Cult and Culture

Episode 45 takes place during San Diego Comic-Con, where Justin and Luke sit down with director and producer Lloyd Kaufman to celebrate 50 years of Troma: his absurd, low budget, highly stylized, iconic film company responsible for cult classics like The Toxic Avenger, Tromeo and Juliet, Class of Nuke 'Em High, and so many more. Lloyd reflects on how he got started, working with talented people like Trey Parker and Matt Stone to help them release Cannibal! The Musical early in their careers, Luke remembers taking psychedelics and watching whatever Troma VHS tapes he could get his hands on, and Justin recalls The Locust heading directly to The Playboy Mansion last minute after a long trip home from Japan, where they would film a scene that never came to be due to Gene Simmons calling the cops on a noise complaint. The three discuss how Troma has evolved in some ways over the years and stayed the same in others, adhering to a DIY ethos to create outsider entertainment that has become truly beloved by so many.

In this episode, Justin and Luke catch up with Al Ruel - drummer of Jenny Piccolo, also in bands Noothgrush, Night Toilet, and others. They discuss how Al starting touring when he was sixteen, the origins of Jenny Piccolo through the band Mohinder, the importance of good stage banter to their performance, and the benefits (or negatives) of having a third degree black belt on tour. They also collectively agree on the influence of Men’s Recovery Project, the absurdity of getting to playing with them at a library, as well as the impact of bands like Rorschach and Crossed out on Jenny Piccolo’s sound. This leads to discussion of Al’s drumming style, the US vs European blastbeat, and Al’s eventual switch to the improvised, avant garde, psychedelic music of Night Toilet that he has focused on in recent years.

The concept of Cult and Culture began as a short segment created by Justin Pearson, an internationally known musician, record label owner (Three One G Records), author, and actor. He is perhaps best known as bassist for bands such as Dead Cross, The Locust, and Some Girls as well as vocalist for Deaf Club, Swing Kids, and Planet B. Having traveled the world touring in hardcore and punk bands since age 15, Justin has come to know and work with a broad spectrum of captivating personalities and brilliant minds, many of which are key figures in the realm of popular culture and cult followings alike-- from being on the soundtrack to John Waters’ Cecil B. Demented, to acting in an Asia Argento’s Incompresa, to playing in Dead Cross with Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo. Cult and Culture arose as an opportunity to document bits and pieces of the DIY-driven, subversive world of art Pearson identifies with- one that many are not aware of or perhaps have misconceptions about.

Eventually, Pearson joined up with producer and bandmate Luke Henshaw (Sonido De La Frontera, Planet B, Satanic Planet, First Power Crew) to build the idea into a proper podcast, now recorded at his own PengOne Studios in San Diego. Henshaw has collaborated with hip hop legends such as Invisible Skratch Piklz’ D-Styles and Q-Bert, Kool Keith, in addition to being immersed in the world of Cumbia alongside Sonido De La Frontera bandmate Karlos Paez (B Side Players). He also recently scored the music for upcoming documentary Sk8face, which tells the history of skateboard graphics. In this way, both Justin and Luke are influenced by a diverse array of subcultures that all have connected roots. John Waters was one of the first people interviewed for the podcast- an icon of both cult and culture. Since then, guests have included a broad scope of musicians, producers, authors, and anyone passionate about what they do-- anyone from Grammy-winning musician Juan Alderete (Mars Volta, Racer X, creator of Pedals And Effects) to actor Michael Malarkey (Vampire Diaries, Project Bluebook), from San Diego Black Panther Party members to longtime partners Nicola and Adam in electro-punk band ADULT. or The Satanic Temple cofounder Lucien Greaves (who would go on to form Satanic Planet with Luke and Justin as a direct result of their podcast conversation). The focus is not intended to be solely on people in any one realm, and because guests are friends and family, the conversations are frank, informal yet well-informed, and genuine. Pearson and Henshaw seek to achieve a casual openness, blurring lines between traditional guest and host. Cult and Culture is part of Ruinous Media.

The newest episode of Cult and Culture is a conversation with LA-based Kent Osborne, an artist with incredible stage presence and energy, originally from Atlanta. Kent is a self described punk rapper, also connecting heavily with "trap metal." Osborne covers how this type of music stood out to him, starting with when he would play freestyle guitar over dark trap music on TikTok. Luke, Justin and Kent also discuss the winding musical paths taken to get to where they are now, negative feedback and reception on social media, blending genres in a more accepting younger generation, Limp Bizkit, Nashville, how punk is new and continuously becoming, the importance of performance, and the difference in approach towards putting out singles over a full album.

In this episode of Cult and Culture, Justin and Luke talk with Jenna and Scott of the radical, noisy, unapologetically queer band/project, The HIRS Collective. They share the shift to searching for reasons to stay alive over seeking out aggressive confrontation, the personal importance of touring to mental health, some of the unlikely collaborators they've been able to work with as well as those they'd want to in the future, the struggles that come with extensive collaboration, and experiences on the road, both good and bad.

Episode 41 is a conversation with Steve Hill, a Black Satanist running for Congress in Southern California in a district that is primarily white and conservative. This is particularly interesting when considering his background of being in the US Marines, as well as a correctional officer in the 90s (He also works in real estate, as well as being a stand up comedian as of more recently). Throughout his life, Hill has been a strong advocate and activist in favor of freedom of speech and freedom of/from religion, which led to his meeting Lucien Greaves and The Satanic Temple. He is now in vocal opposition of the prison system, having the unique perspective of being on the enforcement side of it, while also being an African American man living in America-- the demographic disproportionately facing incarceration. Luke, Justin and Steve discuss the extreme racism and bias he has dealt with, even resulting in an arrest that he is currently fighting. Hill shares his thoughts on the culture wars, division in the country, and the views that his platform as a political candidate is based upon.

Episode 40 is a conversation with drummer Joe Plummer (Cold War Kids, Modest Mouse, The Shins, The Black Heart Procession, etc.). They talk about the variety of music he has taken part in, working on research podcasts, tour stories involving frisbees and back problems, pickle ball and yoga, the San Diego connections that Joe has, and the similarities in the DNA of Seattle and San Diego. They also talk about the heart, integrity, and work ethic that brings their community of weirdos together, even despite their musical or artistic differences.

In Episode 39 of the Cult and Culture Podcast, Luke and Justin interview two of their yoga instructors, Jamie Lee and Nam Chanterwyn. Both of these teachers have a unique style to instructing, as well as interesting approaches to life that, in many ways, tie into the concepts of being in a band. Luke and Justin wanted to take this episode to focus on a different point of view that may challenge what many assume when they think of yoga, as they both practice it regularly themselves. They talk about working with the body donation program and being a licensed funeral director (Jamie), teaching yoga full time at 22 classes a week (Nam), horror movies, the frustration and ego of practicing yoga, cultural appropriation and acting with intentionality rather than out of habit, and the Prison Yoga Project. They discuss the parallels between having confidence in performing music and instructing yoga, ad libbing and gaining creativity from that, accessibility and the communities that emerge. Additionally, there is an added sound bowl performance at the end, wherein instructor/musician Oak Jackson uses traditional sound bowls connected to Earthquaker Device pedals to create a cosmic, experimental sound not typically associated with the instrument.

In this episode, Justin and Luke talk with Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos, Disheveled Cuss, Death Grips, Pinback). They talk less about the technical proficiency that Nick clearly has, but the morals connected with being a musician. Nick reflects on the importance of Tera Melos for himself, and Nick and JP share the memories and lore surrounding Tera Melos playing with The Locust, considering how technical, weird, and aggressive music emerged during that time. Reinhart also shares a bit about his process for his solo project, Disheveled Cuss, a more "normal" approach to music than he has ever done, which for him felt like one of the riskier things he could do. They also encourage the audience to consider the artistic choices bands make when performing, from counting into a song to the intentionality of talking (or not talking) to the crowd. They discuss the question: "Does it still ALL come back to Fugazi?" and muse on the concept of selling your music to a McDonald's commercial for a million dollars, culminating in a pact.

The concept of Cult and Culture began as a short segment created by Justin Pearson, an internationally known musician, record label owner (Three One G Records), author, and actor. He is perhaps best known as bassist for bands such as Dead Cross, The Locust, and Some Girls as well as vocalist for Deaf Club, Swing Kids, and Planet B. Having traveled the world touring in hardcore and punk bands since age 15, Justin has come to know and work with a broad spectrum of captivating personalities and brilliant minds, many of which are key figures in the realm of popular culture and cult followings alike-- from being on the soundtrack to John Waters’ Cecil B. Demented, to acting in an Asia Argento’s Incompresa, to playing in Dead Cross with Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo. Cult and Culture arose as an opportunity to document bits and pieces of the DIY-driven, subversive world of art Pearson identifies with- one that many are not aware of or perhaps have misconceptions about.

Eventually, Pearson joined up with producer and bandmate Luke Henshaw (Sonido De La Frontera, Planet B, Satanic Planet, First Power Crew) to build the idea into a proper podcast, now recorded at his own PengOne Studios in San Diego. Henshaw has collaborated with hip hop legends such as Invisible Skratch Piklz’ D-Styles and Q-Bert, Kool Keith, in addition to being immersed in the world of Cumbia alongside Sonido De La Frontera bandmate Karlos Paez (B Side Players). He also recently scored the music for upcoming documentary Sk8face, which tells the history of skateboard graphics. In this way, both Justin and Luke are influenced by a diverse array of subcultures that all have connected roots. John Waters was one of the first people interviewed for the podcast- an icon of both cult and culture. Since then, guests have included a broad scope of musicians, producers, authors, and anyone passionate about what they do-- anyone from Grammy-winning musician Juan Alderete (Mars Volta, Racer X, creator of Pedals And Effects) to actor Michael Malarkey (Vampire Diaries, Project Bluebook), from San Diego Black Panther Party members to longtime partners Nicola and Adam in electro-punk band ADULT. or The Satanic Temple cofounder Lucien Greaves (who would go on to form Satanic Planet with Luke and Justin as a direct result of their podcast conversation). The focus is not intended to be solely on people in any one realm, and because guests are friends and family, the conversations are frank, informal yet well-informed, and genuine. Pearson and Henshaw seek to achieve a casual openness, blurring lines between traditional guest and host. Cult and Culture is part of Ruinous Media.

In the latest episode of Cult and Culture, Luke and Justin have a conversation with Lucien Greaves, co-founder of The Satanic Temple and Satanic Planet. Some may remember that they had done an earlier episode with him in 2019; since then, and largely as a result of that podcast conversation, they created Satanic Planet, a musical project which combines the previously formed Planet B with the addition of Greaves (They also went on to enlist Dave Lombardo for the recording of both albums). Here, they discuss the evolution of the band from their initial vision, and how the newest album which is currently being recorded has shifted from the first in numerous ways, including the overall purpose and instrumentation used. Lucien gives insight into being on stage as a vocalist for the first time, and the ability to really enjoy the experience and share positive energy with the crowd rather than the more combative lecture settings he has become accustomed to. They also reflect on playing the Indiana State Capitol show as a counter to Christian Fundamentalist Sean Feucht's "Let Us Worship" tour, and talk about the future of the band, including their goal of playing the DC Capitol Building.

In Episode 36 of this podcast, Justin and Luke join their Planet B bandmates Scott Osment (Deaf Club, Glassing) and Kevin Avery (Cnts, Buddha Trixie) to talk about the band as a whole. They cover its beginnings, how it operates with what is essentially three drummers (two live drummers and Luke using two MPCs), and the process of writing lyrics for a band that may be too strange for people to get totally comfortable with, having one foot in hip hop and one in punk. With their second full LP, Fiction Prediction, they consider the evolution of the band, the influences driving them, and the differences from one album to the next. They also talk about the visual aesthetics of their performances as well as other memorable performance setups they've seen, and their "definitively maximal" sound.