The Strange and Terrible History of 80s Counterculture w/ Edmund Berger, Samuel Vandiver & Recluse (Patreon)

For this subscribers episode I've brought in two guests to discuss the highly influential and overlooked counterculture of the 1980s. Both are returning. They are musician and author Samuel Vandiver of the experimental electronica/folk outfit Corwin Trails; and writer, researcher, and activist Edmund Berger, author of Uncertain Futures: An Assessment of the Conditions of the Present and the forthcoming  Acceleration: Utopia Currents from Dada to the CCRU.

For those of you who have heard my prior shows with Ed on postmodernism and the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit, then you know this man is well versed on all things underground. But Sam is especially qualified: He was the neighbor and friend of legendary Feral House publisher Adam Parfrey. Through his relationship with Adam, Sam acquired an unique, insider perspective on man of the figures up for discussion.

If you like your Farm's philosophical, this is the one for you. We begin with an epic discussion of the infamous French thinker Georges Batallie and his heavy influence on 80s counterculture. Sam provides specific insights into the influence that Batallie had on Parfrey and his early efforts as well. From there, we go into a rundown of Situationism and how their lineage re-emerged in the 1980s through the efforts of figures such as Bob Black.

The mid-point of our discussion revolves around two curious currents from the 1980s: the Neoism and the Abraxas Foundation. Ed traces the tangled history of the former, including it's most recent ties to QAnon, while covers the complex history of Abraxas and it's successors in the alt-right. To wrap up, we engage in a fascinating discuss over whether the legendary figure of James Shelby Downard was a "hypersitition' crafted by Parfrey, Michael A. Hoffman, and company.

These are just a few of the highlights in what is a wide ranging conversation that traces the underground currents of the West from the interwar years to present. As always, I hope you guys enjoy.