Pick of the week: Tim Ferriss on the Good Life Project
Guests don’t come much more podcast-friendly than Tim Ferriss, the purveyor of sage advice and a four-hour work week. The latest episode of Jonathan Fields’ long-running Good Life Project (Wondery/iTunes) podcast has him musing: Halfway Through Life, What Really Matters?
Ferriss barely needs an introduction before he’s off imparting not just the wisdom of his 40 years, but how he learned it. There’s a debate about whether the point of mid-life reflection is 40 or 50, but for Ferriss it’s now, as he’s lost friends and spent a lot of time “playing racketball with ideas”.
That led him to a silent retreat, which he admits was tough. “You really have no way to purge thoughts or distract yourself from them,” he says. “In the beginning you’re thinking about your to-do list, you’re thinking about some stupid email you forgot to answer before you got there, you’re thinking about did I bring enough socks or some porn you watched three days before.”
Although some of the ideas covered are pretty standard, Ferriss has a talent for delivering them with the air of a man who just knows. “If you want to love other people fully, you actually have to figure out how to love yourself on some level,” he says.
But it’s when he’s talking about the conversation he had with his friend Terry Laughlin at the end of his life that Ferriss really gets to the heart of what’s important. Laughlin, who taught him about total immersion swimming and helped him overcome his fear of water, gave his last interview on a hospital ward. “We’re not going to all die of old age,” says Ferriss, reflecting on the brutal truths he learned. “Whether it’s your dream trip or telling your dad that you love him … That someday just gets pushed and pushed and pushed until it’s too late.”
It’s not just typical of Ferriss’s gung-ho go-for-it attitude, but a heart-flipping reminder to get on with it.
Your picks: Let’s talk about sex, spooky stories and the States
Using real stories told by real people, Melody Thomas leads a frank (but often entertaining) exploration of sex, sexuality and relationships. By not ignoring any age, gender or conversation about sexuality, it’s open to anyone and everyone. As my good friend a little drunkenly declared: “EVERYONE should HAVE to listen to this!” And it’s true – BANG! feels refreshing in a society that often finds itself shamed by sex. Recommended by Rosie Morrison
Two Belfast born boys, Rory Powers and Kit Grier, retell paranormal stories before judging their validity. They cover bizarre and little heard of cases such as Twitter hauntings and the theory that Santa is a goblin. What makes this podcast so engaging is the obvious joy and surreal humour they use to spook not just the listeners but also each other.
The level of research and detail ensures that the show is always enlightening, and this comes as a surprise when discussing such seemingly banal cases as “The Man Who Punched Bigfoot” or “Man Receives Emails from 1500s”. As a fan of the paranormal, the obscurity of the cases chosen should intrigue; as a fan of comedy, the hosts’ easy relationship and infectious humour make this a riotous listen. Recommended by Laura Jones
Dom Joly’s Big American Vacation
Dom Joly’s Big American Vacation does exactly what it says on the tin (or badge in this case). It explores America, capturing the charm, humour and wit of his 90s shows. But it’s the sheer breadth of experiences Joly and his producer manage to cram into the eight episodes that makes it absurdly brilliant – real-life hangover hospitals, alligator wrestling, a simulated Mexican border crossing and a day-long “Frozen Dead Guy” festival. At a time when much of the news coming out of America is resolutely humourless, Big American Vacation reminds you that the so-called fly-over states can be wickedly fun too. Recommended by Charlotte Nathan
Guardian pick: Listen to Adulting, our new audio drama
The Guardian has just released its debut podcast audio drama, Adulting, starring Pearl Mackie in her first post-Doctor Who role. The six-part series follows a group of millennials who are reunited at a wedding after a mysterious event in their university days splintered their friendship group. Alongside Mackie we have Game of Thrones/Skins stars Joe Dempsie and Hannah Murray, Misfits’ Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Kathryn Wilder, best known for starring opposite Tom Hiddleston in Kenneth Branagh’s recent production of Hamlet. It’s written by Eddie Robson (Doctor Who, Radio 4’s Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully) and produced/directed by myself.
For those with long memories, the setup may evoke memories of 90s TV drama This Life. But this has more twists and turns, secrets and lies, breathlessly barrelling along through six tight-plotted 10-minute episodes. If you’ve not heard much audio drama, or Radio 4’s not your cup of tea, why not start here? Recommended by Simon Barnard
