

Keen On America
Andrew Keen
Nobody asks sharper or more impertinent questions than Andrew Keen. In KEEN ON, Andrew cross-examines the world’s smartest people on politics, economics, history, the environment, and tech. If you want to make sense of our complex world, check out the daily questions and the answers on KEEN ON.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 21, 2023 • 34min
Our Brains on Art and Music: Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross on how the arts improve both individual and communal health
EPISODE 1385: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the co-authors of YOUR BRAIN ON ART, Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross about how the arts transform us and how this can improve our health, enable us to flourish, and build stronger communitiesSusan Magsamen is the founder and director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she is a faculty member. She is also the co-director of the NeuroArts Blueprint. Susan works with both the public and private sectors using arts and culture evidence-based approaches in areas including health, child development, education, workforce innovation, rehabilitation, and social equity.Ivy Ross is the Vice President of Design for hardware product area at Google, where she leads a team that has won over 225 design awards. She is a National Endowment for Arts grant recipient and was ninth on Fast Company’s list of the one hundred Most Creative People in Business in 2019. Ross believes that the intersection of arts and sciences is where the most engaging and creative ideas are found.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Mar 21, 2023 • 33min
The New American Abnormal: Kerry Howley questions the seduction of a singular "truth" in the "Deep State" America of violent rumor, paranoia and perpetual surveillance
EPISODE 1384: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to BOTTOMS UP AND THE DEVIL LAUGHS author Kerry Howley about her journey through the Deep State and what this suggests about the existence of "truth" and "reality" in contemporary AmericaKerry Howley is an essayist, screenwriter, and the author of Thrown, a New York Times Notable Book, New York Times Editor’s Choice, and pick for best-of-the-year lists in Time, Salon, Slate, and many other venues. Writing in Salon, Lydia Kiesling called Thrown “extraordinary,” “incredibly bracing,” and “reminiscent of some of the boldest voices of twentieth-century fiction.” Novelist Lev Grossman called it “probably the most bizarre and fascinating book I’ve read this year” in the pages of Time, adding: “The precision of Howley’s prose reminds me of Joan Didion or David Foster Wallace. She writes like somebody in ecstasy.” Thrown has been translated into four languages. Howley is the screenwriter behind WINNER, a comic coming of age story adapted from her profile of an endearing young whistleblower. The film stars Emilia Jones, Connie Britton, and Zach Galifianakus, and will be released in 2023. Howley’s second nonfiction novel, Bottom’s Up and the Devil Laughs, is forthcoming from Knopf. In 2020 Howley left a professorship at the University of Iowa’s celebrated Nonfiction MFA program to join the staff of New York Magazine. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, Best American Sportswriting, The New York Times Magazine, and Harper’s. A Lannan Foundation Fellow and two-time National Magazine Award nominee, she lives in Los Angeles. Her latest book is BOTTOMS UP AND THE DEVIL LAUGHS: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE DEEP STATE (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Mar 21, 2023 • 33min
Who Doesn't Want to Reinvent Themselves? Joanne Lipman reveals the five laws of reinventing our lives and work
EPISODE 1383: In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to NEXT author Joanne Lipman about how to successfully reinvent how we live, work and lead.Joanne Lipman has served as Editor-in-Chief of USA Today, USA Today Network, Conde Nast Portfolio, and The Wall Street Journal's Weekend Journal, leading those organizations to six Pulitzer Prizes. She is also author of the No. 1 bestseller "That's What She Said," about closing the gender gap. A frequent speaker and television commentator, she is an on-air contributor at CNBC and journalism lecturer at Yale University. She was also named the inaugural Distinguished Journalism Fellow at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study. Dubbed "star editor" by CNN and "innovator in chief" by The New York Times, Lipman began her career as a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, ultimately rising to Deputy Managing Editor, the first woman to attain that post. There, she created Weekend Journal and Personal Journal, and supervised coverage that earned three Pulitzer Prizes. She subsequently was founding Editor-in-Chief of Conde Nast Portfolio and Portfolio.com, which won National Magazine and Loeb Awards. In 2015, she became the first Chief Content Officer of Gannett. There she was Editor in Chief of its USA Today and USA Today Network, encompassing the flagship title plus 109 metro newspapers including the Detroit Free Press, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and the Arizona Republic. In that role, she oversaw more than 3,000 journalists and led the organization to three Pulitzer Prizes. Lipman is a frequent television commentator, seen on ABC, CNN, NBC, CNBC, CBS, MSNBC and PBS, among others. Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time, Fortune, Newsweek and Harvard Business Review. She is also co-author of the critically acclaimed musical memoir, "Strings Attached." Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Mar 21, 2023 • 37min
Why Water Matters: Natalie Koch untangles the weirdly connected environmental fates of Arizona and Saudi Arabia
EPISODE 1382: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to ARID EMPIRE author Natalie Koch about the weirdly entangled fates of Arizona and Saudi ArabiaNatalie Koch is a Professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at Syracuse University. She is a political geographer specializing in the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula region, where she has worked since 2012. Her latest book is ARID EMPIRE: The Entangled Fates of Arizona and Arabia.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Mar 20, 2023 • 33min
Are You Drowning in Work? Nick Sonnenberg on how to reduce clutter and enable productivity
EPISODE 1381: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to productivity consultant and author of COMING UP FOR AIR author Nick Sonnenberg about a practical guide to increasing productivity at workNick Sonnenberg is the founder and CEO of Leverage, a business efficiency consultant, Inc. columnist and author of the upcoming book, Come Up For Air: How Teams Can Leverage Systems and Tools to Stop Drowning in Work. As a serial entrepreneur with a passion for productivity and a background in data science, Nick’s mission is to create companies that disrupt the way people work by leveraging the power of remote teams, digital tools, and powerful automations. His primary focus is to help teams operate more efficiently through his CPR® Business Efficiency Framework, a proven system for leaders, managers, and teams to maximize their performance and reduce overwhelm by using the right tools in the right way, at the right time. This framework consistently results in greater output, less stress, happier employees, and the potential to gain an extra full day per week in productivity per person. Nick has worked with individuals and companies of all sizes including Tony Robbins, Jay Abraham, Facebook, ConsenSys, and more.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Mar 20, 2023 • 30min
Do Women Make Better Murderers Than Men? Ren DeStefano on female serial killers and why she suspects everyone might have a murder in them
EPISODE 1380: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to true crime addict and author of HOW I'LL KILL YOU Ren DeStefano on female serial killers and why everyone, yes everyone, might have a murder in them.Ren DeStefano lives in Connecticut, where she was born and raised. When she’s not writing thrillers, she’s listening to true crime podcasts and crocheting way too many blankets. Her latest novel is HOW I’LL KILL YOU (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Mar 20, 2023 • 40min
Great Kingdoms of Africa: John Parker Liberates African history from the colonial narrative of oppression, suffering and powerlessness
EPISODE 1379: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the editor of GREAT KINGDOMS OF AFRICA, John Parker about the great precolonial kingdoms of Africa that have been marginalized throughout historyJohn is Senior Lecturer in the History of Africa at SOAS. He is the author of ‘Making the Town: Ga State and Society in Early Colonial Accra’, ‘Tongnaab: The History of a West African God’ and ‘African History: A Very Short Introduction’. He is currently researching a book on the history of death and burial in Ghana and is editing ‘The Oxford Handbook of Modern African History’ with his colleague Richard Reid. His latest edited book is GREAT KINGDOMS OF AFRICA (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Mar 19, 2023 • 35min
Hallucinations, Guardian Angels and The Third Man: Dr Ben Alderson-Day on the strange science and true stories of the unseen other
EPISODE 1378: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the psychologist and author of PRESENCE, Ben Alderson-Day, about the universal feeling that someone or something is there when we are aloneDr. Ben Alderson-Day is an Associate Professor in Psychology and a Fellow of the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing at Durham University. A specialist in atypical cognition and mental health, his work spans cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, philosophy, and child development. His latest book is PRESENCE: The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Mar 18, 2023 • 33min
Keen On Keen: Andrew Keen on the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, ChatGPT4 and the general state of tech in 2023
EPISODE 1377: In this KEEN ON, Andrew is interviewed by the Bulgarian journalist and Digitalk conference organizer Yoan Zapyranov about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, ChatGPT4 and the general state of tech in 2023.Digitalk Conference is an event for game changers and entrepreneurs with breakthrough ideas that will take place at Sofia Event Center & ONLINE on 18 May 2023. For more: https://www.digitalkconference.com/Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Mar 18, 2023 • 42min
Appropriating the appropriators: Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai on why female novelists like herself should appropriate the voices of men
EPISODE 1376: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of DUST CHILD ,Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, about Vietnamese Amerasians, the role of literature in healing trauma, and why female novelists like herself should appropriate the voices of men Born and raised in Việt Nam, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is the author of The Mountains Sing, runner-up for the 2021 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, winner of the 2020 BookBrowse Best Debut Award, the 2021 International Book Awards, the 2021 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, and the 2020 Lannan Literary Award Fellowship for Fiction. She has published twelve books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and has received some of the top literary prizes in Việt Nam. Her writing has been translated into twenty languages and has appeared in major publications, including the New York Times. She has a PhD in creative writing from Lancaster University. She is an advocate for the rights of disadvantaged groups in Việt Nam and has founded several scholarship programs, and she was named by Forbes Vietnam as one of twenty inspiring women of 2021. For more information, visit: http://www.nguyenphanquemai.com. Her latest book is DUST CHILD (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.


