Podcast Archives - Page 4 of 26

You Silly Girl! Gender Roles from 1940s Hollywood – Episode 227

A week under the weather had Dara running for the comfort of old Hollywood classics. In this episode, he reports his findings. Influenced by the spooky season, he reached for a couple of Hitchcock staples of the older variety - 1940's Rebecca and 1941's Suspicion. Two very different but no less complicated love stories, one featuring espionage and seduction, the other - gulp! - murder!

It’s Autumn – Get Your A** in a Cave! – Episode 226

In this episode Dara argues that at a certain moment in autumn, the whole season starts to feel like a Sunday night, and not in a good way! The shortening days, the lengthening nights, it all combines to create a sense of nature closing in to usher us into a dark resting place. And isn't that what Mondays can feel like?

The Wisdom of Humanising the Enemy – Episode 225

In this episode, Dara is wondering who the enemy is. Finding himself symbolically shaking his fist at the clouds, he tries to work out who exactly he was angry with, and why. His wife used Jedi mind powers to flip the script which only stoked his fire further. The two choices available to him were obvious, and one was certainly not going to end well...

AI Love Connections – The Charm of Asymmetric Ones and Zeroes! – Episode 224

Who needs women when you've got AI? That seems to be the position of AI porn providers who seem pretty confident of their feminist credentials. How could they not be when they're taking the messiness out of porn consumption. And while men are licking their lips over their fembot fantasy, female customers are enjoying committed relationships with AI partners. Welcome to love and sex in the 21st century!

PTA – One Brilliant Film After Another! – Episode 223

This week's episode couldn't be simpler - it's an hour of Paul Thomas Anderson adulation. More specifically, it is sixty minutes dedicated to his new film, One Battle After Another. A propulsive story of revolution and retreat, of obsession and resignation, of manipulation and resistance.

Charlie Kirk, Christian Insulation, and a Lethal Amendment Cocktail – Episode 222

In this episode, Dara is reflecting on the killing of the prominent Christian Right thought leader, Charlie Kirk. Hailed by his followers as their Martin Luther King Jr i.e. a spiritual martyr and presumably, man of peace, it seems irresponsible not to discuss the tensions and contradictions that arise from the comparison. Kirk's documented racism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny seem to fly in the face of Christian values, but that is allegedly what he represented.

Robert Redford – The Meeting Point of Hot and Cold – Episode 221

In this very straightforward episode, Dara marks the passing of Hollywood icon Robert Redford by revisiting his career as an actor and director. From his true arrival as a Hollywood A-lister in 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, all the way to his last leading role in The Old Man and the Gun (2018), Redford held the screen with an effortless charisma and presence, only enhanced by his matinee idol good looks.

What Are We Looking For? Warm Blood and Sensory Connection! – Episode 220

Embattled by consecutive migraines, Dara is reckoning with a system under pressure. He attempts to own the state he's in while advocating for a deeper connection with what lies beneath all the turbulence. This line of enquiry leads to thoughts on observing a month's mind for Pepper, the family dog. A phrase used by the Venerable Bede in relation to that tradition inspired a new poem, which is shared.

Leaving the Room – Cheating Death, Solving Life, and a Planet Where Nobody Dies! – Episode 219

In this episode, Dara is thinking about what comes next. Prompted by an article about Irish people signing up for their bodies to be preserved at death in the hope of waking up in the distant future, he finds himself perplexed by the desire to outlive a natural lifespan. While it is tempting to dismiss the participants as deluded fantasists, he recognises that something deeply anxious lurks beneath the aspirant futurism.

Reaching for the Tourniquet, or How to Stop the Bleeding – Episode 218

In this episode, Dara admits to being a bit exhausted after moving house for the fifth time since the pandemic. It is not the most fun he has ever had and the ongoing grief ripples over Pepper the dog are adding to the load. However, the glass is (probably) half-full and at least the nickname for the new home has come very quickly and easily.

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Latest Episodes

You Silly Girl! Gender Roles from 1940s Hollywood – Episode 227

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It’s Autumn – Get Your A** in a Cave! – Episode 226

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The Wisdom of Humanising the Enemy – Episode 225

Read More »

AI Love Connections – The Charm of Asymmetric Ones and Zeroes! – Episode 224

Read More »

PTA – One Brilliant Film After Another! – Episode 223

Read More »

Charlie Kirk, Christian Insulation, and a Lethal Amendment Cocktail – Episode 222

Read More »

Robert Redford – The Meeting Point of Hot and Cold – Episode 221

Read More »

What Are We Looking For? Warm Blood and Sensory Connection! – Episode 220

Read More »

Leaving the Room – Cheating Death, Solving Life, and a Planet Where Nobody Dies! – Episode 219

Read More »

Reaching for the Tourniquet, or How to Stop the Bleeding – Episode 218

Read More »

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