Adventure writer Tim Cahill on fear, and what it’s like to be dead for ten minutes




Deviate with Rolf Potts show

Summary: “I think fear comes out of ignorance.” – Tim Cahill Tim Cahill is a journalist, author, and pioneering travel writer. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Tim discuss hooking the reader from the first line of a story (2:15); the start of Tim's career and his early experiences in journalism (8:50); travel writing in the 1970s, and the evolution of travel writing (16:30); his relationship with risk and fear (24:00); his brush with death in the Grand Canyon (36:45); and how his connection with walking and travel has changed as he has aged (51:00). For more from Tim, check out his Rolling Stone and Outside archives, or his 2004 Q&A with Rolf. Mentioned writing by Tim Cahill In the Valley of the Shadow of Death: Guyana After the Jonestown Massacre, by Tim Cahill (article) The Shame of Escobilla, by Tim Cahill (article) My Drowning (and other Inconveniences), by Tim Cahill (article) Buried Dreams: Inside the Mind of John Wayne Gacy, by Tim Cahill (book) Pecked to Death by Ducks, by Tim Cahill (book) A Wolverine is Eating my Leg, by Tim Cahill (book) Hold the Enlightenment, by Tim Cahill (book) Jaguars Ripped my Flesh, by Tim Cahill (book) Pass the Butterworms, by Tim Cahill (book) Road Fever, by Tim Cahill (book) Other notable links Outside Magazine (publication) Gonzo Journalism (style of journalism) In medias res (narrative technique) Walt Whitman (poet and essayist) Ernest Hemingway (author) Emily Dickinson (poet) Mark Twain (author) Bill Cardoso (journalist) Queen Charlotte Islands (i.e., Haida Gwaii) Lava Falls (Grand Canyon rapids) Paleface v. Redskin (American literary dichotomy) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel's 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we're happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.