Culture
PT371 – The Trickster Archetype and the Need for Comic Relief
November 8, 2022
Featuring: Dennis Walker
Unless you’ve somehow managed to stay away from it all, there’s a lot of conflict in the world right now, and arguments and vitriol never seem to be more abundant and impassioned than in the time leading up to an election – which is where we find ourselves today. So, what a perfect time to laugh!
Unless you’ve somehow managed to stay away from it all, there’s a lot of conflict in the world right now, and arguments and vitriol never seem to be more abundant and impassioned than in the time leading up to an election – which is where we find ourselves today. So, what a perfect time to laugh!
In this episode, Victoria interviews podcaster and Instagram comedian gone-viral, Dennis Walker, who talks about the value of satire: how people are realizing that often, humor is the way to cut through the noise and make difficult news more palatable, and how this is something we especially need to remember in our psychedelic echo chamber where it’s all too easy to start yelling rather than hear each other out. He views his platform, Mycopreneur, as “The Onion of the psychedelic space,” – a way to embrace the classic Trickster archetype and laugh at some of the absurdity in our lives, while also calling attention to important issues that aren’t always easy to talk about.
He discusses his long relationship with mushrooms; how “The Daily Show” and other satirists changed the way we consume news; his experiences with having people he’s parodied appreciate his work; going viral (his most popular reel has 164k views); and also, on a more serious note, how mushrooms could be the answer to many of humanity’s geopolitical challenges around pollution, hunger, and sustainability.
Head to his instagram to check out some of his characters like Don Chad or his ideas like “PsychoNaughty,” and if his humor doesn’t do it for you, go spend time with something that does. It’s important to take things seriously (if you’re in the US, get out and vote!), but it’s just as important to laugh.
Notable Quotes
“I think we just live in a state of perpetual crisis right now as a society, and the psychedelic movement can’t help but internalize that and reflect that. …We’re dealing with a powder keg right now of all of these underlying issues that are bubbling up to the surface and that we’re having to confront collectively, and I think that even in the most serious dramas in theater or in television, there’s comedic relief.”
“I started reading through these 17 goals and producing the interviews that students did with various stakeholders from the Los Angeles Mayor’s office or from representatives from the United Nations and this and that and the other, and all of the subject matter they were talking about – about the need for sustainable development all over the globe; the need for cleaner, safer, smarter cities; the need for more equity across industry and across society; etc., etc. – I realized that in my perspective, mushrooms filled a lot of these niches.”
“Remember to have fun. Remember that even the most serious political, geopolitical, business, this and that and the other intersections that are going on in our world; there’s room to laugh about it and there’s room to not take everything so seriously, because that’s actually bad for your health. So if we’re talking about therapeutic value in psychedelics; laughter, humor, levity, [and] wit are extremely valuable from a therapeutic perspective.”
Links
Instagram: @mycopreneurpodcast
Psychedelicalpha.com: Opinions | The Psychedelic Community Takes Itself Too Seriously
Psychedelics Today: Mark Plotkin – Bio-Cultural Conservation of the Amazon
Psychedelics Today: PT362 – Psychedelic Storytelling: Transforming Out Loud, featuring Cory Firth
The Official Navy SEAL Podcast
Mycopreneur: Season 1, Ep. 1 – Michelle Janikian: Psilocybin and Mental Health
“The Woke Capitalist Spiritual Retreat Center” reel that went viral
Lonerwolf.com: 11 Trickster Archetypes That Provoke and Heighten Your Consciousness
UN.org: The Sustainable Development Agenda
Psychedelics Today: PT269 – Adam Strauss – Comedy, OCD, and The Mushroom Cure (not mentioned, but another psychedelic-minded comedian)
