The Real Odysseus: The Man Behind Nolan’s The Odyssey: Joel Christensen

If you’re going to see Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, or you’ve already seen it, there’s a much bigger story behind the film.In this conversation I talk to Dr. Joel Christensen, Professor of Classics at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and author of the book ' Why Odysseus?Survivor, Scoundrel, (Anti) Hero.'  We talk about the ancient Odysseus,  the brilliant strategist, liar, trickster, survivor and deeply complicated hero at the centre of Homer’s Odyssey.Nolan’s film brings this ancient story to a modern audience, but Homer’s Odysseus is very different from a straightforward Hollywood hero. He is courageous and resourceful, but he is also manipulative, deceptive and capable of making disastrous choices. His greatest weapon isn't strength, it’s his ability to adapt, persuade and think his way out of impossible situations.Joel explains what the film can and can’t tell us about Homer’s original story, why the Odyssey is much more than an adventure about getting home, and why Odysseus remains such a compelling character more than 2,500 years later.In this episodeWho was the real Odysseus? And why was he so different from heroes like Achilles?Why the ancient idea of a “hero” is very different from our modern understanding of one.The Odyssey as a story of survival, and the price that survival can carry.Odysseus, the Trojan Horse and his extraordinary gift for deception and adaptability.Whether Odysseus is responsible for the deaths of his men mand how Homer explores blame, responsibility and human agency.Why simply reaching Ithaca isn't enough: what does it actually mean to come home?The Odyssey's fascination with family, community and the damage heroic behaviour can leave behind.Why Odysseus can be seen as an ancient version of the modern antihero.What Walter White from Breaking Bad can tell us about Odysseus and our fascination with complicated characters.How Christopher Nolan's interpretation changes our understanding of Odysseus.Why Nolan's Odysseus appears more traumatised and guilt-ridden than Homer's.The fascinating difference between Homer's Odysseus and the hero modern audiences may want him to be.What polytropos, “the man of many ways," reveals about Odysseus.The meaning of nostos, the ancient idea of homecoming from which our word “nostalgia” ultimately derives.Why the Odyssey was originally a performed song rather than a modern-style book.How Joel's own experiences of fatherhood, loss and family changed the way he understood Homer's story.Beyond the filmOne of the most interesting questions in the conversation is whether we actually like Odysseus.Joel's answer is complicated. For him, Odysseus is less a hero to admire than a face in the mirror: a character who forces us to confront compromise, bad decisions, persistence and the things people do to survive. The ancient poem isn't simply about monsters, gods and an extraordinary journey across the sea. It's about what happens to a person after war, what survival costs, whether returning home can make someone whole again, and how much of ourselves we are willing to compromise along the way.About Dr. Joel ChristensenDr. Joel Christensen is Professor of Classics at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is a scholar of Homer and Greek epic and the author of Odysseus: Survivor, Scoundrel, and Antihero.If you haven't read The Odyssey, Joel recommends getting familiar with the main characters first, then exploring different versions of the story rather than assuming there is one single “correct” Odyssey. He also recommends Gareth Hinds' graphic novel adaptation as an accessible introduction to the story.This version deliberately doesn't give away Nolan's film plot, so it can work both as a companion for people who have seen it and as an introduction for people planning to see it.LinksBook: ' Why Odysseus?Survivor, Scoundrel, (Anti) Hero.'  Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Professor Edzard Ernst discusses 'The Leopard Lily Project ' and tells the disturbing story of a largely forgotten Nazi scheme to use a poisonous South American plant to carry out mass sterilisation.After taking power in 1933, the Nazis introduced compulsory sterilisation for people they deemed “unworthy” of reproduction, particularly those with hereditary illnesses. Seeking a less invasive method, an Austrian dermatologist proposed to Heinrich Himmler that the plant Leopard Lily (Dieffenbachia seguine), also known as dumb cane, could potentially be used to sterilise millions of people.Himmler took an interest in the idea, leading to further research into the plant and its potential use.We discuss this largely untold story through the wider history of Nazi ideology, the regime’s fascination with alternative and herbal medicine, Himmler’s interest in pseudoscience, and the doctors and scientists involved.If you are interested in the history of medicine, medical ethics, pseudoscience, or the Nazi regime, I can recommend Edzard's book, 'The Leopard Lily Project : A Story of Nazi Pseudoscience' which goes into more detail about this disturbing and previously little-known story.Links:Professor Edzard Ernst Book: The Leopard Lily Project: A Story of Nazi PseudoscienceUndercurrent Stories Links:Web: https://www.undercurrentstories.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/undercurrent-stories-podcast/Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Max McKeown, author of Super Adaptability, to understand the difference between adapting just to survive a hard situation and adapting in a way that actually moves your life forward. Max explains the three-part "loop" at the heart of his book,  a simple, repeatable process for noticing when you're stuck, understanding why, and taking deliberate action instead of falling back into old habits.Along the way, we cover:Why some people get trapped repeating the same problem for years, and how to spot it in your own lifeThe difference between "adapting to cope" and "adapting to win"Max's concept of metaplasticity — literally coaching your own brain like a personal therapistReal stories from the book, including a plane crash survivor, a father-son physics duo escaping the Nazis, and a man who single-handedly regrew a forestWhy the loop applies just as well to business, sports, activism, and science as it does to everyday personal strugglesWhat Max has learned from readers who found the book mid-crisis  and why he thinks the ideas outlast the authorWhether you're navigating a career pivot, a stubborn personal habit, or just feel like you keep ending up in the same frustrating place, this conversation offers a practical framework you can start using immediately.Guest: Dr. Max McKeown, author of Super AdaptabilityFind Max: LinkedIn, InstagramQuestion or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

“Only Girls Bleed:  The Human Cost of Post-Roe America" -  Dr. Elaine LawlessOverviewEthnographer and folklorist Dr. Elaine Lawless talks about her debut novel Only Girls Bleed, a gripping story inspired by real accounts of women navigating pregnancy, trauma, and the fractured abortion laws across the United States. Elaine explains why she turned to fiction after decades of academic work, how her field research shaped the book, and what she hopes readers, both men and women, take from it.Key ThemesPost–Roe v. Wade America: Elaine breaks down how the 2022 Supreme Court decision reshaped abortion access and inspired the book’s central conflict.Real stories behind the narrative: The novel draws on years of conversations with women in shelters, churches, and rural communities.Writing trauma responsibly: Elaine discusses avoiding graphic detail and choosing to tell the story through the mother’s perspective.From scholarship to fiction: Elaine describes the freedom she found in writing a novel after years of academic publishing.Why men should read this book: The conversation explores misogyny, silence around menstruation, and the importance of involving boys and fathers in discussions about reproductive health.Content note: this episode touches on sensitive themes including a family facing a difficult reproductive decision, and a young person's experience of assault.About the GuestDr. Elaine J. Lawless Ethnographer, folklorist, professor emerita, and novelist. Her work has focused on women’s lived experiences in religious communities and domestic violence shelters.Website: elainelawless.comAbout the BookOnly Girls Bleed - A haunting story of a mother who will do anything to protect her daughter, including break the law, if she must.Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

What happens when an independent music promoter takes on one of the biggest companies in the live entertainment industry?Tommy Dorfman, CEO of Juice Entertainment,  discusses his extraordinary journey through the US music and nightlife scene, from throwing house parties as a teenager to running major EDM, (Electronic Dance Music), events and working with some of the biggest names in entertainment.Tommy shares his account of building a successful promotion business, securing a 10-year deal connected to the Meadowlands State Fair, and what happened when he says Live Nation became involved and his planned EDM festival was ultimately cancelled.The conversation then turns to Tommy's long-running legal battle with Live Nation, the challenges faced by independent promoters, the rising cost of concert tickets, dynamic pricing, and what greater regulatory scrutiny could mean for artists, venues and fans on both sides of the Atlantic.Tommy's allegations and characterisations of Live Nation are contested and should not be taken as established facts. The episode explores his personal experience and perspective alongside the wider debate about competition and concentration in the live music industry.In this episodeTommy's childhood introduction to live music through concerts by artists including Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Bruce SpringsteenHow throwing house parties as a teenager led him into the club and events businessRunning large-scale events and the importance of professional securityTommy's rise as an EDM and nightlife promoter across New York, New Jersey, Miami and the US East CoastHis plans for a major EDM festival at the MeadowlandsTommy's account of his dealings with Live Nation and the cancellation of the festivalThe impact he says the dispute had on his career and personal lifeHow he went from successful promoter to working door-to-door sales while funding his legal fightHis long-running lawsuit against Live NationThe experiences of other independent promoters he says he has encounteredLive Nation, Ticketmaster and concerns about market concentrationDynamic ticket pricing and the rising cost of live musicThe pressure on grassroots venues, clubs and pubsWhy independent promoters matter to the development of new artistsRegulatory scrutiny in the UK and USWhat a potential restructuring of the live entertainment industry could mean for fans, artists and promotersTommy's hopes for the future of live musicAbout Tommy DorfmanTommy Dorfman is the CEO of Juice Entertainment and has spent decades working in the US nightlife, club and live entertainment industries. In the episode, he discusses his career as a promoter, his involvement in EDM and his long-running legal dispute with Live Nation.Listen and followIf you enjoyed the episode, subscribe to the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a rating or review. It helps other listeners discover the show.Note: This episode contains discussion of alleged misconduct, competition concerns and ongoing or historical legal disputes. Statements concerning alleged conduct are presented as the guest's account and are not presented as findings of fact unless expressly stated otherwise.Undercurrent Stories contacted Live Nation for comment but to date have not received a response.Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

