Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

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…

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?

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comIs Graham Platner the Trump of the left? Could there even be a Trump of the left? Are the pitchforks about to come out? Here’s the article about the pitchforks that I mention. And this is another essay well worth reading, about how the super-rich are building bunkers to hide in when shit gets real.George Orwell, writing in 1943:

Mehran Seyed Emami is an Iranian therapist, podcaster, and founder of Ravannama (Persian Psychedelic Society), a community focused on psychedelic education, awareness, and harm reduction for Farsi speakers around the world. 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

Thank you Bejinha, Midwest Timecapsules, John Climenhaga, david price, Ryan Hichens, and many others for tuning into this live video with Anya Kaats! Join us for our next live video in the app. Check out the documentary I mention. It’s awesome. 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.comWhat are some of the potential unintended positive consequences of this shitstorm we’re all living through in 2026? Is there a way to question the US/Israel relationship without being accused of anti-semitism?

Ryan is an aspiring underachiever. He’s worked for NASA, planned and conducted his own scientific research at the CDC, and served as a foreign affairs analyst/speechwriter in the British Parliament; he’s founded four companies and he’s published peer-reviewed scholarship in fancy-pants journals across two separate academic disciplines. All this misguided, insecure early-life ambition mostly just taught him how disappointing and anticlimactic status-driven accomplishments can be. (His words.) 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.comWe respond to a listener's question about our own addictive behaviors and addiction in general. How to engage with the inner voices. Why would one be sexual with a close friend? Why do some men prefer to scan the radio stations even if they don’t like the music very much? Upcoming Substack live about DTF St. Louis.

Guustaaf Damave is a Dutch technologist and writer based in Taiwan. He has been writing a weekly newsletter about AI, culture, and the future since 2023. You can read it at guustaaf.substack.com. He is also the author of The Minimum You Need to Do Before AI Changes Your Life: A No-Panic Checklist for Normal People in an Abnormal Moment. Learn more about the situation we all face 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comIs violence ever justified? Is structural violence different from interpersonal? What about violence against property? What about when property is violent against us? Is the US/world approaching a tipping point? Deep issues considered from a shallow bathtub.https://warehousefire.watch/

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comConspiracies and collapse. Felt the lightning. Waiting on the thunder.

The QWERTY keyboard and its resonance with cognitive and behavioral assumptions we all carry within us that are designed around conditions that no longer exist. And other stuff. 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.comOn this AROMA, we answer a listener’s question about whether non-monogamy is an expression of a desire for escapism, fantasy, and a lack of commitment — a perpetual state of discontent. We talk about the nature of falling in love, projection, and what our longing can teach us if we engage with it intentionally. We also discuss the puer aeturnus archetype in connection to these themes, and how that energy manifests not only in people, but also within subcultures like Burning Man. We end with a discussion of how/whether it’s possible to maintain an anti-consumerist enterprise (like this podcast) in a deeply consumerist world.

Andy grew up in the UK, but a series of events led him to drop his life there fly off to a place where he knew no one (although he was born there). As you’ll hear, that gutsy decision paid off very well. 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 which we talk about our last days in LA, our impressions of the tenth Bombay Beach Biennale, our arrival back in Crestone, and the importance of choosing your discomforts wisely.

Jesse Bering is an award-winning science writer specializing in evolutionary psychology and human behaviour. He is the author of The Incredible Afterlives of Dr. Stevenson, about the world's leading reincarnation researcher. 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 Michael Bauer is an internationally known leader in the cultural rewilding movement. For over 20 years he has written and taught about rewilding. He has served as an expert source in multiple academic articles and books on the subject. He is the founder and director of Rewild Portland, a trend setting community based nonprofit. 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

Tao is a magical man, living a magical life. Film director, musician, philosopher, bon-vivant, and all-around lovely human being. I’m thrilled to bring him back into our party again (for the fourth time?). Anya, Tao and I recorded this in our van at his recent 50th birthday celebration. 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 got an email from a guy named Nick, who suggested I might like to meet his buddy, Ryley, who happened to be in Baja. I could sense the love and respect Nick felt for his friend. And then fate placed Ryley just a few miles down the coast from where we were camped out, so it all came together pretty organically. 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.comProbably our last AROMA from Baja. This one comes to you from a campfire on the beach. We talk about education, the war in Iran, and the ones who walk away from Omelas, among other things.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comIn this one we talk about our reactions to “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” by Ursula K. LeGuin. Is there any walking away? What are we walking away from? Is there a way to live in this world without the stain of guilt and corruption? What does it mean to be in the world but not of it?

