Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan Chris Ryan

I was recently on Cory’s podcast, and I enjoyed our conversation so much that I proposed we keep it rolling on mine. That’s how it works with us podcasters. Dinner at my place, dinner at your place. In addition to hosting his very successful podcast, Cory has published a book about mindfulness, and has written, produced, and engineered his own music and helped lots of other musicians through the creative process.

Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Jungle,” Tash Sultana; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.

Info about the Ancestral Health Symposium is here. You can get tickets to Rick Beato’s event in LA here.

And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers:

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

On his second visit to the podcast, Frans discusses his latest book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, as well as one of my favorite books, Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape, which he co-authored with photographer Frans Lanting.

Frans received his Ph.D. in Biology and Zoology from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, in 1977. He completed his postdoctoral study of chimpanzees while associated with Utrecht University, in 1981, and moved the same year to the USA. He is C. H. Candler Professor Emeritus of Primate Behavior at Emory University and the former director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

If you’d like more, here is my previous conversation with Frans, from 2015:

Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Monkey,” by Joe Henry; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.

And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers:

Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To receive bonus material, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris and Nani manage the amazing Kisima Ngeda Camp, on Lake Eyasi, Tanzania. Chris grew up nearby after his German parents moved to Africa on an impulse, and stayed on, while Nani stumbled into this oasis while adventuring through as a penniless, apparently fearless traveler. The story of how they met, fell in love, and built a world will make you feel good about life, people, and chance. (I never got around to taking a photo of Chris and Nani, but they’re even more attractive than you’re imagining.)

Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “N'Jariñu Garab,” by Cheikh Lo; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.

To receive bonus material, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

And now something extra just for you lovely Substack subscribers, further proof that Africa really does look like Africa:

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Here’s a ROMA in which I talk about some oddities of backwards greetings in Tanzania, driving in Georgia, the financial realities of world travel in 2022, the conundrum of hydraulic toilets seats (and other luxuries), and what it means (and doesn’t) when you say a woman is “beautiful.”


This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The folks at Gladioloa Adventure in Arusha thought Elia would be a good guide to show us around northern Tanzania for 9 days. They were right. Raised by his Maasai grandfather, Elia has a deep understanding of animal behavior, not only spotting lions, leopards, and cheetahs at a distance, but anticipating where they would move so we could position ourselves and wait for them to wander by. His knowledge of the animals and how best to interact/photograph them, combined with his insights into the geology, cultures, and history of the region enriched our experience more than I can say. Plus, he’s an easy guy to be around.

Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Wassiye,” Habib Koité; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.

Some extra goodies, just for Substack subscribers:

Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To receive bonus material, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chip Kime was an utterly unique young man who was a huge presence in my life once, then he became an abstraction when our paths diverged in our 20s, and now he’s gone. But not really.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe