Tangentially Speaking With Dr. Christopher Ryan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comYou know this guy. Big wave surfer, environmental activist, co-creator of the Motherfucker Awards, world traveler, standup comic, beet taco pusher, driveway squatter and as close to a son as I’ll ever get … the one and only Kyle Barrett Thiermann. This is the first part of a two-part conversation recorded a few weeks ago. We were so much younger then…. …

Matt Evers and Pete Van Horn both moved to Crestone in pursuit of freedom, independence, and community. If those concepts strike you as being in opposition to each other, you may learn something important in this conversation. We talk about the challenges and joys of building your own house, what DIY DOESN’T mean, the tension between being self-reliant and being a good neighbor, the unique qualities of life in Crestone, and a slew of other things. These are two solid dudes who overcame the doubt and fear and built themselves a comfortable, safe home without getting dragged into the rat race of endless debt and needless extravagance. In 2023, this is a rare manifestation of wisdom. Check out their YouTube channel: Owner Builders Unite.Show Notes:Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.30% off all merch on my site through the end of the year.Check out Jake’s mom’s tallow balm at thebeekeepersgranddaughter.com. Use the code HOLIDAY15 to get 15% off til the end of the

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comI talk about some fascinating documentaries I’ve seen lately:* Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (Amazon Prime)* 28 Up (Amazon Prime)* Love Has Won (HBO/Max)How/when/why do our “gods” become our human sacrifices?When does a potential mass murderer qualify as an unknown, solitary hero?How should we handle a nice guy who takes some mushrooms,…

Daniele is one of the deepest, kindest, most thoughtful guys around. He’s an author of several books, a university professor, and the host of the History on Fire podcast, where he unpacks historical figures and events, both known and obscure, with his unique insight and narrative skills. 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

Anya has produced and hosted her podcast for precisely five years, and she recently decided that was enough. We talk about the experience of letting go of a project that has brought so many wonderful people, so much intrigue and intelligence into one’s life. We talk about the natural trajectory from big ideas to small gestures, from global thinking to local acting. 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.comIn this episode, I chat with a guy we’re calling “Aaron,” about some of the challenges of life and how I’ve approached them, for better or worse. He’s a thoughtful dude, and I really enjoyed our conversation.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comIf you saw your friend standing naked on a spire, would you cheer or boo? Have you held bear shit in your hands? How can we measure injustice? Is there any way to stop the wheels of cruelty from turning, generation after generation? Why weren’t we invited to Hanna’s sex party? (Some of these are only addressed in the bonus version.)

Simon is a Canadian comic with a particular talent for going places that scare the shit out of most of us. He looks into the shadows and finds the humor. From my perspective, that’s the kind of mind that deserves our respect, admiration, and gratitude. Sometimes, laughter is the only antidote to despair, so I consider Simon to be something like a hospice nurse. However I go out, I hope I manage to choke out a chuckle at the beautiful absurdity of it all.Simon in Insta. Simon’s YouTube.Here’s that Amazon link I keep forgetting to mention. Hope your fall is going well so far.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. 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

Joshua Wright grew up living in Africa and Asia. While still a kid, he became an environmentalist watching the timber industry clear-cut around his family home in Washington State. Recognizing the urgency of what was happening around him, he dropped out of high school at 14 years old to make Eden's Last Chance. 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.comCameron holds black belts in three martial arts, is the founder of Budokon Mixed Movement Arts and has worked with the Bellator world champion Lovato Jr. fight team as well as Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Slash, Courtney Cox, Rene Russo, Meg Ryan and Jennifer Aniston. He's also a funny, smart, deeply sincere guy.

In this third and final (for now) episode with “Nathan,” we talk mainly about the creative process and how to pursue “success” without being ensnared in ego and shallow motivations. What incentives to creativity are legitimate, and not just chasing after fame, fortune, power or immortality? What might a truly “optimized” life look like? 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.comMichael just got back from riding his bike from Alaska to Chile. A few years ago, he rode all over China, Mongolia, Burma, Thailand, and Malaysia, to Singapore. Dude has lived!

Hamilton Morris is an American journalist, documentarian, and scientific researcher. He is the creator and director of the television series Hamilton's Pharmacopeia, in which he investigates the chemistry, history, and cultural impact of various psychoactive drugs. 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

Moby and Lindsay are pals, neighbors, and amateur tick-removal specialists. We talk about their new podcast, the many uses of dental floss, the mysterious birthday gift I gave Moby years ago and it’s unexpected repercussions, and the lures and dangers of fame and fortune. 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

Peter Anderson is an author, traveler, observer, story-teller, and a million other things. He’s the whole package. His books include, Heading Home: Field Notes (Conundrum Press), a collection of short essays, flash prose, and prose poems, which Colorado novelist Laura Pritchett describes as offering "gorgeous meditations on traveling, the natural world, small towns, parenting, and...the cultural eccentricities of of the modern day west." His collection of essays, First Church of the Higher Elevations (Conundrum Press) explores the ecology of story, spirituality, and landscape. His poems have appeared in various anthologies including New Poets of the American West (Many Voices Press) and Storied Wheels (Somos Publications). His latest project, an anthology of placed-based writings called Reading Colorado: A Literary Road Guide, came out from Bower House Books in May of 2023. Apply for the Sex at Dawn Budokon retreat here. The Byrna anti-bear weapon is here.The article about “Border Country” is here.My conversa

This is a follow-up to ROMA 66, in which I further discuss the dangers of ignoring or silencing people we disagree with. Here’s the profile of Andrew Tate I mention. Here’s “Fix Your Mind,” the video that distills some of his teaching. Here are my notes on the cycle I mention.* With the intention of making the world better, we deny obvious reality (race doesn’t exist, men and women are the same, trans women are just like biological women, it’s not too late to stop climate change, we can buy our way out of global collapse, etc.);* We silence and shame anyone who openly questions these narratives: fire professors who say there may be innate differences in math skills between boys and girls (Larry Summers), cancel culture, deplatforming, etc.* Control acceptable language: force us to use weird pronouns and respect whatever identity people claim, Latinx, “non-men,” “people with vaginas,” n-word, c-word, etc.* This creates a huge market for anyone willing to speak these forbidden truths. But it’s very risky. So wh

Here’s the interview with Andrew Tate I mentioned. The Milgram study. The article calling Jonah Hill’s texts “monstrous.” Excellent conversation between Hasan Minhaj and Obama. That Fluidstance contraption I mentioned.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Global House,” by Øystein Sevåg.A little something just for subscribers: 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

Kizzen and Janet have not only been in and around Crestone for decades, they’ve played a large part in shaping it into the funky, unique little town that drew me in. The heart and soul of the local paper, the Crestone Eagle, from its founding until recently, they’ve seen it all — or most of it, anyway. It was an honor to sit at their table and talk about past, present, and future with these two wise and funny ladies.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Party at the End of the World,” by Carsie Blanton.If you use Amazon, please consider using this link, which will divert some of what you spend away from a certain bald billionaire toward a balding thousandaire who could use the extra scratch. 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

I’ve been a big fan of these guys for several years now. Finally got to hang with them for a while, if virtually. I’m an even bigger fan now. These dudes bring it all: a deep pocket, great stories, thoughtfulness, kindness, and lots of heart. Check their site for upcoming dates in the PNW. Very proud to debut “Imperfect,” a new tune that wraps up our conversation. 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

The Unabomber, EarthFirst, the Monkeywrench Gang, and the constant hum of humiliation in 2023. How to live in a shitstorm without getting covered in shit. Poem: “The Conditional,” by Ada Limón.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Skim Milk,” by Jemma and the Good Thing. 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