The Rich Roll Podcast Bruce Wagner Writes Transgressive Novels About Tragedy & Transcendence
Jan 29, 2026
Bruce Wagner, novelist and former Carlos Castaneda student, author of fifteen books including Amputation. He uses Hollywood as a lab for human behavior. He talks about transgressive fiction that skewers vanity and searches for transcendence. He recounts spiritual influences, writing after the LA fires, inhabiting saints and monsters, and why language drives his work.
02:02:21
Hollywood As A Spiritual Laboratory
- Bruce Wagner uses Hollywood as a laboratory to explore vanity, renown, poverty, and transcendence.
- He blends satire with deep spiritual longing to probe human suffering and the quest for liberation.
Sacred Longing Beneath Satire
- Wagner layers Buddhist and Sufi parables into his dark Hollywood narratives to aim for transcendence.
- He rejects mere laceration and seeks sacred meaning amid vanity and suffering.
Three Modes Of Suffering
- Wagner synthesizes three Buddhist modes of suffering: physical pain, mood fluctuation, and conditional/social suffering.
- He uses these frames to examine impermanence and the human drive for attention.
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Intro
00:00 • 50sec
Wagner's Hollywood as a Spiritual Laboratory
00:50 • 2min
Sacred Themes in Dark Satire
02:58 • 2min
Buddhist Suffering and Literary Motifs
05:07 • 2min
Affection for Characters in Extremis
07:31 • 57sec
Family, Fate, and Fatalism
08:27 • 4min
Predeterminism, Agency, and Spiritual Skepticism
12:19 • 3min
Language, Scent, and the Writer's Obsession
15:13 • 3min
Creative Process, Memory, and Aging
18:32 • 3min
Psychedelics, the Muse, and Finality
21:42 • 2min
Early Life in Beverly Hills
23:40 • 6min
Transgression as an Artistic Tool
29:19 • 3min
Ad break
32:48 • 3min
Truth, Perception, and Hollywood's Façade
35:45 • 57sec
Inhabiting Saints and Monsters
36:42 • 2min
Migraines, Addiction, and Post-Ictal Creativity
38:47 • 3min
True Crime Obsession and Human Nature
41:51 • 2min
Dropping Out, Diverse Jobs, and Searching
43:28 • 36sec
Encountering Carlos Castaneda
44:04 • 5min
Castaneda's Charisma and Early Invitation
48:57 • 3min
Becoming Castaneda's Student
51:40 • 3min
Controversy, Slander, and the 'Revenge of Practitioners'
55:05 • 3min
First and Second Attention Explained
57:36 • 5min
Recapitulation and Liberation Practices
01:02:23 • 3min
Path of the Heart and Acquiescence
01:05:14 • 5min
Dreams, Mirrors, and Reunion with the Double
01:09:59 • 32sec
Getting Out of the Way to Write
01:10:31 • 5min
Publishing, Fame, and the Decline of Literary Culture
01:15:10 • 6min
AI, Identity, and the Erasure of Self
01:21:34 • 2min
Writing Amputation After the Fires
01:23:35 • 3min
Tales, Saints, and Sufi Parables
01:27:01 • 6min
Fires, Impermanence, and Political Anger
01:32:42 • 2min
Weaving Real People into Fiction
01:34:59 • 6min
Tragedy, Quadriplegia, and Enlightened Response
01:41:00 • 6min
Language's Power for Trauma and Transcendence
01:46:48 • 4min
Mortality, Mood, and the Writer's Anxiety
01:51:06 • 5min
Artistic Fidelity and Uncompromising Intent
01:55:39 • 6min
Memorable Tiny Moments as Art
02:01:18 • 2min
Outro
02:02:53 • 44sec
#
Henry James and Homo-Erotic Desire
John Bradley
Leland S. Person
This scholarly anthology edited by John Bradley features essays on homo-erotic themes in Henry James's fiction, including Leland S. Person's chapter 'Deploying Homo-Aesthetic Desire in the Tales of Writers and Artists'.
It explores topics such as queer desire, masculinity, and relationships in James's stories and novels.
Contributors analyze works like 'The Pupil' and 'The Golden Bowl' through lenses of homo-eroticism and aesthetics.
#
I'm Losing You
Book Four in the Stafford Brothers Series
Chicki Brown
Karen Rodgers
I'm Losing You follows Dr. Vic Stafford and his wife Ramona, who have been together for fifteen years and married for twelve.
To the outside world, they have everything most people dream of—an attractive spouse, a beautiful home, two smart and good-looking sons, and financial security.
However, beneath this perfect exterior, their relationship faces significant strain as Dr. Stafford's extensive travels without his family begin to take their toll on the marriage.
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Being and Dreaming
Florinda Donner
#
Amputation
Surgical Practice and Patient Management
George Murdoch
This reference work covers amputation surgery in the lower limb, including related prosthetics, biomechanics, and orthotics.
It addresses pre- and post-operative care, stump environment, early-fitting procedures, walking training, and treatment options for various amputation levels from hind-quarter to foot procedures.
Peripheral topics such as standards, government roles, and educational matters are also included.
#
Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand
Trijang Rinpoche
string
#16203
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
La Force Majeure
Clément Rosset
#
Still Holding
Bruce Wagner
Still Holding immerses readers in post-September 11 Hollywood, following interconnected characters including a superstar actor and practicing Buddhist, a young actress hired to play a corpse on Six Feet Under, and members of a look-alike industry.
The novel alternates between hilarious and heartfelt moments, combining ferocious social critique with unexpected empathy as it examines the corruption of media, the human cost of fame, and the twenty-four-hour cycle of self-promotion and celebrity worship.
