The Culture War Podcast with Tim Pool Woke Has INFECTED Goth, Punk, & Metal, MAGA Must Save the Arts w/ Phil Labonte, Jake Munro, & Brian Graupner
Dec 5, 2025
Join alternative subculture commentator Jake Munro and industrial musician Brian Graupner as they discuss the infiltration of woke ideology into goth, punk, and metal scenes. They explore how mainstream influences have diluted authentic counterculture, the impact of social media on subcultural dynamics, and the shift from artistic expression to activism. Brian shares his personal experiences with cancel culture, revealing the real-life consequences it creates. The conversation also dives into gender expression, masculinity in metal, and the growing movement of Goths Against Cancel Culture.
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Woke Migrated To The Underground
- Wokeness has retreated from mainstream media into alternative subcultures rather than disappeared.
- Jake Munro argues the underground is now the last bastion where woke exerts strong conformity pressure.
Internet Killed The Discovery Ritual
- The internet and social media destroyed the old mall-based underground by moving meetups online and enabling performative gatekeeping.
- Phil That Remains notes discovery and commitment faded when access became a few clicks instead of effortful trips.
Artists Became Activists
- Alternative scenes shifted from artists to activists, turning aesthetic spaces into political battlegrounds.
- Jake Munro says that activism replaced artistic expression, making ideology primary over art.
