LAST MEAL with Tom Nash

On this episode of Last Meal, I sat down with comedian Gary Gulman, one of the sharpest and most introspective minds in stand-up, to talk about how the thing that nearly ended his career became the source of his best work. Depression was not simply overcome, but got put to use.Starting with his childhood as a mall rat in Massachusetts, we get into why he walked away from a career as an accountant, the mantra that carried him through years of creative failure, and the daily habits that turned momentum into a body of work.Gary opens up about his breakdown between 2015 and 2017, the psychiatric stay that changed everything, and how depression rewired the way he writes and performs, shifting his comedy from observation to something far more personal.We also lament on the small phrases from childhood that still shape who he is, and what he's learned about memory, regret, and what's actually worth spending money on.Gary's memoir, Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the '80s, and his HBO special The Great Depresh both dig deeper into the story we cover here. His new solo show, Grandiloquent, is currently touring theatres across the US.This is a conversation about identity, memory, and what it means to turn pain into precision. If you've ever wondered what's actually going on in the head of one of comedy's most acclaimed writers, this one's for you.Chapters0:00 Introduction1:45 Growing Up a Mallrat9:29 Comedy: A Mirror or Escape?12:56 Gary as an Accountant19:47 Where People Go to Die22:40 Momentum & Discipline33:51 Sayings & Small Moments40:58 Living With Depression46:46 How Gary's Comedy Changed57:54 Quickfire Questions1:02:53 A Lasting Quote1:05:28 Last WordSpecial Thanks to Noam Dworman, of the best Comedy Club in the world - The Comedy Cellar - for use of the Village Underground.https://www.comedycellar.com/Follow Gary:https://www.instagram.com/garygulmanTour Dates:https://garygulman.com/Misfit (Book):https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/gary-gulman/index.htmlFollow Tom:https://www.instagram.com/djhookie

Recently I sat down with Gary Stevenson: former trader, author of The Trading Game, and the man behind Gary's Economics — to ask the question that drives everything he does: how much is enough?Gary grew up poor in East London, got expelled from school at 16, and went on to become one of the most profitable traders in Citibank's history — making $12 million for the bank at 22 years old, before he even knew what he was doing.But the money didn't make him happy. It made him obsessive. Then isolated. Then depressed.In this episode of Last Meal, Gary opens up about the psychology of extreme wealth, the cost of ambition, and why he walked away from one of the most lucrative careers in finance to warn the world about growing economic inequality. We talk about his childhood in East London, what it felt like to earn bonuses one hundred times that of his friends, and tell no one — including his parents — of his newfound wealth. The year he spent cycling alone through Tokyo at night, set as a backdrop to his choice of Last Meal, and just happened to be my favourite in all of Japan too :).We also go deep on the nature of obsession, whether ambition is a virtue or a madness, what Japan taught him about community and loneliness, and how he thinks about meaning now that his YouTube channel has become one of the biggest political platforms in Europe.This is one of the most Candid conversations you'll see of the man behind the message, Gary Stevenson. CHAPTER MARKERS00:00 — Starting from nothing08:15 — Gary's Transformation14:10 — Wealth is Relative19:45 — What The Money Couldn't Buy25:59 -- Gary's LAST MEAL29:15 — Why Japan is Like Nowhere Else42:35 — Trapped, depressed, and threatened54:10 — On Being Obsessive1:01:30 — The Parable of the Talents1:05:50 -- Last WordGary Stevenson | Gary's Economics | GarysEconomics | The Trading Game | wealth inequality | wealth tax | economic inequality UK | Citibank trader | inequality economistSpecial Thanks to Mark Murphy, Artie Gallagher & The crew at The Old Fitz Hotel for allowing us to film this great episode!If you're in Tokyo and want to test your tastebuds with Gary's choice of Last Meal, visit Kikanbohttps://kikanbo.co.jp/Follow Garyhttps://www.youtube.com/garyseconomicsBuy THE TRADING GAMEhttps://amzn.to/4xr31NJFollow Tominstagram.com/djhookie

