The 10 Best Arts and Culture Stories of 2018

This year’s top Truthdig Arts and Culture stories include wisdom from musician Willie Nelson, a podcast host with a strong dislike for centrist liberals, and gender theorist Judith Butler. These articles help show how media can expose inequality and explain politics.   

The Doors’ John Densmore on Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Oliver Stone and the New Protest Generation By Robert Scheer Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer and musician Densmore discuss the Vietnam protests, the activism behind The Doors’ music and more.

Michael Moore Attempts Another Election Intervention With ‘Fahrenheit 11/9’ By Jordan Riefe The filmmaker’s audiences are treated to another serving of his docu-tainment, which makes some strong points—but too many leaps.

Fans Outraged by Willie Nelson’s Politics Haven’t Been Paying Attention By Robert Scheer and Kasia Anderson A look back at Nelson’s interview after the country legend kicked up dust by playing a benefit concert for Ted Cruz’s Democratic challenger.

The Right to Be Who You Are By Emily Wilson Queer theorist and UC Berkeley professor Judith Butler on life for bi, lesbian, gay and trans people and their struggle for acceptance.

Quincy Jones Knows Why Hillary Clinton Is So Disliked By Eric Ortiz In a wide-ranging interview with Vulture, the music legend discusses his relationships with the Clintons and the Trumps and more.

In Reality, Every Night Is ‘Purge’ Night By Leslie Lee III Class- and race-conscious and uncomfortably relevant, the politically charged horror franchise isn’t just a big-screen nightmare.

A Fresh Look at Labor Issues in ‘Sorry to Bother You’ By Jordan Riefe Boots Riley’s film takes on casual and institutional racism, corporate greed, class subjugation and coarsening public discourse.

Native Voices Unite to Defend Sacred Lands By Barbara Dunlap As a lawsuit challenges the slashing of the Bears Ears Monument, Native Americans point to the area’s spiritual and cultural significance.

Chapo Trap House Imagines the Most Perverse Outcome of Trump’s Presidency By Jacob Sugarman Podcaster Matt Christman on the failures of liberalism and the need for the left to grab hold of our “economic death engine.”

Filmmaker-Photographer Lauren Greenfield on Rise of ‘Generation Wealth’ and Fall of the Empire By Jordan Riefe Greenfield’s latest documentary looks at the pathology of greed and fame. “I thought the financial crash was going to teach us,” she said.