TV personalities and “Clanging” creators, Dion Flynn and Josh Radnor.
How does a “silly verbal tennis match” become a profound spiritual practice?
Inspired by the intro “Clanging” game they played on the immediately previous Monster Baby episode #103, Ted and Lisa invited the game’s creators, Dion Flynn and Josh Radnor, to come on the podcast themselves—and they accepted!
For context: Dion Flynn is a writer, keynote speaker, improvisor, stand-up comedian, actor and US Army veteran. He’s best known for playing Barack Obama and other characters with over 100 appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He masterfully helps a wide range of folks connect with themselves and others through his applied work with the “Improvisor’s Mindset.” (See below for contact info).
Josh Radnor is best known for his leading role as ‘Ted Mosby’ on the CBS Emmy-nominated comedy, How I Met Your Mother. He currently stars opposite Al Pacino in the Amazon Prime series Hunters, the hilarious Hulu show Fleishman is in Trouble, and Netflix’s animated Centaurworld. And, oh yeah, he’s acted on Broadway, written and directed a Sundance Film Festival award-winner (Happythankyoumoreplease), and released a couple indie-folk albums on his own and with the duo Radnor & Lee.
All that pedigree and the guys are still just guys. The episode here starts with some musings about Dion’s Kermit-the-Frog colored green screen on Zoom (if we get the video up, you’ll see it!) (2:35) From there, he and Josh introduce how Clanging moved from a “silly verbal tennis match” to a surprisingly spiritual exercise (6:05). All four participants work through a range of Clanging metaphors—rummage party, “passing taffy,” sand mandala, Etch-a-Sketch, tides on the beach, African pepper pot soup (13:36)—and then consider how taking Clanging public changes it (23:03).
After growing anticipation, Dion and Josh demonstrate a round of the game itslef (27:10) and then respond to the joys and challenges of “being private in public.” (32:15) Ted wonders if Josh and Dion feel the need to practice Clanging monogamy (38:57) and they explain their elaborate response system for text-based clanging (41:20). Lisa notes how Clanging appears to be a great way to attend to others and be attended to (46:48) before—monogamy be damned—the group jumps into a four-person Clang (50:40). Dion invites a bit more embodiment that leads to another round of play (54:25) and the group explores the tension between exploring new territory or sticking with safer prompts (1:01:21). Before he and Josh have to leave, Dion concludes their time on the podcast by explaining how Clanging plays like jazz (1:05:09).
Ted and Lisa close out the episode with a range of reflections: more on jazz, taking care of each other, emotional reactions, staying in the present moment, improvisation as art of response and presence as act of letting go of what came before, fractal reactions, love languages, mutual delight, and more. (1:06:25)
Want to see some of Dion and Josh clanging? Check out this short video where they again explain the game’s origin and demonstrate more of its wildly delightful possibility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-dM3SnZdfE.
For a longer example (that starts the exercise around 6:00), check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQUboED5G8Q
To connect further with Dion, check out his website at TheImprovisorsMindset.com and join one of his free 30-minute drop-in sets there. For formal bookings, contact his agent Li Hayes at SID@Goleeward.com. Alternatively, reach out to them directly on Twitter (@dionfly and @JoshRadnor).
As always, we so appreciate your listening in. If you’re inspired by what you hear and you’d like to let us know about it, please send a note to Ted and Lisa at info@monsterbabypodast.com. Or let others know about by leaving a quick review on your favorite podcast platform.
To subscribe so you receive immediate notice of future Monster Baby releases, head over to: http://monsterbabypodcast.com.
If you’re looking for a way to soak further in Monster Baby insights while you sit on your couch, sip your tea, or walk your dog, visit www.playfulmindfulness.info to pick up a copy of Ted’s book Playful Mindfulness: a joyful journey to everyday confidence, calm, and connection. (Ted will surely sign it for you if you like!)
Lisa Rowland and Ted DesMaisons
San Francisco improvisors Ted DesMaisons and Lisa Rowland explore the beautiful, surprising and unruly intersections between mindfulness and improvisation as they seek to befriend that oft-hidden and sometimes scary part of all of us that can lead to a life well-lived.
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