V. Vale is a San Francisco cultural historian, writer, and keyboard player, and, as Vale Hamanaka, was a member of the initial configuration of Blue Cheer. In 1977 Vale founded Search & Destroy, San Francisco’s first punk rock publication. He launched RE/SEARCH in 1980, and is likely the longest-running punk publisher still active today. Although Vale released books by Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins, Lydia Lunch, and many other punk notables, RE/SEARCH is best known for its impact on the larger world of underground culture.

About California Countercultures
Thinking Through the Arts and Design at Berkeley: California Countercultures is a UC Berkeley course cotaught by Natasha Boas, independent curator and critic of contemporary art and theory, and Michael Cohen, associate teaching professor in the African American studies department. The Wednesday public lecture series is organized by Natasha Boas. California Countercultures is sponsored by UC Berkeley’s Big Ideas program and the Arts + Design Initiative, with additional support from Cal Performances and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.