AV Club's Nathan Rabin talks about Podcast Culture on Marc Maron's 300th episode of WTF

<< crossposted on the 'Let's Get Real podcast' blog

Comedians Marc Maron & Pete Holmes 

I've spoken before about my appreciation for comedians Marc Maron and Pete Holmes as well as my love of Podcasts. I've referenced and excerpted their stories to supplement my travel stories and my own personal journeys.

Inspired by these artists, I'll be starting my own podcast. It will explore similar existential themes found on this blog, talking about the journeys we take and the connections we make. Its a work in progress at this stage so stay tuned.

Marc Maron recently aired the 300th episode of his celebrated 'WTF podcast'. To mark the occasion he spoke to several people to find out what impact his show has had for its audience, his peers and the wider culture.

Maron phones AV Club's Head Writer Nathan Rabin to discuss the show's impact culturally:

Marc Maron's WTF - Episode 300
MARC MARON: (18m 40s) I felt that my voice was valid and that whatever I'd done in my life to get me onto a mic was what I'd bring to it. And its very odd because I don't think how I talk or how I engage is necessarily unusual but as I do it more I realise that there is some sort of craving for organic or frank conversation. That's always been how I've talked to people and that might speak to why I don't have a lot of close friends. Its draining in a way.

NATHAN RABIN: I think part of it is you listen to a talk show, especially a television talk show. People sort of engaging in socially mandated charades, the host is pretending to be interested and the guest can get 8 minutes of television, the guests can promote their product.

You never get that sense with WTF. You never get the sense that you're interested in somebody as an entertainer or as somebody with something to move. You get the sense that you're interested in humanity and you're interested in the shared humanity. You're interested in where you overlap. You're interested in where you clash. You're interested in how you can see the world from antithetical places yet share this thing that everybody shares which is being human

Maron speaks to another of my current rolemodels, Pete Holmes. The two of them are inward-looking but genuinely curious people, Pete unashamedly admits his 'You Made it Weird' podcast is a direct ripoff of WTF. Holmes is one of the leading lights in the new generation of Alt comics, he discusses what WTF has meant for Maron's comedy and podcast successors.

MARC MARON: (1h 15m 08s) You and I need to talk to people to get a sense of who we are. We crave that moment... I always relied on other people to feed - looking for these answers that are gonna make my life easier or better... I'm a pretty selfish and self involved guy and through the course of the podcast from the feedback I get and the struggles I go through and how people relate to it... I'm amazed that whatever I've been accused of which is selfishness - that my struggle with being me in the world is helping people

PETE HOLMES: It's a type of alchemy... we both turned selfishness, a little inwardness, a little navel gazing into something that's actually helping people...

I can definitely relate to their sentiment about relating to the world through conversing with others. I'm the same way.

Find previous Marc Maron podcast references here:
- Adam Carolla - On being sedentary
- Doug Stanhope - On happiness
- Norm MacDonald - On being in the moment

Find previous Pete Holmes podcast references below:
- Pete Holmes collection: Adjacent experiences
- Matt Besser: Travel coincidences and Counting the serendipities
- Duncan Trussell: Traveling, living the dream and remembering it
- Kyle Kinane: Being excited everyday
- The Sklar Brothers: Performing, possibly failing - That's living the dream
- A question answered with a quote: Comedy Podcasts

What podcasts do you listen to? Any Marc Maron or Pete Holmes fans

Home Reading: 'Out-of-body Experience' (Astral Travel) and 'What a Coincidence!' (Synchronicity)

<< crossposted on the 'Let's Get Real podcast' blog

I can't recall how my fascination with "consciousness" began. I've always been intrigued by reality, more specifically 'hyperreality'. It has its roots in my love for wrestling and exposure to it in movies. I was formally educated on it in my Design Studies classes in University which was around the time seminal movies like Fight Club and The Matrix were being released.

My year abroad definitely awakened and accessed parts of my consciousness. A powerful sense of Déjà vu struck me at a particular sight on the Main Square in Riga, Latvia so much so that I was compelled to text my Couchsurfing host of it. I read books on mastering memory when I was in Den Haag. I've had my reality shaken by scammers in Istanbul. I've referenced Dreams and Synchronicity in previous posts as well.

Below are two books I've read recently on these themes, I've highlighted passages which resonated with my recent line of thinking:

'What a Coincidence' by Susan M. Watkins 

Ch 5. Random Thoughts, Media Feedback
Thus the vocabulary of your interest determines the symbols used by your inner senses, exactly the way dreams operate. Within the safety of that framework, chosen and adapted by you, coincidence will often seem to cycle around bits and pieces that suggest themes you should be paying attention to...

Again, this is exactly what your dreams are up to, or rather what you are up to in your dreams, even when you don't remember them consciously. In that way, coincidences are the awake world extensions of the dream state...

Or maybe just learning to acknowledge coincidence is enough to maintain a link to the inner, natural workings of consciousness. Maybe coincidences are always there, muttering in the background, forming the internet of our days, a media hullabaloo of their own. And when you do notice them, even peripherally, your intuitions spring to attention and force you to ask questions about your reality: What's going on here? What is it I have access to? Something? Nothing? Everything? And once you've asked these questions, you can never quite go back to thinking of your position in the world as meaningless or mechanical.

My fascination with Astral Travel only recently came about through the compelling conversations I heard between Comedians Duncan Trussell and Pete Holmes. As someone who places a premium on living in the moment and being "present", I later realised it was odd that I'd be fascinated by leaving one's body and going to far off places.

The Out-of-Body Experience by Anthony Peake 

Ch 10. The Physics
Recent suggestions by Professor Stephen Hawking and an associate, Thomas Hertog of CERN, make this an even more fascinating proposition. They have presented a complex mathematical model proposing something that they term the 'observer created universe'. They argue that all these universes do not branch off and exist in isolation, but they exist simultaneously in a state of 'superposition' You will recall that this is the state a particle is in before it is 'observed'. It exists in a superposition of all possible locations where it may statistically be found when the probability wave collapses.

Let us step back and take account  of exactly what one of the world's leading physicists is suggesting - you are creating your own universe as you go along, and so is every other consciousness. And this goes for all the other people you interact with in a lifetime. We are all existing in our own personal computer game in which each decision brings about a different version of reality, but (and this is very important to grasp) the potential outcome of each decision exists whether or not you choose it.

- Find other books in the Home Reading and Road Reading collection here
- Read my previous post on Synchronicity here, Travel coincidences and Counting the serendipities
- Find posts on Consciousness on the 'Lets Get Real' podcast blog

Where do you stand on Astral Travel and Synchronicity?

Camp Geres, near the border of Portugal and Spain

I spent my month in Porto, Portugal with warmhearted Brasilian Erasmus students. I had been invited to stay after connecting with a few of them in Valencia months previous. I hadn't intended to stay for as long as I did but my wallet was pickpocketed during my transit to their Train stop at Casa De Musica. I was met with nothing but love and generosity and was instantly welcomed into their Familia Feliz (happy family).

An excursion to Camp Geres, Portugal's only natural park was organised by Bruno 3 weeks into my stay. We lovingly referred to him as "Macgyver" for his resourcefulness. That said as most of the crew were from Brazil's south (Rio Grande do Sul) they were no stranger to the outdoors.

From Porto its a roughly 2hr train ride to Braga which is as far North as it goes, then a scenic 1hr Bus ride to the Parque. There is an Information Centre onsite but our Macgyver had printed of his own terrain maps so we were in capable hands. His steady orienteering guided us to some breathtaking views and spectacular waterfalls and assured us when we went off course.

We cooked beans for dinner, went down some hairy inclines, danced under waterfalls and sang in the rain. On the final day we made the 15km hike to the Fronteira of Spain, on the border of Galicia. The pouring rain made us cut our excursion short from 4 days to 3, we met a tripped out Portugese Gandalf who lived in the park which capped off our memorable time.

Transcript: Travelers depression and feeling the pain

Me and JP in Adelaide that one time

Facebook has been a great way to reconnect with people you may have only had a fleeting interaction with. I've have had several conversations lately concerning what constitutes a friend. I'm very liberal with the definition, I try to have meaningful and genuine interactions (hopefully enjoyable too) with everyone I meet. I've always liked the line "A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet", it speaks to a curiosity and openness that appeals to me.
JP was one of my awesome hostel running mates in Adelaide during my YesMan year of 2010. We had an impromptu FB chat reflecting on what it's been like returning to normal life. Felt it was worth sharing:

LOZ: how's normal life // 2yrs of freedom right. or more?
JP: honestly, boring as fuck lol // yeah about 12 days short of 2 years when got back
LOZ: 2 more years than most boring lives
JP: very true
LOZ: boring  //  how do you make it interesting? u around travelers still?
JP: done a year at uni and all the while just been planning more travelling a few, but it was a long process to get back to normal, only now about there went through a bad bit of "travellers depression"
JP: yeah 

Lomography in Köln, Germany

Lomo photos featured in my 'Memento Year' exhibition

Are you looking for something new to try? Interested in spicing up your sightseeing? Why not give Lomography a shot.

Lomography is lo-fi photography based out of Austria supported by a community of enthusiasts around the world. I found LOMO posters around the art district in Porto and shopfronts in Germany. 

I signed up for an introductory lesson from the LOMO store by Ehrenstraße then created a Couchsurfing event inviting people to join. I encouraged my current and previous CS host as well as a German friend I'd unexpectedly reconnected with to take the workshop and walking tour. It was a novel way of seeing the city, spend time with friends whilst making new ones along the way.

Chillin at Die Wohngemeinschaft (Share House) Bar

Afterwards we enjoyed gourmet burgers at Hans im Glück and cool drinks at Die Wohngemeinschaft. We were invited to a CSer's loft for a modern German Christmas experience. We baked customised apples, internet-streamed Christmas songs and sampled the imported winning Christmas cake from our host's Bavarian hometown. One of the many memorable days I had in Cologne, Germany.

This was the camera loaned to me for the LOMO tour.
Not a high end one but more than makes up for it in Style points.

Guest posting on 'Nomadic Samuel' - The many faces of the South of Spain, Andalucia

Rockabilly in Sevilla -  Subcultures in the South of Spain

Thank you 'Nomadic Samuel' for hosting my Guest post on your brilliant blog. The post features pictures that capture the different cultural faces found in Andalucia. Samuel has a popular blog that incredibly just celebrated its 1st birthday. He also recently launched a new venture 'Backpacking Travel Blog' with fellow blogger and girlfriend Audrey of 'That Backpacker'.

NomadicSamuel.com - Andalucia in Spain

Find more Spain photo posts here:
- Spotted: Photos from Sevilla and Córdoba - The first 48.
- Me and my Girlfriend: Riding high in Andalucia (1 of 3)
- The kids are alright: Subculture in the South of Spain
- Camera games: The Corner collection in Spain

Read more posts on Spain below:
- Mixtape: 'Loz in Translation' Sampler (Spain)
- On Top of: Lloret Del Mar - No Spain, No Gain
- On Top of: Puerta Monaita - Hang Granada

Find my other Guest Posts:
- Nod n Smile: Things that make you go hmm in Portugal
- The Facial: Finding Basketball around Europe
- Couple of Sports: How I won personalised sneakers in Lisbon, Portugal
- Nomadic Samuel: The many faces of the South of Spain, Andalucia

Memento Spotlight: Conversation doodles from Firenze, Italy

A Memento Year Exhibition - 'Anatomy of a Conversation'

Over Christmas in Hamburg I had the pleasure of presenting an exhibition at the art gallery I was sleeping at. I had met a German artist earlier that year in Venice, he extended an invitation for me to crash at his artist commune and put on a show. I took him up on the offer 10 months later and presented all I could, the artefacts and memories I'd accumulated on my trip. These spotlights will showcase those mementos and detail the stories behind them.

Detail scan - 19/02/2011

Day 22: Firenze, Italy
I only stayed 2 days in Florence, Italy. It was early into my year abroad and I was still developing my style of travel. At this stage I was traveling quickly and hadn't yet decided on staying a month in each country. I had also organised some hostel work for my return to Venezia the following week for Carnevale so I was on a tight schedule.