This week I sit down with Steven Pinker — cognitive scientist, Harvard professor, and one of the most consequential public intellectuals alive — for a conversation that ranged from the architecture of power to the nature of free will, from the hard data on human progress to why changing your mind might be the bravest thing you can do.What struck me most about Steven is that his optimism is more of a conclusion than a disposition. When you plot measures of human wellbeing over time, good things go up and bad things go down. Not because of magic or destiny, but because we're smart, we solve problems, and when we build institutions designed to seek the truth, we compound those gains across generations. We get into why our brains are wired to believe the world is falling apart even when it isn't — and why the structure of news almost guarantees a distorted picture of reality. We talk about Enlightenment values not as historical artefacts but as living, anti-fragile tools; about super forecasters and the hard limits of prediction. We also discuss Steven's lates work, the theory of common knowledge, which turns out to explain everything from why money has value, to how dictatorships fall, to why a child pointing out that the emperor has no clothes changes the world.We also go deep on collective rationality — the strange and somewhat hopeful fact that irrational individuals consistently build rational civilisations. Steven makes the case that our institutions of science, law, and journalism are essentially gadgets engineered to make us smarter than we are individually. And we argue about AI, free will, Marshall McLuhan, and whether anyone actually forms their beliefs based on evidence.This is one of those conversations I'll be thinking about for a long time.CHAPTERS:0:00 – Introduction1:30 – An Era from Which You Can't Return6:00 – Is the World Getting Better?11:40 – Wired for Pessimism17:50 – Anti-Fragile Enlightenment20:40 – Steven's Last Meal32:40 – First Memories35:40 – The Montreal Police Strike45:10 – Common vs. Private Knowledge50:10 – How Dictatorships Fall58:10 – Collective Rationality1:03:30 – Why We Don't Change Our Minds1:08:30 – The Case for Irrationality1:13:00 – AI & the Future of the Mind1:24:50 – Quickfire Questions1:35:20 – Free Will & the Performance of Life1:45:01 – Last WordFollow Steven:https://x.com/sapinkerFollow Tomhttps://www.instagram.com/djhookie/Last Meal is conversation series where I sit down with some of the world's sharpest thinkers to go deep on the questions that actually matter — rationality, identity, legacy, progress, and what it means to live well. Hosted by Tom Nash.

Kenneth "Taco" Cockrell is a five-time space shuttle astronaut, retired US Navy fighter pilot, and cancer survivor who has confronted mortality more than once — and come out the other side smiling. In this conversation, Taco and I explore what happens to a man's sense of purpose, faith, and priorities when he's spent a career dancing with the edge of human existence.From earning his callsign in a Navy squadron to clocking five missions aboard the Space Shuttle, Taco's path to NASA was anything but straight — including a first interview he was certain had ended his chances forever. But it's what happened after he retired from the skies that reveals the most about the man: two battles with blood cancer, a year living in Russia, and a growing willingness to talk openly about a faith he once kept close to his chest.This is one of those conversations that quietly shifts your thinking. We go deep on the weight of mortality, what lasting happiness actually looks like when the things you've always relied on start to slip away, and why — after everything he's seen and survived — Taco's definition of heaven has nothing to do with streets of gold.Chapters:00:00 – Intro05:28 – Born to Wear That Name08:29 – Aiming for the Stars13:00 – Watch Your Words17:41 – Life in Orbit22:00 – Beyond the Atmosphere26:00 – Five Missions, One Year31:00 – Worth Every Cent35:00 – A Faith He Won't Hide40:06 – Confronting Mortality44:00 – The Downwind Lounge51:35 -- Last WordShot on location at Chelsea Wine Barhttps://chelseawinebartexas.com/Special Thanks to John Devereux at ChelseaFollow Tominstagram.com/djhookieAbout the Show: Last Meal is a deep-dive into life’s biggest questions—wisdom, legacy, regret, and everything in between. Join me, Tom Nash, as I serve up thought-provoking conversations with the world’s foremost thinkers.

