This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Will 2026 be the end of the beginning of the end or the beginning of the beginning of a new era? Are we learning that we have been led into darkness by monsters? Are the “basic illusions” of this era exhausted? What does Santa have to do with my general disillusionment and the fear of death in western societies?...
Ed Dupas is an Americana artist with a knack for crafting songs that stick with you — songs that balance grit and vulnerability while cutting to the heart of things. His music has earned airplay across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, resonating with listeners drawn to its emotional weight and lyrical honesty. 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 free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Does peak experience ruin normal experience? Why not just run ads? How can we know we’re not full of shit? Is community possible in the modern world? All this and more!
Jef Taylor has worked in politics, advertising, and independent filmmaking. His podcast is called onefjef, and you can find on any platform or at onefjefpod.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
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Topics: How is a plate of peas a key to a life well-lived? A few pivotal moments in my early 20s. Respond to the argument, not the person making it. Are there really “rules of war?” The enraging hypocrisy of intelligent people concerning American foreign policy. The time I stood between two famous gay men, pissing in a trough. And more! This is the quote…...
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com A recent health scare. What do I miss about living in Europe? Where do I think AI is taking us, and how will it affect human relationships? How is travel different now from 30 years ago? What food changed my thinking? What’s the evolutionary significance of celebrity? All this and more in ROMA 98.
Adam is a well-known author, journalist, and podcaster. He’s covered travel, adventure sports, human rights and the environment for many outlets. He’s perhaps best known as the ghostwriter and audiobook narrator of the pair of smash-hit memoirs by David Goggins, but he’s also the author of One Breath - Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits. Adam’s debut novel, American Tiger , is out now. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acce...
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Does raging against the machine serve as a distraction from trying to control or unplug the machine? Gender reveal parties don’t reveal gender! Cameron Shayne's inspirational visit. My three-day fast. Did my dad give up or was he just tired?
An award-winning journalist, pro big wave surfer, and podcast host with more than four hundred episodes, Kyle Thiermann is a good friend and long-time tangentialista. His first book is called One Last Question Before You Go: Why You Should Interview Your Parents . 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 one happened fast. A week ago, a publicist reached out to ask if I’d possibly be interested in helping to promote a documentary about a guy (a white guy) who thinks he’s supposed to bring together the native people of South and North America — whose combined teachings will then spread across the planet and save us all. My first impression was that this one sounded crazy, possibly racist, and not something I really want to spend time on. But the fact that the director had worked with Werner ...
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com In this last episode of the series, Riley Morton and I talk about the period beginning when I chose to write about prehistoric human sexuality in graduate school through the writing and publishing of Sex at Dawn . It gets personal. I talk about how some of my own sexual experiences informed my thinking about how sexuality functioned in ways I hadn’t considered and I get into Cacilda’s crucial participation in th...
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Words that mean both what they mean and the opposite of what they mean. Early days of learning Spanish and the psychological repercussions of not knowing exactly what you’re saying. When philosophy conflicts with reality. Open borders. “The past was horrible!”
Tom Murphy is a recovering astrophysicist. After spending the first part of his life learning the language of physics and mathematics, Tom started hearing a deeper message concerning our responsibility to the planet. 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 free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com This one gets very personal. Riley and I talk about how my own erotic journey informed my doctoral research and what eventually became Sex at Dawn . We cover everything from my first heartbreak when my first girlfriend went off to college (and I stayed in high school) through grad school in San Francisco. Check out Riley’s new podcast, called Author’s Note...
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What the hell is going on? Why does the mainstream narrative seem to be increasingly unbelievable? Is decency outdated? Why were Paul Newman and Robert Redford important? Is the future female? Is competence necessary to run a country?
Tom is a fascinating man. He’s shot lasers at the moon and measured their reflection. After studying astrophysics at Cal Tech he taught at UCSD for years. But there came a point where his awareness of the destructiveness of the machine made it impossible to keep making adjustments to its smooth functioning. Unlike many people confronted with that contradiction, Tom walked away, choosing freedom of thought over financial stability and ego gratification. This is the first part of what I hope will ...
Lloyd is one of the most curious, delighted, resilient people I’ve ever known. In his ninety years, he’s been a father, husband, builder, publisher, traveler, writer, athlete and a slew of other things, including a very good friend to many, including Anya and me. 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 free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com How was Charlie Kirk the same as the people who hated him most? What’s the dangerous appeal of simplicity and clarity in a complex world? Can/should we tolerate intolerance? The trick of valuing the things we DON’T have or need. All this and more!
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What happens to famous people who get lost in their own show and gradually start playing themselves in the movie of their lives?
Dan Blumstein and I explore the multifaceted nature of fear, its evolutionary significance, and its impact on both human and animal behavior. The conversation also delves into existential fears, the manipulation of fear by society, and the importance of understanding and managing fear in a complex world. Dan’s book is The Nature of Fear . 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...
Alan Collinge is the founder of StudentLoanJustice.Org , author of The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History and How We Can Fight Back . 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...
Are we (am I) “stuck in honoring the context of the social media platform,” that is podcasting? Is there a way not to be trapped in playing the commercial game? Did Joe and Duncan sell out, or did their platforms just capture them? I discuss some of the accusations leveled in “Comedy Jonestown” and Marc Maron’s recent appearance on Pod Save America. 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/subscri...
Mike just finished his stint in the army and is celebrating by riding a bicycle from El Paso to Canada. He passed by Crestone recently, and we sat down to get to know each other. Pull up a chair and join 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
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com More blathering. This time, talking about: — Epstein and how fame/power/money distort one’s sense of the possible/permissible; — The joys of watching the Little League playoffs; — A friend’s hard fall. Here’s the link to give Charles some love....
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com My friend Riley Morton 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 . This is the second of a four-part series....
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com It’s the back to school episode! Do you feel like the year begins at the end of summer? Can anyone really be helped (or just supported in helping themselves)? A study showing how we find what we expect to find. Some thoughts on budgeting energy and attention and learning how to invest both more…
Kevin is my go-to guy when I have questions about AI, cutting edge technologies, and crypto currencies. But he’s not just some freakishly smart super-nerd; he thinks of these seemingly cut and dry issues with all the juiciness of mythology, Jungian archetypes, and a deep appreciation of world 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...
Our uncle Dan was a huge influence on both of us, albeit in very different ways. For Dave, Dan was a surrogate father figure who helped guide him through adolescence. For me, Dan was more of a kindred spirit, and our friendship mostly happened in the last decade or so of his life. When we combine our memories, we get a more complete understanding of the man. (How did I not know he loved jazz?) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus e...
We were camping at the Tom Thorn/Beth Williams Wildlife Habitat Management Area in southern Wyoming when we recorded this, yesterday. It’s raw. It’s real. Maybe you can hear the birds chirping. Anya and I recap the retreat and give some thoughts about being on the road. 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...
Erik’s is the brain behind one of my favorite accounts on Substack, Poetic Outlaws . If I were a woman, I’d be chasing guys like him: smart, tough, adventurous, well-read, sensitive, funny, talented, and way more humble than a guy like that has any right to be. He writes beautifully, takes great photos , has impeccable taste in literature. 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...
