Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

Johann is the author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections -- both of which are largely about the traumas created by trying to live in a pathogenic society. He's a brilliant writer and conversationalist. In the first part of this podcast, we're in his hotel room in Beverly Hills (Thanks, Rupert Murdock!). The second part is in my car, headed south on the 405. I had a great time hanging with Johann, and hope you enjoy it, too. 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

Steve Silberman is an award-winning science writer whose articles have appeared in Wired, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, the MIT Technology Review, Nature, Salon, Shambhala Sun, and many other publications. He is the author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity (Avery 2015), which Oliver Sacks called a “sweeping and penetrating history…presented with a rare sympathy and sensitivity.”  Follow Steve on Twitter: @stevesilberman. 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

Host of the Michael Brooks Show, and contributing host for the four time award winning independent political talk show, The Majority Report, Michael appears regularly as a political and cultural analyst on outlets including Huffpost Live, SirusXM, AlJazeera English, CCTV and France 24. His writing has appeared in Al Monitor, Al Jazeera, the Washington Post, among others, and he has blogged for leading trend watch site PSFK. He is also know for his impressions of cultural figures from Donald Trump to Nelson Mandela.  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

Jamie was a prominent stand-up comic before he drifted into political commentary, eventually becoming a leading voice among the social justice warrior crowd, with his radio show (Citizen Radio). That ended when he was accused of "inappropriate behavior" and he suddenly found himself the target of the same kinds of uncritical condemnation he'd directed at others. It's been a wild ride, but he's back on his feet, and wiser for it. 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

David Stansfield has spent many years studying Arabic and the cultures of the Middle East. Together with his partner and wife of 42 years, Denise Boiteau, he has produced documentaries for television and written several books. He's a sophisticated, kind, and fascinating man. 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

David Beckingham is a Canadian musician who drove down to Oregon to catch the eclipse with me this summer. Afterwards, we hung out in the woods and on the slopes of Mount Hood for a few days, where we recorded this podcast. 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

Charlotte McKinney is a sweet, kind, smart young woman who happens to occupy the sort of body that many men would sell their soul to get close to. To say that's been a mixed blessing for her is to put it mildly. She's been featured in Super Bowl commercials, on the cover of GQ, in a slew of ads for Guess, and everywhere else sexy women's images are used to sell stuff. In this conversation, we get behind the image and meet the woman who lives there. 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

Dr. Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skepticmagazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches Skepticism 101. He is the author of Why People Believe Weird Things, Why Darwin Matters, The Science of Good and Evil, and The Moral Arc. His new book is Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality & Utopia. 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

Just a quick message, wishing you a smooth transition to 2018. 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

Kyle Thiermann is a professional big wave surfer, Patagonia surf ambassador, documentarian, journalist, and pal of mine. We took a drive down to Baja to get some work done and hang out. As a correspondent for Discovery Digital Networks, Kyle Thiermann covered important issues ranging from a little-known indigenous conflict in Southern Chile, to the impact wild pigs have on Hawaii's coral reefs. Thiermann's surfing skills earned him a spot among an elite group of athletes as a Patagonia Surf Ambassador. With Patagonia’s support, Thiermann created and hosted the award-winning documentary series, Surfing For Change. The series included stories about the Indonesia trash epidemic, Hawaii’s Monsanto protests, and the adverse impacts of surf tourism in Nicaragua. Thiermann speaks at universities throughout the country and in 2011 gave a TEDx talk in his wetsuit. His surfing and journalistic successes have earned him Surfrider’s Pro Surfer Environmental Achievement Award, the Brower Youth Award, the American Clean Skies Film Award, and the Peter Benchley Blue Vision Award. Thiermann has spent years becoming an expert in the ocean and is an alternate in the prestigious annual big-wave event at Mavericks. He hosts a weekly podcast that explores subjects that include psychedelics, sex, and surfing.   Website link: http://www.kyle.surf/ Video Links:   Chasing Mavericks In Real Life  Chile's 500-Year Secret Conflict  Who Is Kyle Thiermann?  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