Bill Perkins joins us on this episode of Last Meal to challenge everything you thought you knew about personal finance and life optimisation. As a successful trader, high-stakes poker player, and author of the groundbreaking book Die with Zero, Bill argues that our obsession with hoarding wealth often comes at the expense of our most valuable resource: time. This conversation dives deep into how to break free from the "autopilot" trap and start maximising your life experiences before it’s too late.Rather than focusing on traditional retirement savings, we explore the philosophy of "memory dividends" and the strategic use of time buckets. Bill explains why saving for a future you might never see is a mathematical error and how to balance your health, wealth, and time to live a more fulfilling existence. We discuss the psychological barriers to spending and why giving your wealth away while you’re alive provides far more impact and satisfaction than a posthumous inheritance.This isn't just a discussion about money; it’s a masterclass in self-development and redefining success. By shifting the focus from net worth to net fulfilment, Bill Perkins provides a blueprint for anyone looking to reclaim their life from the grind of constant accumulation. Whether you're just starting your career or nearing retirement, this episode offers essential wisdom on how to truly live instead of just existing.Chapters00:00 Intro00:41 Memory Dividends09:30 Breaking Life's Autopilot18:15 Building Memory Dividends29:00 Wealth vs. Health Balance44:20 Why You Should Give Now56:10 The Math of Life Fulfilment01:06:30 The Fear of Spending01:14:00 Final Reflections01:15:13 Last WordShot on location at Jupiter Supper Clubhttps://www.jupitersupperclub.com/Special Thanks to the amazing Baxter MurrellFollow Billhttps://x.com/bp22Follow Tomhttps://www.instagram.com/djhookie About the Show: Last Meal is a deep-dive into life’s biggest questions—wisdom, legacy, regret, and everything in between. Join me, Tom Nash, as I serve up thought-provoking conversations with the world’s foremost thinkers.

Tim Urban — creator of Wait But Why and the mind behind one of the most-watched TED Talks of all time — reveals why courage might be the most underrated skill for living a fulfilling life. Tim takes us on a journey from his transformative solo trip to Thailand at age 20 to the systems he's built to trick himself into being productive, exploring how the habits we fall into can either expand or shrink our experience of time itself.Tim dissects the concept of "ladders of thinking," explaining how primitive and higher minds battle for control in both individuals and society, why universities have lost their immune systems against tribal thinking, and how social media amplifies our worst instincts. He shares candid insights about procrastination across different timescales: from doom scrolling in bed to avoiding life-changing decisions for decades, and offers a surprising perspective on religion's role in keeping humanity's darker impulses in check. From the "tail end" of time with loved ones to why he schedules his future self to work out, Tim reveals the mental frameworks that help him cut through irrationality and paralysis. This is a masterclass in self-awareness, wrapped in humour and served with a side of existential urgency.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction01:10 - Moving Cities04:02 - Time Elasticity08:05 - Ladders of Thinking12:30 - Problem with Universities20:08 - Low Rung Benefits?23:25 - Procrastination Spectrum27:49 - The Courage Problem31:49 - Tim's Last Meal33:15 - Vicarious Living35:37 - Thailand41:20 - Jaded is a Choice46:01 - New Hobbies53:02 - First Memory57:18 - Is Religion Net Positive?01:03:00 - One Big Idea01:08:00 - Last Meal Context01:14:36 - Future Tim vs Past Tim01:21:15 - Repeat One Year01:27:00 - Worth Every Cent01:33:11 - Last WordFollow Timhttps://x.com/waitbutwhyhttps://waitbutwhy.com/Follow Tomhttps://www.instagram.com/djhookie About the Show: Last Meal is a deep-dive into life’s biggest questions—wisdom, legacy, regret, and everything in between. Join me, Tom Nash, as I serve up thought-provoking conversations with the world’s foremost thinkers.

