Tangentially Speaking With Dr. Christopher Ryan

My second summer in Alaska. This time, I got a job on a tender, and found myself engaged in an epic struggle for the soul of a young man. Photos at chrisryanphd.com. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I don't always agree with renegade historian Thad Russell—you'll hear that we disagree passionately about "Death Panels" and whether Americans die in the streets—but I respect his intelligence and ballsy insistence on telling it like he sees it. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

You may know her from her very popular web series, Ask a Mortician, from a previous episode of this podcast (#25), or as the author of the fantastic book, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory. Caitlin and I talk about life, death, and publishing.  Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mitch Schultz wrote and directed the documentary, DMT: The Spirit Molecule (narrated by Joe Rogan). We talk about consciousness, making movies, and the joys of Austin, Texas. Find out more at spectralalchemy.com.Sponsors:SureDesignTshirts (code: sexatdawn)Audible Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Coupla very smart, very funny guys. They've been on Letterman, Conan, and late night what have you. Zach does crazy videos and rap, while Myq is a wordsmith extraordinaire. If you want to hear the part of the conversation where they were asking me questions, you'll find that here. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

It's 1983, and I'm on my first trip to a foreign culture with a sharpened Kung-Fu star hanging from my neck. One thing leads to another and I realize I've stumbled into something far deeper, and more dangerous, than I could have imagined. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which I spend some time working the slime line, scam my way out the door, and wake up on the wrong side of a jealous performance artist. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A Korean kid in the American South, adopted by people who probably shouldn't have, lesbian, super-smart Harvard student, stand-up comic, diagnosed with an incurable disease at 30 ... Mandy has been there and there and there and back. Please join us for this powerful, heartfelt conversation about belonging, family, and that familiar feeling that we're getting better and dying at the same time. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The only man I know who has passed a joint to a chimp sitting next to him in a tree, (or at least, who's admitted it to me!) Richard is a man of many dimensions. In part 1 of what I hope will be a multi-part series, we talk about his education, his first foray into business with one of America's first mountain bike shops, and what lessons rugby imparts in the "third half," among many other fruitful tangents.  Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ceara is a sweet, smart, sexy young woman who degrades, dismisses and denigrates men over the internet. And they pay her handsomely to do it! What a world. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

One of the leading ethnobotanists in the world, Dennis has just published a fantastic memoir about his fascinating life (much of it shared with his very famous brother, Terence) called Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

When the salmon don't come, there's no work to be had in Kenai, Alaska. So what do you do? Get some tequila! Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I get meta in this one—reading a paper I wrote 20 years ago about a near-death experience that happened to me 25 years ago. Damn, I'm getting old! Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I found a mysterious letter on my car this morning. This is what it said. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

One of my closest friends, Dr. Stanley Krippner returns to Tangentially Speaking, to share his thoughts on the trajectory of history, the nature of consciousness, and his advice to young people after 81 years of living la vida loca. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which Russ and I find ourselves wearing shorts without underwear in a medium-security Alaskan prison. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

One of the leading thinkers in the emerging field of Evolutionary Psychology, Miller has written two well-received books: one on how sexual selection favors the evolution of non-physical traits like creativity, generosity, and morality (The Mating Mind), and another on how advertisers are co-opting our innate, evolved desire to be "cool" in order to attract mates (Spent). Currently an Associate Professor at University of New Mexico, he's also currently collaborating with controversial author, Tucker Max (a previous guest) on Mating Grounds, a multi-media project to help young men get a better handle on dealing with women.This episode is sponsored by Audible and Sure Design T-shirts (discount code: sexatdawn). Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Join Peter, Andy Gurevich, and me at Lompoc Brewing's Hedge House, where we talk about religion, sex, love, and beer. Then some very interesting friends of Peter's show up, including a hot young humiliatrix, named Ceara.This episode is sponsored by Audible, MyPakage, and Ridescout. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

From the last stop on the ferry, through the Yukon Territory to Fairbanks. "You guys see the bear I just shot?" Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Former Christian minister, current pagan madman, Professor Andrew Gurevich is back by popular demand. Many are the tangents we go down in this conversation that runs around like a headless chicken. Get full access to Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan at chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe