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Bureau of Lost Culture

Stephen Coates
Counterculture
Psychedelics
Rave Culture
Mental Health
Shamanism
Spiral Tribe
The Incredible String Band
Black Power
Acid House
Castle Morton Free Festival
Perversion
British Underground
Dreaming
Black Panthers
Allen Ginsberg
Music Activism
Lucid Dreaming
Punk
Homosexuality
Music

*The Bureau of Lost Culture broadcast rare, countercultural stories, oral testimonies and tales from the underground.*Join host Stephen Coates and a wide range of guests, including musicians, artists, writers, activists and commentators in conversation.

Support us on Patreon*Listen via all major podcast providers.

The Bureau is collected at The British Library Sound Archive

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes171Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistorySociety & Culture

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Artwork for Bureau of Lost Culture

Latest Episodes

If you're going to watch your local football team this weekend, or perhaps catch a big match on a TV screen in the pub, do you know that you may be unconsciously participating in an ancient ritual? And as you're shouldering your way to the bar from t... more

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For centuries, it seems Britain’s magic mushrooms remained hidden in plain sight—growing in fields, parks, and hillsides. When knowledge of them did emerge, it passed between people through rumours, oral testimony, underground publications, and incre... more

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Has 20th-and 21st-century physics moved away from the brute materialism of the nineteenth century toward ideas that resemble the world’s ancient mystical traditions?

Might many of the discipline’s greatest figures — Einstein, Niels Bohr, Schrödinger... more

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She's 82 but is firing on all cylinders, still crazy after all these years, as Paul Simon sang, well, still crazy enough to believe the world can be changed for the better, that it's her duty to try to make that happen and crazy enough in her youth t... more

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Recent Guests

David Bramwell
Author and researcher, discussing The Ghosts of the Medicine Show
Independent author/curator
Episode: From Shaman to Showman - The Ghosts of the Medicine Show
Robert Dickens
Author of Psilocybin Pickers; founder of Psychedelic Press
Psychedelic Press
Episode: Psilocybe Pickers - A Short History of Bemushroomed Britons
Mark Booth
Author of The Secret History of the World and The Secret History of the Universe
Episode: A Countercultural History of the Universe
Nancy Kurshan
Activist and organizer, Yippies and Weather Underground member
Weather Underground / Yippies
Episode: Levitating the Pentagon and other Stories
James Shields
Professor, Buddhist ethics and engaged Buddhism
(unspecified)
Episode: Peace is a Fire: The Monk Who Set Himself Alight
Roc Sandford
British writer, artist, climatist, activist
Off-grid living advocate on Gometra
Episode: The Road to Rebellion - Part 1
James Riley
Writer whose work explores the darker edges of the 1960s and 1970s
Author of The Bad Trip
Episode: The Shadow of the Counterculture
Joe Rush
Initiator and driving force behind The Mutoid Waste Company
Mutoid Waste Company
Episode: 21st Century Mutoid Man: Joe Rush - Part 2
Luke Turner
British writer, editor and cultural critic; author of Men at War
Author of Men at War; founding editor of The Quietus
Episode: Sex - Men - War

Host

Stephen Coates
Host and curator of countercultural history discussions; central figure connecting guests, archival material, and broader cultural inquiry.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 314 ratings
  • Deep joy

    Joyful eclectic journeys through cultural oddities that will fill your head with wonder and that will make you more interesting as a person

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Bobbymatchbox
    United Kingdom5 months ago
  • You can’t get lost.

    For the sake of not losing the knowledge about any remarkable culture.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Wandowaiato
    Germany8 months ago
  • Excellent

    Really enjoy this pod, thoughtful and engaging - highly recommended

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Bong
    United Kingdom10 months ago
  • Excellent

    Devouring these episodes. Trying not to rush them.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    NedW1983
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Superb

    This was recommended to me as I love all things counter cultural. I’m on my second episode and I love it. Well structured, well researched, informed and thought provoking 👏🏼

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Nigey B
    United Kingdom2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The host guides conversations with warmth and scholarly rigor.
Shows depth and breadth in counterculture storytelling.
Episodes feel like living archives of underground scenes.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#212
United Kingdom/History
Apple Podcasts
#68
Japan/History
Apple Podcasts
#213
Sweden/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Free Radicals - Tripping in the 18th Century.
Q: Tell us what the romantic era was or in the context of your research.
The Romantic era emerges from the Enlightenment as a turn toward inner, subjective experience, where mind and consciousness become central to understanding reality, bridging science with poetry and philosophy in Bristol and beyond.
The Lost History of Skiffle - with Billy Bragg
Q: Who is Billy Bragg?
Billy Bragg describes himself as a musician influenced by Bob Dylan and American soul, who later became an author and activist; he explains how his work connects with Skiffle and its cultural significance.
In + Out of Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth - Part 2
Q: What prompted you to reclaim your story and experiences from your time in Psychic TV?
After going through my master's program, I felt compelled to write about my life in the music business. It was a way to articulate my identity and contributions which had often been overshadowed.
In + Out of Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth - Part 2
Q: How did you cope financially after separating from Jen?
I struggled financially for years, working odd jobs and dealing with the stress of the divorce process, but eventually I found a way to support myself musically and through teaching.
In + Out of Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth - Part 2
Q: What was the turning point for you in leaving the relationship with Jen?
It was a culmination of factors, including controlling behavior and my need for personal growth. I felt trapped and realized that I needed to change my life at age 29.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Bureau of Lost Culture

What is Bureau of Lost Culture about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program curates voices from the underground, blending historians, artists, activists, and musicians to explore counterculture, marginal histories, and alternative cultural movements. Episodes cover topics from 1960s-70s activism, psychedelic science, DIY art collectives, to maps, shamanism, and skiffle, often grounded in personal memory and archival research. The show is likely to appeal to listeners who relish deep, nuanced conversations about cultural transformation, dissent, and creative resistance, with a patient, scholarly yet accessible interview style that favors first-hand narratives and historical context. A notable strength is its weaving of intimate life stories with larger social currents, producing richly textured episodes... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Bureau of Lost Culture?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Bureau of Lost Culture:

1. Weird Studies
2. The Alexei Sayle Podcast
3. The LRB Podcast
4. Word In Your Ear
5. Hermitix

How many episodes of Bureau of Lost Culture are there?

Bureau of Lost Culture launched 6 years ago and published 171 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Bureau of Lost Culture?

Recent guests on Bureau of Lost Culture include:

1. David Bramwell
2. Robert Dickens
3. Mark Booth
4. Nancy Kurshan
5. James Shields
6. Roc Sandford
7. James Riley
8. Joe Rush

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