In this episode, Dara realises he omitted to mention three things in relation to the theme of nudity: shame, Viggo Mortensen’s willingness to bare all, and a ridiculous story from his acting school days that featured nudity, singing, and money! Things he may have to return to next week…
What you will hear is a discussion of nudity and nakedness in different contexts. Dara thinks the idea of being naked, or exposed, has been a core element of the podcast since it started as he has leaned into being open and honest about his own life from the very first episode. He explains that he does so in service of authentic and relatable self-examination that he trusts will be of interest and use to listeners of the podcast.
The idea of trust is very central to Dara’s relationship to his body as he got to know it in the context of his first sexual relationships. As far as he was concerned, relationships were safe spaces of mutual approval and respect. In that atmosphere, he was far more interested in what his body could do as opposed to what it looked like.
The naked body is looked at in other contexts and Dara argues that restricting it to sexual desirability not only does it a great disservice, but also diminishes the experience and scope of the beholder. Moving from the literal to the figurative, he claims that there is no greater courage or honour than standing before someone emotionally or psychologically naked. To remove all barriers is to embrace a profound vulnerability that while potentially terrifying, can also speak of a surprising strength and confidence.
Time is also found to mention naked garden running, hospital bodies, and Bono’s singing voice being the catalyst for this week’s topic!