Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan
642 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 2K ratingsTangentially Speaking is dedicated to the idea that good conversation is organic, uncensored, revelatory, and free to go down unexpected paths with unconventional people.
chrisryan.substack.com
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Episodes
123 - Elle Stanger
May 04, 2015 13:00 - 1 hourElle Stanger is a stripper/sex worker/exotic dancer/intimacy therapist/political activist/tattoo fancier. She's busy. And smart, funny, and sexy as all get-out. 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
122 - Nikki Glaser
April 27, 2015 13:00 - 2 hoursNikki Glaser is a stand-up comic who headlines at clubs all over North America. She's found a way to be very funny while fearlessly facing her deepest fears. Plus, she wipes her ass with facewipes. 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
121 - Murphy Pelot
April 20, 2015 13:00 - 1 hourMurphy is "about thirteen and a half" but has the insightful perspective of someone who's been thinking about life for a lot longer than that. 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
120 - Magnus Sullivan (Marriage 2.0)
April 13, 2015 13:00 - 1 hourMagnus is the creator of Marriage 2.0, a revolutionary feature film that treats explicit sexuality as an intrinsic part of the characters' lives, without resorting to worn out pornification. We discuss the challenges of trying to make erotic art for smart people in a market geared toward mindlessness. Here's a interview with Magnus in Salon.com. 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/subsc...
119 - Dan Carlin (Hardcore History)
April 06, 2015 13:00 - 1 hourDan Carlin is an American political commentator, amateur historian, and podcaster. Once a professional radio host, Carlin eventually took his show to the Internet, and he now hosts two popular independent podcasts: Common Sense and Hardcore History. 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
TOMA 13: Sikh and Ye Shall Find
March 31, 2015 23:09 - 31 minutesI arrive in India and start fucking up big time right 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
118 - Frans de Waal (Primatologist)
March 30, 2015 12:00 - 1 hourDr. de Waal received his Ph.D. in Biology and Zoology from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, in 1977. He completed his postdoctoral study of chimpanzees while associated with Utrecht University, in 1981, and moved the same year to the USA. He has been a National Academy of Sciences member since 2004, and a Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences member since 1993. Time featured him in 2007 as one of the World's One Hundred Most Influential People. He is also the Director of Living Links at the Ye...
117 - Chris Jaymes (2)
March 23, 2015 13:00 - 2 hoursFilmmaker, writer, musician, Hollywood native... Chris Jaymes has a lot going on. We talk about his latest project, which is about the healing power of dolphins. 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
116 - Thaddeus Russell
March 16, 2015 13:00 - 2 hoursThaddeus Russell is a renegade historian and author of A Renegade History of the United States. Within minutes, we're comparing Kim Kardashian to the Venus of Willendorf and comparing porn downloads from Pakistan to Utah. Sex, death, and defecation. Nothing's off-limits with Thad. 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
115 - Tao Ruspoli (Film-maker, photographer, prince)
March 09, 2015 13:00 - 1 hourTao is one of the most interesting people I know. His father hung out with Salvador Dali, Fellini, and Brigit Bardot. He can trace his family back 1200 years, was married for seven years to film/TV star Olivia Wilde, has made films about his passions—which range from philosophy to flamenco to the nature of love. 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
114 - Dr. Tanya Luhrmann
March 02, 2015 14:00 - 1 hourDr. Tanya Luhrmann is a psychological anthropologist best known for her studies of modern-day witches, charismatic Christians, and psychiatrists. She is Watkins University Professor in the Anthropology Department at Stanford University. 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
113 - Richard Satnick (Part II)
February 23, 2015 14:00 - 1 hourMy pal, Richard has a talent for noticing where the trends of our society are headed, which makes him a very astute businessman and investor—as well as a fascinating and thoughtful observer of larger civilizational trends. 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
112 - Mark Wiener (Political Consultant)
February 16, 2015 14:00 - 2 hoursGo on. Google "total assfucker" and see if you don't see an article about this week's guest. If that's not enough to impress you, Mark is a guy who's spent his life in the trenches of American politics and hasn't lost his sense of humor or optimism. Don't ask me how that's even possible, but there you go. As you'll hear, I really enjoyed shooting the shit with Mark and hope to do it again soon. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to b...
