Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comWhat 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 Uncivilized event is

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 instinctively understand the power of vulnerability. No pretense with this guy.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Big Time,” by Peter Gabriel. Outro: “Party at the End of the World,” 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comCameron has been studying and sharing martial arts, yoga and mobility for over 30 years producing hundreds of highly skilled teachers world wide. He currently lives and runs Budokon University Montana with his wife Budokon University Director Melayne Shayne.Come decivilize yourself with us in Montana this summer. More info h…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comPete and I entertain a few questions and we talk by the fire. Among them: What is soul? Is there a purpose in learning these lessons as we get older? Are silence and solitude necessary components to the soul’s maturity? Are silence and solitude even available in a world overrun by the “attention economy?”

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comSome stuff I didn’t get to yesterday. Who was inside Aubrey Plaza’s consciousness, watching her have a stroke? Do podcasters like Rogan and Theo Von have a responsibility to change what they do in light of their massive audiences?Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “That’s What I Got,” by Marcelo D2.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comA few of the issues stumbled over: The complicated ethics of revenge against a corporation. Yet more evidence that we don’t live in the real world. On old creeps like Woody Allen, Cormac McCarthy, and me. And more!Here’s the article about Cormac McCarthy I mentioned and the response from The Guardian.Here’s that holiday Amazon link.Intro music “Brightsi…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com— Responses to comments on the Wim Hof thing.— Is football like sex work? — How to behave in the End Times.— A few words in defense of Woody Allen and Joe Rogan.— The night Daryl Hanna asked me to sign a copy of Sex at Dawn.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Party at the End of the World,” by Carsie Blanton. “Accidentall…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comMeet me in the kitchen! Anger vs gratitude. The perverse appetite for disaster. Who are we to judge? Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. "Roll the Bones,” by Shakey Graves. “Watch it Fall,” by Billy Strings.Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To support this thing, please consider becoming a free…

This was originally episode 122, recorded in Portland, OR, in April, 2015. This conversation is about as uninhibited as they come. We bounce from shitting in Asia to how to compliment someone’s genitals to my experience giving a TED talk to eating disorders to group sex. Never a dull moment with Nikki. I’m so glad to see her getting the attention she deserves these days. Sometimes, the good guys win.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Wicked Little Pill,” by Bird York. Outro: “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

I met Aaron at the Budokon retreat this summer, and I was immediately impressed by his candor, kindness, and the depth of his intellect. Then, when I learned that he led men’s groups, I thought he’d be a great guest for the podcast, since I know little about that world and, in fact, have some resistance to what often ends up being somewhat exploitative of men’s very real sense of alienation and desperation. But Aaron seemed like the real deal, so I invited him to set me straight on that.Please check out Khuda, the app I mentioned, and let Pete Lord and me know what you think.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Stand by Me,” by Ben E. King, performed by Stephen Wilson, Jr. (video below). Outro: “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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comTry to fix this old house again, or should we burn it down and start over?

Deborah and her husband lost everything but their lives and each other when Hurricane Helene washed away their house a few weeks ago. Deborah’s experience of this “emergence” is framed by her experiences as a Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, and author. I greatly appreciate her trust in sharing her thoughts and insights — even while still immersed in the rawness of her grief and shock at almost being swept away with her home and everything in it. Listen to her explain what it’s like to find diamonds in the wreckage.Here’s the video Deborah took in the ruins of her home:If you are moved to help in the recovery, please go here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Still Water,” by Daniel Lanois. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Still Water, by Daniel LanoisSad eyes, sad eyesWhere're you going with that confidence?Sad eyes, sad eyesWhere're you going with that confidence?I'm going to where the boats go byCaledonia river flow so wideI'm going to where the boats go byCaledonia river flow so wideStill water - Laying overStill water - Laying overStill water - Laying overCaledonia river oh, so wideWild eyes in the wildernessWhere're you going with the devil in hand?Wild eyes in the wildernessWhere're you going with the devil in hand?I'm going to build the bridges highfor working money, for working moneyI'm going to climb the bridges highCaledonia brother far awayStill water - I'm laying overStill water - Lay my body down overStill water - Laying overCaledonia river far away...Sad eyes in the weary nightHave you seen your brother,have you seen your brother?Waiting by the river GrandCaledonia river oh, so wideGoing to where the rain fallsLook for my brother,look for my brotherGoing to where the rain fallsCaledonia river far awayStill water - Laying overStill water - Lay my body downStill water - Laying overCaledonia river far away... 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

