Part 5, the final episode in the Oak Cliff Film Festival series wherein Luke Henshaw and Justin Pearson talk with Brandon Daley about the upcoming film, $POSITIONS, as well as Brandon's previous work. They discuss the off the wall dark comedy style of his films, and dive into topics related to $POSITIONS such as gambling addiction, and specifically with cryptocurrency. They also touch upon the massive topic of late stage capitalism and where any ethics may or may not exist, while trying to point out the parallels with addiction to religion, drugs, and the fact that online gambling is equivalent to the stock market that never closes. The conversation weaves in and out of many topics, some serious and some not so serious, since Brandon's work has characters that you want to loathe and at times, somehow love.

Part 4 of the Oak Cliff Film Festival series wherein Luke and Justin interview Nick and Dimitri, two members of the absurdist found footage art collective Everything Is Terrible. The film they submitted for this festival is called "Animals Are Over!" and can be summed up as "overwhelming" and "America's Funniest Home Videos on acid," which is generally in line with their chaotic approach to art. They discuss "DoggieWoggiez! PoochieWoochiez!" which is Everything is Terrible's insane hour long homage to Holy Mountain made up entirely of found footage of dogs, the Dadaist/surrealism of their performances, the way in which they treat the collective like a punk band (touring in a van, selling merch, and performing as a spectacle alongside their audio and visual collages), as well as how they were able to establish a name for themselves through unconventional means, such as collecting thousands of Jerry Maguire VHS tapes. They draw connections between nostalgia and fascism, the political nature of their work, and the way that they use comedy to lighten the horrifying weight of some of the footage they have to sift through.

Cult & Culture Podcast Episode 57 is a discussion with Albert Birney, director, actor, and writer of his most recent film OBEX-- a story that centers around a man in search for his dog in a world that blurs the lines between video game and reality. This is part three of Luke and Justin's five part series of conversations with independent directors that took place at this year's Oak Cliff Film Fest in Texas. The trio talk about the aesthetics of the film, with the goal of creating a "lofi" feel and striving for authenticity. They dive into the film making process, breaking down a lot of the techniques that were used and the process of collaborating on the film score with Deakin of Animal Collective, an old friend of Albert's, to target a "retro" perspective. Birney is also a musician himself, having been in bands as well as recording on his own. They discuss the magic of dogs, the potential for creating a video game to accompany the film, time travel, and nostalgia.

Cult and Culture Podcast Episode 56 features director, actor, and writer of the film Fucktoys, Annapurna Sriram. This is the second in a five-episode series of podcasts Luke and Justin filmed at the Oak Cliff Film Festival in Texas. Fucktoys is Sriram's debut film as a director-- an adventurous, ambitious, tragic dark comedy set in New Orleans in the fictional world of "Trash Town," which is something of a lush, magical, simultaneously dystopian American wasteland that seems to occupy various decades in time. The episode discusses these various directorial decisions and the importance of intense preparation when creating it, as well as "The shitification era of Capitalism," the choice to have a trans love interest in the film while simultaneously NOT centering their transness as a part of the narrative, the prevalence of patriarchy and the necessity of sex work in today's society for women, the general decay of America, and the ways in which Gen Z may save us all.

This episode of Cult and Culture kicks off a group of podcasts recorded and centered around Oak Cliff Film Fest, an independent film festival located in Dallas, Texas. Here, Luke and Justin talk with Ashton Campbell, the co-director of the operation. They talk about the unique location for the festival, a theater with an infamous history: where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured. They also discuss what makes the festival memorable for attendees as well as those participating in it, from yoga classes being offered to staff, to the thoughtful curation of films chosen and bands performing, the result is a sense of community and buy-in that makes people invested in coming back year after year. Campbell laments what AI has become and the threats it may pose as well as where it may be practical, and shares the tongue-in-cheek "analog approach" the team takes to create their promotion-- this year featuring "Nicole Kidmannequin" and the overall theme of "REAL MOVIES FOR REAL MOVIE PEOPLE."

In this episode of Cult and Culture, Justin and Luke chat with longtime friend Johnny Whitney of the Blood Brothers (as well as Neon Blonde and Jaguar Love). Justin and Johnny reflect on the paths they've taken together over the last few decades: playing together on the Oops! tour, Three One G releasing March on Electric Children, and playing a show together again in 2024 during the recent run of Blood Brothers reunion shows. Johnny gives insight into the history of the band, working with iconic producers like Ross Robinson and Guy Picciotto, and riding the wave of commercial music success at the tail-end of an era for the music industry, at least as it was known at that time. Whitney also discusses the lessons he's learned and how his approach to playing shows now has changed since the band's inception.

In episode 53 of cult and culture, Luke and Justin go slightly off the beaten path of their usual to speak with Connor Musarra: an artist, producer, content creator, musician, performer etc. whose work is informed greatly by, and in some ways inextricable from, the internet and social media. Connor talks about the process behind this approach. They discuss about how he gained recognition across news outlets for impersonating the Tesla account on X, creating a song called "Elon Musk can go fuck himself," the catharsis of embracing absurdity and humor in life, the bastardization of calling oneself an activist in the digital age, the political utility (or lack thereof) of art, and the fear of the repercussions that can come with speaking out about topics seen as controversial in the social media space.

Episode 52 is a conversation with Bim and Ryan of the Portland-based band, Help. They discuss their music and how it came to be, but more so, they delve into politics, culture, and society at large. They talk about Bim's rationale and approach to running for mayor of Portland in 2016, the effectiveness of protest and social scolding, the malevolence of philanthropy, theories of aliens being future versions of humans, Klansmen, guns, and how desperately the world is in need of kindness.

In Episode 51, Justin and Luke speak with infamous punk legend, Wattie Buchan of The Exploited. They discuss the passing of his beloved Pomeranian, Wolfie, the uncompromising approach he’s taken with his band and life, the five heart attacks he’s survived and the energy drinks that have contributed to them. Wattie shares his disgust for Nazis, Trump, Margaret Thatcher, the treatment of Palestinians and the poor/working class, and popular pop punk bands, as well as his disdain for having to explain himself to people who may misunderstand his intentions or have the wrong idea of him. Well into his 60s, Wattie is still performing and giving it his all, confident in his beliefs and unconcerned with what you think of him.

50: An important milestone for the podcast, and this episode of Cult and Culture is with an equally as important guest: Sam McPheeters of bands Born Against, Men's Recovery Project, Wrangler Brutes, as well as writer, illustrator, designer, and former record label owner of Vermiform. Here, Sam talks about how making people happy with his stage antics means he's failed, recounts hiding in an attic for two days from Nazi skinheads, and discusses how being in the bands he has continues to open doors to journalistic opportunities today. With a mixture of wit and humility, he and Justin recount their individual experiences as they toured together opening for Dillinger Escape Plan decades ago, as well as other overlapping memories (mostly true, but not without a few rumors mixed in).