111 - Steve Herman (Sex Abuse Assessment)
February 09, 2015 14:00 - 2 hoursSteve Herman consults with legal professionals to help them think more clearly about an issue that all too often blinds even the most level-headed among us with blind rage: allegations of sexual abuse of children. Precisely because these crimes are so offensive to people in our society, we tend to jump to conclusions, often hurting many innocent people in the process—including children. This isn't an easy thing to talk about, but Steve does it with intelligence, balance, and a deep sense of ...
110 - Eve Rickert & Franklin Veaux (Polyamory Experts)
February 02, 2015 14:00 - 1 hourEve and Franklin wrote More Than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory. You can learn more about them and their book at their site: http://www.morethantwo.com/ 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
TOMA 12 (New York City)
January 31, 2015 06:32 - 1 hourIn which I decide to live in New York City and wander into a solid gold trap. 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
109 - Dan Piraro (Bizarro)
January 26, 2015 14:00 - 1 hourDan is a cigar-smoking vegan, animal rights activist, atheist, NRA hating, ex-husband, father, stand-up comedian, painter, former host of FOX TV’s “Utopia,” philosophizing cartoonist who makes his living writing and drawing a new cartoon every day, 365 days a year. If you have ever seen Dan Piraro’s critically acclaimed comic Bizarro (and you have: it is published daily in over 360 papers), you know that he doesn’t see the world like the rest of us do. His single panel gems are a unique con...
108 - Peter Gray (Free-Range Childhood)
January 19, 2015 14:00 - 1 hourPeter Gray is an American psychologist who currently occupies the position of research professor of psychology at Boston College. He is the author of a widely used introductory psychology textbook, Psychology, now in its sixth edition. The book broke new ground when the first edition was published (in 1991) as the first general introductory psychology textbook that brought a Darwinian perspective to the entire field. He is also author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Wil...
107 - Phil Zuckerman (Secularist Author/Sociologist)
January 12, 2015 08:00 - 1 hourPHIL ZUCKERMAN is a professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, California. He is an author and blogs for Psychology Today and the Huffington Post. In 2011 Zuckerman founded an interdisciplinary Department of Secular Studies at Pitzer College, the first in the nation.Get Phil's book on Amazon. 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
106 - Jesse Bering
January 05, 2015 14:00 - 1 hourJesse has published books about sexuality and the biological underpinnings of religious belief. He's a research psychologist with broad experience, a wide open mind, and finely honed wit. We talk God, chimps, and why the penis is shaped that way. Music: http://sailcassady.bandcamp.com/releases and http://manmadelake.bandcamp.com/ 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
105 - John Gowdy
December 29, 2014 14:00 - 1 hourDr. John Gowdy is Rittenhouse Teaching Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Department of Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. We discuss the social and economic lives of hunter gatherers, among other things. 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
104 - Richard (Japan)
December 22, 2014 14:00 - 2 hoursRichard has lived in Japan for a dozen years, and knows the culture and language well. Since he's particularly interested in language, food, and sex, our conversation lingers around those topics—though as always, there's plenty of meandering. 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
103 - Andy Gurevich's Third Visit
December 15, 2014 14:00 - 2 hoursYou know Andy. This is his third visit to Tangentially Speaking as the guest. He's also co-hosted several epic episodes. He's a professor of World Religions and World Literature, a fascinating dude, and my pal. 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
102 - Daniel Pardi (Sleep Researcher)
December 08, 2014 14:00 - 1 hourFrom Dan's site: DAN PARDI is passionate about food, movement, and sleep. Interested in developing low-cost, high value health solutions. Also interested in anthropology, evolutionary biology, exercise and inactivity physiology, cognition, neuroeconomics, decision making, circadian biology, epistemology, gastronomy, food culture and politics, agriculture, sustainable practices, and dogs. Activities include mountain biking, CrossFit, hiking, dancing, and long walks with my headphones. More i...
