Deviate

“The Sears Christmas Wish Book was, for me, a kind of foundational text — a secular counterpoint to the Bible stories I learned around that time in Sunday School. I paged through the holiday catalog’s 620 glossy pages as if they amounted to an intoxicating graphic novel of desire, rich with abundance and possibility.” – Rolf Potts, from “Literature of Desire” In this episode Rolf reads an audio version of his Christmas-themed essay “Literature of Desire,” and discusses the wonders of the Sears Christmas Wish Book with novelist Tod Goldberg (@todgoldberg). Tod is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including the novel Gangsterland, which is currently being developed into a television series. He is also the director of the University of California-Riverside Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA, and the co-host of the Literary Disco podcast. Introduction (00:35 – 11:20) Vintage Sears Wish Book online archive What Exactly is Christmas Tree Flocking? from Mental Floss Klonopin (anxiety medication) Janis Ian (singer-songwriter) Enchroma glasses (to correct colorblindness) Literature of Desire essay (11:20 – 32:20) Richard Warren Sears (catalog founder) Mr. Sears’ Catalog (video) from PBS’s American Experience Sears Catalog Home (ready-to-assemble houses) That ’70s Show, Happy Days, Good Times, Welcome Back, Kotter (TV shows) Christie Brinkley and Renee Russo (fashion models) Pong (video game) Big Jim’s P.A.C.K. (toy line) Jay J. Armes (private investigator) JJ Armes action figure (TV commercial) “Is Jay J. Armes For Real?” from Texas Monthly WishBookcom Sears Wish Book memories (32:20 – 50:10) Action figures (dolls marketed to boys) Toughskins (jeans for children) Huffy (bicycle brand) BEST (showroom retail store) “Kerouac’s Fantasy Baseball Obsession” from Mental Floss Coleco’s Electronic Quarterback (game) This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“These travel podcasts are great because you just drive around talking, and people feel like they’re sitting in the back seat.” – Ari Shaffir Ari Shaffir (@AriShaffir) is a comedian whose standup special Double Negative recently debuted on Netflix. He is the former host of Comedy Central’s storytelling show This is Not Happening, the current host of the Skeptic Tank podcast, and the perennial host and organizer of Shroomfest. In this freewheeling episode of Deviate, Rolf drives Ari around Los Angeles on a quest to get a burrito. Along the way they cover numerous topics, including Tinder and dating (8:30); their conflicted relationship with smartphones and technology (32:30); the psychic merits of taking magic mushrooms (55:15); and the awkward etiquette of when it is and is not appropriate to hug someone (1:36:50). People and interviews mentioned: Paul Thomas Anderson (film director) Sam Tripoli (comedian) Jessa Crispin (writer and critic) Keanu Reeves (actor) Vanna White (television personality) Tiffani Amber Thiessen (actress) George Brett (baseball player) Roger Staubach (football player) Ernest White II on Deviate Rolf Potts on Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank Bert Kreischer (comedian) Quentin Tarantino (director) Joe Rogan (comedian / podcaster) Tim Ferriss on Deviate Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign Other links: Bushwick (neighborhood in Brooklyn) Boogie Nights (film) The 2017 World Series, Astros v. Dodgers The 2015 World Series, Royals v. Mets Bleach and Nevermind (albums by Nirvana) Mother Love Bone (band) Jane’s Addiction (band) Fugazi (band) Pasadena’s Suicide Bridge Pulp Fiction (film) Magic mushrooms “There is a time and purpose for everything under heaven.” Joshua Tree National Park (place) East Timor (country in maritime Southeast Asia) Rolf and his Kansas City Royals sign: This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“If you go through your life expecting moral purity from every artist you love, you’re going to have a very lonely life, aesthetically.” – Tom Bissell Tom Bissell is an American author, journalist, and critic. He co-authored the book The Disaster Artist, which has been adapted into a movie starring James Franco, Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, and Alison Brie. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Tom discuss Metallica and thrash metal (5:25); violence in music and video games (23:30); how one’s relationship to one’s own writing transforms over time (28:10); the shallowness of cultural criticism in social-media (33:55); the dubious concept of “authenticity” as applied to food, music, and travel (42:00); co-writingThe Disaster Artist with actor Greg Sestero, and making sense of The Room (58:50); and finding joy and contentment within the creative process (1:06:00). Articles, books and movies: The Geto Boys, by Rolf Potts Slayer’s Reign in Blood, by D.X. Ferris Some Kind of Monster (documentary film about Metallica) The Defiant Ones (documentary about Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre) Straight Outta Compton (movie about N.W.A) “My Holy Land Vacation,” by Tom Bissell “Euphorias of Perrier: The Case Against Robert D. Kaplan,” by Tom Bissell “One Man’s Odyssey into ‘Eat, Pray, Love’,” by Rolf Potts Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, by David Kushner Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads, by Paul Theroux “The Mystical High Church of Luck,” by Rolf Potts (about Las Vegas) “Humor Doesn’t Translate Internationally,” by Rolf Potts (about The Asylum) Bands, songs, and albums mentioned Metallica (thrash-metal band) Anthrax (thrash-metal band) Slayer (thrash-metal band) Testament (thrash-metal band) The Exploited (punk band) Public Enemy (rap group) NWA (rap group) “Angel of Death” (song, by Slayer) “Wake up Dead” (song, by Megadeth) “Indians” (song, by Anthrax) “Creeping Death” (song, by Metallica) “Disposable Heroes” (song, by Metallica) The Black Album (1991 album, by Metallica) Other Links: Dungeons & Dragons books Cliff Burton (Metallica bassist) Chuck D (rap artist) James Smith (Rap-A-Lot Records founder) Dr. Dre (music producer) Rick Rubin (music producer) Paul Theroux (travel writer) Pico Iyer (travel writer) 33 1/3 (book series) Virtue signaling (concept) Tom Bissell’s favorite Metallica albums: Kill ‘Em All (1983) Ride the Lightning (1984) Master of Puppets (1986) …And Justice to All (1988) St. Anger (2003) Death Magnetic (2008) Hardwired..to Self-Destruct (2016) Other books by Tom Bissell: Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia (2003) God Lives in St. Petersburg: and Other Stories (2005) The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of Vietnam (2007) Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter (2010) Magic Hours: Essays On Creators and Creation (2012) Apostle: Travels Among the Tombs of the Twelve (2016) This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“The top of a mountain is just a pile of rock and ice, and it’s really not much different than being a couple hundred feet lower. What’s important are the lessons that you learn along the way when you’re fighting like hell to get up there. And then what you’re going to do with that information to be better going forward.” – Alison Levine Alison Levine (@Levine_Alison) is an American mountaineer, leadership consultant, and public speaker. She is one of less than 60 people to have ascended the highest peaks on every continent and skied to both the North and South Poles (known as the Explorers Grand Slam). Her 2014 book On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and Other Extreme Environments was a New York Times Bestseller. In Episode 4 of Deviate, Rolf discusses introversion versus extroversion (1:45); summiting Mount Everest and overcoming obstacles (18:55); respecting culture while fostering progress (37:00); Alison’s career path, and lessons learned along the way (51:20); finding mentors (1:04:30); and Alison’s most important life advice, including the importance of failure (1:16:26). You can find out more about The Glass Ceiling, Alison Levine’s documentary project about the first Nepali woman to climb Mt. Everest, at theglassceilingmovie.com or via her Indiegogo fundraising campaign. Notable People Mentioned: Pasang Lhamu Sherpa (mountaineer) Edmund Hillary (mountaineer) Tenzing Norgay (mountaineer) Pete Dawkins (businessman) Links: TripScout (self-guided city-tour mobile app) Climb High Foundation (teaching women in developing nations trekking-related tourism skills) Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point “Freedom to Fail,” by Pete Dawkins (from Infantry Magazine, Sept/Oct.1965) This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“You should write down what you would like your future to look like, because otherwise you will be on autopilot.” – Rolfe Kent In Episode 3 of Deviate, Rolf discusses music and the creative process with accomplished Hollywood film composer Rolfe Kent (@rolfekent), whose recent project, The Zen Effect, is available on iTunes. To download a free track from The Zen Effect, visit Rolfe’s website. Links: Tools: FS Binaural Microphone The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal, by Julia Cameron Ketogenic diet Oblique Strategies, created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt Pomodoro Technique (time management) Melodica (instrument) Mixtapes as a Lost Language: A Brief Cultural Primer Rolfe’s film and TV scores discussed in the interview: Dexter theme (television series) Sideways (film) Up in the Air (film) The Hunting Party (film) Mexico City (film) Reign Over Me (film) Mean Girls (film) Wedding Crashers (film) Legally Blonde (film) Notable film music discussed: James Bond theme (by Monty Norman) Star Wars theme (by John Williams) Mission Impossible theme (by Lalo Schifrin) Blade Runner theme (by Vangelis) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly main theme (by Ennio Morricone) Lawrence of Arabia main theme (by Maurice Jarre) Paris, Texas theme (by Ry Cooder) Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ remix (which uses music from The Social Network) Notable people mentioned: Alexander Payne (director) Richard Shepard (director) Jason Reitman (director) Brian Eno (music producer) Mike Binder (director) Thomas Newman (composer) Rick Rubin (music producer) The tune “Hippie Christmas” from Rolfe’s song-shop, as heard in the episode, was written by Craig Richey Show Notes: Purpose of a movie score (11:45) Career path and early influences (23:22) Rolfe’s muscial style (27:18) Collaborating with filmmakers (37:30) Letting go of completed work (43:40) Accidental versus intentional creativity (47:50) On different instruments offering different opportunities to convey a message (50:32) On inspiration (52:30) Organization and focus techniques (54:20) Creative process (59:25) Mid-career creativity and “success management” (1:12:10) Restrictions as a catalyst for creativity (122:19) Immersive music theater (1:24:30) Scoring one’s own life (129:40) Musical structure and its function in everyday life (1:30:55) Free download from Rolfe’s Kent’s Zen Effect. This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“Culture is cosmetic” – Ernest White In Episode 2 of Deviate, Rolf explores friendship and culture as he goes on a road trip with friend, travel writer, and storyteller Ernest White (@ernestwhiteii), whose new TV show, Fly Brother, comes out soon. Links: Media Links Gringo Trails, by Pegi Vail (travel documentary) The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson James Baldwin (author) Notes of a Native Son, by James Baldwin The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin Passing Strange (Broadway musical / movie) Show Notes: Adult friendships and sexual orientation (8:00) Race (21:10) Cross-cultural travel dynamics (25:15) Recognizing commonalities and appreciating differences (43:40) Cultural conditioning (46:23) Brotherhood (54:15) This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“If you never got paid for podcasting, would the skills and relationships you developed be enough to keep you doing it? If the answer is ‘no’, I wouldn’t pull the trigger.” – Tim Ferriss In the inaugural episode of Deviate, Rolf goes meta and talks about podcasting with bestselling author and lifestyle-design guru Tim Ferriss (@tferriss), whose newest book, Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World, debuts this week. Update (12/07/17): An abridged transcript for this episode is now available online in blog form, as “Tim Ferriss on his 17 principles for how to create a successful podcast.” Links: Podcasting Tools Ecamm Call Recorder (28:04) Zencastr (28:08) ATR2100 USB Microphone (28:38) Zoom H6 Recorder (1:15:24) Zoom H1 Recorder Shure SM7B Mic Audacity (software) Auphonic (postproduction web service) Yellowtec: iXm (self-enclosed mic) Evernote (web application) Other links Rolf Potts on the Tim Ferriss Show Ed Catmull on the Tim Ferriss Show Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Tim Ferriss Show Edward Norton on the Tim Ferriss Show Dom D’Agostino on Ketosis and the End of Cancer on the Tim Ferriss Show Nick Szabo: The Quiet Master of Cryptocurrency on the Tim Ferriss Show Jocko Willink on the Tim Ferriss Show Debbie Millman on the Tim Ferriss Show Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne “1,000 True Fans,” by Kevin Kelly Joe Rogan podcast WTF with Marc Maron podcast Nerdist podcast James Lipton (interviewer from Inside the Actors Studio) Terry Gross (interviewer from NPR’s Fresh Air) Serial podcast Spirited Away (2001 animated movie) Agaric mushroom Tentacle erotica Show notes: What not to do in podcasting (15:58) Crafting questions (19:58) Learning from previous interviews (24:55) Interviewing techniques (26:00) The benefits of phone interviews (29:40) The decision to start a podcast (32:28) The anxiety of interviewing (40:45) Pre-interview tips (45:20) Editing / producing interviews / podcasts (52:45) Intro music (58:38) Guest selection 1:03:01) Interview strategy (1:12:08) Recording equipment (1:14:50) Building a listening community (1:22:30) Tim’s brand (1:33:25) Building relationships (1:36:00) Podcast logistics (1:43:20) Podcast frequency (1:48:50) The interview introduction process (1:51:35) The preparation process (1:56:15) Monetization (2:05:55) Wrapping up podcasts (2:38:57) Japanamation (2:19:40) Psychedelics (2:27:16) Books by Tim Ferriss: Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.