Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

When I first came across his Instagram account, I assumed he was a comedian of some sort, as he is so deft at taking the piss out of the New Age, Shamanic, Mother-Aya nonsense. Then I read his essay on Substack and realized that this dude is very, very smart and his humor — like all the best humor — is fueled by wisdom, compassion, disappointment, and rage.

Anya and Nadia have helped lead our retreats in Montana for the past few years. In this conversation, we talk about the different kinds of movement they’ve studied and teach and how — along with Cameron and Melayne — we try to create a place and time where people can get very real with themselves and each other.

Learn more about the event here.

Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “The Fade Out Line,” by Phoebe K...

Erin is closing in on her PhD in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. We’ve been very close since 1/1/16 and she’s one of my all-time favorite people. If I get arrested and have one call, her phone might be ringing. She’ll be joining us at the Becoming Uncivilized event at the Budokon compound this summer. Consider joining us!

Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Low Rider,” by War. Outro: “Smoke Ala...

My friend Riley Morton is a film-maker, documentarian, world traveler, back country skier, deep thinker and all-around badass. He and I sat down for about six hours over two days and he picked my brain about who I am, who I’ve been, and the experiences and ideas that formed the foundation for what eventually became a book called Sex at Daw...

Does Trump have the wrong answers to the right questions? It feels like things are falling apart, but have they been falling apart for a long time? How long? When did this process of collapse begin? Why do intelligent people sometimes say incredibly stupid things?

Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Paid version: Outro: “Politic Amagni,” by Amadou and Miriam.

Amazon link is here.

Young guy writes a Substack piece about his favorite author, Cormac McCarthy. It gets a few reads, and turns out that one of those readers knows old Cormac and actually reads him the piece. In fact, she’s known and loved old Cormac for 40+ years. She corresponds with the young guy and eventually decides he’s the right person to tell her story, which is a love story that began almost half a century ago, when she was a homeless 16 ye...

A few of the questions I ponder in this one: How can we distinguish what’s true for me from what’s just true? How can we tell when the shit’s hitting the fan? Is it always hitting the fan? When is a dress not a dress? How is a bikini like “the N-word?” Was Trump inevitable? Do we choose our world, or are we just observers?

Intro music “Bri...

What does it mean to be a “consenting adult?” (Thoughts on the Neil Gaiman mess.)

Why podcast?

David Milch: “People who are unable to turn their wishes into passions … sit passively in mute outrage, anticipating disasters.”

The original article accusing Gaiman is here. Kat Rosenfield’s thoughts are here. Information about the Becoming Uncivi...

This conversation was originally recorded in September, 2018, when Theo was famous, but not yet FAMOUS. We talked about his recent trip to China, whether mental health issues can be considered a luxury, the ethics of sleeping with married women, Louis CK’s fall from grace, obscure masturbation techniques, and the strangeness of fame. The main thing I felt re-listening to this conversation was just how real Theo was/is. He seems to ...