Healing New Age Narcissism Part 2 (Clubhouse Show)
Life is a Festival #97: Alex Ebert
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This week the Life is a Festival Saturday Club continues with the second installment of Healing New Age Narcissism. Alex Ebert, enigmatic frontman of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros returns with his ideas for “Refestivalizing Spirituality.”
On the show Alex gives us a robust history of the dark side of New Age thought from the Law of Attraction to the Power of Positive Thinking to the Secret. We talk about the problems with Burning Man and the liberating power of celebrating death. Finally we discuss how we can refestivalize our spiritual culture through communal effort.
The show also features insight from returning panel guests and members of the audience. Turquoise shares her thoughts on partying with a purpose, Arjuna provides a parallel history through the Human Potential Movement, and Jamie Wheal reads from his forthcoming book Recapture the Rapture.
Alex Ebert is a musician, activist, and increasingly a philosopher. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter for Ima Robot and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. He won a Golden Globe for Best Original Score for the film All Is Lost in 2014. Check out his instagram where he is increasingly posting interesting and hilarious social commentary.
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Timestamps
:09 - The most philosophical emoji is the shrug
:15 - The permissiveness of a naked parent
:20 - The history of New Age Narcissism
:32 - The shadow side of Burning Man
:45 - Alex’s ideas for refestivalizing spirituality
:51 - Turquoise shares about pulling into purpose with a party
:55 - Arjuna provides parallel trajectory of Human Potential movement
1:01 - Alex talks about celebrating death: “Yes my destruction!”
1:15 - Jamie Wheal talks about the connection between narcissism and nihilism
1:23 - Jazz, who built the Burning Man temple in 2015 shares the power of humor
1:29 - Jamie shares a reading from Recapture the Rapture
Graphics Designed by Andy McErlean
Audio Engineering by Trevor Coulter
Theme song ““Peculiar Colors” [Manjumasi]“ by dj atish