We figure out the framing a minute in. Thank you Nickalas Chisari, Bob Goldsmith, Dustin Fenster, Devin McManus, Raymundo Ortiz, and many others for tuning into our live video! Join us for my next live video in the app. 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

Barbara, Anya’s grandmother, has lived a full life of 91 years and going strong. She’s lived all over the world, raised two sons, studied Jungian psychology, loved and lost and loved some more. 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.comUpdates on our Mexico travels, my attempts to master the flip-flop, my dermatological disabilities, Anya’s thing for older men (and why older isn’t necessarily better), and the blessings and burdens of being recognized for who we really are (and the complicated role of the recognizer).

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comWe respond to questions from listeners about therapy, whether shame fuels eroticism, why neither of us wants to have kids (or dogs), and whether we are in an “age inappropriate” relationship.

Greetings from the lagoon in the oasis town of San Ignacio, Baja Sur, Mexico. We talk about our (maybe) upcoming retreat this summer in Montana, answer a few listener questions (Chomsky/Pinker and Epstein), talk about the wind at our backs, and driving in Baja. 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.comI tell my Peter Attia story and we explore the nature of evil on Epstein Island. Are we all evil? How can we know? Are there justifications for the worst crimes? How can we minimize the harm we cause when we live in a world in which harm is unavoidable?

One of the best things about Crestone is that it attracts people like Goldie. She came here to build an Earthship with her partner, Matt, and everyone agrees that it’s a richer place with them in it. She’s a big part of the annual Crestone Energy Fair and works with the Crestone End of Life Project as a death doula, helping people on their way to whatever comes next. 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

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about James’ journey from ministry to technology, the importance of critical thinking and humility, the role of ideology in political discourse, and the philosophical roots of Unitarianism. We even get into the nature of belief and behavior, and the implications of animal consciousness. Are critters dreaming all the time? We discuss the importance of detribalization in modern society and the role of love in ethical decision-making. Hope you enjoy it.James’ Substack is here. I had this conversation with an interesting guy named Piero San Giorgio recently. Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Temazcal,” by Monsters of Folk. Outro: “Rock Bottom,” by Colby Kent.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.If you don’t want to subscribe, but want to support this podcast with a one-time donation, please click 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comLooking for silver linings of very dark clouds. Muss es sein? Es muss sein. Beethoven. Lessons learned from hopping a coal train in the Finger Lakes. Why do I ban listeners? Lee Atwater. Reagan. Carter. Is our current crisis the bitter fruit of what was planted in 1980? Answ…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comWhat is the connection (if any) between football, musicals, dancing, and prostitution Some thoughts on Tears for Fears. A bunch of other random nonsense.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comThis one gets dark at the beginning. Could this Epstein/Trump stuff be worse, much worse than even a cynical old bastard like me could have imagined? Stuff that’s been bending for decades all feels like it’s breaking now. What does Occam’s Razor have to say about ICE raids in Minneapolis? Or Trump’s obsession with Greenland? Tariffs? Putin?

Liam and his wife, Abbey have been together for over thirteen years and have been consensually non-monogamous for eleven of those years. Their podcast, Evolving Love, seeks to help people find whatever relationship structure works best for each couple hoping to nurture depth and authenticity. 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.comListener voice memos. Am I a good mentor? If “the medium is the message,” what’s the message of the podcasting medium? Is non-monogamy a behavior decision, a relationship configuration, or an inner state? If it’s an inner state, how can we determine compatibility with a potential partner? How can we really know what we want/need, and how to communicate …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comWill 2026 be the end of the beginning of the end or the beginning of the beginning of a new era?Are we learning that we have been led into darkness by monsters?Are the “basic illusions” of this era exhausted?What does Santa have to do with my general disillusionment and the fear of death in western societies?

Ed Dupas is an Americana artist with a knack for crafting songs that stick with you — songs that balance grit and vulnerability while cutting to the heart of things. His music has earned airplay across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, resonating with listeners drawn to its emotional weight and lyrical honesty. 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.comDoes peak experience ruin normal experience?Why not just run ads?How can we know we’re not full of shit?Is community possible in the modern world?All this and more!

Jef Taylor has worked in politics, advertising, and independent filmmaking. His podcast is called onefjef, and you can find on any platform or at onefjefpod.com. 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