In today’s episode, Jordan Harbinger talks about his podcast, the Jordan Harbinger Show, which you can find in all the normal places, and is one of the biggest interview podcasts in the world. He gives advice as to whether or not you should get into podcasting, so listen keenly if you’re interested. Then, we move on to his two kidnapping experiences. Jordan Harbinger links: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/ https://twitter.com/JordanHarbinger https://www.instagram.com/jordanharbinger Jordan Harbi...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 96
David Baddiel joins us to talk about comedy, anti-semitism and scatological humour. David Baddiel links: Jews Don't Count: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Untitled-David-Baddiel/dp/0008399476 https://twitter.com/Baddiel Andrew Gold links: http://youtube.com/andrewgold1 http://instagram.com/andrewgold_ok http://twitter.com/andrewgold_ok http://andrewgoldpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 95
Kat Rosenfield is an acclaimed author of young adult and adult fiction who also writes about the culture wars, politics and all sorts of on-point and contentious societal issues. Sign up on Apple Podcasts or http://patreon.com/andrewgold for the bonus bits. Kat Rosenfield No One Will Miss Her book: https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Will-Miss-Her/dp/0063057018 https://twitter.com/katrosenfield https://www.instagram.com/katrosenfield https://katrosenfield.com Andrew Gold links: http://youtube.com/andr...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 94
Have you ever wanted to know about West Africa’s cocaine empire, how meth infiltrated a New Zealand biker gang, or the gangs controlling Haiti? Taking us along with him on a deadly and thrilling voyage to the world’s most dangerous underworlds of organised crime is journalist Sean Williams. Sign up on Apple Podcasts or http://patreon.com/andrewgold for the bonus bits. Sean Williams links: Underworld Podcast: https://www.underworldpod.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/swilliamsjourno Website: htt...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 93
Jordan Harbinger is not only one of the world’s leading podcasters, but he’s also one of our best anecdotalists. In this podcast, he regals us with so many fascinating stories that I’ve split it into two separate episodes, each with a bonus episode for the patrons and Apple subscribers among you. Sign up on Apple Podcasts or http://patreon.com/andrewgold for the bonus bits. Jordan Harbinger links: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/ https://twitter.com/JordanHarbinger https://www.instagram.com/jord...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 92
It’s Amanda Knox. You might – particularly if you’re in Britain or Italy – know her as the murderous femme fatale who was imprisoned for killing her English flatmate Meredith Kercher in a sex game while studying abroad in Italy. You might know her – if you’ve spent time researching the case – as the subject of one of the most egregious and explosive wrongful conviction cases in living memory. But one thing’s for sure: you know her. Or...you think you do. Sign up on Apple Podcasts or http://patre...
Jan 24, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 91
Jon Ronson talks to me about cancel culture, public shaming and Louis Theroux. Jon is also known for writing The Psychopath Test and So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, a book about the way we publicly humiliate others for minor transgressions. There’s a lot of discourse about that today, but Jon was ahead of the curve when that book came out in 2015. In his work, he often documents his time with extreme figures, including Alex Jones, David Icke and Islamic militant leader Omar Bakri Muhammed. Today...
Jan 17, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 90
Richard Dawkins is one of the biggest names in science. His The God Delusion, which contends that a supernatural deity does not exist, flipped the world upside down in 2006 when it came out, bringing both science and atheism into the mainstream. I interview him today alongside former ecstasy mob boss Shaun Attwood, before a free bonus section with Professor Paul Bloom of Yale and Toronto. Sign up on Apple Podcasts or http://patreon.com/andrewgold for the bonus bits. Richard Dawkins links: Flight...
Jan 10, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 89
Award-winning science writer David Robson's work has appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Aeon and many many others. He was features editor at New Scientist for five years, before working as a senior journalist at BBC Future. His book, The Expectation Effect, is a vivid trip into the fallacies and complexities of the human psyche. Our expectations can have very real effects on outcomes, whether it be life spans, illnesses or anything else. So try to think positively. Sign up on Apple Podcasts...
Jan 03, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 88
I've been spending a lot of time on my own recently, while my girlfriend has been away and I've been working on the podcast. Don't worry, I'm perfectly happy, and I'm off to Argentina soon for a holiday. But it made me wonder about the folk out there - listeners of this show - who might be feeling a little lonesome right now (especially amid all the showing off on Instagram). So I just turned the mic on and started talking about this year's podcast. Let's keep each other company in these cold, d...
