Raised by Hippies

Steely Dan week starts next week! 🎹 🥨 🕶️

We’ll be getting into specific albums, songs, stories, and musicians connected to the band here on YouTube, but if you want to go deeper, there are already a couple of Steely Dan extras available.

Our members-only YouTube video, How Steely Dan Accidentally Invented Yacht Rock, is out now. Memberships are $0.99 USD/month and include early access to new videos, custom emojis, a merch discount, members-only YouTube videos, and more.

And over on Patreon, we have our full documentary What’s The Deal With Steely Dan?, about Walter Becker and Donald Fagen: two intellectual New York jazz freaks who found themselves right in the middle of the 1970s California music scene, turning studio perfection, dark humour, literary weirdness, and their disdain for the sleazier side of Los Angeles into some of the strangest hit records of the decade.

Watch the Patreon documentary here:
www.patreon.com/RaisedByHippies525/posts/whats-dea…

We also have the Pretzel Logic shirt in the shop here:
raised-by-hippies-shop.fourthwall.com/products/pre…

So where do you land on Steely Dan: genius, insufferable, or somehow both?

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4 days ago | [YT] | 51

Raised by Hippies

YOUTUBE MEMBERSHIPS HAVE ARRIVED!

We’ve officially launched YouTube Memberships on Raised By Hippies.

This channel runs on curiosity, research, and the people who keep showing up to watch, comment, and care about this music with us. Memberships are a new way to join the club and get a closer look at what we do here.

The Regulars tier is $1.49 CAD a month and includes a loyalty badge beside your name, custom Raised By Hippies emojis, top priority in the comments, early access to uploads, members-only polls, and merch discounts. Your badge evolves the longer you stay a member, and top members will also be highlighted on our channel homepage and under our videos.

The Inner Circle is $2.99 CAD a month and includes everything above, plus two exclusive videos every month, including the kind of candid, deeper content that used to live only on Patreon.

You can also gift memberships to other viewers, which is a great way to bring somebody else into the club.

If you want to support the channel and get a few extras in return, click Join. And whether you become a member or keep dropping in whenever the mood strikes, I’m glad you’re here.

3 months ago | [YT] | 0

Raised by Hippies

RAISED BY HIPPIES MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - March 2026

First things first, I owe you an apology.

It has been a little while since the last YouTube video, and I know some of you noticed. The past couple of months have just been a bit chaotic behind the scenes. Nothing dramatic, just life getting busy and the work taking longer than expected. These videos take a lot of research, writing, editing, and fact-checking, and sometimes the process stretches out more than I would like.

I really appreciate the patience.

The good news is we finally have a new video out.

NEW VIDEO: BOB DYLAN VS. LEONARD COHEN

The newest video on the channel is called:
Bob Dylan vs. Leonard Cohen & The Hallelujah Lie That Reveals Everything.

It begins with a small moment from the late 80s: Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen sitting together in a café in Paris, talking about songwriting. Dylan asks Cohen how long it took him to write “Hallelujah.”

Cohen gives an answer that was not entirely true.

Dylan’s response somehow makes the whole thing even more interesting.

That brief exchange opens the door to a much bigger question about the two of them. They were both working with similar musical traditions, similar imagery, even similar structures in their songs, and yet their approaches to writing and to fame could not have been more different.

That contrast turns out to reveal a lot about both artists.

40,000 SUBSCRIBERS!!

Somewhere along the way the channel quietly crossed another milestone.

We are now over 40,000 subscribers on YouTube.

That number still feels a little surreal. When we started Raised By Hippies, the idea that tens of thousands of people would want to watch long videos about music history felt pretty unlikely.

So if you are one of those 40,000 people, thank you. And if you have shared a video, left a comment, or used the “hype” feature on YouTube to help the videos reach more people, that stuff really does make a difference.

LATEST PATREON DOCUMENTARY: GOD LIVES ON SAINT-LAURENT

Our most recent documentary on Patreon is called “God Lives On Saint-Laurent.” It tells the story of Leonard Cohen’s early life and the environments that shaped him long before the world knew his music.

We go back to mid-century Montreal, into the Jewish communities where garment makers lived alongside poets, then across the Atlantic to the Greek island of Hydra where artists and wandering writers gathered in the early 1960s. From there the story moves to the Chelsea Hotel in New York, one of the most legendary creative crossroads of the era.

The film looks at how those places and communities helped form Cohen’s voice and personality, and how those early experiences echoed through his work for the rest of his life. Mysterious, dark, and endlessly compelling, Leonard Cohen really was one of a kind.

That documentary is available now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/RaisedByHippies525

COMING SOON: MUSIC + POLITICS

The next YouTube video should be out in about two weeks.

It looks at the long relationship between music and politics and pushes back a bit on the idea that music suddenly became political sometime recently. When you look back at the history, it becomes pretty clear that music has always been reacting to the world around it.

Sometimes that reaction is obvious. Sometimes it is buried inside stories about love, work, or everyday life. But the connection is almost always there.

That one has turned into a really interesting rabbit hole and I am excited to share it soon.

NEXT PATREON DOCUMENTARY: MARVIN GAYE

Over on Patreon, the next documentary we are working on will focus on Marvin Gaye.

Patreon is where we release our longer documentary projects and where supporters get to vote on upcoming topics. A $5/MONTH subscription gives access to the full archive of documentaries along with those voting rights and other exclusive content.

SOMETHING NEW ON PATREON

Beginning this month, we aim to release one short video every week that is a little different from the documentaries and long YouTube essays. These will be shorter, more candid videos where I about things that do not always fit neatly into the YouTube algorithm. Current bands, music trends, artists we have been listening to lately, or just thoughts about where music seems to be heading.

The main idea is to create a space where we can speak a little more freely and connect with people in a more personal way. Not everything needs to be a full documentary or a heavily researched video essay. Sometimes it is nice to just talk about music the way people normally do.

So if you have ever wondered what I think about certain artists or parts of the music world that do not usually make it into the main videos, this will be a space for that.

MERCH

No merch announcements this month, but we are working on some new design ideas for the shop. A few concepts are still in the sketch phase, so nothing to reveal just yet, but there are some ideas we are really excited about.

Hopefully we will have something to show you in the next month or so.

I will say there has been a lot of expressed interest in the Broomours shirt so check it out if you're interested: raised-by-hippies-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd/produ…

THANK YOU

I say this a lot, but it really does mean a lot that people care about these stories.

Music history is full of strange little moments that could easily disappear if nobody keeps talking about them. The goal with Raised By Hippies has always been to keep digging those stories up and sharing them with people who love this music as much as we do.

So whether you watch every video, support the Patreon, or just quietly follow along, thank you for being here.

More soon.

- Vanessa

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3 months ago | [YT] | 34

Raised by Hippies

Hey everyone!

Quick check in because this week is basically one connected story.

We just released a new Alanis documentary on Patreon. It’s a close up look at how “Jagged Little Pill” got made, Ottawa to Los Angeles, the journals, the songwriting, and what it actually meant for a 19 year old to put that much honesty on the radio in 1994.

Tomorrow’s YouTube video is the wide angle version. It’s about women in 90s music, not as a ranking or a nostalgia trip, but as a map of the pressure they were under and the different ways they pushed back. Pop perfection, tabloid cruelty, alternative anger, Riot Grrrl infrastructure, Lilith Fair, the whole ecosystem. Alanis is in the middle of it, but she’s not the only one who had to fight to be taken seriously.

If you want the deep Alanis story, the doc is on Patreon now. If you want the bigger decade picture, the YouTube video is out tomorrow.

Patreon - www.patreon.com/c/RaisedByHippies525

Who is one woman from 90s music you think people still don’t give enough credit to, and what do they miss?

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5 months ago | [YT] | 65

Raised by Hippies

Elvis fans, I’ve always loved how his voice changes depending on the era. Where do you think he sounded best?

If you want to make your case, drop one song or performance that proves it!

5 months ago | [YT] | 15

Raised by Hippies

LAST CALL FOR CHRISTMAS MERCH & CAROLE KING NEXT WEEK!

The Classic Rock Christmas sale is on, and our holiday merch is officially in “last call” territory. 🎄✨

Today (the 11th) is the last day to order if you want your merch guaranteed to land under the tree in time. After that, shipping gets a little wild and I can’t make promises. 🎅🏻🎁

Grab your favorites in the shop through the link in our bio and let’s make your December wardrobe a little more festive. ✌️

Shop - www.raised-by-hippies-shop.fourthwall.com/

Also we're finally releasing the Carole King doc for YouTube this coming Tuesday so stay tuned!

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6 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 17

Raised by Hippies

RAISED BY HIPPIES MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
November 2025

This season has been wild, and if you have noticed it’s been a minute since our last YouTube drop, trust us, we feel it too. October and November have been a bit of a whirlwind behind the scenes. If you have been waiting for something new to hit the channel, thank you for your patience. We are hard at work on a full-length Carole King documentary for YouTube and aiming to have it out within the next week. We really do appreciate everyone who checks in, shares kind words, or sticks around while we try to get these stories right.

Our goal for the New Year is to set ourselves up so that we can continue our posting schedule of every two weeks.

The Dick Cavett Show (Two-Part Documentary, first hour free)

Last month, we dropped a two-hour, two-part documentary on The Dick Cavett Show over on Patreon. The first hour is totally free to watch, you can just sign up for Patreon with a free account and you are in. If you want to catch the full second hour (plus the whole archive of documentaries and the power to vote on what comes next), a $5 monthly subscription gets you full access. We wanted to give everyone a chance to check out what we do on Patreon, so if you are curious, now is a great time to take a look.

PATREON - www.patreon.com/c/RaisedByHippies525

Black Friday & Holiday Merch Sale

The holidays are here, and so is our biggest merch deal of the year. We are running a storewide sale in our shop, 20% off all purchases from November 26 through November 28. Whether you want to grab something for yourself or someone else, now is the time. We will also be dropping new Christmas designs in December, so keep an eye out for those.

SHOP - raised-by-hippies-shop.fourthwall.com/en-cad

What’s Next

Between the Cavett doc, the upcoming Carole King release, and the usual year-end chaos, we want to thank you for rolling with us. If you are new here, welcome! If you have been along for the whole ride, we appreciate it more than you know. Your support, feedback, and encouragement make every project possible. As always, if you want to see us keep going (or growing), sharing our stuff, leaving comments, or using the “hype” feature on YouTube goes a long way.

Here’s to a season full of music, good company, and a little peace wherever you find it.

Peace and Love, Vanessa <3

6 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 25

Raised by Hippies

IT'S SPOOKY SEASON 👻🎃🐈‍⬛

Halloween at Raised By Hippies means the Rumours lineup with a twist: Stevie as a witch, Mick as a skeleton, and two shirt styles to choose from. The Spooky Version brings in bats and a jack-o-lantern for full October vibes. The alternate pulls back on the Halloween extras but keeps the transformed duo front and center. Both are out now, and both are made for anyone who loves a little weirdness in their wardrobe.


Shop: raised-by-hippies-shop.fourthwall.com/

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8 months ago | [YT] | 63