Deviate

“The challenge is that we have to become philosophers ourselves, in a way. We have to learn to ask better questions and more questions than we had to before.” – Monica McCarthy Monica McCarthy (@MissMMcCarthy) is an actress, writer, and host of The Happier Hour podcast and live show, which aims to make philosophy useful and accessible. For more about Monica, you can check our her website or watch her TedX talk, Philosophy: The Life Hack of the Future. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf speaks with Monica about the “definition” of philosophy (3:00); where people should start when seeking to embrace philosophy (16:00); travel as a metaphor for discussing philosophy (22:00); Western philosophy and common assumptions about it (32:00); and key takeaways from Monica’s podcast (50:00). Notable Links: Tim Ferriss (author / entrepreneur) Ryan Holiday (author) Alain de Botton (author / philosopher) Socrates (philosopher) Søren Kierkegaard (philosopher) Ludwig Wittgenstein (philosopher) Simone de Beauvoir (philosopher) Jean-Paul Sartre (philosopher) Friedrich Nietzsche (philosopher) Albert Camus (philosopher) David Hume (philosopher) Epicurus (philosopher) Avicenna (philosopher) Stoicism (school of philosophy) Existentialism (school of philosophy) Nero (Roman emperor) Massimo Pigliucci (professor of Philosophy at CUNY-City College) At the Existentialist Café, by Sarah Bakewell (book) The Good Place (television show) Trolley Problem (thought experiment) The School of Life (educational company) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“The hashtag level of social media discourse can be really frustrating. It tends to bend narratives toward the hashtag slogan. But when we start sweeping everything into the same category, we begin to trivialize the core issue.” – Rolf Potts Ari Shaffir (@AriShaffir) is a comedian, writer, podcaster, and actor. He is the current host of the podcast Skeptic Tank. In the Season 1 Finale of Deviate, Rolf and Ari resume their conversation about magic mushrooms (7:00); discuss Ari’s strange bets and the experience of panhandling for money (17:00); reflect on lessons learned from the past year of podcasting (32:00); discuss the shortcomings of travel television (55:00); and explore self-mythology and society’s over-simplification of complex topics (1:07:00). This episode of Deviate is brought to you by AirTreks, an industry leader in multi-stop international travel. If you’ve ever planned a trip with multiple stops, you know that finding the right flights can be difficult. Airtreks can help with your international flight planning, specializing in complex routes with up to 25 stops. The Airtreks website offers suggested pre-planned travel itineraries to help you get started, and can customize to fit your journey. Visit https://www.airtreks.com/deviate/ and get a signed copy of Vagabonding when you book your first trip with Airtreks. Deviate episodes mentioned Bestselling author Tim Ferriss on how to create a successful podcast Comedian Ari Shaffir on ‘shrooms, hugging, and quitting smartphones Ari Shaffir on travel, memory, and the odd psychology of souvenirs Satanic backward masking changed 1980s rock (but not in the way you think) What it’s like to be a black police officer in America What it’s like to be a Latino police officer in America The weird and complicated history of America’s national anthem Punk icon Ian MacKaye on why we should question the official history of rock music Celebrating the best places to live (and the quest for home) in America Kink Doctor Dulcinea Pitagora on sex therapy, BDSM, and dominatrix work The way we grow food has been broken for 10,000 years (but we can fix it) Deviate Live in New York City: Travel Stories and Souvenirs White Zombie guitarist J. Yuenger on music, expat life, and long-term travel Kevin Kelly on the lost world of 1970s Asia (and why you should travel now) Andrew McCarthy on storytelling, celebrity, and how travel changed his life Paul Theroux on the art of listening, and the necessary obstacles of deep travel Other links 20,000 Days On Earth (Nick Cave documentary) The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand (book) Museum of Jurassic Technology Scientology Center Joe Rogan podcast Henry Rollins Travel Slideshow Punch Drunk Sports (podcast) Cal Fussman podcast How Mushrooms Can Save You (Tim