Deviate With Rolf Potts

“The Sears Christmas Wish Book was, for me, a kind of foundational text — a secular counterpoint to the Bible stories I learned around that time in Sunday School. I paged through the holiday catalog’s 620 glossy pages as if they amounted to an intoxicating graphic novel of desire, rich with abundance and possibility.” – Rolf Potts, from “Literature of Desire” In this episode Rolf reads an audio version of his Christmas-themed essay “Literature of Desire,” and discusses the wonders of the Sears Christmas Wish Book with novelist Tod Goldberg (@todgoldberg). Tod is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including the novel Gangsterland, which is currently being developed into a television series. He is also the director of the University of California-Riverside Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA, and the co-host of the Literary Disco podcast. Introduction (00:35 – 11:20) Vintage Sears Wish Book online archive What Exactly is Christmas Tree Flocking? from Mental Floss Klonopin (anxiety medicatio

“These travel podcasts are great because you just drive around talking, and people feel like they’re sitting in the back seat.” – Ari Shaffir Ari Shaffir (@AriShaffir) is a comedian whose standup special Double Negative recently debuted on Netflix. He is the former host of Comedy Central’s storytelling show This is Not Happening, the current host of the Skeptic Tank podcast, and the perennial host and organizer of Shroomfest. In this freewheeling episode of Deviate, Rolf drives Ari around Los Angeles on a quest to get a burrito. Along the way they cover numerous topics, including Tinder and dating (8:30); their conflicted relationship with smartphones and technology (32:30); the psychic merits of taking magic mushrooms (55:15); and the awkward etiquette of when it is and is not appropriate to hug someone (1:36:50). People and interviews mentioned: Paul Thomas Anderson (film director) Sam Tripoli (comedian) Jessa Crispin (writer and critic) Keanu Reeves (actor) Vanna White (television personality) Tiffani Am

“If you go through your life expecting moral purity from every artist you love, you’re going to have a very lonely life, aesthetically.” – Tom Bissell Tom Bissell is an American author, journalist, and critic. He co-authored the book The Disaster Artist, which has been adapted into a movie starring James Franco, Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, and Alison Brie. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Tom discuss Metallica and thrash metal (5:25); violence in music and video games (23:30); how one’s relationship to one’s own writing transforms over time (28:10); the shallowness of cultural criticism in social-media (33:55); the dubious concept of “authenticity” as applied to food, music, and travel (42:00); co-writingThe Disaster Artist with actor Greg Sestero, and making sense of The Room (58:50); and finding joy and contentment within the creative process (1:06:00). Articles, books and movies: The Geto Boys, by Rolf Potts Slayer’s Reign in Blood, by D.X. Ferris Some Kind of Monster (documentary film about Metallica)

“The top of a mountain is just a pile of rock and ice, and it’s really not much different than being a couple hundred feet lower. What’s important are the lessons that you learn along the way when you’re fighting like hell to get up there. And then what you’re going to do with that information to be better going forward.” – Alison Levine Alison Levine (@Levine_Alison) is an American mountaineer, leadership consultant, and public speaker. She is one of less than 60 people to have ascended the highest peaks on every continent and skied to both the North and South Poles (known as the Explorers Grand Slam). Her 2014 book On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and Other Extreme Environments was a New York Times Bestseller. In Episode 4 of Deviate, Rolf discusses introversion versus extroversion (1:45); summiting Mount Everest and overcoming obstacles (18:55); respecting culture while fostering progress (37:00); Alison’s career path, and lessons learned along the way (51:20); finding mentors (1:04:30);

“You should write down what you would like your future to look like, because otherwise you will be on autopilot.” – Rolfe Kent In Episode 3 of Deviate, Rolf discusses music and the creative process with accomplished Hollywood film composer Rolfe Kent (@rolfekent), whose recent project, The Zen Effect, is available on iTunes. To download a free track from The Zen Effect, visit Rolfe’s website. Links: Tools: FS Binaural Microphone The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal, by Julia Cameron Ketogenic diet Oblique Strategies, created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt Pomodoro Technique (time management) Melodica (instrument) Mixtapes as a Lost Language: A Brief Cultural Primer Rolfe’s film and TV scores discussed in the interview: Dexter theme (television series) Sideways (film) Up in the Air (film) The Hunting Party (film) Mexico City (film) Reign Over Me (film) Mean Girls (film) Wedding Crashers (film) Legally Blond

“Culture is cosmetic” – Ernest White In Episode 2 of Deviate, Rolf explores friendship and culture as he goes on a road trip with friend, travel writer, and storyteller Ernest White (@ernestwhiteii), whose new TV show, Fly Brother, comes out soon. Links: Media Links Gringo Trails, by Pegi Vail (travel documentary) The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson James Baldwin (author) Notes of a Native Son, by James Baldwin The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin Passing Strange (Broadway musical / movie) Show Notes: Adult friendships and sexual orientation (8:00) Race (21:10) Cross-cultural travel dynamics (25:15) Recognizing commonalities and appreciating differences (43:40) Cultural conditioning (46:23) Brotherhood (54:15) This episode was sponsored by the Paris Writing Workshop, an intensive one-month course in the artistic heart of Europe. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments”

“If you never got paid for podcasting, would the skills and relationships you developed be enough to keep you doing it? If the answer is ‘no’, I wouldn’t pull the trigger.” – Tim Ferriss In the inaugural episode of Deviate, Rolf goes meta and talks about podcasting with bestselling author and lifestyle-design guru Tim Ferriss (@tferriss), whose newest book, Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World, debuts this week. Update (12/07/17): An abridged transcript for this episode is now available online in blog form, as “Tim Ferriss on his 17 principles for how to create a successful podcast.” Links: Podcasting Tools Ecamm Call Recorder (28:04) Zencastr (28:08) ATR2100 USB Microphone (28:38) Zoom H6 Recorder (1:15:24) Zoom H1 Recorder Shure SM7B Mic Audacity (software) Auphonic (postproduction web service) Yellowtec: iXm (self-enclosed mic) Evernote (web application) Other links Rolf Potts on the Tim Ferriss Show Ed Catmull on the Tim Ferriss Show Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Tim Ferriss Sh