REVIEW: Tangentially Speaking, Episode 172 – Kelly Carlin

Christopher Ryan has an interesting chat with Kelly Carlin about her life, her book and what it’s like growing up in the shadow of her iconic father.

Christopher Ryan is a man who has lived – and continues to live – a pretty unique life. This author / psychologist /  likely polygamist / roaming vagabond / award winning ‘non-sex’ porn actor, first came to public attention with his book Sex At Dawn: How we mate, why we stray, and what it means for modern relationships which he co-authored with his wife, Cacilda Jethá. (Which is a great read, btw.) After quickly becoming a regular guest on the podcast circuit, Chris started up his own podcast, which can be best described as quirky chats with quirky people.

Episode 172 was with Kelly Carlin, daughter of the legendary comic and social commentator George Carlin, who turned out to be a great guest. From the outset, both Chris and Kelly make it clear that this was not going to be an interview filled with mundane ‘So, what was it like having George Carlin as a dad?’ type banter, and more of conversation about Kelly herself. Incidentally, Kelly has some very interesting stories to tell in her own right, and her book A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up with George sounds like a fascinating read.  That’s not to say that George isn’t mentioned here at all, in fact Kelly mentions her father many times, but it’s more in the same way that any of us would refer to our own father, rather than making a point of her father’s fame. That’s why the interview works.

I really enjoyed this one the longer it went on, as the chemistry between the two began to fire and they both became aware just how much they had in common. It’s the type of relaxed conversation that highlights just how unrivaled the podcast medium is in it’s ability to bring individuals together who’d have likely never met otherwise, and have a substantial in-depth discourse that is shared by hundreds of thousands of people.

My only gripe would be the same gripe I have with all episodes of Tangentially Speaking; the intro goes on for too long. It tick’s over the 30 minute mark before the Kelly interview even begins, which is just a bit too much. It’s not that Chris isn’t interesting to listen to, it’s just… well, get on with it. But hey, that’s what the fast forward button was made for.

CHECK THE EPISODE OUT FOR YOURSELF

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Tangentially Speaking Episode 172 - Kelly Carlin
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Matt Caton

Matt is a freelance writer, content marketer, comedy geek and podcast evangelist

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