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. 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

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2025

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 Killdeer and The Short Straws. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.My Amazon link is 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

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2025

Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Tear,” by Red Hot Chili Peppers. 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

Transcribed - Published: 13 April 2025

Allene would never describe herself in such grand terms, but the fact is that she’s spent a long career in law working hard to defend and promote the fundamental decency that is at the heart of the American justice system — or should be. 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

Transcribed - Published: 9 April 2025

Thank you Daniele Bolelli, Douglas Rushkoff, Jesse Damiani, Michael Scarmack, and many others for tuning into my live video with Daniel Pinchbeck! Join me for my next live video in the app. 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

Transcribed - Published: 4 April 2025

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 Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.My Amazon link is 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

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2025

Thank you Nikita Petrov, Lacey Delayne, Dr Doug, Andrew Ramos, Eamon Cullen, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. 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

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2025

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com In this, the first walking ROMA episode, I ramble: Our world is ruled by unloved men. What’s it mean to be “driven?” Would the spirit of the angry prepper be ok with what we’ve done with his cabin?

Transcribed - Published: 30 March 2025

You know those kids — toddlers, even — where you see the fully-formed person in their eyes? That’s how this guy has always been for me. He was cracking me up and blowing my mind before he could pronounce my name. Smart, kind, and very wise for his age (or any age). 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

Transcribed - Published: 24 March 2025

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com 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 Dawn.

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2025

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com 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?

Transcribed - Published: 7 March 2025

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Simon first came on the scene as an MTV personality, then starred in the Scary Movie franchise, appeared in a slew of TV shows, and toured the world as parody rapper, Dirt Nasty. Now he’s appearing in films with the likes of Al Pacino and Vince Vaughn. What a trip!

Transcribed - Published: 5 March 2025

My uncle Dan died on February 13th, my birthday. Here’s a look back at his life and mine. 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

Transcribed - Published: 23 February 2025

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 year-old girl who randomly met a not yet famous author in his 40s sitting by the pool at a run-down motel in New Mexico. Crazy, wild love story/lifelong friendship commences. Young guy writes this forbidden love story, publishes it in Vanity Fair in prissy, easily offended 2024, and all hell breaks loose.Vincenzo’s Substack is here. Vincenzo’s professor’s Substack is here.Dare to join us in Montana this summer!If you’re gonna buy stuff on Amazon, please use this link.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Star People,” by George Michael. “Come on in My Kitchen,” sung by Chris Thomas King. 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

Transcribed - Published: 11 February 2025

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com 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 “Brightside of the…

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 24 January 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 10 January 2025

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Cameron 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…

Transcribed - Published: 31 December 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Cameron 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…

Transcribed - Published: 31 December 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Pete 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?”

Transcribed - Published: 24 December 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Some 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.

Transcribed - Published: 17 December 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com A 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.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Ran…

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com A 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…

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com — Responses to comments on the Wim Hof thing.— Why do I watch football? — How to behave in the End Times.— 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. “Accidentally, Like a Martyr,” by Warren Zevon.Please use my Amazon …

Transcribed - Published: 3 December 2024

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…

Transcribed - Published: 3 December 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Meet 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…

Transcribed - Published: 27 November 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 22 November 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 11 November 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 2 November 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 22 October 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 20 October 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 6 October 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com This 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…

Transcribed - Published: 3 September 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 23 August 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Andrew 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…

Transcribed - Published: 19 August 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Shawn 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 …

Transcribed - Published: 16 August 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Gender 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:…

Transcribed - Published: 10 August 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Cameron 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.

Transcribed - Published: 5 August 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com A bit about how 2024 is like 1934 and the appeal of MAGA is like the appeal of Socialism then. Age is sedimentary, not linear. And what to do when heart, spirit, and animal desire don’t align? I love him/her, but I’m not that attracted. How to learn and grow without leaving a trail of destruction behind us.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin a…

Transcribed - Published: 29 July 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Abbey and Liam have been married for over a decade, and have been exploring an open relationship for most of that time. They are unusually thoughtful, open, and articulate about the joys, challenges, and surprises they've encountered along the way. You can learn more about them here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Paid version: …

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2024

Mark is a good dude who has lived a good life. You can see it in his face. Not a life without challenge or disappointment, but a life of meaning and purpose and love and kindness. (How could a “good life” ever be free of challenge and disappointment?) I really enjoy hanging out with this guy. We talk travel, music, film, theater, Manhattan in the 80s and 90s, Crestone in the 2000s…. Life, death — all the juicy stuff.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Brazil,”by Django Reinhardt; 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

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com In an age where we’re told to always strive for efficiency, monetization, and TOTAL OPTIMIZATION, doing something purely for the fuck of it becomes a subversive, revolutionary act.

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2024

Paleontologist-Futurist Michael Garfield is devoted to helping navigate our age of accelerating weirdness and helping cultivate the curiosity and play we'll need to thrive in it. As host and producer of Future Fossils Podcast, Michael refuses to be enslaved by a single perspective, creative medium, or intellectual community, walking through the walls between academia and festival culture, theory and practice — speaking and performing everywhere from Moogfest to Burning Man, SXSW to Boom Festival, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia to Long Now's Ignite Talks to The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Transition music: “Olympus Mons,” by Michael Garfield. 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

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2024

Mark Nelson is an American ecologist and author based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His research focuses on closed ecological system research, ecological engineering, restoration of damaged ecosystems, and wastewater recycling. Nelson was one of the eight original crew members of Biosphere 2 in 1991.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “If I had a Million Dollars,” by Barenaked Ladies; 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

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2024

I met this incredible woman over a decade ago (ep 87), when she was in a very difficult spot, suffering from constant pain, unable to move or care for herself. She was preparing to die. In the years since, I’ve seen the light in her grow stronger and stronger. She’s recovered from severe scleroderma, written a book about her journey, been profiled on a Netflix series, featured in Gabor Maté's NYT bestseller The Myth of Normal, and continuously explored her inner world with the help of sacred plants (ayahuasca) and other modalities. Her initiation into the world of healing by way of her own near death experience is as authentically “shamanic” as anything I’m aware of in the modern world.You can learn more about the retreat she’s leading in Costa Rica here.This video of Mee Ok and Gabor Mate will give you a sense of the incredible journey my friend is taking. 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

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What values underlie this podcast? Russell Brand in search of universal human values. How not to be a fool for love (or for Andrew Tate). Looking back at life — both the parts lived and unlived — from here. Jimmy Carter and the value of some types of shame. How Ozembic symbolizes American life in 2024. Artificial cures for artificial problems and the su…

Transcribed - Published: 28 May 2024

Bill first picked up a camera in 1965, at age 20, little knowing that photography would become his profession. Since then camera work has taken him to India, China, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Alaska, Egypt, Ireland, Bhutan, Zambia, Chilean Patagonia and the American West. Bill’s images have appeared in magazines, books, calendars, newspapers, catalogs, annual reports. In 1995 Bill moved to the San Luis Valley, took up residence in a travel trailer near Crestone, Colorado and started building a strawbale house.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. 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

Transcribed - Published: 23 May 2024

Neil Strauss is a wildly successful writer and podcaster. He’s written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and just about every other high-profile platform you can think of. His best-selling books include The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists (2012), Everyone Loves You When You're Dead: Journeys Into Fame and Madness (2011), and The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships (2015). In January, 2023, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, a book Strauss wrote with music producer Rick Rubin. In 2019, Strauss launched To Live and Die in LA., a true crime podcast following the death of Adea Shabani. It hit No. 1 on the iTunes podcasts, and was in the top 10 for four months. His latest project is To Die For, which explores the world of Russian sex espionage.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Join us in Montana next month at the Budokon/Sex at Dawn retreat. Pick up some of that whipped tallow skin balm here. (Use code: CHRIS15 for discount.) And check out those Vivobarefoot shoes. 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

Transcribed - Published: 16 May 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com A “director’s cut” of one of my most popular posts on Substack: What We Fall in When We Fall in Love. The Raymond Carver story I mention is in this collection. Music (paid version): “Trampoline,” by Joe Henry.

Transcribed - Published: 10 May 2024

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Cover versions of well-known songs that illuminate some quality in the original that was dormant, waiting to emerge, like a cicada.

Transcribed - Published: 27 April 2024