Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

Latest Episodes:

473 - Eric Berkowitz (Author: "Dangerous Ideas") Apr 29, 2021

Show notes

ERIC BERKOWITZ is a writer, lawyer, and journalist. He has a degree in print journalism from University of Southern California and has published in The Los Angeles Times and The Los Angeles Weekly, and for the Associated Press. He was an editor of the West Coast’s premier daily legal publication, The Los Angeles Daily Journal. He lives in San Francisco.

He is the author of: The Boundaries of Desire: Bad Laws, Good Sex, and Changing Identities and Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire. His new book, Dangerous Ideas: A Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News is out now. Eric on Twitter.

Find me on Instagram or Twitter.

Please consider supporting this podcast.

This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.

Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "A Little Bit of Soul," by Kid Loco; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

472 - Jamie Wheal (Author: "Recapturing the Rapture") Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

Jamie is an expert in peak performance and leadership, specializing in neuroanthropology––the intersection of culture, biology and psychology. He is the co-author of the global bestseller and Pulitzer Prize nominated Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, Navy SEALs and Maverick Scientists are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work and the founder of the Flow Genome Project, an international organization dedicated to the research and training of ultimate human performance.

His new book, Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex and Death in a World That's Lost Its Mind is now available.

This episode is sponsored by Lelo, makers of the world's best erotic devices.

Find me on Instagram or Twitter.

Please consider supporting this podcast.

This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.

Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "There will Be a Light," by Blind Boys of Alabama; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

471 - Tracy Clark-Flory (Author of "Want Me") Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

"Tracy Clark-Flory grew up wedged between fizzy declarations of “girl power” and the sexualized mandates of pop culture. It was “broken glass ceilings” and Girls Gone Wild infomercials. With a vague aim toward sexual empowerment, she set out to become what men wanted—or, at least, understand it." Tracy's book, Want Me: A Sex Writer's Journey Into the Heart of Desire, is intimate, courageous, vulnerable, and beautifully written. Follow Tracy on Twitter.

Find me on Instagram or Twitter.

Please consider supporting this podcast.

This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.

Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Dancing in the Moonlight," by King Harvest; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

470 - Steven Donziger (Human Rights Lawyer) Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

Steven Donziger is a renowned lawyer, writer, and public speaker with a focus on addressing human rights abuses and corporate malfeasance. He is part of the team working with indigenous and farmer communities in an area of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest suffering from high cancer rates and other health ailments related to the massive oil pollution caused by Texaco, now owned by Chevron. Due to highly suspicious legal maneuvers on the part of Chevron and their lawyers, Steven has been under house arrest since August, 2019. Please support Steven's case here.

Follow Steven on Twitter.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

469 - Robert Wright (Author and Journalist) Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

Robert Wright is an American journalist and author who writes about science, history, politics, and religion. He has written five books: Three Scientists and Their Gods: Looking for Meaning in an Age of Information (1988), The Moral Animal (1994), Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny (1999), The Evolution of God (2009), and Why Buddhism is True (2017). He is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Bloggingheads.tv and the founder and editor-in-chief of Meaningoflife.tv.

(Conversation begins at 35 minutes in.)

Bob on Twitter.

Find me on Instagram or Twitter.

Please consider supporting this podcast.

This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.

Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Fair Game," by CSN; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

468 - Rafe Kelley (Evolve, Move, Play) Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

Rafe Kelley is an unusual guy. As focused on ideas as he is on physical movement, Rafe has studied martial arts, philosophy, parkour, anthropology, gymnastics, and evolution. He comes from an unusual family background (to put it mildly), and now teaches natural movement to everyone from UFC fighters to retired grandmothers. Super interesting, introspective, honest guy.

Rafe on Insta and Twitter.

Find me on Instagram or Twitter.

Please consider supporting this podcast.

This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.

Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"The Way You Move" by Outkast, "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

467 - ROMA 45 (SJWs, Fear of Death, Madness of Crowds) Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

This is one of those "flush the pipes" ROMAs, where I talk about a slew of things that seemed unrelated until I started talking about them. By the end, I realized that they're all aspects of the same issue. Anyway, it goes from a defense of Dan Savage to the demise of organized religion to the necessary irrationality of group identity to institutional momentum to whether sex and gender are biological or merely cultural phenomena.

This episode is sponsored by Lelo, creator of the world's most amazing pleasure machines. Use the code: CHRISRYAN at checkout to get 20% off full priced items through the end of March, 2021.

Find me on Instagram or Twitter.

Please consider supporting this podcast.

This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.

Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"It's Different for Girls," by Joe Jackson.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

466 - Jenny Odell (Artist and Author of How to Do Nothing) Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

Jenny is a multi-disciplinary artist and writer based in Oakland, California, whose work generally involves acts of close observation, whether it's birdwatching, collecting screen shots, or trying to parse bizarre forms of e-commerce. Her work has been exhibited at many prestigious museums and galleries, and she was the artist in residence at the San Francisco dump!

Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Believer, The Paris Review, McSweeney's, SFMOMA's Open Space, The Creative Independent, and Sierra Magazine. Her NYT bestselling book, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, was published by Melville House in 2019.

Jenny, on Twitter, and Instagram.

Check out Trends with Benefits.

Find me on Instagram or Twitter.

Please consider supporting this podcast.

This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.

Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"Mouhamadou Bamba," by Orchestra Baobab; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

465 - Brian Hare (Scientist. Author. Dog Guy.) Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Brian Hare is a core member of the Center of Cognitive Neuroscience, a Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology, and Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. He received his PhD from Harvard University in 2004, and in 2005, following his work at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig was awarded the Sofia Kovalevskaja Award, Germany’s most prestigious award for scientist under 40. In 2007, Smithsonian Magazine named Hare one of the top 35 scientists under 36. Hare has published over 100 scientific papers and his research has received consistent national and international attention. In 2019, Hare and his research were featured in Steven Speilberg’s documentary series Why We Hate.

Hare’s first book with co-author Vanessa Woods, The Genius of Dogs is a New York Times Bestseller.

Brian's Twitter feed is here.

Find me on Instagram or Twitter.

Please consider supporting this podcast.

This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.

Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"Seamus," by Pink Floyd; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

464 - Roger Nygard (Director: Trekkies, The Office & Editor: Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm) Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

Roger Nygard is perhaps best known for his acclaimed documentary Trekkies, about the most obsessive fans in the Universe. Nygard’s previous documentary The Nature of Existence, addressed the subject of the world’s philosophies, religions, and belief systems. Nygard has also directed television series such as The Office and The Bernie Mac Show. His work as a film editor includes Grey’s Anatomy, The League, and Emmy-nominated episodes of Who Is America? and Veep and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Nygard has made several other award-winning films, including the car-salesman cult-film Suckers, and a profile of UFO fanatics Six Days in Roswell, and now the documentary The Truth About Marriage, accompanied by The Truth About Marriage book. Most recently he co-produced and edited The Comedy Store, a documentary about the comedians who came though this world-famous LA club, as well as editing scenes from Borat 2 (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm).

Roger on Twitter and Instagram.

Find me on Instagram or Twitter.

Check out Trends with Benefits.

My chat with Anya Kaats is here, and my chat with Brett Newski is here.

Please consider supporting this podcast.

This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.

Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"Life Upside Down," by Brett Newski; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected