I love this guy. He exudes kindness, generosity, and intelligence. This is the fourth time Rick’s been on Tangentially Speaking, but the first time we’ve met in person, so it’s a special conversation. We don’t talk about music as much this time around, but we go deep on family, dads, and how life looks from sixty. 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...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 30 min
This mini-ROMA was recorded streamside at a Lund Park campground in Oregon. It includes an update on my dance with covid and some thoughts on a very strange word: bosom . 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
Sep 30, 2022•39 min
DEBORAH EDEN TULL , founder of Mindful Living Revolution , is a Zen meditation and engaged dharma teacher, public speaker, author, and sustainability educator who trained for seven and a half years as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has taught engaged dharma for over 20 years. Her most recent book is Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown . Click here to listen to Anya Kaats’ conversation with Deborah Eden Tull on A Millennial’s Guide to Saving the...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 30 min
Alex Cody Foster’s next book, The Man Who Hacked the World: A Ghostwriter’s Descent into Madness with John McAfee , will be published November 15th (2022). In the meantime, the crazy story is told in the Netflix documentary called “Running with the Devil.” He’s ghostwritten eight #1 Amazon Bestsellers, written for one of the U.K's most successful thriller writers, and worked as John McAfee's biographer for six months. Before all that, Alex built a solar-powered trike, hitchhiked across America, ...
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr 49 min
Katherine Halper is an American comedian, writer, filmmaker, podcaster, and political commentator. She is the host of the podcast The Katie Halper Show and co-host of the Useful Idiots with Aaron Maté . 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...
Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 33 min
Zappy Zapolin is driven by his belief that psychedelic medicine is the most powerful tool available to quickly raise consciousness and alter humanity’s direction from a destructive path. He has made it his life's mission to increase accessibility to psychedelic compounds through education, media, research, clinical development, and commercial enterprises. Zappy’s Instagram account is here . Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range . “Pop Culture,” KnowMads ; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” ...
Aug 12, 2022•1 hr 4 min
I was recently on Cory’s podcast , and I enjoyed our conversation so much that I proposed we keep it rolling on mine. That’s how it works with us podcasters. Dinner at my place, dinner at your place. In addition to hosting his very successful podcast, Cory has published a book about mindfulness, and has written, produced, and engineered his own music and helped lots of other musicians through the creative process. Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range . “Jungle,” Tash Sultana ;...
Aug 05, 2022•1 hr 59 min
On his second visit to the podcast, Frans discusses his latest book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologis t, as well as one of my favorite books, Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape , which he co-authored with photographer Frans Lanting. Frans 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 is C. H. Candler...
Aug 01, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Chris and Nani manage the amazing Kisima Ngeda Camp , on Lake Eyasi, Tanzania. Chris grew up nearby after his German parents moved to Africa on an impulse, and stayed on, while Nani stumbled into this oasis while adventuring through as a penniless, apparently fearless traveler. The story of how they met, fell in love, and built a world will make you feel good about life, people, and chance. (I never got around to taking a photo of Chris and Nani, but they’re even more attractive than you’re imag...
Jul 21, 2022•1 hr 21 min
Here’s a ROMA in which I talk about some oddities of backwards greetings in Tanzania, driving in Georgia, the financial realities of world travel in 2022, the conundrum of hydraulic toilets seats (and other luxuries), and what it means (and doesn’t) when you say a woman is “beautiful.” 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...
Jul 18, 2022•56 min
The folks at Gladioloa Adventure in Arusha thought Elia would be a good guide to show us around northern Tanzania for 9 days. They were right. Raised by his Maasai grandfather, Elia has a deep understanding of animal behavior, not only spotting lions, leopards, and cheetahs at a distance, but anticipating where they would move so we could position ourselves and wait for them to wander by. His knowledge of the animals and how best to interact/photograph them, combined with his insights into the g...
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Chip Kime was an utterly unique young man who was a huge presence in my life once, then he became an abstraction when our paths diverged in our 20s, and now he’s gone. But not really. 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
Jul 11, 2022•24 min
Craig's Sholley’s experiences with wildlife and conservation began in 1973 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire. As an L.S.B. Leakey grant researcher in the late 1970s, Craig studied mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey and, in 1987, became director of Rwanda's Mountain Gorilla Project. Craig has acted as Scientific Advisor for the award-winning IMAX film, "Mountain Gorilla," and with National Geographic, he surveyed the conservation status of mountain gorillas in the aftermath of Rwanda's civil wa...
Jul 08, 2022•45 min
Dario is a science journalist based in Madrid who was instrumental in getting Sex at Dawn published in Spain ( En el Principio era el Sexo ). We’ve been friends since around 2011, when he interviewed me about that book. In this conversation, we talk about Spanish culture and history, the challenges of writing about science for Spanish publications, and some of the personal challenges Dario has worked his way through over the past few years and the loving friends who stood by him (but not too clo...
Jun 25, 2022•1 hr 35 min
Kevin is an actor, comedian, and host of the RISK! podcast — which Slate.com called “Hilarious, jaw-dropping and just plain touching,” and Rolling Stone named it one of its top podcasts. 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...
Jun 20, 2022•1 hr 38 min
I met Gym when I rented her place on Airbnb in Chite, Spain. Just looking at the photos of the funky space she’d created, I had a sense that this woman would be fascinating, and my hunch turned out to be 110% on target. As it happens, Gym is an accomplished painter, has worked on many TV and film sets, and has published a book of autobiographical stories and reproductions of selected paintings called Zigzag : Flashbacks of a Painter . This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with ...
Jun 13, 2022
My friend Debra is a magical woman living a magical life. She’s the hub of many wheels, the grain of sand in the oyster, the sun in solar systems, the log that breaks the logjam. She hangs out with movie stars, billionaires, artists, and visionaries. Her energy, generosity, and spirit attract the kinds of people most of us spend our lives hoping to meet — and nothing makes her happier than connecting them to one another and watching amazing things ensue. Be sure to check out our previous episode...
Jun 04, 2022
In the first part of this month’s bonus ROMA (BROMA), available to everyone, I talk about a new feature to help listeners find each other. I also talk about my thoughts concerning whether we’re all in some kind of simulation, the difference between sound and music, and my personal feelings about and experience with abortion. Part 2 (where I talked about navigating unconventional relationship structures, when to “go for it” vs. when to play it safe, and when having sex with friends is dangerous) ...
May 20, 2022•40 min
To boil it waaay down … After suffering a freak road-rage incident in LA, Robert came to Spain to visit an old friend seven years ago, then went back to LA, quit his job, sold his house under the Hollywood sign, and brought his two daughters to live in a village by the “Playa de los Muertos,” where hundreds of dead sailors washed ashore after the Battle of Trafalgar two hundred and a few years ago. These days, you might see Robert riding his horse down that beach. Or you’ll find him painting, re...
May 19, 2022•2 hr 20 min
Intro messages from Mike in Washington, Adam in the UK, and a human from an undisclosed location. I discuss a few topics suggested by listeners, including: “Should I have kids?” “What about yoga?” “What’s the deal with asexuality?” “How has your sense of your personal future changed as you’ve aged?” Also, what’s the deal with ice machines in hotels? Who’s using all that ice? What are they doing with it? Here’s the promised link to the discussion thread where you can chime in on these fascinating...
Apr 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min
If you’ve read my recent post of the same title, you can skip this one, which is mostly for folks who listen to the podcast, but haven’t checked out what’s happening at Substack yet. Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To get access to bonus content including bonus episodes, newsletters, and exclusive blog posts, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, vis...
Apr 26, 2022•17 min
Zen Rahmoun is living what may be the story of our age: that of the refugee. Whether triggered by war, climate change, political upheaval, or economic collapse, one in 95 people around the world have been forced to leave their home, resulting in over 82 million refugees. Well over a thousand people drown every year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to find a better life in Europe. Zen was almost one of them. Please consider subscribing to my hybrid newsletter/blog/podcast. Also, if the frequ...
Apr 17, 2022
In the past year or so Simon Rex’s life has changed in ways nobody could have anticipated, but the man himself has changed very little. He’s just as funny, thoughtful, kind, and generous as ever. I love this guy. I’m pretty sure you will too. Check him out in Red Rocket, streaming on Redbox, Prime Video, VUDU, Vudu Movie & TV Store or FlixFling on your Roku device. Please consider subscribing to my hybrid newsletter/blog/podcast. Also, if the frequency of these emails is too much for you, I’...
Apr 12, 2022
Mike Lang taught me to enjoy beer and Rush when we were 16 years old in 1978. We’ve been brothers-by-choice ever since. In addition to being one of the smartest people I know, Mike has direct family ties to Ukraine, speaks Russian fluently, and is deeply interested in the history of the region, so he seemed like a good person to chat with about what’s going on there now. Please consider subscribing to my hybrid newsletter/blog/podcast. Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range . Fe...
Apr 07, 2022•1 hr 32 min
What's the relation between "truth" and meaning? Can we scientifically verify our visions while tripping? Are psychedelics tools or teachers? Is astrology "real?" Why has "myth" come to mean something that isn't true in recent years, when no one ever claimed that myths were any truer than novels or poems? These and other questions are discussed (but not really answered) in this episode recorded on a bright, chilly Sunday afternoon in Kaş, Turkey. Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin an...
Mar 20, 2022•1 hr 51 min
Should I welcome you, or thank you for welcoming me? My appreciation for the Blindboy podcast . Lifeguard lessons. Why a dog with a bone isn't your friend. Do circles explain more than lines? (Is an NFL locker room the closest thing in the straight world to a gay bath-house?) Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range ; "Free Your Mind (And Your Ass Will Follow)," by Funkadelic. This episode is sponsored by OMGYES.com . Click here for 10% off your lifetime membership. This is a pub...
Mar 15, 2022•54 min
Try to imagine a culture in which children aren't taught that their bodies and desires are dangerous, shameful, and disgusting. What would that be like? Also, I discuss what I got wrong (and right) about the current invasion of Ukraine, and the dangerous phrase, "freak of nature." Lastly, I talk about how life presents a series of "should I stay or should I go?" choices that are kind of like rowing away from the island you're on, not knowing when/if you'll find another. Turns out, there may be a...
Feb 28, 2022•37 min
In this one, I discuss the totally cliche notion that happiness is to be found in simple pleasures (and bodily functions), the strange wisdom of Thai gender identity, the ramifications of the illusion that we can live without causing pain to other beings, my sense of what's really going on with Putin and Ukraine, and the idiocy of toilet paper. Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range ; "Mr. Man" and "4AM in Gharo," by Raapta . This episode is sponsored by OMGYES.com . Click here...
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Made it to 60! Too late to die young. This is just a very brief, very personal message to you, if you listen to this podcast. Many thanks. Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range ; Closing: "Down in Belgorod," by Paul Winter Consort . 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...
Feb 13, 2022•11 min
Coming to you from Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand, in this one I discuss my insights into Joe Rogan (and the current controversy), my thoughts on Whoopie Goldberg's race mess, the practical costs of being in Thailand these days (rent, food, etc.), and I wonder why rich podcasters still run ads (just before asking you to donate to THIS podcast, hosted by a decidedly unrich guy). Then I play a lovely song called "13 or So," by friend of the podcast, Nick Hornbuckle . Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Plea...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 5 min
