Past Episodes
Feb. 17, 2025
Oliver and Indra discuss Nietzsche and Dionysian Chaos
Is artistic brilliance born from chaos, or is it shaped by structure? In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis , British journalist Oliver Bennett sits down for a conversation with Dr. Indra Gupta, a psychologist from London....
Feb. 17, 2025
The Crack-Up : F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Maladjustment to Life"
Was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s brilliance inseparable from his self-destruction? In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis , we explore Some Sort of Epic Grandeur by Matthew J. Bruccoli, examining the link between Fitzgerald’s crea...
Feb. 17, 2025
"Mad Shelley" : The Storm of Emotion and The Spirit of Defiance
Was Percy Shelley’s poetic brilliance fueled by turmoil, or was his creativity a refuge from it? In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis , we explore Shelley: A Biography by Richard Holmes, examining the poet’s rebellious sp...
Feb. 17, 2025
Beyond Reason: Kafka's Nightmare and the Birth of Modern Literature
Was Franz Kafka’s brilliance shaped by his struggles, or did he create despite them? In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis , we explore The Nightmare of Reason: A Life of Franz Kafka by Ernst Pawel, uncovering the complex ...
Feb. 17, 2025
"Aching Desolation": James Dean and the Art of Projecting Pain
Was James Dean’s rebellious persona a reflection of his genius, his struggles, or both? In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis , we explore Rebel: The Life and Legend of James Dean by Donald Spoto, tracing the life of the i...
Feb. 17, 2025
Robin Williams: The Pain Behind the Laughter
Was Robin Williams a "mad genius", or was his creativity something else entirely? This episode of The Mad Genius Thesis explores the life of Robin Williams through the lens of *Robin*, Dave Itzkoff’s biography. From his early...
Feb. 16, 2025
Genius and Heroin : Creativity and Self-Destruction
Is there a link between artistic genius and self-destruction? In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis , we explore Genius and Heroin by Michael Largo, which examines the lives of artists, writers, and musicians who battled a...
Feb. 16, 2025
Oliver and Indra discuss Psychoticism and Creativity
Is creativity truly linked to mental illness? In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis , British journalist Oliver Bennett interviews Dr. Indra Gupta, a psychologist in London, to explore Hans Eysenck’s theory of psychoticism...
Feb. 16, 2025
The Birth of the Mad Genius Idea : A Conversation
Is creativity a gift from the gods, a symptom of madness, or something entirely different? In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis , we explore the origins of the mad genius concept, from the frenzied rituals of Ancient Gree...
Feb. 15, 2025
The Evolution of the Mad Genius Concept : A Conversation
Is creativity a gift from the gods, a sign of madness, or simply a fundamental part of being human? This is the subject of a conversation between Harold and Helen In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis , they talk about The...
Feb. 13, 2025
Jean-Jacques Rousseau : Restless Wanderer
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Leo Damrosch’s biography. Rousseau’s restlessness, paranoia, and obsession shaped both his philosophy and personal struggl...
Feb. 13, 2025
"Made Mad All My Life" : Samuel Johnson's Struggle with Mental Illness
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore Samuel Johnson: The Struggle by Jeffrey Meyers, a biography that captures the towering intellect and deep personal battles of one of literature’s greatest minds. J...
Feb. 13, 2025
Creativity: Light, Dusk and Dark Night of Soul
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore Psychology of Creativity: Light, Dusk and Dark Night of Soul by Vladimir Kozlov, an in-depth look at the psychological aspects of creativity. The book examines flo...
Feb. 13, 2025
The Milk of Paradise – Opium, Imagination, and 19th-Century Literature
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore The Milk of Paradise by M.H. Abrams, a study of how opium addiction influenced the works of Thomas De Quincey, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, George Crabbe, and Francis ...
Feb. 12, 2025
Irritability of the Heart : Dickens's Troubled Mind
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast, we explore Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin, a revealing biography of one of literature’s greatest minds. Behind his dazzling success lay deep personal struggles—Dick...
Feb. 12, 2025
The Act of Creation and the Unquiet Mind : Finding Creativity in Mental Illness
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore The Act of Creation by Arthur Koestler, a groundbreaking study of how creativity emerges in art, science, and humor. Koestler introduces the concept of bisociation...
Feb. 12, 2025
Creativity and Crime – The Dark Side of Innovation
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore Creativity and Crime: A Psychological Analysis by A.J. Cropley and David Cropley, which challenges the idea that creativity is always positive. The book examines m...
Feb. 12, 2025
Tangled Brains, Brilliant Minds : Exploring the Link Between ADD and Creativity.
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore Driven to Distraction by Dr. Edward Hallowell, a groundbreaking book on ADHD in both children and adults. Hallowell, who has ADHD himself, challenges outdated idea...
Feb. 12, 2025
Dreams and Delirium: The Surrealist Exploration of Mental Illness
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore the origins and evolution of Surrealism through Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction by David Hopkins, Surrealism, History and Revolution by Simon Baker,...
Feb. 12, 2025
Surviving the Storm : Francis Ford Coppola and Bipolar Disorder
Francis Ford Coppola changed cinema forever with The Godfather and Apocalypse Now , but behind his brilliance was a battle with bipolar disorder. In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore Godfather: The In...
Feb. 12, 2025
From Torment to Triumph: How manic-depression fuels the creative fire
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore Manic Depression and Creativity by Jablow Hershman and Julian Lieb, a deep dive into the link between bipolar disorder and artistic brilliance. From Newton and Bee...
Feb. 12, 2025
The Fever of the Mind : William James and the Price of Creativity
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore William James: In the Maelstrom of American Modernism by Robert D. Richardson. A pioneer in psychology and philosophy, James shaped modern thought while battling i...
Feb. 12, 2025
Margaret Cavendish : Finding Sanity in "A World of Her Own'"
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore Margaret the First , Douglas Grant’s biography of Margaret Cavendish—17th-century philosopher, poet, and scientist. A pioneer in publishing under her own name, Cav...
Feb. 12, 2025
Nine Chains to the Moon and a Mind in Chaos: The Inner World of Buckminster Fuller
In this episode of The Mad Genius Thesis Podcast , we explore Inventor of the Future by Alec Nevala-Lee, the definitive biography of Buckminster Fuller. Known for the geodesic dome and Spaceship Earth , Fuller revolutionized ...