Exploring the idiosyncrasies of male friendship, with Andrew McCarthy

About this episode

Rolf Potts and Andrew McCarthy discuss the nuances of male friendship and the impact of loneliness on men's health, drawing from Andrew's road trip experiences.

“I asked everyone if they were lonely. All the guys my age said 'no, I'm too busy; too much going on.' When I answer that quickly I'm either lying or it's something I'm afraid of.” – Andrew McCarthy In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Andrew talk about why Andrew took a USA road trip to reconnect with his friends (2:15); what kinds of friends Andrew sought out, why none of them were public figures, and how loneliness is bad for men's health (8:00); the kinds of men Andrew spoke with in passing on the trip, why Andrew sought out Elvis Presley sites on the road, and how women's friendships differ from men's (17:30); Andrew's takeaways from his road trip, why "showing up" for people is important, and how travel can be the "university of life" (28:00); audience questions about friendships between younger men, the rumored possibility of a St. Elmo's Fire sequel, the task of recording an audiobook, creepy things that happened on the road, and how travel inevitably makes us more open and curious (35:30). Andrew McCarthy (@AndrewTMcCarthy) is an actor, television director and writer of such books as The Longest Way Home, Brat and Walking with Sam. His newest book is Who Needs Friends…

People in this episode

Host: Rolf Potts

Guest: Andrew McCarthy

Topics covered

• male friendship
• loneliness
• travel
• health
• relationships
• cultural differences

Keywords

• male friendship
• loneliness
• road trip
• health
• travel
• Elvis Presley
• friendship dynamics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Brat Pack

Books & works: Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America, The Longest Way Home, Brat, Walking with Sam, Travels with Charley in Search of America

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