Dean Kuipers - Journalist & Author - Iggy Pop, Family & Eco Radicalism

Dean Kuipers' latest book is Deer Camp: a Memoir of a Father, a Family and the Land that Healed Them. It’s the story of how he and his brothers reconnected with their estranged father through a plot of land in rural Michigan where Dean grew up. 

Dean is a journalist, author and editor who has had a long and interesting career writing about three big areas: ecology, politics and the arts. 

As a former editor at Spin and Raygun magazines, Dean wrote extensively on radical movements and rock’n’roll, with cover stories on artists including David Bowie, Neil Young, Iggy Pop, Smashing Pumpkins, Cypress Hill, the Rolling Stones, Marilyn Manson and many others. 

At the LA Times he was the editor of the Nightlife section and Greenspace blog and his journalism has also appeared in Outside, Playboy, Rolling Stone, the LA Weekly and many other publications.Dean is also the author of three nonfiction books and co-wrote a fourth with the artist Doug Aitken. 

I first met Dean when he was the Nightlife editor at the LA Times and he asked me to profile Mekhi Pfifer during his turn as Future in 8 Mile. Dean and I have crossed paths a few times since then and I really enjoyed reconnecting this conversation. It made me look at the world differently, and I think you’ll really enjoy it, too. You can learn more about Dean at deankuipersonline.com. 

If you dig this episode, please pass it on to a friend, hit subscribe and rate the show. Go to www.choosethehardway.com to sign up for The Hard Way newsletter and get cool stuff worth knowing + updates on new episodes.