Popping culture: Subcultures with Graham Kolbeins

A couple months ago I had the chance to interview and write about blogger/curator/artist Graham Kolbeins, of Future Shipwreck fame.

Kolbeins had mentioned that he was working on a video series for a new project produced by Ashton Kutcher (yes, that Ashton Kutcher). That project is called Thrash Lab and Kolbeins’ specific work is on various subcultures. The first video is about a colony of people living off the grid in California, in a place called Slab City.

The video is a mix of both gonzo and traditional journalism, with crazy characters counterpointed by Kolbeins’ relaxed narration. It’s not video journalism à la 60 Minutes, but the stories told in Subculture aren’t stories you would find in traditional media. They are — so far — interesting slices of life of people you may not know about. Take, for example, the most recent episode, where Graham meets a bunch of aspiring young magicians vying for spots in a club for magicians.

Cute? Yes. Interesting? Definitely. Will I keep watching the series as they keep coming? Absolutely. And so should you.

Journalist, writer, blogger, producer.

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