Mixed Mental Arts

Latest Episodes:

Ep68 - Jimmy Shubert Oct 17, 2013

Show notes

Bryan sits down with comedian, actor and podcaster, Jimmy Shubert. He's been seen on his own Comedy Central Special, King of Queens, Italian Job, Go!, and countless other movies and television shows. He has his very own podcast show, called "The Jimmy Shubert Show," which is produced on The Network Studios." Be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep67 - Michael Callen Oct 14, 2013

Show notes

"Big Mike" Callen, aka Bryan's dad, brings his many years of experience in banking and foreign policy to to a discussion of the government shutdown and the state of Washington today.

Ep66 - Tom Segura Oct 10, 2013

Show notes

Bryan Callen sits down with comedian and podcaster, Tom Segura. They talk about stand-up comedy and much more. Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep65 - Tim Snyder, Michael Callen Oct 07, 2013

Show notes

In a very special episode of The Bryan Callen Show, Mike Callen joins Bryan and Hunter in interviewing the authors of one of his very favorite books: Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin. Detailing the combined atrocities of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union, Professor Snyder's book views these events not as separate phenomenon but as different facets of the same tragedy. More than an important piece of scholarship, Professor Snyder's book is our best defense in assuring that atrocities like this never happen again. Mike Callen, Professor Snyder, Bryan and Hunter discuss the opening of the Soviet archives, why Hitler's atrocities are so much better remembered than Stalin's and why this period of history is so relevant today. Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep64 - Jon Lovitz Oct 03, 2013

Show notes

Bryan and Hunter sit down with comedian and SNL Alumni, Jon Lovitz. They discuss their experiences doing comedy and sketch shows. Jon spoke about his personal experience coming up as a comedian as well as auditioning for SNL, not to mention getting the gig. Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep63 - Sarah Rose Sep 30, 2013

Show notes

Sarah Rose is the author of For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History. At the beginning of the 19th century, China had a global monopoly on tea. One of the most valuable export products in the world, China carefully guarded every part of tea's production: the techniques, the workers and, most of all, the plants. So, when the British East India Company went looking for someone to steal every part of tea production and bring it to their plantations in India, they needed someone truly remarkable. At that point, no Westerners were allowed into the interior of China. Whoever the Company selected for the task would need the linguistic and cultural knowledge to pass into the heart of the Empire disguised as a Chinese person while still possessing the botanical skills to bring the tea plants out intact. They selected Scottish botanist Robert Fortune.A thrilling mix of history, industrial espionage and culture clash, For All the Tea in China is a very enjoyable read. Bryan and Sarah discuss the book and the process of writing history in general in this episode.Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep62 - Bret Ernst Sep 26, 2013

Show notes

Bryan sits down with good friend and comedian, Bret Ernst. They discuss comedy, acting, entertainment, sports and Bret marriage plans. This is our first installment of comedy Thursdays. Be sure to check us out on Mondays and Thursdays for new episodes. Also, be sure to Rate and Comment on iTunes.

Ep61 - Karen Karbo Sep 23, 2013

Show notes

The New York Times called Karen Karbo "a very funny writer" something that becomes abundantly clear in her wit-filled Kick-Ass Women series of books. Examining the lives of women who lived life on their own terms Karbo's treatment of Coco Chanel, Georgia O'Keefe and Katharine Hepburn goes beyond mere biography to discover the truths to making the most of every day. In her latest book Julia Child Rules: Lessons on Savoring Life, Karbo gives not just the most personal view of Julia Child yet but more importantly surprising insights like the idea that lacking a skill can be your biggest asset. In this episode, Karen, Bryan and Hunter discuss Julia's rules and especially rule no. 5: all you need is a kitchen and a bedroom. Through sex and pie, Julia and Paul Child built a great marriage. Does anything else matter? You can find out for yourself by taking on Karen's #LiveLikeJulia challenge. Pick one of Julia's rules and try it out for one week, then share the results with the world. Karen Karbo blogs at karenkarbo.com and can be reached via twitter @karbohemia.

Ep60 - Kim Dower Sep 19, 2013

Show notes

Kim Dower is fast becoming acclaimed in the poetry world for her humor and "turns." The Los Angeles Times described her first collection Air Kissing on Mars as, "sensual and evocative lyrical snapshots of life's bittersweet moments, seamlessly combining humor and heartache." Recently, one of the poems in her latest collection Slice of Moon was selected by Garrison Keillor for his show, The Writer's Almanac, which broadcasts on 320 radio stations throughout the United States.In this episode, Bryan, Kim and Hunter discuss why poetry matters, why it is no longer a part of most people's lives and why it needs to make a comeback. Both of Kim's poetry collections are available on Amazon. You can find out more about her work at kimdowerpoet.com.

Ep59 - Joshua Foer Sep 12, 2013

Show notes

In 2006, Josh Foer became the U.S.A. Memory Champion and yet he insists his memory is totally average…and so do other memory champions like Ben Pridmore. In fact, as Foer recounts in his New York Times bestselling book Moonwalking with Einstein, memory champions are just like the rest of us. Sure they can memorize the sequence of a deck of 52 cards in under 20 seconds or vast strings of random numbers, but it's not because they have better memories. It's because they use their memories better.From a time before the internet, the printing press and even the written word, the world's greatest memory champions drew a series of techniques that build on the strengths of human memory to make almost unimaginable feats doable. Foer lays bare how the ancients memorized epic poems like the Odyssey, innumerable speeches and developed an intimate knowledge of religious texts. The book is a journey into the fascinating subculture of international but more than that it is an examination of the power of the right kind of practice and a meditation on the trade-offs of technology. The easier it is to look up information, the less we memorize. Our base of knowledge has gotten broader, but our relationship to each piece of knowledge may also have gotten shallower.In this week's podcast, Josh, Bryan and Hunter discuss Josh's book, his time with pygmies in the Congo and the truth about photographic memory.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected