Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

Peter Gorman is an award-winning journalist, former editor of High Times magazine (from 1986-1998), and pioneer in the understanding and use of psychedelic substances from the Amazon, such as ayahuasca and kambo. His most recent book is Sapo in my Soul: The Matsés Frog Medicine. 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

Ryan is a very smart dude who knows a lot about how the human body works: diet, exercise, healing plants, etc. If you know someone with a medical issue that isn't responding well to conventional approaches, he may be able to help. 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

Andrew is living the dream. A few days after recording this, he, his wife, and a dog named Pele set off for Argentina via the Arctic Circle (the scenic route). Follow their peregrinations via their site, where you'll find a blog, photos, and the latest episodes of their podcast. 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

John is fascinated by the things that frighten him -- from nudity to venomous snakes. He's been studying rattlesnakes for around 50 years. He's been bitten 15 times, so far, but has no intention of giving up on the pursuit of his passion. He's a fully realized, no-bullshit human being. 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

The abbreviated version, for non-Patreon supporters. I talk about the recent dust-up between Sam Harris and Ezra Klein, the questions around racial differences in "intelligence," and a bit about my thoughts concerning Jordan Peterson and the underlying hunger for the sort of guidance he offers young men. 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

Alexandra was a nerdy kid who grew up to be a bombshell. No doubt. We get into it all: What it's like to be a pro-dom; Why Star Trek is important; How sex is like travel; The therapeutic aspects of dominance and submission. Music: "Vim and Vigor," 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

Wednesday Martin is the real deal. Her memoir, Primates of Park Avenue is a hilarious, touching, and insightful look into the exotic world of Manhattan motherhood. Stepmonster, a finalist for the prestigious Books for a Better Life Award, is widely considered the “go-to” source for stepmothers, adult stepchildren, therapists and others who seek a uniquely candid, interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and comprehensive look at the topic. She is also the author of Marlene Dietrich, tracing the actress and cabaret performer's life, career, and impact on the image of women. Her next book, Untrue, is a look at the emerging science of female desire and some of the most prominent women behind the controversial research. 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 came across Wil's blog years ago, while researching primate penises, and have been a fan of his insightful, comic take on life ever since. What more do you need to know? 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

Tony was our door into Terlingua, Texas. Thanks to his quick response to an Instagram, we met all the good folks of that town, and ended up staying way longer than we'd planned. If you get out that way, drop in at his bar: TABC (Terlingua Adventure Beer Company), and give him a big hug from us. 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

Cyrus believes in creating films which promote curiosity and ecological literacy. He's been directing documentary films for fifteen years since his award-winning surf film Riding Waves in 2003. He won a Southwest regional EMMY when he was 23 and has directed hundreds of short films since. 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

These dudes are smart, funny, and talented. I caught up with them on tour, after their show in San Diego. If you like to have fun, catch them if they come to a town near you! 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

Lisa Menna uses the wonder provoked by her magic tricks to trigger real magic: the kinds of thoughts that can make the world a better place. Having performed in over 40 countries, Lisa and her organization (Cause to Wonder) are working to show people around the world that good things come to those who respect and protect women and girls. 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 caught up with Oscar-nominated director Josh Fox in New Orleans (Gasland, How to Let Go of the World and Love All The Things Climate Can't Change), where he's doing his Josh Fox things: writing, organizing political protests against a fracked gas power plant, playing music, creating art (paintings), and eating a lot of crawfish. His cat Sandy joins us to rub her face on the microphones. 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

Diana is the founder of a boutique LGBTQ family law and mediation firm based in New York City and Frankfurt, Germany, serving primarily same-sex couples and non-nuclear families. Diana is about supporting healthy, stable families, whether between same-sex couples, platonic co-parents, polyamorous families, or different-sex couples, by facilitating conversations that support the creation of clear personal agreements, as well as solid legal agreements to protect their families. 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

Like millions of people, I first became aware of Jeff Leach when I read about his attempt to transfer a hunter/gatherer's fecal matter to his own colon as a way to study the human microbiome. Little did I know I'd find myself sitting at the table with him in rural Texas a few years later or that he'd agree to share his insights with me on a podcast. Jeff's published in Science, Nature and everywhere else a groundbreaking researcher could dream of, but he's too busy with new projects to reflect much on past success. 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

Cassie and I met John Duarte at a highway rest stop in Dateland, AZ. He was riding his bike from El Paso to San Diego, which is a short "training run" for him. Join us for this spontaneous conversation in the van. #vanthropology2018 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

