The Art of Manliness

If you’ve been following the Art of Manliness for a while, you know that I typically interview the authors of books on this podcast. But,
if you’ve been following the Art of Manliness for a while, you’ll know why I had to make an exception for today’s guest.
Brandon Flowers is my very favorite musical artist. He is the frontman for the multi-platinum-record-earning band The Killers and has also put out three solo albums.
I recently had the chance to talk to Brandon backstage before one of his shows in Las Vegas. My wife Kate, as well as a couple of friends, were also on hand, and you’ll hear me allude to them a couple times during the interview.
Brandon and I had a great conversation. We discuss his third and latest solo album, Thrasher and why he went country-western on it, what his dad taught him about what makes a good man, what he’s currently reading (hint: it involves the author of my all-time favorite novel), his top five favorite country songs, the influence of faith in his life and music, what’s on his mind in midlife, and how he balances work and family.
Resources Related to the Podcast

Thrasher on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube
Flamingo on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube
Pressure Machine on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube
Imploding the Mirage on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck
AoM Podcast #824: Lonesome Dove and Life’s Journey Through Uncertainty
AoM Podcast #1,104: Ecclesiastes on Enjoying Our Weirdly Unsatisfying Lives
Mama Baskets at Costco
Come Follow Me LDS scripture study program
“My Lord, What a Morning”
Take the Simple Test That Can Predict Your Mortality
Brandon’s favorite country songs:
“Don’t Close Your Eyes” by Keith Whitley
“The Winner” by Kris Kristofferson
“Silver Stallion” by The Highwaymen
“A Lot of Things Different” by John Conlee
“What I’d Give” by Ian Noe

Connect With Brandon Flowers
Brandon’s Website
Brandon on Instagram
Brandon on YouTube
Brandon on Facebook

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We live in a world of pervasive noise. Even when we're alone and our surroundings are quiet, our devices bombard us with an endless stream of inputs — messages, news, opinions, entertainment — and we feel constantly connected.
My guest argues that this lack of both silence and solitude isn't just generating stress and fragmenting our attention, but doing real damage to our souls.
His name is John Mark Comer, and he’s a pastor and the author of Into the Quiet. Today on the show, we discuss what noise is doing to the deepest parts of us and how engaging in silence and solitude can help us cultivate inner stillness. We explore the monastic tradition behind these spiritual disciplines, why engaging in them can sometimes feel like a negative experience, and what happens when all our usual distractions disappear. We also get into simple ways to bring more quiet into everyday life.
After the show’s over, check out the show notes at aom.is/silence.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Get the Book: Into the Quiet
John Mark's previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #1,013 — Practicing Spiritual Disciplines as an Act of Resistance
John Mark's Previous Book: Practicing the Way
AoM Article: The Spiritual Disciplines — Solitude and Silence
Clear Creek Abbey in OK
New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur
A Time to Keep Silence by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Connect With John Mark Comer
John Mark's website

0:00 Introduction
1:33 What Prompted "Into the Quiet"
5:42 Soundless Noise in the Digital Age
7:39 What Noise Does to Our Souls
11:02 Loneliness vs. Solitude
13:57 Cultivating Inner Stillness
19:02 The Eremos: Jesus' Practice of Solitude
23:58 The Desert Fathers & Monastic Tradition
29:06 What Happens in the Silence
39:17 Confronting Inner Demons in Solitude
47:36 Practical Ways to Practice Silence & Solitude
51:47 Outro

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Modern life is filled with conveniences designed to make things easier. We can order dinner without leaving the couch, check ourselves out at the grocery store, communicate instantly with anyone, and stream nearly every movie and song ever made.
So why do we often feel busier, more stressed, and more, well, inconvenienced than ever?
My guest today argues that many supposed advancements don’t actually save us time, money, or energy — and that even when they do, they can eliminate forms of friction that made life richer, more enjoyable, and more human.
His name is Gabe Bullard, and he’s the author of Against Convenience. Today on the show, Gabe and I discuss how self-checkout, mobile ordering, digital communication, streaming services, food delivery, and even smartphone cameras can paradoxically make life more annoying and less satisfying. Gabe also shares questions to ask yourself to decide which conveniences are worth keeping, and why deliberately adding a little friction back into your life can sometimes make it better.
0:00 Introduction
1:45 Why Convenience Isn't Working
4:22 Self-Checkout & Starbucks App Failures
11:29 The Illusion of Technological Progress
17:28 Phones as a Single Point of Failure
18:20 How Digital Communication Hurts Relationships
23:49 Dating Apps & Making Friends
27:15 Smartphone Cameras & the Value of Photos
32:41 Streaming & Entertainment Disappointment
40:10 Food Delivery Problems
46:30 Wendell Berry's Questions for New Tech
50:12 Practical Tips for Embracing Friction

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We all have things we’ve always wanted to know how to do, but have never gotten around to learning. Speak a foreign language. Play an instrument. Write a book. Take up surfing. Maybe you’ve even started one of these pursuits a few times, only to drop it after a couple of weeks.
My guest calls this collection of abandoned or deferred desires your “invisible list” and is the author of a book of the same name.
Today on the show, Ravi Gupta presents a plan for tackling the things on your invisible list by picking one hobby-like activity each year and working your way to an intermediate level in it. He explains the different categories these pursuits can fall into, from the liftoff project to the mental marathon to the skillbatical, and how to pick the right one for your season of life. We also discuss how camps for grownups can make skill acquisition more enjoyable, why you should consider taking up an adult-appropriate sport like tennis, why Ravi decided to take the MCAT even though he doesn't plan to become a doctor, and how working on your invisible list can give your life chapters and, over the course of a decade, turn you into a Renaissance-man badass.
After the show is over, check out the show notes at aom.is/invisiblelist
0:00 — Introduction
1:45 — What is the Invisible List?
4:38 — Examples & Bucket List Comparison
8:46 — Why a Year Creates Life Chapters
11:10 — Making Time: Family & Constraints
15:44 — Five Rules of the Invisible List
18:39 — Why Aim for Intermediate?
21:19 — The Five Archetypes
26:50 — Liftoff Year: Powerlifting & Journaling
37:30 — Skill-Batical: Surfing & Adult Camps
43:17 — Age-Appropriate Sports: Tennis
45:46 — Mental Marathon: Taking the MCAT

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When people are faced with problems and complexity, our instinct is to add instead of subtract. As a result, we have a tendency to make our work and our lives more and more complex, and less and less effective and fulfilling. Even when what we add is new technology that promises to make us more productive, it often only seems to bog us down and give us even more to do.
My guest says that to fight this drift toward complexity, especially in the modern age, you’ve got to be ruthless about cutting out the superfluous and focusing on what’s most important. His name is Jim VandeHei, and he’s the co-founder and CEO of Axios and the co-author of Simplify.
Today on the show, Jim explains how to simplify your work and personal life using a three-step process: confront, delete, and amplify. We discuss how to identify the “slop” we’re all inundated with (and he’s not just talking about what’s generated by AI), rules of thumb for what to say no to, why you should spend more time developing your strengths than fixing your weaknesses, and the importance of getting clear on what you want out of life, both personally and professionally.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Jim's Book: Simplify: Do 50 Percent More with 50 Percent Less
Jim's last appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #987 — The No-BS Secrets of Success
Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less
AoM Article: The Spiritual Disciplines — Simplicity
AoM Podcast #699: The No-Nonsense Guide to Simplifying Every Aspect of Your Life
Connect With Jim VandeHei
Jim at Axios

0:00 Introduction & Website Redesign
0:48 The Problem with Complexity
1:56 Interview Begins: Why Another Book on Simplifying?
3:00 How AI Makes Life More Complex
5:42 The Confront, Delete, Amplify Framework
8:14 Why Complexity Creeps Into Everything
11:35 Identifying Slop in Work and Life
17:43 How to Confront Your Habits
24:59 Rules for Saying No
29:48 Amplify Strengths Over Weaknesses
37:35 Simplifying Communication at Work
42:29 Using AI to Simplify Your Life

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