Burning Man Blockade — (New Models)
On Sunday (27 Aug 2023), climate activists blocked the road to Burning Man, demanding that the festival—which was founded on principles of decommodification, radical self-reliance, and civic responsibility—ban single-use plastics and private jets. While the protest delayed a relatively small amount of physical traffic for less than an hour, it seized swathes of the online space for days given the action's adjacency to so many memetic themes, incl.: #climate, #collapse, #decarbonization, #privilege, #indigenous (land), #police and ofc the punching bag that is #burningman.
Much of the initial drama played out on the Instagram and X accounts of gonzo journalist Michelle Lhooq (Rave New World) who broke the story while on assignment for The Guardian. On Monday, Michelle joined New Models from Reno to discuss what she witnessed as well as the changing nature of activism’s stage both online and off.
Slide to the Left — (New Models)
Journalist MICHELLE LHOOQ calls into the pod with a report from the NYC STREETS (note: audio for this part of the ep recorded with available equipment/bandwidth). We discuss AUTONOMOUS ZONES and GENERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE.
The Quarantine Tapes 222: Michelle Lhooq
On Episode 221 of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber is joined by the incredible Michelle Lhooq. Paul asks Michelle to unpack her unique name and her identity as a gonzo journalist, moving from Marcel Duchamp to Hunter S. Thompson and protest to psychedelics on this fascinating episode.
Michelle tells Paul about her experiences reporting on the summer 2020 protests and how she is interrogating the roles of pleasure, drug use, and sobriety in today’s counterculture. They dig into some of Michelle’s incredible writing, from her pieces on music for psychedelic therapy to the rise of shrooms during the pandemic to her interrogations of the meaning of sobriety today.
Protesting Without Rules — (The Cut)
In this week’s episode of The Cut, we explore the ins and outs of protesting. Is a plan necessary? Is a leader necessary? What is “Protestchella”? Are Gen Z-ers pulling all the weight?
Avery Trufelman chats with journalist Michelle Lhooq, protester Stickers, and detective Felicia Richards to figure out if there’s a “right way” to protest.
Michelle Lhooq on Rave Utopias, Future Drugs & Autonomous Zones — (Rave To The Grave)
Counterculture journalist, psychonaut, party promoter and author Michelle Lhooq discusses rave utopias (and dystopias), new frontiers in drug culture, the Asian rave scene, Temporary Autonomous Zones and the intersection of protests and partying.
Also, hear about the legendary Vapelandia rave behind a fried chicken place, glamorous weed mansion parties, the Cali Sober movement and that one time on DMT.
Singapore Feudal Nightlife Report —(Contain)
Special report on the underground nightlife world of cyber-authoritarian fantasy city Singapore w/ journalist/writer Michelle Lhooq, who specializes in drug culture and raves. From making ice, to canings, to millionaires' secret lavish parties, paranoia, narc culture, QR codes, facial recognition…we also go into which part of the US has the best covid and post-covid raves, Thailand's Marijuana industry, the Halloween generator party at Jack Parson’s Devils Dam, M Bar lore, and more.
Dark, seedy, scary, this is what partying looks like after the pod.
Michelle Lhooq on Underground Nightlife and Drugs — (Light Culture)
Dubbed by some as “a female Hunter Thompson,” the drug guzzling gonzo writer of yore, Michelle is making a name for herself with her brazenly open cultural commentary and field notes from the fringes of underground nightlife and drugs.
We talk about the shift from alcohol to psychedelics in nightlife culture and the rise of mushroom parties, the transformational power of weed, the false binary of medical and recreational, and pleasure as a tool for transformation.
Cali Sober — (Place of Assembly)
On weed + psychedelic party spaces w/ Weed Rave kween Michelle Lhooq
Inside Thailand’s Weed Revolution —(Great Moments in Weed History)
With a homegrown cannabis culture dating back to antiquity, and a well-established reputation for growing the world's finest weed, Thailand has long ranked as a dream destination for herbally-infused travelers.
But it's only in the last year that the local authorities have decriminalized cannabis and embraced green tourism, ushering in a new era of freedom and experimentation.
To find out how things changed so rapidly, what's happening right now, and what the future holds for Thailand's cannabis movement, we share a sesh with journalist and professional partier Michelle Lhooq.
Do you know what devil's lettuce is? Any idea exactly how much THC you need to get the exact right high? Got Cannabinoids? What about CBD? What's the matter with marijuana? Indica or sativa?
We got answers to those questions and more from weed expert Michelle Lhooq, author of Weed: Everything You Always Want To Know But Are Always Too Stoned To Ask. It's a comprehensive read that will raise your Pot IQ by at least ten points. Episode 6 has it all, from the basics to the cutting edge of weed's new green revolution.