March 2025

I Object! Three Movie Treatments of Desire – Episode 198

In this episode, Dara is recalling an early cinema experience that only succeeded at the second attempt – but it was ET, so it was totally worth the wait. At that time, all his objects of desire were heroic archetypes and it would be another few years before an actress on the big screen stopped his breath. The year ET came out, 1982, also saw the release of Robert Towne’s Personal Best, which placed Mariel Hemingway as the focus of longing in the world of aspirant Olympic athletes. Former athlete Patrice Donnelly was cast as the older athlete who competes with Scott Glenn for her affections and her chemistry with Hemingway jumps off the screen.

I Object! Three Movie Treatments of Desire – Episode 198 Read More »

All the Damaged Boys – Where’s the Love At? – Episode 197

Leave a Comment / Podcast / Dara Clear

In this episode, Dara is trying to get his head around the obnoxious appearance of Conor McGregor at the White House over St. Patrick’s Weekend. Trump’s presidency seems to function as a magnet for a particular type of male performance, greenlighting as it does a validated version of masculinity that revels in belittling others, trash talking enemies, and leering, swaggering braggadocio. It is definitely connected to a particular understanding of straight maleness as being under attack and needing to reassert itself as aggressively as possible. But is it also a product of the tech age when the perception of consequences has been skewed by the amount of time spent in online spaces?

All the Damaged Boys – Where’s the Love At? – Episode 197 Read More »

Hackman, Ingoldsby, and Toth – Masters and Medium – Episode 196

Leave a Comment / Podcast / Dara Clear

In this episode, Dara is reckoning with great creative men, two real and one fictional. The world has recently lost the bodily forms of Irish poet Pat Ingoldsby and Hollywood actor Gene Hackman, but their work remains indelibly with us. Ingoldsby was a beloved figure in Ireland whose sparkling and deceptively profound poetry arguably never received the credit it was due, although its accessibility ensured it reached legions of appreciative and dedicated readers, many of whom have expressed their grief and gratitude since he passed.

Hackman, Ingoldsby, and Toth – Masters and Medium – Episode 196 Read More »

Underestimating Resilience and the Communication of Important Things – Episode 195

Leave a Comment / Podcast / Dara Clear

In this episode, Dara is looking at the value of letting others know what’s important to you. How else are the people in your life meant to know what you care about? He argues that this can not only help to strengthen the relationships that matter most, but also mitigate against disappointment and unmet expectations. However, it is useful to keep those expectations fair and realistic.

Underestimating Resilience and the Communication of Important Things – Episode 195 Read More »

I Object! Three Movie Treatments of Desire – Episode 198

All the Damaged Boys – Where’s the Love At? – Episode 197

Hackman, Ingoldsby, and Toth – Masters and Medium – Episode 196

Underestimating Resilience and the Communication of Important Things – Episode 195

Support me on Patreon

Privacy Policy