Mike has been my best-buddy since I was 15 years old. The Mr. Spock to my Captain Kirk, he's kept me marginally out of trouble for 40 years now. Mike's a talented musician, speaks several languages fluently, and comes out of a confluence of culture and history. There's nobody quite like him. 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

Zhana is a NYC-based sex researcher, writer, and educator. She has a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University, where she studied how different aspects of sexuality (especially casual sex/promiscuity and mostly heterosexuality) are linked to health and well-being. Currently an adjunct professor at the NYU Psychology department, Zhana teaches the first Human Sexuality course this department has offered in a long, long time. 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

Bruce Damer is a Canadian-American multi-disciplinary scientist, designer, and author. He collaborates with colleagues developing and testing a new model for the origin of life on Earth and in the design of spacecraft architectures to provide a viable path for expansion of human civilization beyond the Earth. He began his career in the 1980s developing some of the earliest user interfaces for personal computers, led a community in the 1990s bringing the first multi-user virtual worlds to the Internet, and since 2000 supported NASA and the space industry on numerous simulations and spacecraft designs. He has spent 25 years chronicling the history of computing in his DigiBarn Computer Museum and curates archives of counterculture figures such as Dr. Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna and others. He currently serves as Principal Scientist at DigitalSpace; Associate Researcher in the Department of Biomolecular Engineering at UC Santa Cruz; Associate of the NASA Astrobiology Center; Member of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, and Founding Director of the Contact Consortium. He also served as Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington and as a member of the Faculty at Charles University, Prague. Bruce also hosts a podcast called Levity Zone. 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

Johann is the author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections -- both of which are largely about the traumas created by trying to live in a pathogenic society. He's a brilliant writer and conversationalist. In the first part of this podcast, we're in his hotel room in Beverly Hills (Thanks, Rupert Murdock!). The second part is in my car, headed south on the 405. I had a great time hanging with Johann, and hope you enjoy it, too. 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

Steve Silberman is an award-winning science writer whose articles have appeared in Wired, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, the MIT Technology Review, Nature, Salon, Shambhala Sun, and many other publications. He is the author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity (Avery 2015), which Oliver Sacks called a “sweeping and penetrating history…presented with a rare sympathy and sensitivity.” Follow Steve on Twitter: @stevesilberman. 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

Host of the Michael Brooks Show, and contributing host for the four time award winning independent political talk show, The Majority Report, Michael appears regularly as a political and cultural analyst on outlets including Huffpost Live, SirusXM, AlJazeera English, CCTV and France 24. His writing has appeared in Al Monitor, Al Jazeera, the Washington Post, among others, and he has blogged for leading trend watch site PSFK. He is also know for his impressions of cultural figures from Donald Trump to Nelson Mandela. 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

Jamie was a prominent stand-up comic before he drifted into political commentary, eventually becoming a leading voice among the social justice warrior crowd, with his radio show (Citizen Radio). That ended when he was accused of "inappropriate behavior" and he suddenly found himself the target of the same kinds of uncritical condemnation he'd directed at others. It's been a wild ride, but he's back on his feet, and wiser for 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

David Stansfield has spent many years studying Arabic and the cultures of the Middle East. Together with his partner and wife of 42 years, Denise Boiteau, he has produced documentaries for television and written several books. He's a sophisticated, kind, and fascinating man. 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

David Beckingham is a Canadian musician who drove down to Oregon to catch the eclipse with me this summer. Afterwards, we hung out in the woods and on the slopes of Mount Hood for a few days, where we recorded this podcast. 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

Charlotte McKinney is a sweet, kind, smart young woman who happens to occupy the sort of body that many men would sell their soul to get close to. To say that's been a mixed blessing for her is to put it mildly. She's been featured in Super Bowl commercials, on the cover of GQ, in a slew of ads for Guess, and everywhere else sexy women's images are used to sell stuff. In this conversation, we get behind the image and meet the woman who lives there. 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

Dr. Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skepticmagazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches Skepticism 101. He is the author of Why People Believe Weird Things, Why Darwin Matters, The Science of Good and Evil, and The Moral Arc. His new book is Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality & Utopia. 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

Just a quick message, wishing you a smooth transition to 2018. 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

Kyle Thiermann is a professional big wave surfer, Patagonia surf ambassador, documentarian, journalist, and pal of mine. We took a drive down to Baja to get some work done and hang out. As a correspondent for Discovery Digital Networks, Kyle Thiermann covered important issues ranging from a little-known indigenous conflict in Southern Chile, to the impact wild pigs have on Hawaii's coral reefs. Thiermann's surfing skills earned him a spot among an elite group of athletes as a Patagonia Surf Ambassador. With Patagonia’s support, Thiermann created and hosted the award-winning documentary series, Surfing For Change. The series included stories about the Indonesia trash epidemic, Hawaii’s Monsanto protests, and the adverse impacts of surf tourism in Nicaragua. Thiermann speaks at universities throughout the country and in 2011 gave a TEDx talk in his wetsuit. His surfing and journalistic successes have earned him Surfrider’s Pro Surfer Environmental Achievement Award, the Brower Youth Award, the American Clean Skies Film Award, and the Peter Benchley Blue Vision Award. Thiermann has spent years becoming an expert in the ocean and is an alternate in the prestigious annual big-wave event at Mavericks. He hosts a weekly podcast that explores subjects that include psychedelics, sex, and surfing. Website link: http://www.kyle.surf/ Video Links: Chasing Mavericks In Real Life Chile's 500-Year Secret Conflict Who Is Kyle Thiermann? 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

Just a few dudes talking. @simonrex415 @cultureschlock 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

Reza is a bestselling author, most recently of God: A Human 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

Micah and a friend had been traveling for a year in Africa when she met a Samburu herdsman and quickly fell in love. Her memoir of that voyage is called The Keepers of The Story. 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

Spent 4 hours today in the studio with these two beautiful maniacs. We talked about everything from DMT to the #metoo movement, to the size of Jeff Sessions's schlong. To call it a "wide-ranging" conversation would be an understatement. 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

Simon Rex (aka Dirt Nasty) joined me for a ride down the 405 to visit with Stanley Krippner. Hop in and come along! 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

Kelly Brogan, M.D. is a Manhattan-based holistic women’s health psychiatrist, author of the NY Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, and co-editor of the landmark textbook, Integrative Therapies for Depression. 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

An addendum for a guy who's a little worried about traveling for the first time. Advice on how to puke, and why anything that's in our gut is kind of outside our body already. 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

Am I an angry aging hippie? Why do we emulate billionaires instead of real geniuses and visionaries? 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

Jude grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, near Pontiac, Michigan. He tells it like it is. He brings the same no-bullshit attitude to his writing, his radio show on Eminem's Sirius XM station (The All-Out Show), and his conversation. Same guy. Same voice. Same authenticity. He's the author of two books, Hyena and Hummingbird. Either one would make a wonderful gift for your mother-in-law. 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

My friends Liam and Allison confronted every parent's worst nightmare when their 8 year-old son fall off a 40-foot cliff, just an arm's length away from them. We talk about how their confrontation with their own helplessness changed their approach to parenting, work, marriage, and ultimately every aspect of their lives. 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

Another episode full of nonsensical advice from a totally unqualified source: Is it always a lie to say you'll love someone forever? Are poly relationships possible? How can one become "a writer"? Why do people take advantage of people who allow themselves to be taken advantage of? 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

Tim Scully produced millions of hits of very pure LSD known as "Orange Sunshine" in the late 1960s, hoping to save the world. He was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison for his troubles. 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

Asa Akira could be the girl next door -- if you lived next to a super smart, sexy, funny, open-minded, porn star. 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

Listener emails about travel, woman troubles, tipping, letting kink get out of control, and a few other things I can't remember right now. 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

Michael is a musician, vlogger, and strikingly deep thinker. 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 special, very personal episode. Cacilda is going to the Amazon in search of new ways to be a "soul doctor" (psychiatrist). 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

Sol Sebastian leads small groups of men on journeys into the African bush in search of a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. 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

Geoff is the author of four novels: Paris Trance, The Search, The Colour of Memory, and Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi; a critical study of John Berger, Ways of Telling; two collections of essays, Anglo-English Attitudes and Working the Room; and many genre-defying books: But Beautiful, The Missing of the Somme, Out of Sheer Rage, Yoga For People Who Can’t Be Bothered To Do It, The Ongoing Moment, Zona, about Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Stalker, and Another Great Day at Sea: Life Aboard the USS George H W Bush. (shamelessly copied from geoffdyer.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

Duncan is a stand-up comic, writer, actor, podcast host, and occasional summoner of Satan. He's also one of my best friends. We recorded this shortly after giving the keynote presentation together at the annual float tank conference 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

Dr. Jim Fadiman is a psychologist and author best known for his pioneering psychedelic research -- most recently concerning micro-dosing of LSD and psilocybin. 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

A long-awaited TOMA episode in which lots of worlds interconnect: an apartment in Barcelona, a drunken night in Kenai, and a snake at a water trough in Sicily. 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