The ClearOut

In this episode, Dara goes on a deep dive into Peter Ustinov's 1962 film of Herman Melville's Billy Budd. He recalls being struck by Terence Stamp's remarkable performance and beauty when he first saw it over 25 years ago. A naval setting provides the battleground for innocence vs evil, but what was most memorable to Dara was the gay subtext and the grim denouement that it provoked.

Staying on that theme, Dara looks at other film iterations of thwarted male desire and especially the depiction of closeted lust. He wonders about the relationship between violence and the inability to consummate desire. Speaking further to that theme he references a recent NY Times article that contained an observation that was chilling in its nakedness.

Dara argues that the recent allegations made against Russell Brand are hardly surprising - not specifically about Brand, but rather that yet another man in a position of power and influence has allegedly abused his status at the expense of sexual victims. He also refers to the death of Barry Bennell, a convicted child abuser from the world of English football and asks how many blind eyes have to be turned for sexual predators to thrive. Not for the first time, he rails against the dire implications of the relentless objectification of women, the violence in porn, and the disproportionate and confused emphasis of female sexual utility.

To bring the episode to a less confronting conclusion, Dara reads in full the very particular prose of Bosley Crowther's 61-year-old review of Billy Budd.

NY Times article on one woman's experience of male sexual aggression (paywall): https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/15/style/modern-love-pinned-under-the-bodies-of-men.html

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In this episode, Dara argues that in the process of 'othering', many are guilty of thinking only in monolithic terms, i.e. attributing unchanging characteristics to all members of the othered party. This reduces people to stereotypes and cliches, and robs them of both their individuality and the presumption of no bias. He wonders if this isn't a huge part of the problem with discourse around identity politics, woke culture and gender wars.

Dara equates assumptions and prejudices with weapons and makes a case for the benefits of disarmament in the service of engendering trust and openness. He also stresses the imperative of non-judgement as part of a safety template that allows people to feel they don't need to defend themselves.

The idea of service interests Dara and he sees parallels between the world of martial arts and conflict resolution that are informed by Platonic Idealism. Are we interested in serving ourselves, or a higher, more altruistic objective? He relates a story where in order to push towards a better artistic and creative outcome, he had to consciously not care about how he was being perceived.

Stepping tentatively around the subject of domestic violence, Dara claims that there is nobody in that situation who is not a victim. He looks at damaged masculinity through the lens of a collective wound to try to understand better the expression of male anger. He recognises that many people feel wounded and struggle to present that side of themselves in a functional way.

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In this episode, Dara responds to a confronting conversation about the podcast that raised issues of self-worth, purpose, and the validity of the podcast itself. He looks at the specific criticism levelled at the show and what he does on it and makes a case for the defence. In a broader sense he looks at situations of personal conflict and how to remove emotion from the equation in order to view things more dispassionately.

Drawing on his martial arts background, he talks about embracing the contradictory impulses of hyper-vigilance and total ease. He describes the process he works through each week on the podcast as being akin to a longitudinal study. It's a rolling experiment with the terms of which he is very comfortable. Part of that comfort means making an accommodation with vulnerability and feelings that have the potential to lead him astray on any given week. He advocates for 'following the thought' as a means to deepen understanding of impulses and reactions.

On the subject of credibility in general, and his in particular, Dara looks at his personal philosophy of committing to patterns and routines, and the credibility that is tethered to functional consistency. While not a contrarian, he admits to the questioning of institutions and conferring bodies and explains why that is the case. Ultimately, his belief resides in the doing of things that come from a place of authentic intention. The value of how that is received by others is not for him to say.

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This power-cut interrupted episode picks up where last week's episode left off - with no clothes on! Dara wraps up his thoughts on nudity by addressing some omissions from last time. He briefly looks at a couple of male movie nudes before talking about his life modelling experience while in acting school in England in the mid-nineties. An article on a new photo exhibition that replaces Helmut Newton's chilly women with male models raises questions of conditioning, objectification, and the dominance of the male gaze.

Switching to the notion of shame around nudity, Dara recalls the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The idea of being sullied with original sin enrages him and he rails against its perversity. He reflects on childhood shame and the impulse children have to seek approval and affirmation. Yet again, he examines his own parenting patterns and hopes he is being sufficiently vigilant to ensure shame is not in the equation.

A recent protest at the Burning Man festival gets Dara onto the subject of the wealthiest stratum of society having a disproportionate influence on the cost of major events in the cultural and sporting domain. He argues that too many 'normal' people are getting shut out of collective experiences because they keep getting more expensive. Should events like these be for the rich alone? Lifestyle culture as endlessly presented on social and popular media has a lot to answer for in this area.

The episode finishes with a review of John Boorman's lovely movie memoir, 'Conclusions'.

Hani Hape's Helmut Newton treatment: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/aug/28/pornographic-chic-helmut-newtons-sexist-nudes-gender-switching-hani-hape

Burning Man protest: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/28/burning-man-protest-climate-change-environment

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In this episode, Dara realises he omitted to mention three things in relation to the theme of nudity: shame, Viggo Mortensen's willingness to bare all, and a ridiculous story from his acting school days that featured nudity, singing, and money! Things he may have to return to next week...

What you will hear is a discussion of nudity and nakedness in different contexts. Dara thinks the idea of being naked, or exposed, has been a core element of the podcast since it started as he has leaned into being open and honest about his own life from the very first episode. He explains that he does so in service of authentic and relatable self-examination that he trusts will be of interest and use to listeners of the podcast.

The idea of trust is very central to Dara's relationship to his body as he got to know it in the context of his first sexual relationships. As far as he was concerned, relationships were safe spaces of mutual approval and respect. In that atmosphere, he was far more interested in what his body could do as opposed to what it looked like.

The naked body is looked at in other contexts and Dara argues that restricting it to sexual desirability not only does it a great disservice, but also diminishes the experience and scope of the beholder. Moving from the literal to the figurative, he claims that there is no greater courage or honour than standing before someone emotionally or psychologically naked. To remove all barriers is to embrace a profound vulnerability that while potentially terrifying, can also speak of a surprising strength and confidence.

Time is also found to mention naked garden running, hospital bodies, and Bono's singing voice being the catalyst for this week's topic!

Website: https://theclearout.com/

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In this episode, Dara is perplexed by the moral ending of Jennifer Lawrence's new comedy, No Hard Feelings. What is the purpose of such moralising? Does the audience benefit from the character's personal edification? Should we care about a dissolute character's redemptive arc? He compares the sexual politics of that movie to Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot.

A contrasting comedy voice is that of Wes Anderson, whose new film Asteroid City Dara also watched recently. He admires the lack of morality in Anderson's movies, but confesses to being very much unmoved by this latest effort. He asks whether Anderson is more of an aesthetician than a moviemaker.

Should we be looking for morality tales in sex comedies? Are movies the place to find affirmations of our own goodness? If not there, where? And where do we obtain our own morality?

Dara also shares some abandoned podcast topics, and takes a moment to applaud the women's football teams of Ireland and Australia, who just competed in the Women's World Cup. What makes them so much better than their male counterparts?

Website: https://theclearout.com/

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YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

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In this episode, Dara shares his thoughts on the late William Friedkin, of whose films he has long been an admirer, particularly The Exorcist and the lesser-loved Sorcerer, his 1977 remake of 1953's La Salaire de la Peur. Those movies are discussed along with a general appraisal of Friedkin's voice and greater artistic significance. Dara considers the changing astronomy of the world as more and more creative giants of that generation appear to be coming to the end of their time.

Following a clash with his daughter in a library, Dara shares another parenting fail. He continues to try and own his far from perfect fathering and explains why he couldn't let his daughter go on a playdate until the air was cleared. He reveals a recently-discovered piece of parenting advice that he is finding extremely useful.

A photo-article on seahorse fathers - pregnant trans men - gives Dara pause for thought. He examines his reactions and tries to follow the thread of where his first thoughts lead him. Uncomfortable ideas come up relating to control, nature, intolerance, and most worryingly, dehumanisation.

Time is also found for custard runs, and encouragement to play the long game...

Website: https://theclearout.com/

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In this episode, Dara takes his time to say goodbye to Sinead O'Connor and speaks of her relevance to him from the early days of her career right up to more recent times when life presented her with a terrible burden to bear. He includes a clip from Ep 34 of the show when he spoke about the death by suicide of her son in January 2022.

Before he does that, Dara talks about his own recent mental health skirmishes, including being in the middle of a bad one while recording last week's edition of the show. He argues for ongoing dialogue around mental health and self-care as a way of countering social discomfort in the face of mental unwellness.

Returning to movies, Dara discusses at length and in a spoiler-free manner, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and Todd Field's Tar, two exceptional character studies of singular figures, one historical and one fictional. He is left in admiration of the talent involved, the assured storytelling of the respective directors, and the films serving as an antidote to the superhero saturation that has taken over cinema.

The episode concludes with Dara attempting to do justice to one of his favourite Sinead O'Connor songs, In This Heart from her 1994 album, Universal Mother.

Website: https://theclearout.com/

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YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

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In this episode Dara reviews some recently watched movies, including William Friedkin's To Live and Die in LA (1985), and Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City (1981), two much-lauded cop thrillers that each have their strengths and weaknesses and are very much products of their time.

Once again Dara finds himself interrupted by strangers just as he is about to get in water. What exactly is the energy he's giving off? Why can't he repel curious people when he is half-naked?

A wrap-up of recent events include a couple of weddings, a throng of new chickens, and a reflection on flow and integration inspired by a qi gong class. 

In the area of mental health and self-care, Dara looks at how we can easily miss things that are right in front of us because we are so determined to place our focus elsewhere. Citing Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook, he makes a case for reading the signs and picking up what life is putting down for us.

Website: https://theclearout.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/

YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

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In this episode, Dara's aged cat has gone to the toilet in the wrong place, and the cause is not feline terrorism but dementia and disorientation. The loss of bearings is a very difficult thing to negotiate because it can result in dislocation. Dara argues that as fundamentally relational beings, we need landmarks and touchstones to position ourselves in the world.

From institutions to abstract emotions to spiritual concepts, as well as innumerable people, we are rooted in connectedness as a means of making sense of wherever we are at any given time. Dara believes that one of life's ongoing challenges is to adapt to the existential turbulence that comes when parts of our world stop making sense to us. He wonders what the best strategy is to surf the wild ocean of life.

Arguing for the state of 'being in the zone', Dara makes a case for that mode been more easily accessed from the heart rather than the mind. Talking about facing fear and owning one's own challenges, he refers to martial arts, depressive onslaughts, the Yugoslavian Nobel laureate Ivo Andric, and the 1952 classic western High Noon, which he reframes as a metaphor for depression.

Time is also found to consider Erich Fromm's psychology, Fran Drescher's activism, and to get to the bottom of why the Lego smells so awful!

Website: https://theclearout.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/

YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.