In this episode of Last Meal, I’m in Montmartre, Paris, sitting down with a thinker I’ve long admired: author and Atlantic staff writer Thomas Chatterton Williams.Thomas is someone who fundamentally refuses to be pinned down. Whether we’re discussing the "artificial intimacy" of our digital age or the weight of an inherited name, our conversation always returns to a central theme: the courage required to outgrow the identity you were born into.We recorded this in a city that runs at a different speed, and that environment opened up a profound dialogue about the cost of convenience in the West, the psychological danger of stagnation, and why the most important work often happens when we are "hungry"—both literally and figuratively.This isn't a show about recipes. It’s a deep-dive into the wisdom, legacy, and ethics that define us. I prepare the dish my guests would choose for their final feast not for the food itself, but to unlock the conversations that truly matter before the clock runs out.In this episode, we explore:✅ The Ritual of the Daily: Why optimising for convenience has cost us our connection to community.✅ The Digital Loneliness Crisis: How "artificial intimacy" creates the illusion of connection while leaving us more isolated than ever.✅ Identity and Progress: Thomas reflects on three generations of change—from his father’s grandmother being married to a man born into slavery, to his own life in Paris.✅ The "Hungry" Writer: Why high stakes and survival often produce the most focused and urgent intellectual work.✅ The Philosophy of Effort: The vital lesson Thomas’s father taught him: you have to work twice as hard to bring honour to your name.CHAPTERS:00:00 – Intro01:23 – France vs America08:08 – The “August Pause”13:39 – Is interconnectivity toxic?21:43 – Outgrowing Identity27:25 – Traveling to appreciate home28:31 - Thomas' Last Meal33:37 – The Wine of Two Lives38:22 – Madeleine de Proust45:00 - Confronting Mortality53:00 - Stagnation vs Growth58:20 - Writer's Journey Begins1:08:00 - Hunger Drives Excellence1:14:00 - Lesson Optimisation1:22:45 - Praswell Grass Cutting1:25:25 - The Origins of the Name Thomas Chatterton1:32:50 - Experience Worth Every Cent1:36:06 - A Father's Pride1:41:27 - Last WordFollow Thomashttps://x.com/thomaschattwillFollow Tomhttps://www.instagram.com/djhookie/

What does it mean to live a meaningful life when we know our time is limited? In this profound yet light-hearted conversation, world-renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson explores the deepest questions of human existence, from the power of curiosity to the courage required to face mortality with purpose.This isn't a typical interview about black holes and distant galaxies. Instead, we dive into the philosophy of living well, the importance of continuous learning, and why the knowledge of our mortality might be the greatest gift we have. Neil shares his perspectives on education, the cosmic view of humanity, and how understanding our place in the universe can transform how we approach each day.Key Insights:Why mortality creates focus and urgency in lifeThe power of manufacturing your own meaningHow curiosity can transform education and societyThe cosmic perspective on human division and unityPersonal reflections on 9/11 and collective traumaThe relationship between creativity, courage, and living fullyWhy learning something new every day mattersWhether you're seeking wisdom about purpose, exploring philosophical questions about existence, or looking to cultivate a more meaningful approach to life, this conversation offers profound insights from one of our greatest scientific minds on what it truly means to be human.CHAPTERS:00:00 - Intro02:08 - Words Neil Invented16:38 - Does Neil Have OCD?19:59 - Dinner Party for Aliens25:03 - At War with a Lobster30:25 - Comfort vs Adventure33:30 - Is Meaning Meaningless?35:55 - School's Out for Summer41:50 - Neil was a DANCER?45:30 - Curiosity 49:45 - Neil's MEAL Reveal54:02 - Indulging the Senses01:01:20 - Opening Dan's Wine01:06:04 - Dinner with the Dead01:17:03 - Can Wine Heal Wounds?01:26:16 - Earth Has No Borders01:31:47 - Dinner on an Asteroid01:36:57 - Neil's Wish for Aliens01:44:42 - Is Risk Beneficial?01:47:19 - Getting Drunk with Neil01:49:25 - 9/11 - Four Blocks From Ground Zero02:04:00 - The Math of Tragedy02:12:40 - Never Wait to Say It02:14:15 - Last WordAbout Neil deGrasse Tyson:Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, author, and science communicator known for making complex scientific concepts accessible to general audiences. He is the director of the Hayden Planetarium and host of StarTalk. His work bridges science and philosophy, encouraging people to think deeply about their place in the universe.About Last Meal with Tom Nash:Last Meal explores life's deepest questions through intimate conversations about mortality, meaning, and what matters most. Each episode features thought leaders, philosophers, scientists, and artists discussing how they find purpose in a finite existence.#NeilDeGrasseTyson #MeaningOfLife #Philosophy #PersonalGrowth #Mortality #Wisdom #SelfImprovement #LifePurpose #CosmicPerspective #Existentialism #PersonalDevelopment #Consciousness #LivingWithPurpose #LifeLessons #PhilosophicalThinking #HumanExistence #FindingMeaning #Curiosity #LifeWisdom #SelfActualization #MortalityAwareness #PurposeDrivenLife #DeepConversations #IntellectualDiscourse #ThoughtLeadership #MindsetGrowth #LifePhilosophy #ExistentialQuestions #AuthenticLiving #ContinuousLearning

