))
R.U. Sirius: inside the mind of a cyberdelic shaman
Manage episode 417264056 series 2650584
Content provided by Lawrence Peryer. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Lawrence Peryer or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
Today, the Spotlight shines On legendary writer, vocalist and digital culture commentator, Ken Goffman, better known as R.U. Sirius.
Most will know R.U. from his time as co-publisher and editor-in-chief of the 1990s cyberpunk magazine MONDO 2000. MONDO covered topics like transhumanism, virtual reality and smart drugs at a time when these things offered hope for a better or at least more interesting world, though the editorial tone always subversively poked at the soft white underbelly of technoculture. If Wired has become Kenny G, MONDO was Sun Ra, through and through.
R.U. is author or coauthor of books including Counterculture Through the Ages: From Abraham to Acid House, Everybody Must Get Stoned: Rock Stars on Drugs, How to Mutate and Take Over the World, and nearly a dozen more.
We covered a lot of ground, including but not only: online subcultures, societal repercussions of digital technologies, conspiracy theory, the shortcomings of transhumanism, post-scarcity philosophy, the limitations of irony, and a ton more.
Music is a big part of the R.U. experience, as you will hear in our talk. He’s been a lyricist and composer for projects including Phriendz, Party Dogs and Mondo Vanilli.
R.U.’s various works have served as a guidepost for me since I was a much younger man. It was a special treat to connect with him now, in this time of reckoning with what the digital and internet revolution has wrought, to talk about the state of life and affairs.
(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from R.U. Sirius’s Infinite Gesture (A Work in Progress))
–
Dig Deeper
- Visit R.U. Sirius on his Bandcamp page and mondo2000.com
- Follow R.U. Sirius on Instagram, Twitter (X), Facebook, and LinkedIn
- Be sure to peruse this episode’s extensive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com
–
• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice.
• Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon.
• Check out Spotlight On’s next live event at The Royal Room in Seattle on Saturday, June 22! More info here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
209 episodes
Share