TOMA - 11 Unconditional Love
December 07, 2014 00:04 - 27 minutesLove builds on having been loved. 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
101 - Doug Fry (Anthropology of Peace)
December 03, 2014 22:59 - 1 hourDoug Fry has written extensively on aggression, conflict, and conflict resolution. He believes that anthropology holds important current-day lessons: “The macroscopic perspective of anthropology, with its expansive time frame and culturally comparative orientation, provides unique insights into the nature of war and holds some concrete lessons for how to develop a more safe and peaceful world.” Fry’s most recent edited book is titled War, Peace and Human Nature (Oxford, 2013)and contains 2...
100 - Cacilda Jethá
November 25, 2014 08:16 - 2 hoursDr. Cacilda Jethá is unlike anyone you've ever met. Guaranteed. My wife, friend, co-author, and partner in crime for the past 15 years, she can't remember how many people have died in front of her, or how many babies she's delivered. She's part Indian, part Persian, part African, part Portuguese, and speaks seven languages. She lives at the nexus of many worlds and moves between them with incredible grace, generosity, and humor. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with o...
100 - Cacilda Jethá
November 25, 2014 08:16 - 2 hoursDr. Cacilda Jethá is unlike anyone you've ever met. Guaranteed. My wife, friend, co-author, and partner in crime for the past 15 years, she can't remember how many people have died in front of her, or how many babies she's delivered. She's part Indian, part Persian, part African, part Portuguese, and speaks seven languages. She lives at the nexus of many worlds and moves between them with incredible grace, generosity, and humor. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with o...
99 - Justin de Ruyter
November 17, 2014 14:00 - 2 hoursJustin grew up splitting his time between a difficult , not particularly open-minded home situation in rural Washington and weekend visits to his dad and dad's long-term, loving (male) partner in Seattle. Now he's a firefighter in Portland, OR. 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
98 - Rick Doblin (MAPS)
November 10, 2014 14:00 - 1 hourIn 1972, Rick decided to dedicate his life to bringing psychedelics out of the shadows and into laboratories and clinicians' offices, where they certainly belong. His persistence is paying off—to the benefit of thousands of people whose suffering can be alleviated by these sacred substances. 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
TOMA - 10 (Funkadelic)
November 06, 2014 21:27 - 33 minutesA tribute to Parliament-Funkadelic, with thanks to my friend, Mike, and The Edsel Ford Funk Victory Tape. 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
97 - Amber Lyon (Journalist/Psychonaut)
November 03, 2014 14:00 - 1 hourAmber Lyon is a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, filmmaker, photographer, and explorer known for her use of submersion journalism, or becoming part of the story, to find the truth. Lyon is the founder of the news site, www.reset.me and the web show and podcast Reset with Amber Lyon. Lyon has traveled the world investigating natural cures, focusing on the ancient use of entheogens to treat and purge trauma. She ventured deep into the Amazon to study the Shipibo use of the psychoacti...
96 - John Helliwell (Economics of Happiness)
October 27, 2014 13:00 - 1 hourProfessor John Helliwell studies what makes people happy, and how we can maximize life-satisfaction. Learn more about his work here. 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
95 - Hound Tall (Moshe Kasher & Friends)
October 20, 2014 13:00 - 1 hourThis is a special episode. I was on stage at the Upright Citizen's Brigade theater in Hollywood with comedians Moshe Kasher, Nicky Glazer, and Nick Kroll. I think the idea was roughly to make fun of me and my wacky theories for an hour. I had a blast, as you'll hear, and gave them plenty of material to work with. 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
94 - Aidan Raley (Modern Hobo)
October 13, 2014 13:00 - 1 hourWhen Aidan's car broke down four years ago, that was the last straw. He quit his job, threw his stuff into a bag, and hit the road, where he's been ever since. A young man who is clearly on an authentic quest of some sort, he's smart, articulate, and very thoughtful. This episode features his original music (and a cameo by Werner Herzog, just because). Download Aidan's music here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...