#
The sorcerers' crossing
Taisha Abelar
"The Sorcerer's Crossing" by Taisha Abelar delves into the profound and transformative teachings of don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian sorcerer.
As one of don Juan's apprentices, Taisha recounts her personal journey through the intricate practices and concepts of Toltec shamanism.
She explores the rigorous discipline, altered states of awareness, and the confrontation with the unknown that characterize this path to knowledge.
The book offers unique insights into the female perspective within this tradition, detailing practices like recapitulation and the development of the dreaming body.
Taisha's narrative highlights the challenges and rewards of pursuing sorcery, emphasizing the importance of impeccable intent and the transcendence of ordinary reality.
#16795
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
The Buddha of Suburbia
Hanif Kureishi
The Buddha of Suburbia is a semi-autobiographical novel by Hanif Kureishi, which won the Whitbread Award for Best First Novel in 1990.
It follows Karim Amir, a mixed-race teenager, as he navigates his way through suburban South London and the vibrant cultural landscape of 1970s London.
The novel explores themes of identity, race, and social change, set against the backdrop of emerging punk culture and the dawn of Thatcherism.
#1476
• Mentioned in 25 episodes
Lincoln in the Bardo
Yannick Garcia Porres
George Saunders
Javier Calvo Perales
The novel is set in 1862 during the American Civil War and revolves around the death of Willie Lincoln, the 11-year-old son of President Abraham Lincoln.
After Willie's death from typhoid fever, his spirit finds itself in a limbo known as the bardo, a concept borrowed from Tibetan Buddhism.
Here, he encounters a diverse group of ghosts who are also trapped between the world of the living and the afterlife.
The story delves into themes of grief, both personal and national, as Lincoln grapples with the loss of his son amidst the broader context of the Civil War. The novel is characterized by its unique narrative style, which includes a multitude of voices and historical quotes, and its exploration of the human experience of suffering and love.
#10822
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
Journey to Ixtlan
The Lessons of Don Juan
Carlos Castaneda
In 'Journey to Ixtlan,' Carlos Castaneda recounts his continued apprenticeship with the Yaqui shaman Don Juan Matus.
The book delves into the metaphorical concept of 'Ixtlan,' a place or state of being to which a 'sorcerer' or 'man of knowledge' is drawn.
Castaneda reevaluates his previous teachings, emphasizing the importance of 'stopping the world' and perceiving reality on new terms.
He also shifts focus away from psychotropic plants, which were central in his earlier works, and towards a more holistic understanding of Don Juan's teachings.
The book explores the progression from hunter to warrior to man of knowledge, highlighting Castaneda's personal transformation and his struggle to reconcile his rational worldview with the mystical experiences he encounters.
#16999
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
The Day of the Locust
Nathanael West
The novel follows Tod Hackett, a young artist from the Yale School of Fine Arts, who moves to Hollywood to work in set and costume design.
The story delves into the lives of various characters, including Homer Simpson, a simple-minded bookkeeper, and Faye Greener, an aspiring actress.
It portrays a society filled with despair and anger, culminating in a violent riot at a Hollywood premiere.
The novel is a critique of the American Dream and the destructive nature of societal disillusionment.
#2358
• Mentioned in 17 episodes
I Am That
Nisargadatta Maharaj
This book preserves Maharaj's dialogues with followers from around the world who sought his guidance in destroying false identities.
His sole concern was with human suffering and the ending of suffering.
Maharaj taught that the mind must recognize and penetrate its own state of being, breaking the mind's false identification with the ego, and knowing that 'You are already That'.
His discussions are direct, provocative, and profoundly simple, aiming to guide individuals to an understanding of their true nature and the timelessness of being.
#56191
The Pat Hobby Stories
F. Scott Fitzgerald
F.
Scott Fitzgerald's "The Pat Hobby Stories" is a collection of short stories that offers a darkly humorous and poignant look at the life of a struggling screenwriter in Hollywood.
The stories follow Pat Hobby, a once-promising writer who has fallen on hard times.
Fitzgerald's signature style, characterized by its lyrical prose and insightful character development, is on full display.
The stories showcase his keen observations of Hollywood's underbelly, exploring themes of ambition, disillusionment, and the fleeting nature of fame.
The collection provides a glimpse into the world of Hollywood during the Golden Age.
#425
• Mentioned in 63 episodes
Dom Quixote
Xavier, Alberto
Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes, tells the story of Alonso Quixano, a middle-aged gentleman who, influenced by his extensive reading of chivalric romances, decides to become a knight-errant.
He renames himself Don Quixote and, with his squire Sancho Panza, embarks on a series of adventures.
These adventures often involve Don Quixote's misinterpretation of reality, such as mistaking windmills for giants and inns for castles.
The novel explores themes of reality vs.
imagination, the decline of chivalry, and the human condition.
Eventually, Don Quixote returns home, regains his sanity, and renounces his chivalric ambitions before his death.
Bruce Wagner is a novelist, former student of Carlos Castaneda, and author of fifteen books, including his latest, "Amputation."
This conversation explores his use of Hollywood as a laboratory for human behavior, crafting transgressive fiction that skewers the desperate while searching for transcendence. We discuss his decade with Castaneda, writing "Amputation" after the LA fires, the relationship between suffering and art, Buddhist and Sufi wisdom, and why fiction is our most potent vehicle to truth.
He describes inhabiting his most malevolent characters with the same proximity as his saintly ones—because we're all interchangeable, all searching for transcendence.
Bruce is infinitely fascinating, one of the most interesting people I've ever met. Enjoy!
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