Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

To call this conversation with Sex Nerd Sandra "wide-ranging" would be like calling Nepal "hilly." We talk about being hit by lightning, how to use lube on your laptop, the truth about female ejaculation, women who name their sex toys, and whether romantic love is a human universal. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visi...

Dr. Jason G. Goldman is a cognitive scientist and science writer based in Los Angeles. He received his Ph. D. at the University of Southern California, where he conducted research at the intersection of developmental psychology and animal cognition. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Stanton Peele is a prominent, outspoken critic of the disease model of addiction and the author of over a dozen books (most recently, Recover!: Stop Thinking Like an Addict and Reclaim Your Life with The PERFECT Program). Join us for a very personal conversation about addiction, the treatment industrial complex, and the dubious joys of writing for a living. This is a public episode. If you'd l...

Join me in conversation with one of the most interesting guys I know. Writer, musician, director, Chris Jaymes opens up and shares amazing stories from his life, ranging from being strapped to a gurney in Boston, to meeting his mother's new boyfriend (surprise!), to digging up the bodies of tsunami victims in Thailand. This guy is LIVING. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this wit...

Betty Dodson is a well-known pioneer in women's sexual liberation, having sold more than 1 million copies of her first book, Sex for One. Much of her fame has come from her work not only advocating masturbation, but conducting workshops for more than 30 years in which groups of about 10 or more women (and at least once a group of men) would talk, explore their own bodies, and masturbate together....

Thad is the author of "A Renegade History of the United States," and teaches at Occidental College. He's also a very smart guy, full of surprises, with whom I don't always agree—but with whom I always enjoy debating! If you don't find yourself shaking your head in amazement at some of the things Thad says in this one, you get your money back. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this...

In which I introduce the series, talk about why I’m telling these stories, and lay out the ground rules I’ve set for myself. Then, I get into the first story, which covers my last two years of high school in Fairfield, CT and Cazenovia, NY. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

TSS was born to make movies, and that's what he does. He directed the 3D A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, as well as a whole slew of other things—many of which are hilarious short films. Check out his latest, a very funny 10-minute look at the misery of heartbreak. Dude is very talented and seriously funny. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acc...

Join Ari and me in the bar at The Jane Hotel, in the West Village, where we talk about the debilitating effects of New York weed on Ari’s vocabulary, how to deal with dismissive (but hot) waitresses, what lies beyond atheism, why there are no Scientologist comics, and why you can’t get decent placebo pills at CVS anymore—among other urgent matters. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discus...

Rapper, entrepreneur, and my son in law, Hugo is part of the new, vibrant Africa that is bursting with energy, creativity, and optimism. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

He doesn't drink Mexican beer, but Frank Delaney is definitely one of the most interesting men in the world. His career includes over a dozen best-selling novels, a truck-load of non-fiction books, and a slew of articles and TV programs. Frank is smart, funny, candid, and open-hearted. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, v...

Marissa was born a boy, but eventually realized she was a girl. She's still got a male side—who comes out when yard work needs doing—but has transitioned primarily to living as a woman. I felt deeply honored to have this opportunity to share Marissa's experience and insight. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisr...

If you don't know who Dan Savage is, you haven't been paying attention. Sex advice columnist, humorist, political activist ... Dan has spent the past 22 years using his wit, smarts, and compassion to drag American culture toward equality and decency—and away from a rising tide of Santorum threatening to engulf us all (Google it—I dare you). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this w...

Scientist, skeptic, intellectual, magician extraordinaire ... Jamy Ian Swiss is a fascinating man. For a guy who specializes in creating illusions, Jamy has a strikingly deep love and respect for authenticity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Gabor Mate is a Canadian physician and author who specializes in the treatment of addiction and mind-body interaction. He's published four bestselling books (in twenty languages) exploring attention deficit disorder, stress, developmental psychology, and addiction. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.su...

Dr. Carl Hart is a serious man with a fascinating life. His book, High Price, tells the story of his journey from the bad part of Miami to the upper reaches of Ivy League academia. In this conversation, we talk about why drugs are so hard for our society to get real about, and how often they've been political tools used against marginalized populations and how antithetical to good research and dec...

Fifteen years ago, Dave Asprey took a look at himself and didn't like what he saw: he was about 100 pounds overweight, had chronic nosebleeds, slept poorly, and felt like crap. But unlike most of us, he had the time and financial resources to focus his considerable intelligence on his predicament. What he discovered about his own condition turned out to be applicable to the rest of us: chronic inf...

We talk sparkling water, nitrous oxide, political consulting, Mormonism, strip clubs, the war on drugs, revolution, and murses (man-bags, European carry-alls). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kim Airs is a sex toy entrepreneur (I had to look up the spelling), motorcycle maven, and militantly free spirit. She rode her motorcycle into the depths of Topanga Canyon to chat with me about working for Larry Summers at Harvard, cornering the market on dildos, and "flatbacking for fun and profit." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bo...

Natasha is a very smart high-energy actress/comedian who's blazing a meteoric path across the Hollywood sky. We talk about everything from women's rights to dogs giving birth to Fleshlights in the shower. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Man, this one ranges far and wide. We talk comedy (these dudes are hilarious), good ways to use bad words, porn in the Vatican, and what it's like to be raised by deaf parents. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Conner Habib is a gay porn star, a scholar of human sexuality, and an evolutionary biologist with thoughtful insights on all those subjects and far more. Join us in a cloud overlooking the Pacific Ocean for this wide-ranging conversation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Comedian, Ari Shaffir and I talk about everything from Elvis, to fat Jesus, to our private fears to advice on peeing in public in this podcast that flows deep and wide as the mighty Mississippi. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Duncan is the madman who first got me into podcasting, as well as various other kinds of trouble, so it's fitting that he and our mutual pal, Daniele help me celebrate this 30th episode of Tangentially Speaking. There must be some numerical convergence there: 3 & 30. Our friend Kyle Del Bonis joined us on the spur of the moment and although we only had 3 mics, he chipped in some of his characteris...

Baron Vaughn is a comedian and actor based in Los Angeles. He and Chris talk about comedy, acting, and growing up on the rough side of Vegas. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe