Matt D’Elia Is Confused

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Dogs & YouTube Feb 19, 2020

Show notes

Matt’s beloved dog Billie has gone to dog heaven, and Matt is sad about it. So in this episode he goes solo to pay tribute to his favorite dog of all time. Then, after passionately talking some seriously heavy shit about people who don’t like dogs, he touches on a wide range of issues that have been at the front of his mind lately, from why people so drastically and obviously alter their appearances on social media to how deeply confused he is by people who claim to watch the super bowl ‘for the commercials’. On the brighter side, Matt tells us why YouTube is the greatest thing the digital age has given us, and goes on about why he loves Liam Gallagher so much— and why you should too.

Zoltan Istvan | Do You Want To Live Forever? Feb 12, 2020

Show notes

Zoltan Istvan the face of transhumanism, a fast-growing movement that advocates the use of science and technology to modify and enhance human life and the human experience. Zoltan so believes in this cause that he is running for president to bring his transhumanist platforms to the American masses. And despite the impossible odds, he really does have a ton of interesting and important things to say— things most politicians don’t have the balls to even consider bringing up. Listen as Matt picks Zoltan’s brain about a handful of mind-bending but pressing issues, like how we’ll soon be able to live forever if we so choose, what it will mean when we are able to edit the genetic codes of our own children, what potential blind spots we humans have as we race inevitably toward the singularity— and what the future will look like when most people are at least part machine. Matt‘s mind is fully blown. And in an extended introduction, Matt discusses his fears and trepidations about the possibilities of the science and technology that will soon give us the ability to live forever. He has reservations about it— unless it is used to make his dogs live forever. Then he’s all good with it.

Dan Doty | Men Around Men, Men Around Women Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

For a while now, Matt has wanted to do an episode on the subject of men and the unique challenges they face in the modern world. Enter: Dan Doty, founder of EVRYMAN, an organization dedicated to helping men connect more deeply to themselves and others. Listen as Matt and Dan get into the weeds about what it means to be a man right now, the loneliness of the modern male, the effects social media can have on the male brain, and the evolutionary reasons behind our legendarily frustrating suppression of emotions. Also, Matt tells a story about when he was 12 and admitted to masturbating and then made his friends do the same. Check it out!

Joe Walsh | Un-American Bullshit Jan 29, 2020

Show notes

Joe Walsh, Former Tea Party Congressman and current challenger to Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, was this podcast’s very first guest. Exactly thirty episodes later, Joe is back for more— and Matt is suuuuper excited about it. Listen to their deep, and deeply honest, conversation about Joe’s longshot candidacy, why he’s running even though he 100% knows he will not win, the upcoming 2020 election, the Democratic nominees and their chances against Trump, how and why there is no viable third party alternative, the rise of the ‘celebrity candidate’, why the dirty word ‘socialism’ has lost so much of its stigma, how history will remember this absurd period in time, and just generally what in the fucking hell is going on in this country they both love. They also discuss Joe’s upcoming book, out on February 18th, called ‘Fuck Silence’— which Matt thinks is a great title. Pre-order it now!

Judi Ketteler | The Dishonest World Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

Matt has always wanted to do an episode about honesty — and after reading Judi Ketteler’s new book, ‘Would I Lie To You?’, it was clear that she was the person he needed to talk to about the subject. Listen as Judi and Matt dive deep into what it really means to live honestly, the lies we commonly tell and why we tell them (with personal examples from both Matt and Judi), what drives us to be dishonest in the first place, why we insist ‘honesty is the best policy’ even when we’re not honest ourselves (which makes the policy itself a lie!), why we are wired to feel shame when we‘ve been dishonest, how that shame sometimes makes us lie even more— and what the world might look like if we all understood how often we‘re not actually telling the truth. Basically, you (yes, you) are a liar whether you realize it or not, and you should listen to this episode to understand why— and what, if anything, can be done about it.

Molly McKew | Info(rmation)Wars Jan 15, 2020

Show notes

Matt’s guest this week is information warfare expert & foreign policy consultant Molly McKew. Molly’s understanding of Russia’s disinformation campaign during the 2016 US presidential election is second to none. Which is why Matt wanted to talk to her so badly— he’s a big fan of hers in general, this particular subject has long confused the shit out of him, and it also happens to be Molly’s area of expertise. But their wide-ranging conversation covers much more than just Russia and the 2016 election. Molly breaks down what information warfare really is, defines its many forms, and details its long dark history. From there Molly and Matt go deep about why disinformation campaigns are so effective in our modern digital age, why they’re so hard to do anything about let alone stop, why we’re so damn susceptible to them, and why we tend to believe the first thing we see or read on any given subject— even if what we learn later goes against it or outright debunks it. By the time they’re through, Matt’s mind is blown. Listen now and get yours blown too!

Chloé Valdary | Narrative & Chaos Jan 08, 2020

Show notes

Just before 2019 ended, Matt connected with someone he’s long been a fan of: writer and cultural critic Chloé Valdary. Their ensuing conversation was filled to the brim with shit Matt has been wanting to talk to Chloé about for some time now, including but not limited to: the root of our culture’s obsession with identity, the various lenses through which we view the past and how this effects the present, the power of grand narratives (both true and untrue), the deeply human drive to derive meaning from chaos— and Chloé’s own philosophy, which is very cool and also has a very cool name: The Theory Of Enchantment.

Brains & Time Jan 01, 2020

Show notes

Happy New Year! 2020 is here! Everyone seems happy about that, and excited about all the change the new decade will bring. But will things really change? And will anyone really be happier in the new year? Matt wonders about this as he recaps some of the more insane news stories from 2019 and the decade in general. From there he touches on a wide variety of subjects that are near and dear to his heart, including (but not limited to) his feelings about New Years resolutions and our inability to keep them, the faultiness of our memories, how best to think about time and its passing, why going easy on yourself makes the world a better place— and finally, why 2020 will be The Year of Kay.

Kevin Spacey & Christmas Dec 25, 2019

Show notes

Matt had a whole plan for his third solo episode. It was going to be a top-to-bottom Christmas episode. But then Kevin Spacey posted a brand new and totally demented video on his YouTube page, which means Christmas came early for Matt, so naturally he was forced to shift gears and change his big plans for a fully holiday-themed episode. Listen as Matt obsesses over said dementedness of said video, then runs down the surprising and unbelievable shittiness of Spacey’s career before his fall. After he’s through with Kevin and some other celebrity psychopaths, he shifts gears into a few other equally important topics, from how weird Santa Claus is to the horribleness of this year’s ‘awards season’ films (especially the one made by Clint Eastwood).

Dale Beran | It Came From Something Awful Dec 18, 2019

Show notes

Until recently, Matt did not understand what 4chan and 8chan were. In an effort to remedy this situation, he picked up Dale Beran’s new book, ‘It Came From Something Awful’— and things finally began to make sense. Listen as Dale un-confuses Matt in real time and they go in-depth about the unlikely origins of these cesspool sites, how they became synonymous with inceldom and the alt-right, the dark subculture of lonely male rage that came to define them, the armies of hateful trolls they have given rise to, and the strange brew of toxic elements that set the stage for all of this to happen in America in the first place.

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Matt D’Elia Is Confused

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