Tangentially Speaking With Dr. Christopher Ryan

If we don't grieve for the dead, are we necessarily cold-hearted? What's behind the collapse of the American empire? How to deal with the chaos and uncertainty of being young? How did disabled people fare among hunter-gatherers?  Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

What is music, anyway? Does a Beethoven sonata elicit the same emotions if played for someone who's never heard western music? Do any other animals experience music? Is singing related to crying? To laughing? These are the sorts of questions an ethnomusicologist thinks about. I learned a lot from Steve, and suspect you will, too.  Steve's site. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Duncan is qualified to receive your reverence. He deserves it, too. You could live many lifetimes without meeting anyone who combines as much humor, wisdom, and sincerity as this guy. I'm always happy when we find some time to hang out, and especially when we're both living such pivotal moments in our lives. Check out The Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast. Music: "Suffer Well," by Simon van Gend.  Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Adi Jaffe, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized expert on mental health, addiction and stigma. He lectures in the Psychology department at UCLA. He is passionate about the role of shame in destroying lives and aims to greatly reduce the stigma of mental health in this country. In this context, Dr. Jaffe has used his personal experience as an incredibly effective inspirational and motivational tool. During his undergraduate career, Adi began struggling with drug issues himself, eventually leading to a 4 year hiatus from studies and into the Los Angeles drug-dealing world, where Adi's days looked more like a re-enactment of a beatnik novel or a Quentin Tarantino film than the life of an upper-middle class suburban kid. Following a SWAT team arrest in his apartment, and extended court case and a year-long jail sentence, Adi began rebuilding his life. This eventually led to his attainment of a Ph.D. from UCLA's doctoral program in psychology.  Music: "Ride," by Brett Newski.  Find me on Instagram or Tw

Weston likes a challenge. He gets things done. At the moment, he's off on a month-long hunting trip in the Colorado Rockies. He took up falconry as a way to transition out of a hyper-vigilant war consciousness back into something more appropriate to suburban Boulder. Thoughtful, generous, tough. I like this guy.  Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In his mid-20s, Seth took a look at his life and realized it made no sense. Rather than doubling down on a losing hand, he basically started over. He changed his life and lost half his body weight in the process. Ten years later, he's a very different man on a path with heart. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Layne's research has been focused on extraordinary abilities in people with cognitive deficits. She's recently left a stellar academic career in order to consult directly with families facing the challenges an atypical child will generate. She has been featured on CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, SiriusXM Doctor Radio, The Coffee Klatch – Special Needs Radio, and Rhode Island PBS ‘School Talk’. She is now based at Ghost Ranch, in Arizona. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Michael has devoted his life to the simple, radical notion that a home can provide the essential elements of a good life: shelter, food, water, waste management, and energy. His designs for Earthships provide all of this and more, as they're largely made from discarded materials: tires, bottles, cans, and so on. If your home can provide what you need, you've suddenly become free, revolutionary, and very dangerous. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Abby Martin is an American journalist who asks questions and challenges assumptions in a way very few journalists ever dare. She speaks truth to power with a snarl. You can see her show, The Empire Files on TeleSur and YouTube. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Patrick House explores the brain, how it works, what it is, and the tiny creatures that invade it and rearrange the furniture. This raises fundamental questions like: What are we? What does it mean to be alive? and How conscious are we of our consciousness? Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Captain James Nash is the fifth generation of his family to live on the 6 Ranch, raising cattle near Joseph, OR. James served in the US Marine Corps as a tank officer and fought in Afghanistan after which he was awarded two Purple Hearts. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

From J's site: "Dr. Wallace "J" Nichols - called “Keeper of the Sea" by GQ Magazine, “a visionary" by Outside Magazine and a "water warrior" by AQUATICS International - is an innovative, silo-busting, entrepreneurial scientist, movement maker, renown marine biologist, voracious Earth and idea explorer, wild water advocate, bestselling author, sought after lecturer, and fun-loving Dad. He also likes turtles (a lot)." Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I got together with my buddy, world-famous comic Jake Johannsen, to catch up after his tours in Asia and Europe. We cover a lot of ground in this one, mainly focusing on how comedy works (or doesn't) in different cultures. Check out Jake's podcast, JakeThis, where this episode was co-released. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Raam's father was a prominent Iranian environmentalist who was arrested and interrogated for supposedly being a foreign spy. After he mysteriously died in prison, Raam and his brother decided to pressure the Iranian government for answers. Telling his story here is part of that pressure. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rayanne Irving is an accomplished kickboxer, writer, horse trainer, public speaker, and all-around badass. As a homeless teenager, she was drawn into prostitution in Vancouver, Canada. Her understanding of her own decisions and the behavior of the people who have crossed her path is one of compassion, forgiveness, and hard-won wisdom. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Jim Fadiman is considered America's wisest and most respected authority on psychedelics and their use. Kyle Thiermann is a professional big wave surfer, documentary filmmaker, and podcast host.   Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Angela came by to chat. Aside from the harassment we suffered from a very persistent insect, we had a great time talking about her roles as actor, producer, and director, the meditative and transporting qualities of sex, what it's like to be a wildly horny young woman in a world that both celebrates and denigrates you, and some of the hang-ups one has to face in order to have sex on camera. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Peter Gorman is an award-winning journalist, former editor of High Times magazine (from 1986-1998), and pioneer in the understanding and use of psychedelic substances from the Amazon, such as ayahuasca and kambo. His most recent book is Sapo in my Soul: The Matsés Frog Medicine. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ryan is a very smart dude who knows a lot about how the human body works: diet, exercise, healing plants, etc. If you know someone with a medical issue that isn't responding well to conventional approaches, he may be able to help.  Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew is living the dream. A few days after recording this, he, his wife, and a dog named Pele set off for Argentina via the Arctic Circle (the scenic route). Follow their peregrinations via their site, where you'll find a blog, photos, and the latest episodes of their podcast. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe