Men: An Explanation Podcast

Here is our podcast, episode #1. It doesn’t even have a title. Tim may post it with a different title.

We joke in the first moments that the podcast might be called “How to not be an incel a*****e” but really we just go on to talk about what moves us deeply in this world. And at least for me, at least, how it contradicts what I sometimes feel impulsively.

Here are some timestamps:

00:00 How we didn’t wind up incels03:18 Introspection, feelings, etc.05:10 The act of creating and understanding creation9:00 The love of horror novels, aggressive music 13:00 History and the long-term14:00 Models of adulthood and manhood involving story15:45 Internal space, following rewarding feelings19:20 Drawing Peanuts, emotions in boxes23:00 Navigating emotions through art, changing art forms31:15 Rock bands and poetry readings36:30 Tim on Mary Wollstonecraft, early feminist and mother of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley39:00 Tom on John Darnielle, author41:00 Salutations42:00 Reading Corner: Tom reads 8 minutes of Master of Reality by John Darnielle

Dear friends,

This blog/substack will be taking a detour; it will become a sort of podcast, in collaboration with my friend Tim Miller, whose podcast about myth, poetry and story saved my pandemic and has been a life line to real feelings in a time when everything seems

As a preface to that podcast, as yet unnamed, and unrecorded (but perhaps beginning here next week?) I am beginning to read aloud, John Darnielle’s stunning, gorgeous and sad book, Master of Reality. This is unofficial and unlicensed. This is 13 minutes of probably 1 or 2 hours. I will continue until it is finished.

Hoping my podcast about Men with Tim Miller, tentatively titled The Savage Amazement if we don’t call it, How To Not Be An Incel A*****e, will begin in the next few days…

Anyway, enjoy the first 10th of this fantastic book that had me weeping in the street when I first read it. Thanks to John for all his fantastic work up from the ashes.