Phil and Rhonda Vigeant have been at the heart of the Super 8 film community for over 45 years. They’re at the forefront of analog film and camera technology and are the go-to experts for heavy hitters in the film industry as well as mentors to the amateurs. Culture Crush Founder Debra Scherer sat down with Phil and Rhonda at their Hollywood headquarters to discuss all things film and the enduring legacy of the Super 8 format.

The Culture Crush

The Art And Science Of Super 8mm

This week in the studio we got a visit from the formidable Stella Kramer. We ran into Stella when she was guest speaking to a class at the Parsons School of Design and we knew we'd have to get her to come in for a chat. Before she was a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo journalist, Stella was a staple of the Seattle punk scene. She created the now almost mythological 'zine, Stela Zine. In the late 1970’s, Stelazine put Seattle’s low-key, blossoming punk music world on display for fellow punks and music lovers. She interviewed everyone who was anyone – from local bands to the Ramones to even The Clash. Her 'zine was the quintessential example of all the beauty, blood, sweat and tears that go into true DIY culture.  

Stelazine And The Art Of Collaboration

As New York Fashion Week began, publicist, author, and CEO of People’s Revolution, Kelly Cutrone joined Debra in the Culture Crush studio to discuss all things fashion and culture. Their conversation begins with Debra telling the origin story of The Culture Crush, and the role that her experiences at Italian Vogue played in its development. Then they discuss their history in the fashion industry and how the landscape has changed over the past few decades. Finally, Kelly explains her views on the role that shopping plays in women’s lives, propaganda, Voodoo, and how social media is changing, or ruining, the fashion industry.

Kelly Cutrone

A quick stop down in Jacksonville Florida to talk southern street photography with Malcolm Jackson, while he was preparing to work on a project for the tenth issue of the Culture Crush print edition. We discussed the peculiar cultural history and the beauty of documenting life in the largest city in the United States.

On The Streets Of Jacksonville

As the influence of the aesthetics of ‘90’s Paris seems to grow and grow, it’s interesting to get a feel for some of the pieces of the puzzle that made up that particular ecosystem. Then, stylists, photographers, creative directors, press agents and designers were working in a freer, closed world, interacting with each other and allowing for chance work and experimentation that is now difficult to imagine.  But photographer Matthias Vriens-McGrath remembers it well. He discusses the creative mindset that led him to picking up a camera in the first place, as well as the aesthetic spontaneity that reflected a time that was both the end of an era and the very beginning of a now unstoppable regurgitation of imagery fueled by the high stakes multi-billion dollar machine that the fashion industry has become today. 

Matthias Vriens-McGrath

When Brian Shevlin, founder of  Con Artist Collective invited the Culture Crush to discuss the art scene in New York versus Los Angeles at their space on Ludlow street, we all decided it would be a great opportunity to record the conversation as a podcast for the first time in front of a live audience. We brought along contributor Andre Wagner to talk about his experiences as a photographer in New York City, and the unique way he works with the Culture Crush. It was an incredibly inspiring , as Brian shared his excitement about his new ‘zine project ConTent, and how we all inspire each other to collaborate and keep exploring different media and ways of communicating.    

The Culture Crush x ConTent

The Culture Crush is out in Hollywood with Bryan Rabin, who, along with DJ Adam12, is the mastermind behind Giorgio's, a special nightclub space, named for legendary producer Giorgio Moroder, which is devoted to the idea of the discotheque and the values of pre bottle service club culture, where connections are made and tribes are formed. We worked with Bryan on issue 7 and were just setting up for the launch party when we sat down (on the floor) to discuss the important role nightlife plays in both the creation and reflection of culture. 

Saturday Nights at Giorgio's

On this month’s episode we sat down with Michael Faso out in Los Angeles just as he was about to go and shoot his first Culture Crush feature story. Michael, a.k.a. @deconstrct grew up in the valley around ‘zines and early visual internet culture. We discuss his evolving interests in photography, graphics and media, the making of his own 'zine, and the way he and his friends respond to these industries from their unique point of view.

Deconstrct

Britta Phillips is a vocalist, songwriter, and actress, best known for her role as the singing voice of Jem, the title character of the ‘80’s animated TV series Jem and the Holograms. She also starred in the girl band movie Satisfaction alongside Julia Roberts and Justine Bateman and is the bass player in ‘90’s indie pop band Luna. In 2007, she married Luna and Galaxie 500 frontman Dean Wareham.  They have performed together as the duo Dean & Britta since 2003, and have jointly composed film scores for Mistress America and The Squid and the Whale.  In addition, they wrote 13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, a series of scores that correspond to a selection of Warhol’s screen tests. In tis episode, we talk to Britta about making her upcoming solo album, how she rescued her waning passion for music, and what makes for a good cover song.  She also shares her thoughts on the joys of performing live, and dispels the current societal panic about a supposed dearth of exciting new music. 

Britta Phillips: Luck or Magic?

Robin Lewis is the co-author of The New Rules of Retail and editor-in-chief of The Robin Report. He stops by our Flatiron studio in New York City to talk about everything that's wrong with the direction of the very complicated and broken system that serves as the middle man between the fashion industry and the consumer.With his 40 plus years on the business side of fashion, unique insight and scathing humor, we discuss much more than just how the industry has evolved, but more importantly, how the consumer has evolved, the blind spot in many retail strategies faltering today. In other words, growth, which has always been the retail endgame, is now sinking a lot of ships.

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The Culture Crush

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