What happens when one of the world’s leading physicists sits down for the final meal of his life? In this episode of Last Meal, I share a dish chosen by Brian Greene—bestselling author, Columbia University professor, and one of the most influential voices in modern physics—as we dive into the ideas, experiences, and turning points that shaped his extraordinary life.From the nature of reality to the limits of human perception, from the search for meaning to the multiverse and mortality, this conversation blends science, philosophy, and introspection in a way only Brian Greene can. If you’re fascinated by cosmology, consciousness, purpose, storytelling, or simply what truly matters at the end of a life, this is an episode you’ll want to watch in full.Chapters00:00 – Introduction02:00 – Life in New York06:00 – The cosmic & the everyday10:00 – Perception, experience, & meaning14:00 – How our senses shape reality17:00 – Building a life of purpose20:00 – Early Influences25:00 – Veganism & Food Ethics27:52 – Brian’s LAST MEAL32:00 – The Final Conversation36:00 – Is there a Multiverse?41:00 – Brian's Turning Point45:00 – Awe, memory, and the arc of a life49:00 – Brian's Mystery 1:03:32 – Last WordFollow Brian Greenehttps://x.com/bgreeneFollow Tom Nashhttps://www.instagram.com/djhookie/#BrianGreene #TomNash #djhookie #TheoreticalPhysics #Cosmology #Multiverse #MeaningOfLife #SciencePodcast #Philosophy #FoodShow #LifeStories #BigQuestions #FinalMeal

In this episode of Last Meal, I sit down with philosopher and author Peter Boghossian for a live dinner conversation at Franklin Salon in New York City. Over his chosen final dish, we explore how beliefs are formed, the role of discomfort in personal growth, and what it really means to live an honest life.Peter’s known for having “impossible conversations” around the world, but here, he opens up about truth, meaning, and what gives life its depth when all certainty fades. Between laughter, reflection, and a few uncomfortable truths, we share a meal that becomes something much more—a meditation on being human.🍽️ Last Meal brings together fascinating people for a conversation about life, philosophy, and the meal they’d choose if it were their last on earth.Chapters00:00 – Opening02:00 – Conversation05:00 – Belief10:00 – Honesty14:00 – Learning16:00 – Mortality18:00 – The Meal20:00 – Ritual25:00 – Adversity30:00 – Lessons34:00 – The Good Life36:00 – Truth42:00 – Gratitude45:00 – Last WordFollow Peterhttps://www.youtube.com/@UCzoizcjErP9bNWnuU2CbWxg Follow Tom:https://www.instagram.com/djhookieSpecial thanks to Roy, Julia, Brittany, Tom & the whole team at Franklin Salon.Filmed by ClearCut Mediahttps://www.clearcut-media.com/and Jonathon LeGricehttps://www.jonolegrice.com/