Dec 30, 2021•32 min•Ep. 87
Popular science writer, journalist and Yale University Professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry Carl Zimmer is joining me to finally answer the late Beatle George Harrison's question: what is life. Sign up on Apple Podcasts or http://patreon.com/andrewgold for the bonus bits. Prof. Carl Zimmer links: http://carlzimmer.com https://twitter.com/carlzimmer Life's Edge book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08QJM2CJY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Andrew Gold links: http://youtube...
Dec 27, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 87
Have you ever wondered if your furry friend might be partial to a beer or two? Did you know that koalas smoked pipes and dolphins get high on pufferfish? Here to tell us all about the weird and wonderful world of intoxicated animals and humans too is Oné Pagan, a university professor and researcher with a PHD in Pharmacology with an emphasis on Neurobiology from Cornell University. Sign up on Apple Podcasts or http://patreon.com/andrewgold for the half-hour bonus chat. Like how the episode sound...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 86
William Costello is a writer and an academic in the field of Evolutionary Psychology who has specialised in incel culture and things like beauty and attraction. He's also a lovely, charming man, a great laugh and really informative. Sign up on Apple Podcasts or http://patreon.com/andrewgold for the half-hour bonus chat. Like how the episode sounded? Get an MV7 just like mine here: https://shu.re/ontheedge-mv7. Receive 20% off anything from their website with the code ONTHEEDGE20. William Costell...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 85
Nafees Hamid talks about what makes people into terrorists and other forms of extremists…and how we might be able to persuade them or talk them down. He is a research fellow at ARTIS International, an associate fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, and a Frederick Bonnart-Braunthal Trust scholar in the University College London's Department of Security and Crime Science. Watch my follow-up interview later that night as host of the Shaun Attwood show: https://youtu...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 84
Kelly Thiel was once a member of the notorious NXIVM cult. For those of you who – like me – don’t or didn’t know much about this sect, you’re in for a bit of a shock – not least in how that bunch of capital letters are supposed to be pronounced. But I’ll let Kelly explain that part. The cult was on the surface a multi-level marketing group that had various levels of memberships. Its members would learn a lot about self-help stuff, such as how to find purpose and be happy. Its methods were said t...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 83
Today’s guest is Hassan al-Kontar, an absolute gem of a person who found himself in one of the most unique and unusual positions imaginable: living in an airport for seven months. As a Syrian refugee, Hassan had been working in the United Arab Emirates, when civil war broke out in Syria. Refusing to return there to join the Syrian military (knowing he might be arrested upon arrival), he stayed abroad, and Hassan’s passport renewal was later denied, leaving him stranded in Kuala Lumpar Internatio...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 82
Why do we like to suffer? Canadian-American Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science Paul Bloom believes he has the answer. Or at least, some of the answers to what is a profound and complex question. In his book The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning, he explores exactly that – that Goldilocks point just between too much suffering – such as with last week’s guest, Guantanamo’s most tortured prisoner Mohamedou Ould Salahi – and a life without enough self-impos...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 81
Today, we’ve got a classic On the Edge interviewee, in the form of Mohamedou Ould Salahi, who was detained in Guantanamo Bay for 14 years and is considered by some to be Guantanamo’s most tortured prisoner. Raised in the African country of Mauritania, before moving to Germany, Mohamedou was suspected of having links to terrorism after 9/11. Sign up on Apple VIP or http://patreon.com/andrewgold for the half-hour bonus chat. Mohamedou Ould Salahi links: https://twitter.com/MohamedouOuld https://en...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 80
In our final installment of the three Halloween Specials, Dr. Sohom Das takes us into the mind of the Broadmoor Cannibal, Peter Bryan. Dr. Sohom Das links: A Psych for Sore Minds YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU2T2mo13y0&ab_channel=APsychForSoreMinds http://www.drdas.co.uk https://twitter.com/Dr_S_Das Andrew Gold links: http://youtube.com/andrewgold1 http://instagram.com/andrewgold_ok http://twitter.com/andrewgold_ok http://andrewgoldpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choice...
Oct 31, 2021•28 min•Ep. 79
In the second episode of our Halloween trilogy, Dr. Sohom Das explains what really went on in the minds of Swedish twin sisters Ursula and Sabina Eriksson, who terrified motorists, before one of them killed a man. Dr. Sohom Das links: A Psych for Sore Minds YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU2T2mo13y0&ab_channel=APsychForSoreMinds http://www.drdas.co.uk https://twitter.com/Dr_S_Das Andrew Gold links: http://youtube.com/andrewgold1 http://instagram.com/andrewgold_ok http://twitter...
Oct 31, 2021•32 min•Ep. 78
Journalist Andrew Gold and forensic psychiatrist Dr. Sohom Das from A Psych for Sore Minds take a look inside the minds of perpetrators in three scary and fascinating true crime cases. We start with Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people - the most ever fatalities by a single gunman. Dr. Sohom Das links: A Psych for Sore Minds YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU2T2mo13y0&ab_channel=APsychForSoreMinds http://www.drdas.co.uk https://twitter.com/Dr_S_Das Andrew Gold links: http://yout...
Oct 31, 2021•37 min•Ep. 77
He’s back! It’s part 2 with podcaster and evolutionary sex expert Dr. Chris Ryan, author of Sex at Dawn and Civilized to Death. He writes all about the way societal expectations have been encroaching on our natural ways of doing things, particularly sex, but much much more. Today, we’ll be looking at the human penis, and comparing it to those of other monkeys and such things. Sign up on Apple VIP or http://patreon.com/andrewgold for the half-hour bonus chat. Chris Ryan links: https://chrisryanph...
Oct 29, 2021•46 min•Ep. 76
Today I have one of the biggest names to ever grace the stage of this podcast, in the form of Chris Ryan. Chris is known for many things, but is perhaps most notable for his book Sex at Dawn, which he co-wrote with his partner Cacilda Jethá. It challenges the conventional views on sex by diving deep into our ancestors’ history. It provides a fascinating look at hunter gatherers, and what we were once like. Chris Ryan links: https://chrisryanphd.com/category/tangentially-speaking/ Tangentially Sp...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 76
I met acclaimed philosopher Julian Baggini in Bristol for a coffee upon first arriving in the city, and it was a pleasure. Julian is a member of the Bristol Humanist Society, where I’ll be doing a talk about journalist from a humanist perspective on the first of November…so it was great to chat about all things philosophical, and I thought wow, he’d make for a really wonderful podcast guest. He didn't disappoint. Sign up for the bonus questions on http://patreon.com/andrewgold or on Apple VIP. J...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 75
Linda Calvey is known as the Black Widow, because all of her lovers ended up dead or in prison. Wikipedia has her down as an armed robber and murderer, and while she contests the latter, she did spend 18 years in Holloway Prison alongside such notorious serial killers as Myra Hindley and Rose West – names that strike fear into the hearts of most Brits who hear them – but people all the same that Linda had to share living spaces with, even giving Hindley a slap, before later having to do her hair...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 74
I’ve been determined to find someone who could explain TIME in a really digestible and easy to understand way, as though I’m a child. That man is Colin Stuart, whose book Time: Ten Things You Should Know is out now in all the usual places. I devoured it in just a few days, which would seem like the blink of an eye to someone standing near a black hole. Sign up for the bonus questions on http://patreon.com/andrewgold or on Apple VIP. Colin Stuart links: Time: 10 Things You Should Know: https://ww...
Oct 04, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 73
Today on the show is the real gene Jeanie, as David Bowie would put it, Dr. Kathryn Paige Harden. Not only does she go by Paige, but her book The Genetic Lottery is a real page turner. See what I did there? The book, which is out now, is causing controversy for its focus – or Paige’s focus – on the effects DNA has on equality. Sign up for the bonus questions on http://patreon.com/andrewgold or on Apple VIP. And sign up with my sponsor ISSUU on http://issuu.com/podcast with promo code: EDGE. Dr. ...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 72
Today on the show is the wonderful Dr. Sohom Das, a brilliant forensic psychiatrist whose job involves dealing with mentally ill and dangerous criminals. As well as a leading figure in British psychiatry, Dr. Das is becoming something of an online star, his YouTube channel A Psych for Sore Minds fast attracting subscribers, so do check that out. He creates very professional videos in which he discusses all sorts of psychiatric disorders and expands upon true crime stories. Listen to the bonus ep...
Sep 20, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 71
Chris Williamson from Modern Wisdom podcast joins me today on On the Edge with Andrew Gold to discuss everything from his time on Love Island to interviewing Jordan Peterson. Hear our full bonus segment on http://patreon.com/andrewgold And get 15% off a MasterClass membership by going to http://masterclass.com/edge. Chris Williamson links: Modern Wisdom YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaH-gZIVC432YRjNVvnyCA Modern Wisdom audio podcast: https://podfollow.com/1347973549 Twitter:...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 70
Greeting us on today’s episode of On the Edge with Andrew Gold is former crime boss and ecstasy smuggler Shaun Attwood. Hear the full bonus segment on http://patreon.com/andrewgold Born to a middle-class household in the northwest of England, Shaun became a stock market genius as a teenager, starting at just 14 years old, before he became hooked by the rave scene that swept through the country. Ecstasy was a huge part of that, and before he knew it, Shaun was dealing. In fact, he smuggled around...
Sep 06, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 69
