The ClearOut

In this episode, Dara talks about the characters we respond to in the art we consume. Having been very stirred by 'Joker: Folie a Deux', he stays in the world of movies and finds himself thinking about Jungian archetypes and the shadow self we can see reflected at us from the big screen. Speaking about that film, which has heavily promoted Lady Gaga as the joint draw of the story along with Joaquin Phoenix's compelling title character, he argues that it is what transpires between the Joker and Brendan Gleeson's prison officer that really unlocks the film and its grim depiction of human damage.Further to that, Dara reasons that the film is really a stealth social realism movie in the style of Ken Loach or Mike Leigh, exposing as it does systemic failure and the impotent rage of the discarded. 1991's 'The Silence of the Lambs' is also discussed in psychological terms with particular reference to the 'daddy issues' of Clarice Starling as brilliantly played by Jodie Foster in her relationship with Anthony Hopkins' devious Hannibal Lecter. What makes Lecter such an attractive character to us, and why did audiences not feel the same way when Brian Cox played him five years earlier in 'Manhunter'?Dara talks also about meeting earlier versions of yourself and whether change is just a nice story we tell ourselves. Part of that line of enquiry includes coping mechanisms and calming measures connected to seeking insights and encouraging curiosity, and importantly for him, resisting fatalistic thinking. Finally, there's time to quickly mention a moment of public sharing in connection with masculinity and demonstrated vulnerability and openness that was hopefully a moment of value.Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

In this episode, Dara considers the elements that contribute to our resentment buckets and shoulder chips. He believes time and the ease of others are two key ingredients in the mix. He confesses to giving voice to some very uncharitable resentfulness around the time he became a father. He also speaks carefully around a significant source of resentment in his marriage.Prickliness can accompany resentment, and Dara recalls someone he knew who disinvited everyone from his party because they hadn't RSVP'd in time! He considers his attitude to parties and hosting and shares how it's connected to the management system in his childhood homes and why his kitchen overflowed with goodies once he got out in the big bad world.Also in this episode, an analysis of an 18th century painting of Penelope, she of Greek myth, and a review of the documentary Will & Harper, which Dara found to be a beautiful testament to friendship, and to male friendship in particular.Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

In this episode, Dara shares his gripes about the utterly mediocre buddy movie Wolfs, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt as two fixers reluctantly obliged to work together through a night of yuk-filled capers (SPOILER: THERE ARE NO YUKS!). The film is an ode to laziness, self-satisfaction, complacency and vanity, and has the gall to pay tribute in its final shot to a truly great buddy movie of yesteryear, the inference clearly being that Clooney and Pitt are a contemporary equivalent of two past greats. No such luck.Dara offers a selection of alternative movies that deal with successful partnerships in terms of their chemistry, as well as sharing a thematic link of ageing disgracefully. The first film that comes to mind is another flimsy reunion of two leading stalwarts from Hollywood's golden age - do you remember Tough Guys (1986) with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas? It might not be worse than Wolfs!Other more credible offerings are the original movie that gave us "I'm too old for this s**t!", as well as possibly the best ever version of the outlaw picking up their gun later in life. Robert Redford and Paul Newman teamed up memorably for two very successful outings, both over 50 years ago, but Newman had another screen partner with whom he acted much more - his wife, Joanne Woodward. Dara shares his thoughts on Ethan Hawke's excellent docuseries about the legendary couple and their complex lives.Also, unfit security guards, lived-in love, reasons to be grateful, and autumnal restoration.Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

In this episode, Dara reflects on a weekend spent with an old friend and his resultant fatigue, both psychological and intellectual. It prompts an interrogation of his belief and value systems and whether they are more or less valid than those of his friend's. He argues that it is healthy, and perhaps even necessary, to have someone you regard challenge you with love.Dara shares his response to a wonderful interview with the fantastic Miriam Margolyes and confesses to finding her an absolute tonic after the combative intellectual jostling he engaged in with his friend. He is full of admiration for her unapologetic sincerity and forthrightness. It leads to a consideration of what he frames as 'heart and gut' versus 'facts and figures'. Is either better than the other, or are they just different comfort zones for different types of people?A recent job interview resulted in no job offer, but Dara still regarded the experience as a great success. For a couple of weeks he lived with altered energy as he anticipated a changed future and the positive challenges it would bring. Digesting the disappointment of rejection, he recalls another bittersweet memory of a much more personal nature.Also in this episode, considering the joys of ASMR, Dara is hopeful listeners won't be bothered by the very audible raindrops that fall throughout the episode. And a couple of minutes on the dreadful 1998 action movie, 'Armageddon'.Adam Buxton interviews Miriam Margolyes: https://www.adam-buxton.co.uk/podcasts/rhwkafw2z2x3xe6-6ysb3-pfp9n-6xxa2-jnpn5-2cacw-6cz8f-gx8fb-nkb87Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

