Getting Comfortable with Chickens and Ignorance Episode 9 of the podcast has a look at what we know and what we understand, and asks if we can reduce our anxiety by getting more comfortable with what we don’t know and what we can’t control. Pets with confusing names feature early on. There is also a trip to the river, a…
Drawing the Line at Madness Episode 8 of the podcast has me taking a good look at madness and placing it in a context of conflict and self-defence. My knowledge of karate and the systematised code of conduct in that world informs the discussion. I find counsel from one of the great fictional madmen – The Joker, and the words…
Wake Up and Smell the Rousseaus In this week’s episode, I wade into the murky waters of identity politics and woke culture. The stepping off point is a lovely podcast I was listening to that raised a few different points of discussion in my head. Movies and casting are discussed, as well as giving offence, protecting ourselves, identity and representation,…
Patchouli in the Crow’s Nest, or The Search for Cool In episode 6 of the podcast, a trip down memory lane leads to one especially dodgy haircut and some rather nice hats. It also takes in a teenage summer in the USA and a trip to Canada while there. I share some thoughts and further context in response to my…
Slurp! or How I Learned to Love Licking (kind of) In this episode I get stuck into bad behaviour and why we tolerate it in ourselves towards the people closest to us. I reflect on the dangers of unchecked parenting and the legacies of unaddressed trauma, and the difficulty of putting that stuff to bed. Finally, I use the Man…
Merely I’m sorry. I’m just a man. I don’t know what I represent to you or anybody else. I only know who I am and who I’m not, what I’ve done and what I haven’t. I’m not trying to steal air or drink water or take space that was meant for you. I’m not looking for more. Merely enough. I’m…
A Big Slab of Handsomeness In this episode of the podcast I go from outer space and isolation and space music to cricket, and my attempts to introduce the finer points of that game to my daughter. From there it is a short jump to baseball and a deep dive into The Natural, both the Bernard Malamud novel of 1952…
Am I a Clown or an Idiot, or Both? In episode three of the podcast I revisit some acting low points in my life before embarking on a discussion of clowns and their role in the formation of my acting identity. I argue that there is something clowns can teach us about living more honestly and happily. Along the way,…
I Don’t Want to Fix the World, I Just Want to Get Out of Bed in the Morning! In episode two of the podcast, I talk about swimming and the water I swim in. I wonder about the significance of the friendly offer of a cup of coffee. I discuss the primacy of exercise in my life as staple of…
As previously mentioned, I have been prepping a podcast off-shoot for The ClearOut, and I am delighted to present the pilot episode here for your listening pleasure. The podcast continues in the vein of the material I have presented here since 2013, but it is going to be a bit looser, a bit more informal, and hopefully an enjoyable way…
