Far Out Man

Tales of Life in the Counterculture

By: Eric Utne

Narrated by: Eric Utne

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The founder of Utne Reader chronicles his adventures on the frontlines of American culture - from the Vietnam era to the age of Trump - as a spiritual seeker, antiwar activist, and minor media celebrity.

Far Out Man is the story of a life-long seeker who was occasionally a finder as well. In 1984, Eric Utne founded Utne Reader, a digest of new ideas and fresh perspectives percolating in the arts, culture, politics, business, and spirituality. With the tag line “The Best of the Alternative Press”, the magazine was twice a finalist for a National Magazine Award and grew to more than 300,000 paid circulation.

In the 90s, the magazine promoted the Neighborhood Salon Association to revive the endangered art of conversation and start a revolution in people’s living rooms. More than 18,000 people joined, comprising nearly 500 salons across North America. Utne devoted the magazine to bringing people together to help make the world a “little greener and a little kinder.”

Far Out Man serves as a chronicle of both an individual life and a generation, covering the conflicts of the Vietnam era, the hopes and excesses of the sexual revolution and the Me Decade, the idealism and depredations of the entrepreneurial 80s and 90s, and the promise and perils of the digital age.

Ultimately, Far Out Man is the story of Eric Utne’s lifelong search for hope, how he lost it, and what he found on the other side that sustains him in his darkest moments. It is a book dedicated to helping all seekers become finders.

Cover Photo: John Danicic Jr., courtesy of Utne Family Archives

©2020 Eric Utne (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“What a fascinating book - Eric Utne has been the Zelig of the counterculture, arriving early again and again at the place where the non-mainstream is flowing. He tells the story with verve and command; it’s a remarkable piece of social history.” (Bill McKibben, author Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?)

“Far Out Man will take you on a journey, not just through one man’s life, but through a pivotal time in American and world history. Always honest, often funny, sometimes profound, Eric Utne’s life story shows us how we got here and even where we might go next. His journey will resonate with people from his generation and beyond.” (Paul Kingsnorth, author of The Wake and Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist)

Exceptional!

This is not only about Eric’s life but about many of our lives in the past 75 years. There is something to learn here—-worth another listen as it deeply touched my heart, mind and memory. I highly recommend it— don’t pass it by!

A life of privilege

If you like the idea of following a white privileged male globe trotting from one guru to the next looking for himself, this book is for you. He says it all at the end of the book at 70 years old when he says “I realized my life of looking for happiness would be better by giving others happiness.” Duh. I can’t imagine a woman going through 70 years of her life and coming up with the idea it is better to give than receive. Just imagine a poor man living his life as Eric Utne did. I can’t even imagine they would have time, money or Psyche to be that self absorbed when living in the moment means making it through life. This book was a hard pill to swallow.