This episode is all about the presence of absence. How are your comfort levels with empty space and dead air? Do you struggle when the void isn't filled with something to stimulate? And more importantly, with what do you fill empty spaces and awkward silences?Dara reflects on his own tendency to default to anxiety and negative beliefs when uncertain spaces make themselves felt. He wonders how difficult it would be to project confidence and calm as alternative fillers. Examining his own hardwiring is definitely part of the solution.Considering the pitfalls of comparison, Dara argues that more space is involved when we look at what others have that we don't. He sees a connection between presence and contentment on one hand, and disconnection and the perception of lack on the other.Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

In this episode, Dara is looking for a pulse. After he and his daughter watched Adam Sandler's 2004 romcom, 50 First Dates, Dara was reminded why he wasn't a fan of the comedian's factory line movies - there were too many moments and gags that were completely devoid of life.He found something similar in the character played by Nicole Kidman in this year's A Family Affair, a film in which Zac Efron's manchild action star falls for his personal assistant's mother, with 'hilarious results'.* The insistence on Kidman being presented as a middle-aged woman who could be mistaken for being twenty years younger was more than Dara could bear. And why does Kidman's upper lip epitomise the problem of the Female Beauty Industrial Complex?Seeking a life-force elsewhere, Dara found it in two other films, both strong genre offerings. The first was Ti West's retro slasher movie 'X' (2022) which was bursting at the seams with character and vibe and horrific thrills. The second was a brand new Netflix release, Rebel Ridge, a tasty corrupt cops thriller with two really good central performances from Aaron Pierre and Don Johnson, who gets better and better with age.Dara continues pitting life against death in a concluding reflection on the connective tissue between acting and teaching. He wonders about the stakes, the idea of service, and the pain of 'losing the room'.*(Not hilarious at all. Dara forgot to mention Efron and Kidman's first onscreen pairing in 2012's The Paperboy, a much more successful serving of gaudy southern carnality and madness from Lee Daniels.)Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

A very simple and straightforward episode this week - Dara reads a lengthy unabridged extract from Marlon Brando's autobiography - Songs My Mother Taught Me, published in 1994. Brando's voice is frank and accessible and he shares his thoughts on acting, fame, and various female lovers during the time of his emergence as America's most captivating actor. He also speaks about being a damaged child and the difficulty he had trying to shake off feelings of worthlessness.Another distinctive male voice is that of the Irish poet Paul Durcan. Perhaps most commonly connected to his comic surreality, there's still an unmistakable humanity to Durcan's writing, especially in his confessional and vulnerable masculinity and his no-nonsense rebuttals of Catholic hypocrisy. Dara delights in concluding the episode by reading three of his poems.Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

In this episode, prompted by his cat and dog, Dara is considering the idea of essentialism. He talks about core dispositions and the perennial pitching of nature against nurture. He argues that there is very little that is not in the mix when it comes to how our identities emerge. He shares his thoughts about his daughter on this stage of her journey and wonders about her essential leaning.Along the way, Dara reflects on trauma and demons, the relativising of same, and the importance of doing the work early on to save trouble later. He wonders about the relationship between material gain and credibility and presents his case for the value of the examined life, self-understanding, and bringing the most resolved version of yourself to bear on life's challenges.As for his own essential inclination - is it defiance? Dara thinks it might be, because it requires a certain bloody-mindedness to stay on a path whose material rewards have been so few! But that's part of the pact he has made with himself. He reveals the pact he has made with his daughter - and the clause he hasn't shared with her...Website: https://theclearout.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/theclearout2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/YouTube: The ClearOut PodcastEmail: theclearoutlive@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout