Smoke Hole Sessions

This has been my favorite podcast of recent times, and I’ve had to stop myself from barreling through the episodes, instead savoring and slowing down with each one before going to the next. I’ve read some of Martin’s work before, but encountering him through his own voice has been a breakthrough, and I’ve gone and gotten the audiobook of Smoke Hole to listen to next, which seems to be the real way to “read” it. I wish he would record his backlist now as well.

It’s a pleasure listening to these sessions, for which Martin has clearly done the preparation of a proper interview without sacrificing the back-and-forth-ness and spontaneity of a conversation. A lot of cultural and music history told on the casual here, too. Recommended.

Martin has done the homework. He has sat with stories, reading them again and again until they are a part of him. He slips in and out of the mythic space, past and present sometimes overlap. I'm sure this podcast will be a joy. I enjoy many discussions of religion from across the full spectrum of belief. Almost all of them will stick to one tradition, one version of history. Often they will assume that their version of human cultural development is the correct one. Martin Shaw has experienced a broad range of cultures and dug into his own bones to find the connections to ancient wisdom and the winds of change that just happened yesterday. His perspective and his way of being with people brings out all of that from a variety of guests.

Martin Shaw’s books have been the greatest balm for life; my eternal gratitude for his writing, and now— this podcast! Fascinating conversations, stories, and books to explore. It is a visceral experience listening to Martin; I feel like I am sitting at a fire pit with the ancients, soaking up as much meaning and mirth as I can.