David Hershkovits - Founder, and formerly Publisher and Editor in Chief of PAPER Magazine talks to people making a difference.
Thank you for selecting pod as the best cannabis culture podcast.
Best of Cannabis Culture: Highlighting L.A. and California-connected cannabis brands, we spotlight the biggest and best for 2021. From innovative ways to smoke and consume, to cool places and faces that promote inclusivity, creativity and community.
Fab 5 Fred Brathwaite has worn many hats over the years -- artist, TV personality, director, producer, actor, hip hop historian, and, most recently, cannabis entrepreneur and social justice advocate. Lots of people in the cannabiz talk about social justice, but Brathwaite has jumped in and shown how the cannabis community can make a real difference.
Can you imagine what it must feel like to be in jail for possession of two joints while at the same time there's a global gold rush to cash in on the growing, selling, and marketing of w**d? Well, Bernard Noble can. Today, he's free thanks to the support and hard work of his family, friends, and the New Orleans Innocence Project. Bernard Noble's story originally came to my attention when I launched the podcast with my first guest, Fab 5 Fred Brathwaite. He had directed The Grass is Greener, a doc about the racist history of cannabis prohibition that ends triumphantly and improbably with the release of Bernard Noble from prison. Well, here we are a few years later with Bernard and Fred and Curaleaf teaming up to create B Noble, a pre-rolled package of two joints that helps provide legal funding for the defense of people wrongfully charged with non-violent cannabis related crimes. Now that Bernard Noble and Fred Brathwaite have shown the way, let's hope many more follow, both in seeing justice served and in paving a way for the victims of the racist war on drugs to get a piece of the pie.
Fab 5 Fred Brathwaite & Bernard Noble Team Up for Prison Reform Bernard Noble and Fab 5 Freddy | In episode 97 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with Bernard Noble and Fab 5 Freddy about their new cannabis venture–B. Noble. The company is created in the legac...
Cheryl Dunn has been a central figure on the New York Downtown art scene as far back as the mid-90s Alleged Gallery/Max Fish Ludlow Street days, both as a participant and documenter of a breeding ground for a creative explosion that reverberates to this day. We’ve known each other for years and I’ve always been an admirer of her photographs, but I think it’s in her film work that I find the full expression of her talents and empathy at play, whether in “Everybody Street,” her paean to street photographers or her most recent “Moments Like This Never Last,” a poignant, loving -- yet raw and disturbing -- reflection on one of the 21st century’s most uncompromising artists, Dash Snow.
Jeffrey Deitch called him “the most charismatic artist since Jean Michel-Basquiat.” Like the great Basquiat, Dash Snow was a graffiti writer who moved into the gallery world, 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*x, drugs, an art world demimonde of the early 2000's as one of a triumvirate with Ryan McGinley and Dan Colen, dubbed "Warhol's Children" by New York Magazine. Now, Cheryl Dunn's long-in-the-making documentary "Moments Like This Never Last," is out and destined to add to the legend of this self-destructive bad-boy artist.
"I wanted to make a film that put you in New York City with Dash at that time, rolling around with him and his crew," said Dunn, "A film you could feel from every one of your senses, but couldn't quite describe. A filmic expression of Dash's life and art, told to you in his words with his imagery."
Cheryl Dunn– Dash Snow Documentary Director Cheryl Dunn | In episode 96 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with Cheryl Dunn, a world-renowned street photographer as well as creator of the documentary “Moments Like This Never Last,” on the life of the late,...
I recently spoke with Gossmaer magazine co-founder Verena von Pfetten for my Light Culture Podcast. Give it a listen, subscribe to the show, please.
“W**d is the least interesting part of w**d,” says Verena von Pfetten, the co-founder of Gossamer magazine, an intriguing and stimulating publication created for “people who also smoke.” Given that cannabis, in some form, is legal in 36 states and counting, it is not surprising to learn that the media space around the social, legal and recreational implications of w**d’s Third Wave is blowing up beyond the stoner aesthetic of High Times into something far more of-the-moment like Gossamer.
What would provoke an editor/writer with the pedigree of digital editorial director of Conde Nast’s Lucky Magazine, founding editor of a James Beard Award nominated foodie site or lifestyle editor at the Huffington Post to make the move into the endangered species of print? Gossamer launched in 2017 with the mission to look at the world, travel, design, art culture, and food through a green lens. “We tell stories that channel the mindset of someone having their best high,” she’s said.
We talk with the Vancouver-born von Pfetten about her pride for BC Bud, her love-hate relationship with “wellness,” women in w**d and why she thinks we make fun of Gweneth Paltrow and Goop.
Verena von Pfetten – She Also Smokes W**d Verena von Pfetten | In episode 93 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with Verena von Pfetten, the founder and editor of Gossamer Magazine, a magazine for people who also smoke What would make an editor/writer with a C...
Cole Cuchna Dissects Kanye West
Has Kanye West met his match in the person of Cole Cuchna? Host of the popular Spotify podcast Dissect, Cuchna has taken upon himself to know everything there is to know about the quixotic shape-shifter rapper whose become a household name thanks to his musical genius, Kardashian connection and design acumen. Somehow they all come together as Cuchna takes a deep dive, dissecting one song per episode from the era defining “Yeezus” that he compares to Stravinsky’s “Rites of Spring” and Dylan going electric.
What started out as a passion project for Cole has turned into a career at Spotify, who reached out and offered him the financial support he needed to continue his labor of love. A lifelong musician who played in bands and studied music in college, he worked as a creative director before falling in love with podcasts. And with the possibility of combining his classical music training with his love of hip-hop. Now in its eighth season, previous episodes have zoomed in on Kendrick Lamar's “To Pimp A Butterfly,” Beyonce's “Black is King,'' and the “Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”.
Cole Cuchna Dissects Kanye West Cole Cuchna | In episode 91 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with Cole Cuchna, the host of Spotify’s Dissect Podcast On the popular serialized music podcast Dissect, Cole Cuchna geeks out on iconic hip-hop albums, focusing on ...
Shaun Ross has beaten the odds and is likely to do it again. Black, gay and albino, he’s one of the best known models in the fashion world. Spotted on YouTube at 16, he rode his unlikely rise to fashion stardom to the point of ubiquity. After walking the runway for the likes of Givenchy and Alexander McQueen; appearing in GQ, Vogue and Paper; and in videos with Beyonce, Lana Del Ray and Katy Perry, he’s poised for pop stardom with the release of his first album Shift. 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 live performance.
Shaun Ross– Model, Activist, Pop Star Shaun Ross | In episode 89 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with model and musician, Shaun Ross on the occasion of his new album “Shift.” Shaun Ross has a great story to tell. Born black, gay and albino, he defied th...
Pot is Still Hot
People ask about the future of New York City post-Covid. It’s a good question. Everyday brings another perspective, most of it dark.
Yet something’s happened that will have a positive, transformative impact on city living: The legalization of cannabis. To discuss this the urban strategy firm Capalino and the consulting and communication agency BPCM invited me to join a webinar series they were hosting on "The Future of New York: Creating the State’s New Cannabis Industry."
As a long time smoker and advocate for legalization, I’ve been covering the culture since the Be-Ins in San Francisco during the Summer of Love. I’ve been writing about New York City from the downtown perspective for more than 30 years. I ran for Mayor against Rudolf Giuliani on the Quality of Nightlife platform.
So here are some top-of-the-head, right-from-the-heart thoughts regarding this important development as the city enters this new era.
I’m one of those people who wasn’t happy about the old normal of New York overrun by tourists and a privileged business elite that viewed financial success the end all and be all. While we wait for herd immunity, I’m looking forward to thinning out the herd.
It’s already better! You can smell w**d everywhere. Since it’s ok to t**e wherever it’s legal to smoke ci******es, we can all enjoy one of life’s great pleasures, hitting a joint while walking the streets without being paranoid.
I anticipate that many of the shuttered retail stores will reopen as dispensaries, lounges and boutiques catering to locals and the tourists that will flock to New York knowing that they can smoke freely and enjoy the city’s bounty of art, entertainment and culinary experiences while high.
With cannabis transitioning from indie to big business, what happens to the “legacy” aka illegal market. Nevada has a great idea, a Portable Cannabis Vendor license designed to provide an affordable path into the industry for the legacy cannabis market. I’d like to see something like that here.
Happily, social justice is baked into New York’s bill to legalize ma*****na. Records will be expunged and those convivted of non-violent cannabis-related crimes will be released. But I’m looking for more. What about the very people who laid the foundation for the industry, created the brands – aka strains – that are sold today. In California, for example, they have become the target of corporate cannabis using their big bucks to lobby the government to clamp down on those who risked all to make cannabis a viable industry. The decimation this has caused is not to be underestimated. These “false arrests” have been instrumental in creating a legacy of criminality. I favor reparations for all who have been unjustly incarcerated by the racist, destructive War on Drugs.
As New york takes this bold step into the 21st century – finally catching up to the other states that have seen the light -- I am looking forward to the demise of the Old Normal in favor of the New Normal of a New New York.
Here's a link to discussion re "The Future of New York: Creating the State’s New Cannabis Industry."
Register here:
The Future of New York is a webinar series focusing on major issues facing New York City businesses and organizations. Featuring thought leaders across the public and private sectors, Capalino, New York’s leading urban strategy firm, addresses critical challenges and solutions to drive New York’...
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 gang-riddled 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.
Called the world’s first bionic pop artist, 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 fe**sh 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 P***y Riot fame.
Listen to the full episode at lightculture.ca or wherever you listen to podcasts
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.
From Hip Hop to Hip Art
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.
Few artists are able to successfully pivot from one medium to another, but this week's guest has made the transition and come out on top. Not too long ago, he was known as Boo-Bonic of Philly's Most Wanted, a hip hop duo who's first album was produced by the Neptunes. Eventually they signed with Atlantic Records, had a hit, toured the world, put out a second album, and disbanded. In his second life, he paints, appears in ads for Courvoisier, and owns Tango Hotel, a clothing company that features his designs.
We talk about the early days in Philly, his friendship with the skate legend Stevie Williams and the Hilfiger fam, his love of Picasso, Basquiat, George Condo, Bob Ross, and how painting Rita Ora’s Birkin Bag changed everything.
Al-Baseer Holly – From Hip Hop to Hip Art Al-Baseer Holly | In episode 84 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with visual artist and former member of the Hip-Hop group Philly’s Most Wanted Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, The Fugees, Pharrell all wanted a piece of Philly’s ...
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 how painting Rita Ora’s Birkin Bag changed everything.
Over this year of the pandemic, I've been expanding my musical horizons, knowing that sometimes you have to dig deeper than what's readily available to find something you truly love. I've been a fan of KEXP, the listener supported radio station out of Seattle for a while. But recently, I got hooked on Positive Vibrations with Kid Hops, a weekly program dedicated to reggae. I've been a big fan of reggae and its dub ska and dance hall antecedents, but what I heard was something new. That's where I first encountered the music of Lili Ike, my guest today. Initially, it was the voice that grabbed me. Sweet but not innocent, smooth but expressive. Then came the lyrics, personal yet universal, real and inspirational. Then of course came the soul, a sense that here was someone talking to you who was wise beyond her years. Fusing contemporary reggae with elements of soul, hip hop, and dance hall, I'd found a new contemporary sound that moved me, body and soul, emotionally as well as musically. Continuing my investigation, I realized that Lila was not alone as a woman in the notoriously male-dominated world of reggae. That there are other women coming up and that we have perhaps arrived at a reggae revival moment, a time for reggae to reinvent itself to once again become a force for inclusivity, carving out a lane for women in the global dialogue for social justice. Her debut EP, The ExPerience, is out now, and her first full-length album is expected soon.
We talk about her producer/mentor Protoje, Kingston’s bubbling music scene, the enduring legacy of Lauryn Hill and how she and fellow women recording artists like Koffee, Sevana and Jaz Elise are changing the game.
Lila Iké– Reggae’s New Sound and Star Lila Iké | In episode 83 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with rising star singer/songwriter Lila Iké who is part of a movement of women from Jamaica leading reggae music’s next wave Lila Iké rocks to her own mel...
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.
Tune in to the rest wherever you listen to podcasts or at lightculture.ca
Josh Madden has an outsized role at MDDN, a management and production company founded by his brothers, Benji and Joel Madden of the mega pop-rock band Good Charlotte. 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.
Tune in to the rest at lightculture.ca or wherever you listen to podcasts
It’s extremely rare for a 21-year-old 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.
When we met in the '90s, Jason Calacanis was making the downtown nightlife and party scene. Calacanis, I quickly learned, knew more about the burgeoning tech world than anyone else I'd ever met. So I asked him to write a column about it for Paper. Ever the quick learner, he was soon launching his own publication, the Silicon Alley Reporter. The bubble grew, then burst and Jason came out ahead of the game, selling weblogs to AOL for $25 million. Fast forward, here he is, a regular on Squawk Box, an intimate of tech moguls, an adversary of Zuckerberg, and an all around gadfly.
But most of all Calacanis is a gambler. He likes to play high stakes Poker and bet on tech startups. As you might expect, he's had good days and bad days, but mostly good - especially in the tech scene, where he is known as a brash but savvy investor, who's made millions of dollars putting his money down on Uber, for example, when it was little more than a penny stock. As transparent as they come, Calacanis has been sharing his wisdom and acumen on his podcast, This Week In Startups, talking with up and coming entrepreneurs and giving them useful advice on what to do next. Then there's the All In Podcast with poker buddies, who also happen to be major startup success stories. He is perhaps best known for Launch, a meet-up and schmoozefest for aspiring entrepreneurs who get a chance to pitch their products to a room full of potential investors.
Jason Calacanis– On Poker and the Art of Angel Investing Jason Calacanis | In episode 80 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with an angel investor specializing in tech startups like Uber and Robinhood. Jason Calacanis likes to play high stakes Poker and bet on...
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’s 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.
Hear the rest at lightculture.ca or wherever you listen to podcasts
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.
Shawn Gold has been around the block, first in NYC’s Silicon Alley in-crowd pre-Internet bubble burst of 2000, then to LA as CMO of Myspace and assorted other tech posts before moving into Hollywood’s hot Cannabis scene at Lowell, the best-selling pre-roll company. Needless to say, he’s savvy enough to know a good idea when he sees one, especially when it's his own and involves two of his favorite pastimes, cannabis, and creativity. Hence the arrival of Pilgrim Soul, a branded cannabis and content company with the mission to use the plant to optimize creative performance. Using research and his own personal experience, he’s published a book to help activate the mysterious creative process. “Please Use this Journal While You Are High” contains user-friendly thought puzzles most beneficial to do when stoned. It’s selling very well with the only criticisms coming from non-smokers pi**ed off that they were missing out.
We met back in the early days of the tech revolution when he was part of the Silicon Alley scene, eventually landing at internet entrepreneur and startup investor Jason Calacanis’ Weblogs, one of the first blog networks to hit it big when it was sold to AOL for $25 million.
We talk about the “flow” state, 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 w**d, why you shouldn't email your boss when you’re stoned and what it’s like being on a first-name basis with Elon Musk and Mark Cuban.
Shawn Gold– On Cannabis and Creativity Shawn Gold | In episode 78 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with one of the creative minds who left corporate success behind to carve out a space for himself in the cannabis industry. Marketing maven Shawn Gold has laun...
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 w**d and why you shouldn't email your boss when you’re stoned.
Hip Hop's Fashion Futurist
June Ambrose has her finger on the pulse even if she is spending most of her Covid quarantine days cooking, arranging flowers into still lifes and bingeing on old movies and Netflix. Newly appointed creative director of Puma -- thanks to an intro from old friend and client, Jay Z -- she’s releasing her first collection this fall.
Caribbean born, Bronx raised, Ambrose is responsible for some of hip hop's most iconic images: Jay-Z shirtless in a Dries Van Noten suit; Missy Elliott's puffy black plastic bubble; and Nas, pretty in a pink suit and white shoes. The marriage of hip hop and couture is taken for granted today, but it wasn't so long ago when the fashion houses wanted nothing to do with the culture. Times have indeed changed with Cardi B in Balenciaga and ASAP Rocky the face of Dior just two examples of the seismic shift. Thanks to June Ambrose reimagining hip hop, the fashion world has seen the light and embraced its economic potential.
Once it’s safe to socialize again, Ambrose plans on doing so in six inch heels, s*xy and sparkling. Will the post-quarantine Roaring 2020s ring in an era of glam hedonism? Or take us deeper into the fashion netherland of athleisure. Or better yet, a mashup of both. We speculate about fashion post Corona, chuckle at her brief stint in finance, and ponder the meaning of Jay-Z’s suit v. Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie.
June Ambrose–Hip Hop’s Fashion Futurist June Ambrose | In episode 77 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with one of the definining music industry stylists turned fashion executive about athletisure, Jay-Z, success, and her new job as creative director at Pum...
What does it take to run an indie music label specializing in rap? What are the skill sets? Do you have to go to college or get an MBA? Well, if you look at my guest today, Jonnyshipes, the founder of Cinematic Music Group, you're likely to get a different perspective on entrepreneurship in 2021. It’s built on the love of music and the art of the hustle and grind. Basketball connections and leadership skills help too, all discussed in this unorthodox primer to How to Succeed in the Music Business by Really Trying. I’m of the mind that this strategy applies as well to a range of creative pursuits where the hustle and grind is the universal driver of success.
