The Blindboy Podcast The Blindboy Podcast

Jon Ronson on Conspiracy, Masculinity and Writing

Sep 22, 2026 · 1h 46m

Summary

Blindboy interviews journalist John Ronson, discussing the evolution of conspiracy theories from the safe, monoculture era of the X-Files to today’s dangerous, mainstream narratives. They explore Ronson’s new book, The Castle, which investigates a wealthy man’s bizarre reality show scheme and examines male alienation and the crisis of purpose in the modern world. The conversation also touches on Ronson’s autism diagnosis, the challenges of touring, and his early work with Skeptics in the Pub, reflecting on how skepticism has shifted from fun curiosity to a complex social issue.

Topics discussed

Sponsor: Whole Foods Market Introduction to guest John Ronson Conspiracy theories and the documentary 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' John Ronson's book 'The Psychopath Test' Host's upcoming UK tour and podcast format Challenges of creating short-form video content The Patreon subscription model Patreon promotion and British Museum plans Haunting the British Museum and tour exhaustion Performance at the Abbey Theatre and NZ tour UK tour details and bass ocarina mention Sponsor: AlphaBrain by Onnit Sponsors: Noom and Onnit Total Human Interview start: The strangeness of touring John Ronson's experience meeting the host Running in Edinburgh and the Leith water Touring habits: The Holiday Inn bedroom Robbie Williams' modest mansion Autism and the challenge of small talk Inability to do book signings Receiving an autism diagnosis in 2013 Autism as a new suite of language Impact of diagnosis on self-worth Memory of a live performance as a religious artifact Fear of conspiracy theories post-9/11 Founding Skeptics in the Pub Early gigs and the first lesson in performing Transition in Skeptics in the Pub Rebecca Watson and broadening interests Hemi-sync meditation experiences Sensory experiences and rational people Conspiracy theories and elite clubs QAnon and the Jeffrey Epstein files Rageful narcissists and community coagulation Searching the Epstein files for positive examples Al Gore in the Epstein files Meyer Lansky, Roy Cohn, and the Epstein connection Diddy as an attempted Epstein figure Alien narratives and AI deregulation Richard Doty and spreading false UFO info The new book 'The Castle' and Chris Mark Son Joel's invitation to a party The '101 Princesses' reality show concept The impossibility of a harem post-MeToo FBI and DHS investigating Chris Mark Responsibility in journalism during active investigations Goat Lab and emotional bonding with animals Influence of Gay Talese's 'Frank Sinatra Has a Cold' Struggle with evidence and narrative endings August Ames and social media pile-ons Ethics of true crime podcasting Sleuths interfering with active investigations John Ronson's media studies background Ethical dilemma: One suffers, millions entertained Scrupulosity and Martin Luther AI dangers and the Catholic Church relic analogy Ireland as the edge of the known world AI apocalypse predictions and Windows 95 Secular solstices and AI hymns Peter Thiel and the Singularity Conference Martine Rothblatt and sentient robots Out-of-work actors training robots Selling data to train robots The 'Alan' story: Cybersecurity flaw ChatGPT collaboration and paranoia ChatGPT as a psychopath Red flags for psychopathy in interviews Robert Hare and terrible interviewees Curiosity about pain as a psychopath trait Autistic people worrying about being psychopaths Autistic people and states of flow Executive functioning and empathy challenges Asperger's and Hans Asperger's Nazi past Unmasking autism in public The book 'Unmasking Autism' Hiding campness and homophobia in Ireland Frank Sidebottom and the pain of performance Frank Sidebottom's nose peg The bag as part of autism diagnosis Being invisible vs. being recognized Real-time difference with and without the bag Favorite parties: Recognized and praised Backstage at festivals with the bag on Fear of failure and doing the work Researching stories and well-being Ideas block vs. writer's block Overcoming fear of failure Closing the interview and future collaborations Leaking a hoax to the deep web Becoming citizens for protection Recommendation: John Ronson's audiobooks Sponsor: Onnit Total Human Night Pack
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