The first is a band that my friend referred to me called The Protomen. The Protomen are a strange blend of two subcultures: Metal and Gaming. They have two full albums that play as a "rock opera" loosely based on the Megaman video game franchise; the entire project could be considered an elaborate fanfic. Their musical style relates closely to metal (though perhaps a little on the "glam" side) and they are an interesting listen for fans of the video game, as it provides (fan-made) depth for otherwise shallow characters. All in all I found them highly enjoyable and would suggest them to anyone who is interested in either subculture (or rock operas I suppose).
The second came while I was reading a book called Heaven Is a Playground by Rick Telander. Heaven is a book about basketball in the inner city in the late 70's. I would recommend this book to anyone, even if they don't particularly like basketball (and especially if they do). A true story, there is a section in which the author goes on a late night graffiti raid. I consider Telander a very good writer and he provides a good account of the motivation behind graffiti as well as what it's participants hope to gain from it. He also provides a first hand account of an actual raid, exhibiting some of it's inherent dangers. The section is too long to quote here but is definitely worth checking out, it is found about two-thirds of the way through the novel.
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