What can the Tree of Life tell us about where we came from and how life became so diverse?Professor Max Telford, author of the book 'The Tree of Life: Solving Science's Greatest Puzzle' takes us on a journey through four billion years of evolution, from the earliest life on Earth to humans, worms and the extraordinary coelacanth.Max explains how scientists reconstruct the Tree of Life using fossils, anatomy, embryology and DNA and why evolution doesn't always mean becoming more complex. We explore convergent evolution, extinction, genetic evidence, the origins of animals, human evolution, and the surprising ways evolution can simplify organisms.We also discover why most of the fundamental groups of animals are worms, how DNA has transformed our understanding of life's history, and whether AI could help scientists finally untangle some of the Tree of Life's biggest mysteries.A thought-provoking conversation about where life came from, how it changed, and just how much of its extraordinary story remains to be discovered.Links: Book - The Tree of Life: Solving Science's Greatest PuzzleProfessor Max Telford Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

We tend to think of genius as something you’re born with. A rare quality possessed by people with extraordinary memories, mathematical abilities, or problem-solving skills.But what if many of the abilities we associate with genius can actually be trained?In this episode, I'm joined by Nelson Dellis, a six-time USA Memory Champion, Guinness World Record holder, and author of Everyday Genius, about the practical skills we can all develop to make better use of our minds.Nelson explains how he went from having what he describes as a fairly ordinary memory to becoming one of the world's top memory athletes. He shares the techniques he uses to memorise enormous amounts of information, including numbers, names and lists, and explains why the ability to remember information still matters in an age when we can ask our phones or AI to retrieve almost anything for us.We also get into mental maths, problem-solving, curiosity, intuition and the fascinating question of whether our minds may be capable of more than we currently understand.Show HighlightsHow Nelson became interested in memory after watching his grandmother struggle with Alzheimer'sWhat it actually takes to become a competitive memory athleteWhy Nelson believes memory is a skill that can be trained rather than a fixed abilityThe SEE, LINK, GO framework for remembering almost anythingHow to build and use a memory palaceHow to remember people's names — and why most of us forget them in the first placeWhy making information vivid, unusual and even ridiculous helps it stickHow to remember lists, speeches, numbers and everyday tasksWhy reviewing and practising memory techniques eventually makes them feel almost automaticHow to develop better number sense and perform calculations in your headWhy mental arithmetic is worth practising when we have calculators in our pocketsHow curiosity can play a role in developing intelligenceWhether technology and AI are making us mentally weaker or simply changing the way we thinkNelson's thoughts on intuition, dreams and remote viewingWhy exercising your brain can be approached much like exercising your bodyThe Big IdeaOne of the most interesting ideas in this conversation is that genius may be less about having an extraordinary brain and more about learning how to use an ordinary brain extraordinarily well.Nelson's own story is a good example. He didn't grow up believing he had a remarkable memory. He discovered techniques that worked, practised them, and gradually transformed his abilities.The lesson is encouraging: there may be considerably more room for improvement in our mental abilities than we assume.Try This Memory TechniqueNelson's SEE, LINK, GO system provides a simple starting point.SEE: Turn the information you want to remember into a vivid mental image.LINK: Connect that image to something else you already know or to a specific location.GO: Retrieve the information by mentally returning to that image or location.The stranger, more vivid, emotional or humorous you can make the mental image, the better.Try it the next time someone gives you a short list of things to remember. Instead of repeating the list over and over, turn each item into an exaggerated mental picture and link the pictures together.You may be surprised by how much easier they are to recall.Resources MentionedEveryday Genius by Nelson DellisNelson Dellis's work on memory and mental performanceMemory palacesMemory competitionsMental mathematics and number senseIntuition, dreams and remote viewingConnect With Nelson Dellishttps://www.nelsondellis.com/Find out more about Nelson, his memory techniques and his work through his website and social channels.And if you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who would enjoy learning how to get more out of their own mind.Final ThoughtYou don't have to be born a genius.You can train your memory. You can improve your focus. You can become better at solving problems. You can develop your curiosity.The question isn't simply “How smart am I?”It's “What could I become better at if I actually trained it?”Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Prof. Jamie Woodward (University of Manchester) on how microplastics get from your washing machine to local rivers  and how his research on Manchester's waterways ended up shaping UK water policy. We cover the sewage scandal, water company spin, and what actually needs to change.In this episode:What actually counts as a "microplastic" (and why the name is misleading)How microplastics get from your washing machine to the riverThe science of sampling and identifying plastics in riverbedsWhy Jamie's research on Manchester's rivers ended up shaping UK policyThe sewage scandal: water companies, regulators, and public angerWhat one country is getting right  and what needs to change hereSimple things you can do to help protect your local riverGuest: Professor Jamie Woodward, physical geographer and geomorphologist, University of Manchester. Author, and twice named on the ENDS Power List of the UK's most influential environmental academics.🔗 Catch Jamie's previous episode on the history of the Earth — Spotify link Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Have you ever felt like there is a dormant, creative part of you just waiting to get out? Something you buried years, or even decades ago because life got in the way? Careers, family commitments, the daily grind, all very important but it’s so easy to push our real passions to the back burner while we go about our everyday life.Sometimes, though, life makes the big decisions for us.My guest today spent decades in a demanding corporate career that had nothing to do with making music. He carried melodies spinning around in his head for over twenty years, but reality meant those dreams had to wait. Then, in his middle age, redundancy hit.Instead of seeing it purely as an ending, it ignited something that had been lying dormant inside him. It gave him the permission and the time, to step into his studio, pick up his instruments, and finally give those melodies a voice. Today, he writes, plays every instrument, records, and produces entirely on his own terms.We’re going to be talking about creativity, reinvention, and what it actually takes to unlock that latent spark inside yourself.So I want to ask you today: What is that creative thing inside of you that’s waiting to get out?Bio:Ben Phillips is a jazz rock studio musician who, following a 20-year career in Customer Experience Management for global companies, made the transition to a full-time career in music following redundancy in 2025. This opened the opportunity to explore his true passion for music recording and production. He has released 1 full album and 1 EP to date, with more releases to follow this year and next. He works and lives in Milton Keynes, England with his wife and 5 sons.Ben's links: https://linktr.ee/benphillips.musicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/benphillips.musicFacebook page: https://www.facebook.com/benmjphillipsmusicQuestion or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Stuart Ward grew up on a council estate in Exeter, England, obsessed with pirate radio, chart positions, and — oddly — record labels. That obsession, plus a teenage belief that Sweden had cracked the code on a fairer society, eventually carried him across the North Sea, first as a chartered accountant, then as one of Swedish television and radio's most recognisable voices for decades.Stuart hosted Night Flight Scandinavia and Top Gear Nordic (a name he lifted straight from John Peel's old BBC show, nothing to do with cars), interviewed everyone from Paul McCartney to Barry Humphries to Pelé, ran the Polar Music Prize — often called the Nobel Prize of music — and, in between all of it, tried and failed to build a political career in the UK Labour Party before finding his footing instead in Swedish politics. He also spent over a decade at the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok and lived in Thailand for eighteen years.In this episode, Stuart and host Bob Wells talk about chasing a dream with zero self-confidence, what changes when you go from radio to television, the etiquette of never looking starstruck, and why curiosity — not talent — might be the real secret behind a rich life.In This Episode You'll LearnHow a working-class boy from Exeter who could name every record label on the UK charts ended up in the Swedish music businessWhy Stuart moved to Sweden as a chartered accountant in 1973 — and why he stayedThe real story behind the name "Top Gear Nordic" (hint: it's a John Peel tribute, not a car show)What it was like trading a UK parliamentary candidacy for a life with the man he loved, at a time when that wasn't something you talked about openlyThe unglamorous technical side of early live TV versus the freewheeling looseness of radioWhy one veteran cameraman told Stuart he had a rare gift for getting people to open up on cameraStuart's interviews with Paul McCartney (who ended up interviewing him), Barry Humphries/Dame Edna, John Cleese, Pelé, and Björn BorgThe Swedish concept of Jantelagen — a kind of built-in social suspicion of standing out — and how it echoes attitudes Stuart encountered growing up in EnglandHow Stuart came to run the Polar Music Prize, founded by ABBA's co-creator Stig Anderson to bridge classical music's snobbery and popular music's lack of respectWhy the King of Sweden presents the Polar Music Prize the same way he presents the Nobel Prizes — and the historical reason the Nobel Peace Prize alone is awarded in Oslo, not StockholmThe office politics and "dinosaurs" Stuart contended with while running a prestigious international prizeLife after presenting: over a decade working at the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok, eighteen years living in Thailand, and returning to Sweden to restart his political career with the Social DemocratsWhy door-to-door canvassing at 77 has led to some surprising language moments — including conversations in fluent Thai that stopped Swedish neighbours in their tracksStuart's take on what actually produces a zest for life: curiosity, self-belief, and refusing to assume the world only exists in whatever room you happen to be standing inResources;The Polar Music Prize Royal Swedish Academy of MusicYouTube: Stuart Ward Top GearQuestion or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com