Officially launched in 2007, Shipes had already been in the game years earlier, making mix tapes both as a kid on the school bus and as a baller and hip hop music fanatic. So when he hit gold with Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls,” which went double platinum in a matter of months, he was ready to make a slam dunk out of it. He tells a great story about the accidental way that hit came about, a perfect example of success and serendipity in the creative biz. Seasoned by experience, he sees beyond music to its multiple touch points in contemporary culture whether by burnishing his own brand with a Twitch show or pursuing other ventures like The Cannabis Smokers Club and Grindstone Donuts. We talk about interning for Puffy, signing Nipsey Hussle and Yungeen Ace, the cannabiz and his distaste for L’il Pump and 69 Tekashi.
Jonnyshipes–Cinematic Music Founder on the Art of the Hustle and Grind Jonnyshipes | In episode 76 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with entrepreneur Jonnyshipes about music, success, and his vision for the future of his companies–Cinematic, Smokers Club, ...
Once upon a time, there was a shop in the chic Paris neighborhood of Faubourg Rue Saint-Honoré called Colette. It was cute and sophisticated at the same time, out of the box and strangely what the world didn’t know it needed, so successful it set off a wave of “concept store” copycats. But no one had the vision or could do it as well as Sarah Andelman.
Colette, named after Sarah’s mom and business partner, became a must-see destination for fashionistas, hipsters and cool kids from around the world. Designers, artists, rappers, models, and stylists galore traipsed in and out, whether to see the latest exhibit at the gallery, explore the boutique café, Water Bar or just hang out and make the scene. Colette sold everything from watches and phones to sneakers and couture fashion. Somehow, in one place at one time, it all fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle that is the mind of today’s Light Culture guest.
Over the years, Sarah emerged as a stealth influencer, her store, it's openness to new ideas with new windows a weekly occasion, became iconic with anyone with anything to sell wanting to get in there. When the time came to move on, she didn’t sell to the highest bidder as others might have. Instead, she worked out an arrangement with YSL to take over the space and keep on the hundred or so workers who depended on Colette for their livelihood. True to her brand, her idiosyncrasy intact, she closed Colette in 2017 and never looked back. Today she’s married, a mother with a renovated vacation home in Woodstock and the founder of Just An Idea where she works with brands, artists and designers conceiving creative projects.
We talk about Paris then and now, Karl Lagerfeld’s shopping habits, a recent Kenyan safari, why she didn’t sell her business and how Just An Idea continues the work she began in Colette.
https://shopburb.com/blogs/lightculture
Light Culture explores the budding cannabis industry through elevated conversations with some of the worlds most highly followed influencers.
Lee Quinones has always been hiding in plain sight. From his early teens as the youngest and eventually most renowned member of whole car graffiti crew The Fabulous 5ive, he has kept his head down and ears open working steadily, doing his own thing in his own way at his own speed. Celebrated for his subway artistry and outlaw persona, a precursor of Banksy and pioneer of wall murals, Lee’s low keyism lies in playful opposition to his celebrated achievements and the lengthy list of artists and collectors who revere the man and the work.
Even as he starred in the semi-autobiographical and now iconic Wild Style, a movie directed by Charlie Ahearn and starring real-life figures from the now legendary era like Patti Astor, Glen O’Brien, Ramellzee, Fab 5 and Lady Pink, he stays true to the character he plays in the film, a reluctant superstar who wants to remain hidden like the SuperHeroes he reveres.
Joking that he’s been working on a memoir since 1979, he’s nevertheless giving it a go and using the occasion to reflect on his life growing up in the Lower East Side projects back in the days when life was cheap and subway tunnels safer than the streets. Meeting Fab 5 Freddie Brathwaite under mysterious conditions -- a hysterical story as Lee tells it -- opened the door to possibility and a friendship that continues to this day.
In this episode of Light Culture we go there as well as here today, the philosophy of Lee Quinones a master class in being true to your school, the school of the streets, full of lessons and rich with talent.
Lee Quiñones–Street Art’s Reigning OG Lee Quiñones | In episode 74 of Light Culture Podcast, Paper Magazine founder David Hershkovits talks with artist Lee Quiñones about graffiti, success, and growing up in the Lower East Side. Just a kid, he was already celebrated for his subway artistry an...
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