Today on Team Human, we share a conversation with author, musician, humorist, and culture hacker Hugh Gallagher. Gallagher began his professional writing career thanks in part to a college entrance essay that went viral in the 90s, earning the distinction of being an early, if not the first, internet comedy meme. With lines like, “I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice… I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes…” Gallagher broke the mold, winning a national writing award, a beer with John Kennedy Jr., and a gig writing for Rolling Stone.

Douglas and Gallagher look back on Gen X culture hacking, discuss the professional career landscape for creatives, and talk about the inspiration behind Hugh’s latest novel Lifted, a work of digital fiction available via Radish Fiction. It’s a freewheeling Team Human conversation that embraces stepping out of binaries and defaults, and embracing the fringes.

All the music you hear on today’s show is thanks to Hugh’s alter ego, the 80s Belgian pop star VON VON VON.

Rushkoff begins today’s show with a monologue on penetrating consciousness though art, theater, and creative cultural expression.

This show was made possible thanks to our supporters and subscribers on Patreon. If you’d like to join the team, visit teamhuman.fm and click on support. You can also support the show by reviewing Team Human on iTunes.

Photo of Hugh by Pavlina Summers

Lizard Photo by Philipp Lublasser on Unsplash