In this episode, Dara is concerned about egos getting out of control, and he has two specific case studies in mind – one playing out presently in the Middle East, and one that played out a long time ago on a little Japanese island.
Stop Laughing at Me, I’m a Very Important Person! – Episode 209 Read More »
Dara kicks off this episode celebrating the extraordinary story of Tina Turner and how she overcame the worst adversity to reinvent herself as an iconic figure of 80s and 90s popular music. Having recently seen the astonishing stage musical based on her life, he has renewed enthusiasm for Tina’s inspirational girl power narrative.
The Intimacy of Male Connection, or What Do Men Need to Talk? – Episode 208 Read More »
In this week’s show, Dara talks about his experience of fatherhood and his ever-evolving relationship with his daughter. He continues to fall at the same hurdle on a regular basis – will he, or can he change? He shares a personal father moment that made him cry and wonders why it can be so difficult to cry for oneself.
Fathers’ Day Episode – Stopping the Rot and Staying in the Lovelight – Episode 207 Read More »
This episode has something for everyone. Dara kicks off with an acknowledgement of the show’s 4th birthday before breaking down his fandom of Tottenham Hotspur in the wake of their recent Europa League triumph – the trophy monkey is finally off the collective backs of long-suffering Spurs fans. Thanks be to the Gods of Football!
Monkey? What Monkey? – Catharsis, Fandom, and the Owning of Self – Episode 206 Read More »
In this week’s episode, Dara reviews Ryan Coogler’s rip roaring ‘Sinners’, a movie that defies easy categorisation but is infused with the director’s characteristic heart, immersive world-building, and brilliant lead performances. Of particular delight was a thread of Irishness that leant the movie an unexpected and resonant depth. There’s also an Irish connection to the movie that Dara recommends as a double bill partner for ‘Sinners’.
‘Sinners’ and ‘Moonstruck’ – Movie Pleasures of the Old and New School – Episode 205 Read More »
In this episode Dara is thinking about challenging moments and situations and the places we put them to help us cope better. After a very unpleasant accident that sent him to hospital, Dara laughs at the way men can fail to offer care, depending on their assessment of the urgency involved – everything can be laughed at until it can’t.
In this episode Dara tries to thread the needle between domestic and personal crises and those of a much larger, humanitarian nature. Taking in current events in Gaza as well as historic instances of grievous abuse by Catholic institutions in Ireland, the question of truth seems to be of primary importance when a larger power treats others with such callous impunity and indifference to the consequences.
A hiatus imposed on Dara by life’s steamroller has reminded him how non-performative the podcast continues to be. He reflects on the circumstances that rendered him incapable of recording over the last few weeks and reiterates his conviction that being judiciously transparent is of more use to his listeners, and to him, than jazz hands and soft shoe shuffles.
This Is Not a Performance (It’s My Life!) – Episode 202 Read More »
In this episode, Dara goes hard at Shakespeare! Following an urge to wrap his mouth around some Elizabethan verse, he stumbled across a perfect collection of Shakespearean monologues to quench his appetite. So, with thanks to Rachel, whose curation it was, and apologies to enemies of The Bard, the greasepaint was applied, the voice warmed up, and the curtain raised!
In this episode, Dara quietly reflects on 200 episodes of this thing that he does and tries, for the umpteenth time, to define what the podcast is all about. After all this time on the microphone, it’s funny and fitting that he still isn’t really sure. Is it a glitch or a feature?
Copyright © 2024 The ClearOut, All rights reserved.