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Deviate — Places & Travel
Deviate

Rolf Potts veers off-topic in this unique series of conversations with experts, public figures, and intriguing people.

Copyright: © 2021 Rolf Potts

Latest Episodes:

Comedian Ari Shaffir on ‘shrooms, hugging, and quitting smartphones Dec 12, 2017
Show notes

“These travel podcasts are great because you just drive around talking, and people feel like they’re sitting in the back seat.” – Ari Shaffir

Ari Shaffir (@AriShaffir) is a comedian whose standup special Double Negative recently debuted on Netflix. He is the former host of Comedy Central’s storytelling show This is Not Happening, the current host of the Skeptic Tank podcast, and the perennial host and organizer of Shroomfest.

In this freewheeling episode of Deviate, Rolf drives Ari around Los Angeles on a quest to get a burrito. Along the way they cover numerous topics, including Tinder and dating (8:30); their conflicted relationship with smartphones and technology (32:30); the psychic merits of taking magic mushrooms (55:15); and the awkward etiquette of when it is and is not appropriate to hug someone (1:36:50).

People and interviews mentioned:

Paul Thomas Anderson (film director)

Sam Tripoli (comedian)

Jessa Crispin (writer and critic)

Keanu Reeves (actor)

Vanna White (television personality)

Tiffani Amber Thiessen (actress)

George Brett (baseball player)

Roger Staubach (football player)

Ernest White II on Deviate

Rolf Potts on Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank

Bert Kreischer (comedian)

Quentin Tarantino (director)

Joe Rogan (comedian / podcaster)

Tim Ferriss on Deviate

Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign

Other links:

Bushwick (neighborhood in Brooklyn)

Boogie Nights (film)

The 2017 World Series, Astros v. Dodgers

The 2015 World Series, Royals v. Mets

Bleach and Nevermind (albums by Nirvana)

Mother Love Bone (band)

Jane’s Addiction (band)

Fugazi (band)

Pasadena’s Suicide Bridge

Pulp Fiction (film)

Magic mushrooms

“There is a time and purpose for everything under heaven.”

Joshua Tree National Park (place)

East Timor (country in maritime Southeast Asia)

Rolf and his Kansas City Royals sign:

This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe.

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lu mber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

Disaster Artist writer Tom Bissell on bogus authenticity and violence in art Dec 05, 2017

Show notes

“If you go through your life expecting moral purity from every artist you love, you’re going to have a very lonely life, aesthetically.” – Tom Bissell

Tom Bissell is an American author, journalist, and critic. He co-authored the book The Disaster Artist, which has been adapted into a movie starring James Franco, Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, and Alison Brie.

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Tom discuss Metallica and thrash metal (5:25); violence in music and video games (23:30); how one’s relationship to one’s own writing transforms over time (28:10); the shallowness of cultural criticism in social-media (33:55); the dubious concept of “authenticity” as applied to food, music, and travel (42:00); co-writingThe Disaster Artist with actor Greg Sestero, and making sense of The Room (58:50); and finding joy and contentment within the creative process (1:06:00).

Articles, books and movies:

The Geto Boys, by Rolf Potts
Slayer’s Reign in Blood, by D.X. Ferris
Some Kind of Monster (documentary film about Metallica)
The Defiant Ones (documentary about Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre)
Straight Outta Compton (movie about N.W.A)
“My Holy Land Vacation,” by Tom Bissell
“Euphorias of Perrier: The Case Against Robert D. Kaplan,” by Tom Bissell
“One Man’s Odyssey into ‘Eat, Pray, Love’,” by Rolf Potts
Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, by David Kushner
Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads, by Paul Theroux
“The Mystical High Church of Luck,” by Rolf Potts (about Las Vegas)
“Humor Doesn’t Translate Internationally,” by Rolf Potts (about The Asylum)

Bands, songs, and albums mentioned

Metallica (thrash-metal band)
Anthrax (thrash-metal band)
Slayer (thrash-metal band)
Testament (thrash-metal band)
The Exploited (punk band)
Public Enemy (rap group)
NWA (rap group)
“Angel of Death” (song, by Slayer)
“Wake up Dead” (song, by Megadeth)
“Indians” (song, by Anthrax)
“Creeping Death” (song, by Metallica)
“Disposable Heroes” (song, by Metallica)
The Black Album (1991 album, by Metallica)

Other Links:

Dungeons & Dragons books
Cliff Burton (Metallica bassist)
Chuck D (rap artist)
James Smith (Rap-A-Lot Records founder)
Dr. Dre (music producer)
Rick Rubin (music producer)
Paul Theroux (travel writer)
Pico Iyer (travel writer)
33 1/3 (book series)
Virtue signaling (concept)

Tom Bissell’s favorite Metallica albums:

Other books by Tom Bissell:

This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe.

