Ari Shaffir on travel, memory, and the odd psychology of souvenirs

“My tattoo reminds me of who I was at that age. I was so fraught with the existential stakes—I wanted to have lived. I wanted to remind myself to be present in the world and not let youth slip” – Rolf Potts

To celebrate the release of his new book Souvenir, Rolf welcomes back Ari Shaffir for a deep dive on the topic of souvenirs, their meaning, and their importance related to the experience of traveling (14:00). Rolf then reads an excerpt from his book (1:09:00) before exploring some of Ari’s favorite souvenirs (1:22:00).

Ari Shaffir (@AriShaffir) is a comedian, writer, podcaster, and actor. A schedule of his upcoming comedy performances can be found here.

To purchase Rolf’s latest book, titled Souvenir, click here.

Notable Links:

• Tim Ferriss (author and entrepreneur)
• Marco Polo Didn’t Go There: Stories and Revelations From One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer, by Rolf Potts (book)
• “Be Your Own Donkey,” by Rolf Potts (travel essay)
• “Why Do We Still Buy Mass-Produced Souvenirs?” by Rolf Potts (book excerpt)
• Jim Morrison (musician)
• Zippo (metal cigarette lighter)
• Damara people (African ethnic group)
• The Zeila (shipwreck on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast)
• Swakopmund (Namibian coastal resort town)
• Ari Shaffir’s podcast interview with Henry Rollins
• New Market (market in Calcutta)
• Lamb sketch from The Simpsons
• Mekong (Southeast Asian river)
• Shaker furniture (style)
• Souvenir de Paris Par’ici (gift shop)
• Paris writing workshop
• Animism (religious belief)
• Harold and Maude (film)
• Sleep No More (immersive play)
• Flores (island in Indonesia)
• Tottenham Hotspur (English soccer club)
• Manchester United (English soccer club)
• Dili (capital city of East Timor)
• Jaco Island (uninhabited island in East Timor)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

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