Kevin Doss is a grandfather, dad, husband, firefighter, and vocalist for the legendary hardcore band, Downcast. In this episode Justin and Luke get into Kevin’s personal life as well as the impact and relevance of his music. Linking childhood trauma to 80s and 90s punk and hardcore, they acknowledge the importance of self made family and resilience in their lived experiences. Kevin’s career as a firefighter in South Central Los Angeles added an even more intense and empathetic view of the world, which has seeped into the correlation between who Kevin is in Downcast and his lived experiences and becomes the through line of the conversation. Paying homage to seminal DIY record label, Ebullition, they also offer constructive criticisms to the ever evolving state of music and the world at large.

In episode 62, Justin and Luke discuss music, politics, and aesthetics of various art platforms with multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle. Justin and Jimmy were both part of The Crimson Curse, The Locust, and Swing Kids, so the connection runs deep into the realm of San Diego's odd and innovative musical DNA. Jimmy also goes by the musical moniker Album Leaf, and was part of bands like Tristeza, GoGoGo Airheart, and The Black Heart Procession, which lends to the conversation touching upon various intersections of Jimmy's work in film, social politics, and cultural relevance to Southern California.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.Please visit our sponsors Izotope and Distrokid

In Episode 61 Justin Pearson and Luke Henshaw get into a slew of wild topics with Chuck Tingle, an amazing writer of modern "niche" gay erotica. But strap yourself in, pun intended, because Chuck's writing often ropes in dinosaurs, unicorns, sasquatches, and lands in the realm of horror and science fiction. However, there is an abundance of depth with Chuck and the hosts, since more often than not, these conversations often circle back to the larger umbrella of punk ethics. Most of the conversation, which focuses on various topics such as performance art, politics, genetics, creating community, everything in between which seems to circle back to Chuck's notable and righteous slogan, which is always on his masked face, Love is real.

In episode 60 Justin Pearson and Luke Henshaw dive into conversation with Vique Simba of Simba Fanzine, to discuss their shared history in the punk and hardcore music scene. They specifically get into Vique's involvement in DIY zine culture, and the overarching issue with subcultures toting themselves as progressive while consisting of mainstream societies' patriarchal structures. Vique's position on sexual politics, hey involvement with Chicks Up Front, as well as her friendship and appreciation for bands which she may or may not enjoy musically, are what helped define her in the music industry.

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.