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lu mber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

Everest mountaineer Alison Levine on introversion and finding mentors Nov 28, 2017

Show notes

“The top of a mountain is just a pile of rock and ice, and it’s really not much different than being a couple hundred feet lower. What’s important are the lessons that you learn along the way when you’re fighting like hell to get up there. And then what you’re going to do with that information to be better going forward.” – Alison Levine

Alison Levine (@Levine_Alison) is an American mountaineer, leadership consultant, and public speaker. She is one of less than 60 people to have ascended the highest peaks on every continent and skied to both the North and South Poles (known as the Explorers Grand Slam). Her 2014 book On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and Other Extreme Environments was a New York Times Bestseller.

In Episode 4 of Deviate, Rolf discusses introversion versus extroversion (1:45); summiting Mount Everest and overcoming obstacles (18:55); respecting culture while fostering progress (37:00); Alison’s career path, and lessons learned along the way (51:20); finding mentors (1:04:30); and Alison’s most important life advice, including the importance of failure (1:16:26).

You can find out more about The Glass Ceiling, Alison Levine’s documentary project about the first Nepali woman to climb Mt. Everest, at theglassceilingmovie.com or via her Indiegogo fundraising campaign.

Notable People Mentioned:

Pasang Lhamu Sherpa (mountaineer)
Edmund Hillary (mountaineer)
Tenzing Norgay (mountaineer)
Pete Dawkins (businessman)

Links:

TripScout (self-guided city-tour mobile app)
Climb High Foundation (teaching women in developing nations trekking-related tourism skills)
Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point
“Freedom to Fail,” by Pete Dawkins (from Infantry Magazine, Sept/Oct.1965)

This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe.

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lu mber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

Hollywood composer Rolfe Kent on the joys of throwing out quality work Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

“You should write down what you would like your future to look like, because otherwise you will be on autopilot.” – Rolfe Kent

In Episode 3 of Deviate, Rolf discusses music and the creative process with accomplished Hollywood film composer Rolfe Kent (@rolfekent), whose recent project, The Zen Effect, is available on iTunes.

To download a free track from The Zen Effect, visit Rolfe’s website.

Links:

Tools:

FS Binaural Microphone
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield
The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal, by Julia Cameron
Ketogenic diet
Oblique Strategies, created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt
Pomodoro Technique (time management)
Melodica (instrument)
Mixtapes as a Lost Language: A Brief Cultural Primer

Rolfe’s film and TV scores discussed in the interview:

Dexter theme (television series)
Sideways (film)
Up in the Air (film)
The Hunting Party (film)
Mexico City (film)
Reign Over Me (film)
Mean Girls (film)
Wedding Crashers (film)
Legally Blonde (film)

Notable film music discussed:

James Bond theme (by Monty Norman)
Star Wars theme (by John Williams)
Mission Impossible theme (by Lalo Schifrin)
Blade Runner theme (by Vangelis)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly main theme (by Ennio Morricone)
Lawrence of Arabia main theme (by Maurice Jarre)
Paris, Texas theme (by Ry Cooder)
Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ remix (which uses music from The Social Network)

Notable people mentioned:

Alexander Payne (director)
Richard Shepard (director)
Jason Reitman (director)
Brian Eno (music producer)
Mike Binder (director)
Thomas Newman (composer)
Rick Rubin (music producer)
The tune “Hippie Christmas” from Rolfe’s song-shop, as heard in the episode, was written by Craig Richey

Show Notes:

Purpose of a movie score (11:45)
Career path and early influences (23:22)
Rolfe’s muscial style (27:18)
Collaborating with filmmakers (37:30)
Letting go of completed work (43:40)
Accidental versus intentional creativity (47:50)
On different instruments offering different opportunities to convey a message (50:32)
On inspiration (52:30)
Organization and focus techniques (54:20)
Creative process (59:25)
Mid-career creativity and “success management” (1:12:10)
Restrictions as a catalyst for creativity (122:19)
Immersive music theater (1:24:30)
Scoring one’s own life (129:40)
Musical structure and its function in everyday life (1:30:55)

Free download from Rolfe’s Kent’s Zen Effect.

This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe.

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lu mber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

TV host Ernest White II on black/white, gay/straight male friendships Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

“Culture is cosmetic” – Ernest White

In Episode 2 of Deviate, Rolf explores friendship and culture as he goes on a road trip with friend, travel writer, and storyteller Ernest White (@ernestwhiteii), whose new TV show, Fly Brother, comes out soon.

Links:

Media Links

Gringo Trails, by Pegi Vail (travel documentary)
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson
James Baldwin (author)
Notes of a Native Son, by James Baldwin
The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin
Passing Strange (Broadway musical / movie)

Show Notes:

Adult friendships and sexual orientation (8:00)
Race (21:10)
Cross-cultural travel dynamics (25:15)
Recognizing commonalities and appreciating differences (43:40)
Cultural conditioning (46:23)
Brotherhood (54:15)

This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe.

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lu mber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

Bestselling author Tim Ferriss on how to create a successful podcast Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

“If you never got paid for podcasting, would the skills and relationships you developed be enough to keep you doing it? If the answer is ‘no’, I wouldn’t pull the trigger.” – Tim Ferriss

In the inaugural episode of Deviate, Rolf goes meta and talks about podcasting with bestselling author and lifestyle-design guru Tim Ferriss (@tferriss), whose newest book, Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World, debuts this week.

Update (12/07/17): An abridged transcript for this episode is now available online in blog form, as “Tim Ferriss on his 17 principles for how to create a successful podcast.”

Links:

Podcasting Tools

Ecamm Call Recorder (28:04)
Zencastr (28:08)
ATR2100 USB Microphone (28:38)
Zoom H6 Recorder (1:15:24)
Zoom H1 Recorder
Shure SM7B Mic
Audacity (software)
Auphonic (postproduction web service)
Yellowtec: iXm (self-enclosed mic)
Evernote (web application)

Other links

Rolf Potts on the Tim Ferriss Show
Ed Catmull on the Tim Ferriss Show
Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Tim Ferriss Show
Edward Norton on the Tim Ferriss Show
Dom D’Agostino on Ketosis and the End of Cancer on the Tim Ferriss Show
Nick Szabo: The Quiet Master of Cryptocurrency on the Tim Ferriss Show
Jocko Willink on the Tim Ferriss Show
Debbie Millman on the Tim Ferriss Show
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
“1,000 True Fans,” by Kevin Kelly
Joe Rogan podcast
WTF with Marc Maron podcast
Nerdist podcast
James Lipton (interviewer from Inside the Actors Studio)
Terry Gross (interviewer from NPR’s Fresh Air)
Serial podcast
Spirited Away (2001 animated movie)
Agaric mushroom
Tentacle erotica

Show notes:

What not to do in podcasting (15:58)
Crafting questions (19:58)
Learning from previous interviews (24:55)
Interviewing techniques (26:00)
The benefits of phone interviews (29:40)
The decision to start a podcast (32:28)
The anxiety of interviewing (40:45)
Pre-interview tips (45:20)
Editing / producing interviews / podcasts (52:45)
Intro music (58:38)
Guest selection 1:03:01)
Interview strategy (1:12:08)
Recording equipment (1:14:50)
Building a listening community (1:22:30)
Tim’s brand (1:33:25)
Building relationships (1:36:00)
Podcast logistics (1:43:20)
Podcast frequency (1:48:50)
The interview introduction process (1:51:35)
The preparation process (1:56:15)
Monetization (2:05:55)
Wrapping up podcasts (2:38:57)
Japanamation (2:19:40)
Psychedelics (2:27:16)

Books by Tim Ferriss:

Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life
The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich

This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe.

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lu mber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

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