On this episode, I relate the story of losing power in my home due to an historic Oklahoma ice storm. After recounting the creeping slow horror of an ice storm, Kris and I discuss the concept of power and electricity. How dependent are we on this modern miracle? How sustainable is it?

We talk James Clerk Maxwell, the mystical power of electricity, the work of David Lynch, Kris's close encounter with high voltage, the Spark Ranger, Manly P. Hall, step-down transformers, grounding, and the Insane Clown Posse.

On this episode, Kris and I continue our discussion of empathy. We start off by talking about Spinoza's Ethics, then we cover the ideas of understanding our claws, violence and the sacred, personal sovereignty, response-ability, knowing what day it is, and Peter Singer's tithe.

Kris tells a great story about a group of Muslims and a Buddhist monk in Kuala Lumpur, which leads to a dive into the etymology of "alms."

How do we break the edicts handed down to us from the modern managerial caste? How do we learn to understand people as the complex, contradictory individuals they are?

There must be some kind of way out of here.

On this episode, Kris and I discuss: James Wright, the etymology of empathy, you can’t take my shoes, a kind moose, difference between empathy and kindness, the wisdom of Vida Blue, is empathy respectful?, the case against middle management, the value of sincerity, swordsmanship without a sword, and Do Every Thing Wrong!

Follow JDO on Twitter: @brbjdo

Follow Kris on Twitter: @KrisSaknussemm

Music and mixing for this episode: ous/li

On this episode, Kris and I talk the equation of mental health with mental illness, rats in cages, the seductive allure of circumstance, the meaning of aftermath, JDO's sordid history, practical suggestions for dealing with depression, and The Archaic Torso of Apollo.

On this episode, Kris and I discuss my mescaline-induced alien encounter and strange synchromystic adventures at a mime school in Korea. We also talk the deathbed poetry of Dutch Schultz and the parallels with AI-generated song lyrics. Rounding out the episode is a deep dive into Koro/Shuk Yang ("head of the turtle" syndrome), Marian apparitions, The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and Joni Mitchell.

A map of Marian apparitions.

JDO on Twitter

Kris on Twitter

The music and mixing for this episode is from ous/li.

The image for this episode is Kris's own "Devil's Details" (2010)

Email us with thoughts and stories at: [email protected]

On this episode, Kris and I talk about the work of Gregory Bateson, schizmogenesis, breaking the barriers of language, hypnosis, the play nature of paranormal phenomena, the magic of dingos, A Pickle for the Knowing Ones, ecstatic states in art, and the pain of initiation.

If you enjoy this episode, please follow us on Twitter:

David: @brbjdo

Kris: @KrisSaknussemm

The music and mixing for this episode was performed by ous/li.

On this episode, Kris and I are back to the ongoing conversation about magic and art. We discuss the earth’s blood, the business of metaphor, The Throne of the Third Heaven, a face-tatted trench coat in a house of monsters, free advice about gambling addiction, Terence McKenna, and a Crossroads Man.

Follow JDO on twitter: @brbjdo

Follow Kris on twitter: @KrisSaknussemm

Keep your fingers crossed for a Reverend America reissue at some point.

Artists mentioned:

James Hampton

William Kurelek

If you like the music and mixing in this episode, check out ous/li.

On this episode, Kris and I discuss bringing language into the physical, the sacredness of speech, the transcendence of a blue heron, and how certain objects attain a kind of soul once they are used. What does it mean to verb a name? I also give a little update about the developing mystery surrounding the mental hospital I live near, which involves a force that may be thousands of years old.

Please send any thoughts you might have about the content of our show to [email protected].

Follow me on Twitter: @brbjdo

Follow Kris on Twitter: @KrisSaknussemm

Thanks for listening!

On this episode, Kris and I follow up on our idea of writing as explorative rather than expressive. We discuss the sensory impact of Oklahoma, the people in my neighborhood, fitting into a place, performative weirdness versus natural weirdness, Kafka, The Flaming Lips, David Lynch, the musicality of the word "Oklahoma," incorporating words from other languages, and the magic of metaphor.

I hope you're enjoying this new show. Kris and I are having a blast.

Hey everyone, JDO here. Welcome to my brand new podcast NO COUNTRY, which I cohost with cult writer, nature photographer, and "failed anthropologist" Kris Saknussemm. NO COUNTRY is about Magic (from Jungian/Western occult/indigenous perspectives), how to revive books and literature, and why we love America, even though we both feel like strangers here most of the time.

This is a podcast that exists because it's a small niche that I hadn't seen filled quite yet: the intersection of magic, books, and dudes being dudes. Kris is an excellent storyteller, and we swap stories back and forth about how to understand place, encounters with shamans and street people, and how tornadoes are gods.

If you like the music, that was done by Ous/Li. Check out his music here.