Ferriss podcast episode) Lok lak (Cambodian beef dish) Osprey (backpack brand) Tortuga (backpack brand) Blundstone (footwear company) Evan Williams (bourbon brand) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“To me the term Beat was like, “Hey man I’m beat,” after all night on Benzedrine. I never considered myself a Beat. But my first book was published by Ferlinghetti and they all arrived at my doorstep when I lived at Gough Street, so I guess I became a Beat by osmosis.” —Charles Plymell Charles Plymell is a poet, novelist, and small press publisher. Plymell has collaborated with and published many poets, writers, and artists, including principals of the Beat Generation. Benzedrine Highway, published in 2013, is an anthology of his best-known poetry and prose, including excerpts from his 1971 City Lights novel The Last of the Moccasins. In this episode of Deviate, Charles and his wife Pamela Beach Plymell discuss their memories of (and interactions with) Jack Kerouac (4:55); Charley’s upbringing in Dust Bowl-era Kansas, and his early road-trips to California (11:05); life as a young hood and hipster in Wichita (14:40); meeting and interacting with the Beats in San Francisco (19:20); rooming with Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg when Cassady was trying to write his own book (23:55); hosting Ginsberg during the poet’s Wichita Vortex Sutra journey to Kansas in 1966 (30:50); publishing the first issue of R. Crumb’s Zap Comix just before the Summer of Love (35:35); working at a teamster on the San Francisco docks, and getting his own novel published (39:50); and interacting with William S. Burroughs in the later years of the author’s life (46:00). For more information on Charley, check out his fan page at http://hipsterfansite.blogspot.com/. Notable Links: Beat Generation (literary movement) Jack Kerouac (Beat author and poet) William F. Buckley Jr. (conservative intellectual) Firing Line (public affairs TV show) Truman Capote (author and critic) Hand on the Doorknob, by Charles Plymell (book) Benzedrine and Dexedrine (amphetamine pills) Neal Cassady (Beat Generation personality) Allen Ginsberg (Beat poet) The First Third, by Neal Cassady (book) Lawrence Ferlinghetti (poet and publisher) City Lights (independent bookstore) Wichita Vortex Sutra, by Allen Ginsberg (poem) “The Last Anti-War Poem,” by Rolf Potts (essay) Wichita Vortex (PBS documentary about the poem) Robert Crumb (underground cartoonist) Zap Comix (counterculture comic book series) Summer of Love (1967 hippie event in San Francisco) Human Be-in (Summer of Love event) Featherbedding (hiring practice) Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars (creative writing program) William S. Burroughs (writer and artist) The death of Joan Vollmer (Burroughs’ wife) Macbeth (Shakespeare play) “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” (Macbeth soliloquy) Sonnet 65 (Shakespeare poem) “The “Priest” They Called Him” (Burroughs/Kurt Cobain collaboration) “Nobody Rides For Free” by Grant Hart (music video) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“How do we become who we are in the world? We ask the world to teach us.” – Pam Houston Pam Houston (@pam_houston) is an author and professor of English at the University of California, Davis. Her books include Cowboys Are My Weakness and Contents May Have Shifted, with her latest, Deep Creek, set for release in January 2019. In this episode of Deviate, Pam discusses her interactions with writing students (2:30); living an non-traditional life (16:30); developing a notion of home (25:00); and how Pam’s life on the ranch affects her writing (34:00). The episode concludes with Rolf reading his short essay “Creating a new sense of home is part of the travel process.” For more information on Pam, check out her website at https://pamhouston.wordpress.com/ Notable Links: Santa Fe Writers Workshop “Some Kind of Calling,” by Pam Houston (essay) “Pam Houston on (Finally) Finding True Love” (essay) Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey (book) Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard (book) My Antonia, by Willa Cather (novel) Alice Munro (author) Terry Tempest Williams (author) The Meadow, by James Galvan (book) West Fork Complex (2013 wildfire) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“The act of creating is a way of stopping time.” – Major Jackson Major Jackson (@Poet_Major) is an American poet, professor, and author of four collections of poetry: Roll Deep, Holding Company, Hoops, and Leaving Saturn. He currently serves as the Poetry Editor of the Harvard Review. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Major discuss the changing perception of time and how creation leads to a deeper experience of time (2:00); poetry and the lessons it teaches us about life (23:00); and time as prison, the way we claim our freedom, and art as a means toward transcendence (39:00). For more information on Major, check out his website at http://www.majorjackson.com/ Poems and books mentioned: The Gutenberg Elegies, by Sven Birkerts (book) “The World Is Too Much With Us” (poem by William Wordsworth) “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” (poem by Robert Herrick) “Ode: Intimations of Immortality” (Wordsworth poem) “On Disappearing” (poem by Major Jackson) “Stations” (poem by Stanley Moss) Into the Mecca by Gwendolyn Brooks (book) Jerusalem (poem by James Fenton) Jerusalem, by Peter Cole (essay) The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen (book) “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota” (poem by James Wright) Notable Links: Paris Writing Workshop (summer creative writing course) Dead Poets Society (film) Carpe Diem (Latin aphorism) Walt Whitman (poet) Eastern State Penitentiary (former prison in Philadelphia) Michel Foucault (philosopher) True Detective (HBO TV series) John Muir (naturalist) Jack Kerouac (author) Croesus (wealthy king from ancient times) Seneca (philosopher) Dazed and Confused (film) Richard Linklater (writer and director) Ingmar Bergman (director) Cinéma vérité (documentary filmmaking style) Film composer Rolfe Kent on Deviate (podcast episode) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“Travel feels like a generational signifier the way rock music was when I was a kid. The whole idea of having experiences as opposed to accumulating stuff feels like this planetary alignment, the way rock was in the ’70s.” – Jay Yuenger Jay Yuenger (@JYuenger) is a rock guitarist best known for his work with the Grammy-nominated heavy metal band White Zombie. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Jay discuss Cuba and access to technology (3:00); J’s White Zombie backstory, and his travels with the band (13:30); the rise in popularity of White Zombie and the evolution of travel (40:00); the breakup of the band and Jay’s post-band years spent traveling (50:00); and souvenirs (1:01:00) For more information on Jay, check out his website or his Instagram account. Notable Links: Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts (book) Taxi Driver (film) Thunder Kiss ’65 (song, by White Zombie) Anthony Bourdain (chef and travel documentarian) The Practical Nomad, by Edward Hasbrouk (book) Hardcore Punk (music genre) Minor Threat (band) Metallica (band) Misfits (band) Ramones (band) Slayer (band) Cro-Mags (band) Suicidal Tendencies (band) Danzig (band) Headbangers Ball (television program) 120 Minutes (television program) Butthole Surfers (band) Faith No More (band) Get in the Van, by Henry Rollins (book) The Smashing Pumpkins (band) Fugazi (band) Jane’s Addiction (band) Walt Whitman (poet) Kurt Vonnegut (author) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“I can’t imagine what the Trans-Siberian train would be like if you knew what time it was. That was the ongoing fun of the experience — never really having any clue what time it was.” – Jonathan Arlan Jonathan Arlan (@JonathanArlan) is the author of the book Mountain Lines: A Journey through the French Alps and a recent Tablet essay titled Off the Rails in Birobidzhan. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Jonathan discuss travel bucket lists (2:30); the Trans-Siberian experience, including being an American on the train (12:30); the passing of time on the railway (28:00); and a final evaluation of the journey (38:00). For more information on Jonathan Arlan, check out his website at http://jonathanarlan.com/ Notable Links: Trans-Siberian Handbook, by Bryn Thomas (guidebook) Lonely Planet Trans-Siberian Railway (guidebook) Real Russia (travel agency) Monkeyshrine (Trans-Siberian travel agency) The Man in Seat 61 (train-travel website) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“If there is any revelation to be gleaned from spending several days on a single train, it will come from the bizarre details that lurk beneath the mundanity of the trip itself.” – Rolf Potts In this episode of Deviate, Rolf reads his essay On the Trans-Siberian Express (2:00) and then recounts, with Jonathan Arlan, the story behind the story, discussing his approach to writing about his experiences on the Trans-Siberian railroad (1:17:00). Jonathan Arlan (@JonathanArlan) is the author of the book Mountain Lines: A Journey through the French Alps and a recent Tablet essay titled Off the Rails in Birobidzhan. Notable Links: Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, by Rolf Potts (book) Genghis Khan (historical figure) David Foster Wallace (author) In Xanadu, by William Dalrymple (book) Naadam (festival) Ulan-Ude (Russian city) Elderhostel, i.e., Road Scholar (non-profit organization) Hunter S. Thompson (journalist and author) Douglas Coupland (author and artist) Fyodor Dostoevsky (author) William S. Burroughs (writer) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

LaToya Morgan, a television writer and producer known for her work on shows like Shameless and Into the Badlands, shares insights into her creative journey. She discusses how her upbringing and early influences shaped her storytelling. LaToya highlights the importance of character arcs and representation, revealing her experiences in writers' rooms and the challenges of advocating for diversity. She also emphasizes the blend of personal experience and research in her scripts and provides practical advice for aspiring writers on maintaining discipline and a balanced work-life approach.

“Punk is not a sound for me. It’s not a style of music. It’s not a look. It’s not even an attitude. For me punk is the free space: It’s the place where new ideas can be presented without having to hew to profit motives.”  — Ian MacKaye Ian MacKaye is the co-founder of Dischord Records and former front man for Fugazi and Minor Threat. He currently performs in the two-piece indie band The Evens with his partner Amy Farina. He curates an informal archive of the Washington DC hardcore and post-hardcore music scenes, including the Fugazi Live Series, an extensive online library of digitized concert recordings. In this episode of Deviate Rolf and Ian discuss the “Nirvana moment” of the early 1990s, how new ideas find their way into music, and how lesser known acts influence the dynamic of popular culture (8:00); the task of archiving and preserving evidence of music that was created outside the commercial music industry (29:00); skateboarding and punk rock as lenses through which to see the world in a different way (45:30); and the lessons and experiences of traveling the world as a musician. Notable links: Our Band Could Be Your Life, by Michael Azerrad (2001 book) Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century, by Greil Marcus (1989 book) Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag, by Henry Rollins (1994 book) “Why Do So Many Kids Think Fugazi is God?” 1993 Washington Post article Henry Rollins’ 2018 KCRW interview with Ian MacKaye Woodstock (documentary film) The Vietnam War (Ken Burns TV documentary series) Thích Quảng Đức (Vietnamese monk who died by self-immolation) Phonograph cylinder (19th century recording technology) Dada (early 20th century avant-garde art movement) Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (museum) Bands, musicians, and music mentioned: Henry Rollins (vocalist, author, and performer) Dave Grohl (rock musician) Kurt Cobain (rock musician) Ted Nugent (rock musician) Jimi Hendrix (rock musician) The Stooges (rock band) Black Flag (hardcore punk band) Bad Brains (hardcore punk band) Lungfish (post-hardcore Dischord band from Baltimore) Empire (post Generation X English punk band) Dead Moon (DIY garage punk band fronted by Fred Cole) Heatmiser (early 1990s Elliott Smith post-hardcore band) The Wipers (1970s Portland punk band) Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski (Black Flag band members) “The Laughing Song” (late 19th century recording by George W. Johnson)   Look what my hero Ian Mackaye (Minor Threat/Fugazi) just found: a letter I wrote to him when I was 14! Haha! pic.twitter.com/Ak8gxZz5m6 — Foo Fighters (@foofighters) May 28, 2015 The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.