Paul Giamatti’s CHINWAG with Stephen Asma

⚛️⚛️⚛️Paul and Stephen read a letter from Keith, an airline pilot in Idaho who shares his incredible UFO sighting and belief in Interdimensional Sasquatch Travel.Then.... Natasha Lyonne joins, and that’s when things get weird and quantum-physical.Listen in as Paul and Stephen follow Natasha around her house, feed Rootbeer the dog, and learn why she’s comforted by the dulcet sound of quantum physics audio books at bedtime. Hear why discipline and restraint and the structure of mathematics is grounding and leads to talk of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and Peter Sellers. Paul quotes French writer Gustave Flaubert and kills the vibe, and this is before he reveals his desire to try cat food.Natasha’s man of choice is a doomsday prepper and there’s a crisis in American masculinity (ask yourself men, can you fix a toilet?). Next they go deep into body horror films, and Natasha goes down a Google search rabbit hole about the movie Slither (not a Cronenberg picture). Existentialism is definitively defined (thanks Stephen!), Russian Doll is unpacked, along with Kierkegaard, Ted Chiang, and Albert Camus. That’s a LOT - thanks Natasha! And you’re welcome Chinwaggers!Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. Natasha Lyonne is an actor, director, writer and producer whose recent projects include Netflix’s Orange is the New Black and Russian Doll, which she also co-created, wrote, produced & directed. Next she’ll appear in the film His Three Daughters and the 2nd season of Peacock’s Poker Face. She also directed the new Netflix comedy special Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees!⚛️⚛️⚛️=========New eps of CHINWAG drop Wednesdays for free... n(🧊)Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YOUTUBE x CHINWAG Playlists ▶️ YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/chinwagYT Animated shorts: https://bit.ly/chinwaganimations Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🏺🌊🐆More Cryptid lore for your listening pleasure.Meet one of Stephen’s favorites, the legendary Hodag of Wisconsin. The horned Hodag that never reclines, liked the taste of humans, and just might’ve been a hoax that stoked tourism in 1890s Oneida County. The Hodag conjures Native American folklore of the underwater panther, Mishipeshu, who lives in the water and fights Thunderbirds (a favorite of Paul’s).But have you heard of Thunderbird sightings? They’ve been reported from just about every state in the union, and are rumored to fly down and steal children! In fact Thunderbirds have been shot down, and there are photos!Maybe you’ve seen them…or is it the Mandela Effect that makes you only think you’ve seen one of these famed winged creatures? What say you Chinwaggers? Let us know! 🏺🌊🐆=========Bonus Chin-Word: MISHEPESHU=========New eps of CHINWAG drop Wednesdays for free... n(🧊)Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YOUTUBE x CHINWAG Playlists ▶️ YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/chinwagYT Animated shorts: https://bit.ly/chinwaganimations Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the world of cryptozoology with Paul Giamatti and Stephen Asma as they discuss American cryptids such as the Spectre Moose in Maine and the Big Muddy Monster of Illinois. They also touch on urban legends in Connecticut and the connection between physical differences and evil in gothic horror.

🦬🦬🦬Paul and Stephen’s interest in history is deep and windy, so who better to get a riveting lesson from than award-winning documentarian, Ken Burns.Hear why the master auteur has wanted to tell the tragic story of the American Buffalo for 30 years, and trace the path of its near extinction in the late 19th century. Was the buffalo saved by the captive gates of zoos? What is man’s moral responsibility to nature in its quest towards advancement and a global economy? And as savior and destroyer, is man truly the most dangerous species on earth? And it wouldn’t be a Chinwag without a detour into obscure presidential facts, conspiracy theories, philosophical musings on certainty and doubt, and why skepticism is as necessary to storytelling as faith. And of course, what is history anyway?Bonus: What quote has Ken Burns used in 3 films?Extra Bonus: Stay tuned ‘til the end to hear Paul’s eerie encounter with a herd of buffalo as he changed a flat tire in Custer State National Park.Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. Ken Burns has been making documentary films for almost fifty years. He’s been honored with dozens of major awards, including sixteen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations. American Buffalo, and all of Ken's films, are available to stream on the PBS app.🦬🦬🦬=========Vocab Chin-Word of the Week: TRAVOIS=========New eps of CHINWAG drop Wednesdays for free... n(🧊)Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YOUTUBE x CHINWAG Playlists ▶️ YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/chinwagYT Animated shorts: https://bit.ly/chinwaganimations Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🕯️⏳🚇Recorded live from the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), Paul and Stephen field questions from our brilliant and inquisitive Chinwag audience.Paul and Stephen offer insights on precognitive dreams, past lives and reincarnation. The chains of causation and LaPlace’s Demon gets a mention, and what do prophecies in art and science fiction actually reflect?Paul and Stephen talk about their visit to the creepy Hoosac Tunnel of North Adams, MA (also known as the “bloody pit” with a reputation for ghosts). The latest viral BigFoot video, what Jane Goodall thinks of the existence of Sasquatch, Nostradamus, Rasputin and cryptids - it’s all here!Plus, can AI predict the future? Paul and Stephen answer all!🕯️⏳🚇=========Bonus Chin-Word: PYROMANCY=========New eps of CHINWAG drop Wednesdays for free... n(🧊)Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YOUTUBE x CHINWAG Playlists ▶️ YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/chinwagYT Animated shorts: https://bit.ly/chinwaganimations Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🔮🔮🔮Recorded live from the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), Paul and Stephen discuss the power and historical impact of Nostradamus, prophets and clairvoyants.Who was Nostradamus and how did his vague predictions make him a legend in his time? Paul and Stephen reveal his cure for the plague and explain Nostradamus’s popularity in times of crisis. Was he just a shitty astrologer and what’s he got to do with Hitler? What’s the difference between clairvoyance and prophecy, and does a good con artist actually believe his own bullshit? Plus, Paul explains different methods of divination, the age-old tradition of tripping on nutmeg, and the real meaning of “mellow yellow.”Bonus: Jackie Stallone’s theory of rumpology (it’s exactly what you think)🔮🔮🔮=========Vocab Chin-Word of the Week: SCRYING=========New eps of CHINWAG drop Wednesdays for free... n(🧊)Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YOUTUBE x CHINWAG Playlists ▶️ YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/chinwagYT Animated shorts: https://bit.ly/chinwaganimations Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

☸️🙃⚛️Paul, Stephen and fiction writer Ted Chiang discuss the pros and cons of our fallible memories and the human technological interface.Is that fight with your partner about “who said what” an essential part of developing a human relationship, or is none of that even the point? Is adopting a pact of truth and reconciliation the path forward in relationships as it is in some countries’ politics? Ted discusses the question of self-identity; are we defined by our memories and shared experiences, and how is the “self” affected by changing technology? Does Chiang believe in an immaterial soul or are we only a collection of atoms? And why do many believe materialism implies nihilism when we can make meaning with our own guiding morals?All this and more on existentialist thought, karma, AI, and moral philosophy! What else could you want? Dig in Waggers!Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.Ted Chiang is a fiction writer whose works have won him four Hugo, four Nebula, and four Locus awards. He has been featured in The Best American Short Stories and has authored two collections, Exhalation and Stories of Your Life and Others. The title story from Stories was adapted into the feature film Arrival. Chiang is also a frequent non-fiction contributor to the New Yorker Magazine, most recently on topics related to computer technology, and artificial intelligence.☸️🙃⚛️=========BONUS Chin-Word of the Week: OMPHALOS=========New eps of CHINWAG drop Wednesdays for free... n(🧊)Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YOUTUBE x CHINWAG Playlists ▶️ YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/chinwagYT Animated shorts: https://bit.ly/chinwaganimations Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Giamatti and Stephen Asma have an intriguing conversation with award-winning fiction writer Ted Chiang. They delve into the blurring of reality and fiction when it comes to alien life and mistaking actors for assassins. The impact of social media on conspiracy theories is explored, along with the concept of singularity and its potential influence on society. The discussion also touches on the fascinating topic of AI romance and the appeal of relationships with chatbots. Virtual relationships and the emotional trauma associated with them are also examined.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿✍🏼🇺🇸Welcome to the Bonus-wag with Neil Gaiman!Neil's got a needy actor story that Paul relates to and understands. How being a Brit helps Neil write about America with the perfect amount of detachment to see it clearly. And is America the land of the trickster and huckster? How are George Santos and Donald Trump perfectly American creations and why are they celebrated?All this and John Wayne Bobbitt comes up (Google him, ywsm!).Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.Neil Gaiman is an award-winning, New York Times Best Selling author and prolific creator of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics, and drama. His works include the comic book series The Sandman and the novels Good Omens, Stardust, Anansi Boys, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. Neil is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN refugee agency UNHCR and his latest book What You Need To Be Warm is available now and every copy purchased helps refugees stay warm this winter.📸 credit: Beowulf Sheehan🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿✍🏼🇺🇸=========BONUS Chin-Word of the Week: APOTHEOSIS=========New eps of CHINWAG drop Wednesdays for free... n(🧊)Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YOUTUBE x CHINWAG Playlists ▶️ YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/chinwagYT Animated shorts: https://bit.ly/chinwaganimations Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎄🎄🎄Wanna go on a tour of fringe places to visit with Paul, Stephen, and award-winning author Neil Gaiman?Paul, Stephen and Neil love a weird outing and this episode introduces you to a bevy of greats. From Wisconsin’s own House on the Rock, to the Winchester Mystery House. Hear about the Museum of Jurassic Technology in LA, the Soviet Arctic Exploration Museum in St. Petersburg, and the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania. If these sound like a dream vacation itinerary, then this is the Chinwag for you!Plus, Neil recalls the time someone tried to sell him Tang Dynasty antiquities from a museum in China…but at rock bottom prices! Dramatic readings of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and why the Brits love a good, creepy ghost story at Christmas time. Also, Norse Mythology, trickster gods, and why it’s healthy for children to be scared. Also, Gaiman on ghosts, the real definition of bravery, and which body part most helps Paul get into character. It’ll surprise you!Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.Neil Gaiman is an award-winning, New York Times Best Selling author and prolific creator of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics, and drama. His works include the comic book series The Sandman and the novels Good Omens, Stardust, Anansi Boys, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. Neil is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN refugee agency UNHCR and his latest book What You Need To Be Warm is available now and every copy purchased helps refugees stay warm this winter.📸 credit: Beowulf Sheehan🎄🎄🎄=========Vocab Chin-Word of the Week: LIMINAL=========New eps of CHINWAG drop Wednesdays for free... n(🧊)Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YOUTUBE x CHINWAG Playlists ▶️ YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Full episodes playlist: https://bit.ly/chinwagYT Animated shorts: https://bit.ly/chinwaganimations Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices