Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

エピソード

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  ROMA 9.15.26 15.09.2026 2分

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comIs Super El Niño gonna kill us? Is AI gonna kill us? Is Donald Trump or Putin or Iran gonna kill us? Are things really as out of control as they seem, or is this just what happens when attention becomes a commodity? What’s happening inside AI? What’s happening inside ANY science? Does anyone really know WTF is going on?
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  James (Bison Rancher) 07.09.2026 1時間 49分

  James grew up in suburban Chicago, studied philosophy in college, and after trips to Tanzania (living with the Hadza) and working on farms in New Zealand, he moved with his wife to Colorado’s San Luis Valley. They now run a 66-acre property where they’re raising a young son, planning to fence the land for a small bison herd, and running a business (PurePrairieLife.com) selling freeze-dried bison organ supplements. James also runs a cannabis-focused website.Our conversation ranges from regenerative ranching to hunter-gatherer generosity norms versus Western individualism to religious hypocrisy to “ruthless compassion” — the idea that real kindness sometimes requires harsh boundaries (illustrated through killing rattlesnakes, ending relationships, and giving honest feedback). The episode closes on parenthood, mortality, and the possibility of “joyous grief.” 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
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  Chris Ingram 05.09.2026 2時間 5分

  Chris and I are old friends, from back in the 90s, when I lived in a mansion in Barcelona infested with fashion models. He and his lingerie-model girlfriend were my next-door neighbors. One night in Paris, Chris was drugged and raped by a man who moved in the same circles as many of the powerful, wealthy predators associated with Jeffrey Epstein. 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
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  ROMA 8.29.26 29.08.2026 2分

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comFollowing up on the previous ROMA where I explore the bird’s-eye view of AI. Is our behavior driven by a parasite? Is AI a self-replicating techno-virus? Is it “speciesist” to lament the demise of Homo sapiens as the next form of life rises from our ashes?
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  Lloyd Kahn at Home 24.08.2026 46分

  Somehow, my mic never got turned on, so this one is all-guest. The perfect episode! Lloyd is a builder, a writer, a photographer, a publisher, an athlete and a great friend. 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
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  AROMA 8.17.26 17.08.2026 2分

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comWe dig into what it feels like to come of age under a permanent sense of "the world could end any moment," comparing Cold War duck-and-cover anxiety to a millennial generation shaped by 9/11, economic collapse, and climate dread. Anya shares thoughts about turning 38. We talk about our past lives, Anya’s formerly unhealthy focus on health, reckoning wit…
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  ROMA 8.12.26 13.08.2026 2分

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comAre we like beavers who drown in pools we’re busy building?
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  Kyle Thiermann (Surfer, Author, Young Dude) 12.08.2026 2時間 1分

  I sat down over coffee with Kyle on my recent drive through Santa Cruz. Our spontaneous, far ranging conversation included birding in Manhattan, our differing learning styles, how we share the curse of having been raised by loving parents, One Last Question Before You Go — Kyle’s wonderful book about interviewing our parents, and how to optimize one’s life by opting out. 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
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  Richard Schweid 11.08.2026 1時間 11分

  Richard is one of my favorite writers and one of my favorite people. His books have followed his interests, from chili peppers to the Cuban revolution to eels to homelessness to life after death to cockroaches to the mysteries and intricacies of farming octopus. The phrase “insatiable curiosity” comes to mind. But he’s not just curious, he’s a very fine writer and a compassionate reporter. His books take you places that are fascinating, touching, and totally unexpected. I hope you’ll pick one up. 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
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  ROMA 114 (Viva España!) 21.07.2026 2分

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comThe world cup, seen through the eyes of an anthropologist. The significance of Barca. Why it’s “more than a club.” Why Argentinians can be so obnoxious. How being alone in Spain can feel less lonely than being among Americans.
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  Dave Booda 13.07.2026 1時間 31分

  Dave has been around. He spent eight years in the navy, lived in Bali for a while, led hundreds of intimacy workshops, explored non-monogamous relationships and intentional communities, been to Burning Man five times, studied with various gurus and legit teachers, and doesn’t take any of it (including himself) too seriously. He writes self-reflective songs and sings them from the heart. He leans into his fears and nurtures vulnerability in himself and others. He’s on a path, in other words. My kinda guy. 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
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  ROMA 113 10.07.2026 9分

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comAre the vikings cool yet? The importance of distance in historical thinking. Some really shitty, misguided dating advice. My own insecurities around giving advice. Graham Platner and the possibly self-defeating desire to elect nice, healthy, honest people to represent us in the snake pit located in our nation’s capital.
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  First Convo with Rick Beato (Re-release) 09.07.2026 1時間 36分

  With almost 800 episodes in the archives, new listeners (and old) often ask me for recommendations. In response, I’ll occasionally re-post some of my favorites. This was my first conversation with Rick Beato (Episode 420, 5/18/2020). Some reasons you might want to listen to this episode.On what Rick Beato actually does for people who love music:Chris Ryan: “He is like the Anthony Bourdain of music. He takes you to a place you’ve never been — or you have been, but you just never noticed it the way he does. And you’ll never experience it the same way again after he’s shown you around.”On how the Beatles wrote Help, Rubber Soul, and Revolver — all in one year:Rick Beato: “In 1965, they released three records within twelve months. These are all 12, 14-song records. It’s not just writing all those songs — they recorded and released all of them in one calendar year. I believe it was 13 records in 8 years. It’s unfathomable. But one of the things about making records all the time is that you get good at making records. The act of always being in the studio, always writing songs, made them better songwriters because they didn’t want to repeat themselves.”On the night John Lennon died:Rick Beato: “I was in my freshman year of college and my roommate was watching Monday Night Football. He said, ‘Oh my god, John Lennon was just shot.’ I said, ‘What?’ And Howard Cosell was doing the play by play. Then five minutes later they announced John Lennon had died. And right then, you could hear it — across the whole campus.”On the fear of understanding music too well:Chris Ryan: “I remember talking with my buddy — a musical prodigy, just a total genius — about a piece of music that I found particularly moving. I said that feels so nostalgic to me, it just sounds like an old person looking back on their life, remembering the loves and the loss. And he said, ‘Well yeah, that’s because it’s in G minor. That’s just a trick.’ And it kind of broke my heart a little bit. His sense of music was becoming more and more mechanical.”Rick Beato: “I never analyze music when I’m listening to it. I just listen. The only time I analyze it is when I need to for a video. And it’s funny — there are songs I’ve heard for 40 years where making the video is the first time I’ve ever even figured out what they’re doing. It never occurred to me. I always listened as a fan.”Chris Ryan: “You’re like a porn star who has real orgasms, Rick.”On where the power of music actually comes from:Rick Beato: “When you play a string, there are natural harmonics that happen because of the atmosphere. If you divide a string in half, it produces the note an octave above. Divide it again — a fifth above. Again — a third above. And all of a sudden you have a major chord. The major triad is literally part of our atmosphere. I think that has something to do with it. Music is one of the great mysteries of human experience. I work with as much music as I’ve studied my entire life, and I still wonder: where do they come up with this stuff?”On perfect pitch — and what it tells us about how we lose things as we grow up:Rick Beato: “Every baby is born with the ability to hear all phonemes from all 6,500 languages spoken on earth. But beginning at around nine months, they start to lose this ability. I believe perfect pitch is exactly the same — it’s just another language that’s retained by some babies and not others. My son Dylan can hear a ten-note chord and tell you every pitch in it. But he says he never thinks about it when he’s just listening. It never occurs to him. And that’s how I am with music 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
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  ROMA 112 Little Big Men 06.07.2026 16分

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comAccents. The World Cup. How soccer strategies reflect on contemporary American politics. Marvin Harris, Cannibals and Kings, and the Big Man theory of leadership.
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  Jan MacKell Collins (Wild Women of the Wild West) 06.07.2026 1時間 24分

  Jan is a historian specializing in telling the stories of the many extraordinary women of the Old West — many of them madams and prostitutes. She’s written many books, including: Brothels, Bordellos & Bad Girls: Prostitution in Colorado, 1860-1930, Red Light Women of the Rocky Mountains, and Extraordinary Women of the Rocky Mountain West. 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
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  Kevin Russell (Does AI Think Before Speaking?) 29.06.2026 1時間 52分

  I love talking with Kevin about cutting-edge technology. He’s up to his neck in the stuff. He doesn’t just dabble in it. He’s practically submerged in it. I hope you enjoy this conversation with someone who knows what’s happening, because he’s one of the people making it happen. If you appreciate commercial-free, bullshit-free conversations like this one, please consider helping to support the 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
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  Robert Wright (Author: The God Test) 23.06.2026 1時間 30分

  Robert Wright is the New York Times bestselling author of The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning. His previous books include: The Evolution of God (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), Nonzero, The Moral Animal, Three Scientists and their Gods (a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award), and Why Buddhism Is True. He is the cofounder and editor-in-chief of the widely respected Bloggingheads.tv and MeaningofLife.tv. He has written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Time, Slate, and The New Republic. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania and at Princeton University, where he also created the popular online course “Buddhism and Modern Psychology.” He is currently Visiting Professor of Science and Religion at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.This has been another commercial-free episode, financed by folks who toss a few bucks into the hat every month here. If you don’t want to subscribe, but would like to support this podcast with a one-time donation, please click here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Losing My Religion,” by REM.If you buy from Amazon, my link is here. (You can click on it once, then bookmark that as your go-to Amazon link so it’ll always work.)Buy some merch from my mom here.Grab a copy of my books: Sex at Dawn, Civilized to Death, Tangentially Reading, Talking Drugs, and Talking Sex here.Find other Tangentialistas around the world!Instructions for getting the paid RSS feed in apps is here. 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
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  ROMA 111 18.06.2026 7分

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comWould it be such a bad thing if Iran nuked up? Robert Thurman lived a great life. Fukuyama on our innate lack of gratitude for liberal democracy. Some great writing advice. A beautiful song in mystery languages.
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  Dadaonysus 17.06.2026 1時間 11分

  Dadaonysus is an artist, scientist, gamer, adventurer, deep-thinker. Our conversation covers a lot of ground, from a difficult childhood to homelessness to being neurodivergent to prehistory. I like this guy, and think you will, 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
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  DJCPR: The Wisdom Episode 07.06.2026 1時間 34分

  A collection of songs that impart wisdom and meaning. The DJCPR series is normally bonus material behind a pay-wall, but I figure it’s worth showing you what you’re missing every once in a while! Hope you dig 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