Retired in 2016 after five terms as Colorado’s only Green Party county commissioner, Art Goodtimes has worked as a newspaper editor and he had a 40+ year run writing weekly and monthly op-ed columns for print and online publications including the Telluride Times, the San Miguel Journal, the Telluride Times-Journal, the Watch, the Daily Planet, the MontroseMirror.com, and Colorado Poets Center.Art studied to be a Roman Catholic priest for seven years, and has continued to marry people as a Universal Life minister. Director of the Institute's Telluride Mushroom Festival for its first 25 years, he remains as Cultural Director and Poet-in-Residence.His poetry books include As If the World Really Mattered (La Alameda Press, Albuquerque, 2007) and Looking South to Lone Cone (Western Eye Press, Sedona, 2013). He was co-editor of the anthology MycoEpithalamia: Mushroom Wedding Poems (Fungi Press, CA, 2016). Turn Star Press of Telluride brought out a limited edition chapbook in 2019 that he co-authored called Telluride Valley Floor. Art’s latest book is Dancing on Edge: The McRedeye Poems (Lithic Press, Fruita, CO, 2019).This is a free-access, no-paywall episode. Please consider supporting the podcast by subscribing for free or if you’re feeling it, as a paying supporter. Either way, thanks! 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

I'm back. Thanks for your love and support over these past few difficult weeks.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Into the Mystic,” by Van Morrison. 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comThis is a continuation of my (I hope) never-ending conversation with Cameron Shayne, martial arts expert, legendary movement/yoga teacher, iconoclast, deep thinker, gentle bad-ass, and all-around awesome dude. Learn more about Cameron and Budokon University, which he runs with his wife, Melayne (also awesome!).Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Bas…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comThis is the “director’s cut” of the article I posted a few days ago, tracing the ancient origins of the eternal political debate back to the conflicts between an agricultural approach to social organization and the hunter-gatherer approach. What’s old is new and what’s new is ancient.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comAndrew Gold is an investigative journalist, podcaster and filmmaker who has made and presented documentaries for the BBC and HBO. He presents the popular podcast Heretics, where he has interviewed Richard Dawkins, Jon Ronson and David Baddiel amongst many others. His documentary on exorcism won several international festival awards and his research in G…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comShawn Kubli is an American immunologist and surfer, currently land-locked in Toronto, Ontario. Working in the biotech industry for Treadwell Therapeutics, his research group develops living drugs – cell therapy – that harness the intrinsic power of the immune system to fight cancer. Shawn’s academic background in evolutionary genetics and ecology shape …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comGender controversies at the Olympics. What is a woman? How pronoun preference is like religion and veganism. What is intimacy and how can we nurture it? What is valuable? What is beauty? How is attraction contextual?Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Take Me Down,” by Honey We Three. “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. Paid version:…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comCameron Shayne is considered the father of the Mixed Movement Arts culture. Cameron pioneered the phrase and concept of Budokon Mixed Movement Arts in 2001 by combining the combat arts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts together with Yoga, Crawling Patterns, Mobility, Calisthenics, and Cognitive Studies into a single black belt system known as Budokon (BU warrior, DO way, KON spirit).  Based in Los Angeles, CA, during the 90's, Cameron established himself as one of the pioneering voices and transmitters of contemporary yoga, martial arts and the movement culture. Cameron and his wife Melayne are close friends of ours, having hosted our annual retreat for the past few years at their fantastic compound outside Whitefish, Montana.