Finneran's Wake

Ulrich Baer is an author, editor, and a professor of photography at NYU.  I wanted to chat with someone about photography in the “iPhone” age (along with a bunch of other things!), and Uli was kind enough to indulge me.   I was dazzled by his breadth of learning and the expertise he has in so many different fields (poetry, philosophy, and literature, to name just a few).  In this wide-ranging conv...

Joseph Pearce is an educator, essayist, and author of over two dozen books.  I reached out to Joseph because I wanted to learn more about the great Irish playwright and wit, Oscar Wilde, about whom he has written extensively.  Joseph’s excellent biography of Wilde, “Unmasking Oscar Wilde” is linked below.  Using Wilde as a springboard, Joseph and I leapt into a variety of topics, including: The di...

Yasheng Huang is a professor at MIT and the author of many books, including his most recent work, “The Rise and Fall of the EAST”.  I reached out to Professor Huang because, after reading his book, I wanted to learn more about Chinese history.  In this episode, Yasheng and I discuss:  Imperial China v. The Roman Empire; Keju; The origin of Civil Service Exams; Purges: Hard and Soft; Meritocracy v...

Sabrina Little is an author, ultramarathoner, and a professor of philosophy.  Her latest book, “The Examined Run” is suitable not only for competitive athletes, but for anyone who wants to:   Strengthen his body, discipline his mind, learn the basics of philosophy, and, most importantly, cultivate long-lasting virtues.  In this episode, Sabrina and I discuss:  Ancient Greek Philosophy; Socrates, P...

William Wallace is an author, a lecturer, and a professor of art history at the University of St. Louis.  Professor Wallace is America’s expert on Michelangelo, the great Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet.  In this episode, Professor Wallace and I discuss:  Michelangelo’s upbringing; Florence and Rome in the 16th century; Italy before it was “Italy”; Competition between artists: M...

John Eisenberg is a sports columnist and an author.  His latest book, Rocket Men : The Black Quarterbacks Who Revolutionized Pro Football is an eye-opening account of the history of black quarterbacks in the NFL. It’s available for purchase everywhere books are sold.  In this episode, John and I discuss:  The intersection of race and sports; Is the NFL systemically racist?; Kyler Murray’s “Homewor...

Marcus Collins is a marketer, cultural translator, professor, and an author.  His first book, For the Culture: The power behind what we buy, what we do, and who we want to be is now available for purchase. I strongly recommend it!  In this episode, Marcus and I discuss:  The definition of “culture”; The difference between “fast” and “slow” culture; Is our culture good? Cultural Icons: Michael Jack...

James Ellman is an investor and author.  His latest book, “MacArthur Reconsidered” treats its subject in a refreshingly unbiased way.  With a steady hand, James carves away the hero-worship, and leaves us with a true picture of America’s most controversial general, the iconic Douglas MacArthur.  For those of you interested in military history and politics, this is an excellent book! In this chat,...

Scott Shane is a reporter, a research fellow, a lecturer, and an author.  His latest book, Flee North , tells the story of the two men responsible for freeing hundreds of enslaved people and establishing the Underground Railroad: Thomas Smallwood and Charles Turner Torrey.  In this episode, Scott and I discuss:  Thomas Smallwood; Charles Turner Torrey; Frederick Douglass; Harriet Tubman; Escaping...

Dean King is an author, a journalist, and a documentarian.  His latest book, Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship that saved Yosemite is available at all reputable booksellers.  This book, of which I strongly urge you all to get a copy, tells the fascinating story of John Muir, Robert Underwood Johnson, and their historic effort to protect Yosemite from the water-hungry pols of Sa...

Logan Wright is the founder of Greco Gum. Greco Gum sells a premium mastic gum sourced from the Greek island of Chios in the Aegean Sea.  Chewed since time immemorial, mastic gum offers a plethora of health and aesthetic benefits: it satiates hunger, cleanses the teeth, sharpens the mind, strengthens the muscles of mastication (those with which you chew!), and transforms your wilting jawline into...

John Banks is an author, editor, a journalist, and a Civil War aficionado.  His latest book, A Civil War Road Trip of a Lifetime is now available for purchase!  The book is a really fun travelogue-cum-history that you’ll definitely want to add to your shelf.  In this wide-ranging episode, John and I discuss:  Being an aficionado v. being an academic; Ernest Hemingway; American Literature; Journali...

Martin Hogue is an author, architect, and a professor at Cornell University.  Martin’s latest book, Making Camp: A Visual History of Camping’s Most Essential Items and Activities is available everywhere fine books are sold.  I can assure you, this conversation will inspire you to unfold your tent, unroll your sleeping bag, throw some logs on the fire, and reconnect with nature!  In this episode, M...

Alan Paul is an author, a journalist, and a musician.  He was the founding member of the Beijing-based blues group, Woodie Alan, for which he served as the frontman.  Along with a delightful autobiography about his life as an expat living in China, Alan has written oral histories about Stevie Ray Vaughn and The Allman Brothers Band.  His latest work, Brothers and Sisters , covers the release of th...

Scott Schilke is a photographer who specializes in capturing breathtaking images of rocket ships, race cars, and extreme weather events. At the youthful age of sixty-two, after having worked in property management for four decades, Scott spurned retirement and embarked upon a new career. When all his buddies were slipping into the long-deferred idleness of their “golden years”, Scott became a prof...

Naomi Oreskes is the Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University.  She is the author of many books, including Why Trust Science?, The Collapse of Western Civilization, Merchants of Doubt (upon which an acclaimed documentary was based), and, her most recent work, The Big Myth .  Professor Oreskes is a veritable mine of information (forgive the pun!) After obtaining d...

J. Randy Taraborrelli is an author, editor, reporter, journalist, and biographer whose latest work, “Jackie: Public, Private, Secret” is now available for purchase.  (For what it’s worth, I strongly encourage you to get yourself a copy!)  Some of Randy’s other popular works include, Madonna: An Intimate Biography; Jackie, Janet, and Lee; The Hiltons; Sinatra; Michael Jackson; Becoming Beyonce, Che...

Sally Fallon Morell is an author, a farmer, a businesswoman, and the founder of multiple organizations dedicated to human flourishing. And how, as humans, do we flourish, you might ask?  Simple: it all begins with our nutrition! Inspired by the under-acknowledged genius of Dr. Weston A. Price, Sally has popularized the “Wise Traditions” Diet, a natural, wholesome, elegant way of eating to which co...

Dr. Robert Kiltz is a physician, businessman, YouTuber, potter, pilot, and poet.  (I challenge you to repeat those last three words as quickly as you can without stumbling!)  One of America’s leading experts on the Carnivore Diet (of which he’s been both an advocate and adherent for the past decade), Dr. Kiltz has bravely questioned the dietary guidelines we’ve been fed by our medical “establishme...

Dan Levitt is a director, documentarian, and an author.  His latest book, What’s Gotten Into You: The Story Of Your Body’s Atoms, From The Big Bang Through Last Night’s Dinner, is now available for purchase!  For the promulgation of good science to the general public–in a format and a language that is accessible to all–we look, now more than ever, to trusted figures like Dan.  As you can see, his...

Barry Brown is an author, cowboy, horse breaker, bull rider, and rodeo competitor to whom the nickname, “The Bionic Bull Rider” has been, I think, very fittingly applied.  Barry began competing as a bull rider at the tender age of 15. Despite its perils, he fell in love with the sport, in which he continued to participate (either as a competitor or a judge) for the next four decades of his life. ...

Reid Mitenbuler is an author, a journalist, and an Air Force veteran.  His latest book, Wanderlust: An Eccentric Explorer, An Epic Journey, A Lost Age tells the untold story of the twentieth century’s most interesting man. Peter Freuchen was a Danish explorer, globetrotter, novelist, journalist, actor, and game show contestant.  An imposingly large man (he stood over 6 '5”) with a wildly unkempt b...

Alas... How quickly (and imperceptibly!) the years accrue!  Before you know it, you're departing your second, and entering your third (or fourth, or fifth…) decade of life and wondering, as you pass another milestone, celebrate another birthday, and add another number to anno domini:  "How should I tailor my fitness regimen to my (advancing) age?"  In this episode, resident fitness guru and recurr...

The beard is back!  Recurring (and undeniably burly) guest James Flood joins me to discuss the five most important things you can do outside the gym in order to optimize your performance once you re-enter.   In brief, he advises you to focus on:  1. Hydration (with electrolytes) 2. Nutrition 3. Sun exposure 4. Cold exposure 5. Sleep Or if, like me, you prefer alliteration:  1. Salt 2. Sustenance 3...

James Charney is a psychiatrist, cinephile, professor, and author.  His latest book, “Madness at the Movies” examines the mental disorders by which Hollywood’s most infamously deranged characters (Travis Bickle from Scorcese’s “Taxi Driver”; Norman Bates from Hitchcock’s “Psycho”) are afflicted.  The book, written for a popular audience, is an extension of a beloved course (also entitled, “Madness...