’s 5-course cannabis infused meal is an elegant dining experience known as the 99th Floor, an experience guaranteed to stimulate you in both body and mind. I speak with Miguel and his business partner Doug Cohen.

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Team Human’s Douglas Rushkoff

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

“I got exposed to digital at the same time I was exposed to fantasy role playing games and psychedelics and rave culture.” So says media critic Douglas Rushkoff of Team Human, a podcast and book that make a case for a culture that honors human beings. No brainer? Not really. Here’s why.

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Broccoli magazine founder Anja Charbonneau

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 02:00:00 GMT

Cannabis is the new vertical of cultural production, much of it created by and for women. Among them Anya Charbonneau’s Broccoli magazine. We talk about her female-centric enterprise, why print is still a viable medium, identity v. lifestyle, where to buy a cannabis bouquet, psychedelic art, and the secret history of woman in cannabis.

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Futura’s Next Act

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 02:00:00 GMT

Navy veteran. Original Fun Gallery graffiti artist. Toured with the Clash. Buddy of Virgil Abloh. Collabed with Gortex and Commes des Garcons. Designed the livery of the new BMW M2. And there’s much, more learned about the multi-faceted international art star Lenny “Futura” McGurr.

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Dr. Peter Grinspoon’s Long, Strange Trip

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 02:00:00 GMT

Dr. Peter Grinspoon got strung out on opiates, lost his license, recovered, wrote a book and returned to Harvard Medical School where he’s become one of the most important voices speaking out on cannabis, health and wellness.

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Cannabis+Sex=Cannasexual Ashley Manta

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 02:00:00 GMT

Ashley Manta has made integrating cannabis into our sex life the focus of her work. Whether you’re feeling Valentine’s Day or not, it behooves you to listen and learn from someone schooled in the art of love and found that in the right place at the right time cannabis and CBD can provide the spark you’ve been looking for.

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Swoon on Art, Life and Psychedelics

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 02:00:00 GMT

Working with psychedelics under the care of a psychiatrist has helped the artist known as Swoon address her personal trauma and expand her creative potential. Swoon exploded onto the street art scene with wall pieces beloved by her peers as well as the random passersby lucky enough to encounter them. Now an art world force with museum shows and exhibitions, the personal has become political and social with the environment, earthquake disaster relief in Haiti and opioid addiction among her preoccupations.

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Hash Master Frenchy Cannoli

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 02:00:00 GMT

We travel back in time with Frenchy Cannoli whose mission is to spread the word about the Lost Art of the Hashishin. Having learned how to make hash from the ancient masters of Asia and the Middle East, he now lives among the beleaguered growers of California’s Emerald Triangle as Big Agra threatens their legacy, livelihood and way of life.

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Xeni Jardin on Jeffrey Epstein, Cancer and Cannabis

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 02:00:00 GMT

Xeni Jardin is a one-time straight edge who discovered cannabis after being diagnosed with cancer. A digital media commentator, tech culture journalist and co-editor and contributor to the website Boing Boing, she is also at the forefront of investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, the pedophile who famously funded dubious scientific research and died in prison under suspicious circumstances. We talk to the former National Public Radio, Wired magazine and Wired News contributor about Epstein, cannabis and cancer and the New York tech scene of the 90s.

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Kenny Scharf, Artist

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 05:01:00 GMT

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Chelsea Leyland, DJ and CBD Activist

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 05:01:00 GMT

Chelsea Leyland is one of the bravest people I know. At one time the fashion world’s favorite DJ, Leyland shifted focus after discovering that CBD could free her from the anti-convulsant drugs that as an epileptic she had been taking for most of her life. Today she’s a CBD activist, telling her story and working to educate the world about the help that’s available to the many millions of people afflicted with this condition, if only the government and medical profession got on board.

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Cannabis Greatest Hits 2019

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 08:01:45 GMT

David Hershkovits reviews the year with special guest DJ Kibbitzer. What he really thinks about the year in pot from Fab 5 Freddie to Ricky Powell, Danny Fields, AJ Sour Diesel and beyond.

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Psychonaut Daniel Pinchbeck

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 05:01:00 GMT

Sting, Russell Brand and Ellen Page would all agree that Daniel Pinchbeck is one of the most important voices in the new psychedelic revolution. His latest book When Plants Dream -- Ayahuasca, Amazonian Shamanism and The Global Psychedelic Renaissance couldn’t be more timely. Whether it’s microdosing or purging your guts out under the influence, Pinchbeck finds hope that the psychedelic experience will be more than a self-help product in the wellness toolbox. For him, it is the key to saving the world from its own destructiveness.

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Isaac Mizrahi’s Wicked Ways

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 08:01:06 GMT

Award-winning fashion designer, TV talk show host, Project Runway judge, singer, costume designer, author. Whatever, it all adds up to Isaac Mizrahi. We talk about the good old days when Madonna, Robert DeNiro et al would come to his shows and Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui made their marks. Why he likes Xanax and thinks department stores going out of business is a good thing. Don’t expect the expected. It’s Isaac Mizrahi.

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High Society Poster Boy Peter Davis

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 08:01:15 GMT

Peter Davis grew up with the Trumps and other prominent New York families, but he’s always been an individualist. From his days as a punked out, green-haired skateboarder, he’s had a rebellious streak that crossed over into the wild world of downtown New York where he snuck into clubs, smoked weed and connected with a new reality. We talk about what it’s like being editor-in-chief of L’Officiel USA, his oddball collections, his views on fashion and weed, the luxe cannabis market and how he’d brand a company targeting elite spenders.

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April Pride on Women & Cannabis

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 05:01:42 GMT

April Pride is an emerging star of the new cannabis culture. We talk with her about the intersection of cannabis and sex, how the new cannabis magazines targeting women get it right, post-partum pot and the many other ways that women can potentially benefit from normalization.

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SHERBINSKIS’ Sweet Game

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 05:01:39 GMT

In the world of Cannabis, no brand stands out like SHERBINSKIS. It's been called the Supreme of cannabis. As well as the Louis Vuitton of cannabis. SHERBINSKIS, aka Mario Guzman, spans the high and the low, his foot in the door to become the breakout brand of the cannabis revolution. His widely loved Sunset Sherbet, Gelato, and Mochi strains have been name-checked in hundreds of rap songs.

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Cannabis Crusader Keith Stroup

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 05:01:00 GMT

Keith Stroup has been fighting for marijuana reform for almost 50 years. As a founder of NORML he’s not quite ready to take a victory lap, but he’s gratified to see the fruits of his labor. We talk cannabis then and now and follow the story from the War on Drugs to Jimmy Carter permissiveness to Reagan's Just Say No to impending legalization.

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How to Be a Cannabis CMO"

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 07:00:47 GMT

Can a marketing whiz who’s worked for halo brands like Nike and Beats By Dre make it in the Cannabiz? Can what he learned there be applied to the wild west of cannabis where the playing field is uneven and different rules apply. As CMO of Cura Cannabis Jason White is ready for the challenge. We find out how China changed him, how marketing to women and seniors is all the rage and what it's going to take to establish a brand in an industry on the brink of national legalization.

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Joe “AJ Sour Diesel” Murray Comes Out

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 07:15:02 GMT

He’s quick to give credit to others, but when it comes to his role in introducing "kind weed" into the marketplace Joe Murray aka AJ Sour Diesel, is second to none. A contemporary of Chem Dog, Weasel and The Albany Gang, he was one of those kids in the 90s, barely out of high school on a mission to find the best weed in the city. Dead Heads and Wetlands, a downtown club where jam bands played and the best weed was brought to market, figures in this story as does genetics, seeds and the persistent search for the best weed that money can buy. Under the radar for years, AJ wants to keep the record straight on cannabis culture and how we got here.

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Steve Olson, Skateboarding Hall of Famer

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 07:30:41 GMT

Steve Olson is still skating after all these years. Jock, artist, raconteur, world traveler, Skateboard Hall of Famer, Olsen has many hats to wear and stories to tell. The dad of Nike skateboarder Alex, he can bask in his son’s achievement and his own legacy in a sport that’s going to the Olympics for the first time in 2020. We talk about the history of skateboarding, how he survived its ups and downs, his emergence as an artist as well as his little known attempt to make it in the financial world selling futures.

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Celebstoner Steve Bloom

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 07:30:31 GMT

Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Woody Harrerlson, Willie Nelson are just some of the famous stoners Steve Bloom has smoked with. As High Times editor and founder of Celebstoner.com, he’s chronicled the overlapping worlds of cannabis and entertainment. Celebs were once reluctant to be photographed holding weed, but they all jumped on the proverbial band wagon once Cypress Hill kicked it off as the first major act to appear on the cover of High Times. Bloom remains active on the scene, still writing about music, following his favorite jam band, still recognized as the High Times guy happy to share his favorite strains with the band.

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Lizzie Post’s Guide to Canna-Etiquette

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 07:05:01 GMT

A daily smoker and the great great grandaughter of the etiquette guru Emily Post, Lizzie Post is the perfect person to write a book for our cannabis culture today. “Higher Etiquette" looks at the changing world created by the growing acceptance of the plant as part of daily life. We discuss the etiquette of entertaining at home when some guests smoke and others don’t. How do you handle a pushy person who calls you out for smoking pot. Should your medical marijuana needs be kept to yourself? What about play dates and parents who disapprove of your smoking? And what would Larry David do at a pot party?

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Stand-Up Photographer Rickey “The Rickster” Powell

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 07:05:05 GMT

Ricky Powell has had a checkered career running the gamut from pot delivery boy to froze aid vendor to access cable celebrity but most of all for being one of the coolest street photographers on the planet. As a stand-up comedian/photographer, he leaves audiences in stitches with the comments he makes about Run-DMC and other greats he shot and befriended. Here he talks about selling weed to Method Man, appearing in the Beastie "You’ve Got to Fight for Your Right to Party” video and what it means to be a Lazy Hustler.

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Supreme (Cannabis) Leader John Fowler

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 07:00:35 GMT

When the time came to extending his cannabis company outside the U.S., why did Wiz Khalifa choose to work with Canada’s Supreme Cannabis? Meet John Fowler and you’ll understand. From getting the door slammed in his face when he was looking for financing a few years ago to his status today as a go to expert on all things cannabis, he’s come a long way. Though an advocate for the industry, he’s free-thinking enough to admit that most legal weed is not as good as the underground. He thinks the sneaker drop marketing strategy makes sense for Cannabis too. We talk about all this. And more.

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Punk Godfather Danny Fields

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 17:30:13 GMT

Because he signed the Stooges, managed the Ramones and introduced punk rock to Britain, Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk Rock is dedicated to Danny Fields. We talk about the wild days of New York when weed was everywhere and Danny was a confidante of all the young dudes from Lou to Iggy to Joey and Nico. His stories are so great they made a documentary about him called Danny Says.

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Shepard Fairey on Art & Activism

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 17:03:32 GMT

On the occasion of "Facing the Giant: 3 Decades of Dissent" I talked to my old friend Shepard Fairey in front of a live audience New York where he's working on a mural of Rosario Dawson, days before leaving to paint his largest wall ever, a 20-story piece in Vancouver, Canada. We talk politics, skateboarding, punk rock and much more.

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Cannabis Now Magazine’s Main Man

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 07:05:47 GMT

I don’t use the word “visionary” loosely. But I do feel comfortable using it to describe Eugenio Garcia, the founder and CEO of Cannabis Now, the nation’s #1 Cannabis News magazine. As the industry goes from small to mega, Eugenio has kept pace with the changing times, extending his reach from print into digital and now into a chain of brick and mortar “retail expressions” called the Cannabis Now Wellness Experience. “This industry,” he advises, “is full of loan sharks, shady deals and people taking advantage of other people.” We talk about media and how it feels to work in cannabis where “the truth is changing every day."

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The Making of a Cultural Entrepreneur — Meet GMan

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 07:05:00 GMT

As Vancouver sits poised to make its claim to being one of the world’s great cities, its thriving cannabis culture and creative class is popping in all the right places. My guest GMan was there from the beginning, making his passion for skateboarding, streetwear, music and the arts the central pillar of a brand strategy that has made him one of the city’s greatest tastemakers and most successful entrepreneurs.

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Mark Williams - Lord of the (Fire)flies

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 07:05:00 GMT

Mark Williams is the designer and engineer extraordinaire behind the Friefly 2+, generally regarded as the Tesla of vaporizers. As you would expect from such a man, he has a “relationship with cannabis” that has been a constant companion from his high school days to his years at Apple working on the initial design of the iPhone. Ever wonder about the atmosphere of a company founded by an acidhead like Steve Jobs? Well, there’s a reason they don’t give drug tests in Silicon Valley.

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Bong Appetit "It Girl” Vanessa Lavorato

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 08:05:39 GMT

Vanessa "Marigold" Lavorato is the breakout star of Bong Appetit, the pioneering Cannabis-themed cooking show that has redefined munchies for the foodie generation. Here she talks about co-host B Real’s peculiar cannabis habits, how the food to farm movement was started by hippies, why she likes to source the cannabis she uses in her "Marigold" chocolates from women farmers and what it is about cannabis that makes it so sexy.

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Brave New Weed

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 07:05:47 GMT

Joe Dolce Makes the Cannabis Connection and finds the meaning of life. Did Kim Kardashian cause CBD shortages. And will the Cannabis industry ever become as diverse as it needs to be.

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Steve DeAngelo, The Pied Piper of Pot

Mon, 20 May 2019 07:05:14 GMT

After 40 years of advocating for his plant, Steve DeAngelo's work remains unfinished. You know him from Weed Wars, seen him interviewed on TV and quoted in major newspapers and magazines. An outspoken entrepreneur and cannabis evangelist, his strong opinions range from his hesitancy to talk about cannabis and spirituality to what’s good and bad about California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pot policy.

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Taking the Temperature of LA’s Cannabis Culture with Funny Man Abdullah Saeed.

Mon, 06 May 2019 06:30:25 GMT

David Hershkovits talks with Abdullah Saeed, one of the breakout stars of the new era of Cannabis culture. The one-time writer on all things Cannabis has moved his base of operations from Vice and from New York to the worlds of TV and Hollywood. In LA, The self-described “brown guy,” eats well, works out, lives a wholesome life and still smokes lots of weed. Ps: He says his stand-up act is not ‘Stoner” comedy.

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Fab 5 Freddy Talks Cannabis, Snoop Dogg and J-M Basquiat

Sat, 20 Apr 2019 04:01:24 GMT

David Hershkovits talks to Fab 5 Freddy on the occasion of the release of Grass is Greener, his Netflix doc on the social and cultural history of cannabis. Hip hop and graffitti pioneer Brathwaite lays it out and tells some never heard stories about Snoop Dogg and Basquiat.

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Welcome to 'Light Culture'

Sat, 13 Apr 2019 16:06:32 GMT

In Episode 0 of Light Culture, David Hershkovits lays out the mission of his hot new podcast about the burgeoning Cannabis industry. On Light Culture, he'll talk to colorful celebrities, entrepreneurs and creative disruptors who entertain with their stories and shock you with their insights and perspective on the brave new world of weed and its impact on politics, business and the arts. Brought to you by the Vancouver-based Burb, thededicated to the city with a legacy of tolerance and positive vibrations and the home of its celebrated BC Bud.

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