93 - Stephen O'Donnell
October 06, 2014 14:00 - 1 hourStephen O'Donnell paints exquisite "historicized self-portraits" in which his face appears in some unexpected places. Check out his work here. 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
92 - Tonia Mills
September 29, 2014 13:00 - 1 hourDr. Tonia Mills is an anthropologist with an additional degree in child development. She lived for years with the Beaver Indians of British Columbia and has studied many aspects of their society—particularly their beliefs around reincarnation. One of the many fascinating people I've met thanks to Stanley Krippner, Tonia shares some fascinating, intimate stories from her life among the Beaver people. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...
TOMA - 9 (Kodiak)
September 28, 2014 02:30 - 38 minutesMy second summer in Alaska. This time, I got a job on a tender, and found myself engaged in an epic struggle for the soul of a young man. Photos at chrisryanphd.com. 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
91 - Thaddeus Russell Returns
September 22, 2014 14:00 - 2 hoursI don't always agree with renegade historian Thad Russell—you'll hear that we disagree passionately about "Death Panels" and whether Americans die in the streets—but I respect his intelligence and ballsy insistence on telling it like he sees it. 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
90 - Caitlin Doughty (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes)
September 16, 2014 21:43 - 1 hourYou may know her from her very popular web series, Ask a Mortician, from a previous episode of this podcast (#25), or as the author of the fantastic book, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory. Caitlin and I talk about life, death, and publishing. 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
89 - Mitch Schultz (DMT)
September 08, 2014 20:45 - 1 hourMitch Schultz wrote and directed the documentary, DMT: The Spirit Molecule (narrated by Joe Rogan). We talk about consciousness, making movies, and the joys of Austin, Texas. Find out more at spectralalchemy.com. Sponsors: SureDesignTshirts (code: sexatdawn) Audible 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
88 - Myq Kaplan & Zach Sherwin
September 02, 2014 14:00 - 1 hourCoupla very smart, very funny guys. They've been on Letterman, Conan, and late night what have you. Zach does crazy videos and rap, while Myq is a wordsmith extraordinaire. If you want to hear the part of the conversation where they were asking me questions, you'll find that here. 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
TOMA 8 (Chiapas)
August 31, 2014 21:19 - 44 minutesIt's 1983, and I'm on my first trip to a foreign culture with a sharpened Kung-Fu star hanging from my neck. One thing leads to another and I realize I've stumbled into something far deeper, and more dangerous, than I could have imagined. 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
TOMA - 7 (Kenai Packers)
August 27, 2014 22:24 - 42 minutesIn which I spend some time working the slime line, scam my way out the door, and wake up on the wrong side of a jealous performance artist. 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
87 - Mandy
August 26, 2014 15:01 - 1 hourA Korean kid in the American South, adopted by people who probably shouldn't have, lesbian, super-smart Harvard student, stand-up comic, diagnosed with an incurable disease at 30 ... Mandy has been there and there and there and back. Please join us for this powerful, heartfelt conversation about belonging, family, and that familiar feeling that we're getting better and dying at the same time. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bon...
86 - Richard Satnick
August 18, 2014 13:00 - 1 hourThe only man I know who has passed a joint to a chimp sitting next to him in a tree, (or at least, who's admitted it to me!) Richard is a man of many dimensions. In part 1 of what I hope will be a multi-part series, we talk about his education, his first foray into business with one of America's first mountain bike shops, and what lessons rugby imparts in the "third half," among many other fruitful tangents. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or ...
85 - Ceara Lynch (Humiliatrix)
August 11, 2014 13:00 - 1 hourCeara is a sweet, smart, sexy young woman who degrades, dismisses and denigrates men over the internet. And they pay her handsomely to do it! What a world. 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
84 - Dennis McKenna
August 04, 2014 17:07 - 2 hoursOne of the leading ethnobotanists in the world, Dennis has just published a fantastic memoir about his fascinating life (much of it shared with his very famous brother, Terence) called Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss. 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
TOMA 5 (Three Fingers)
August 03, 2014 19:24 - 21 minutesWhen the salmon don't come, there's no work to be had in Kenai, Alaska. So what do you do? Get some tequila! 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
TOMA 6 (Tikal)
August 03, 2014 19:13 - 28 minutesI get meta in this one—reading a paper I wrote 20 years ago about a near-death experience that happened to me 25 years ago. Damn, I'm getting old! 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