Comedian Marc Salmon hosts conversations about inner and outer change, exploring alternative ways of thinking through philosophy, Buddhism, and the messy, often funny business of being human.
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Trailer: The Bardo Podcast - Alternative Ways of Thinking with Marc Salmon
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 • Duration 00:55
The Bardo Podcast is a podcast about alternative ways of thinking, inner and outer change, and what happens in the space between.
Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features thoughtful conversations with comedians, philosophers, Buddhist thinkers, and other curious minds. Episodes cover philosophy, Buddhism, counter-cultural ideas, and the messy, often funny business of being human. This is not about expertise or certainty, but about questioning assumptions, sitting with ambiguity, and thinking differently together.
New episodes launch in January.
If you are interested in philosophy, Buddhism, or conversations that explore ideas with curiosity, subscribe now so you do not miss the first episodes.
Ep.1 - Lara Ricote: Why Play Might Actually Be Radical
Episode 1
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 • Duration 01:36:06
Marc Salmon is joined by award-winning comedian and actor Lara Ricote for a conversation about creativity, uncertainty, clowning, politics, play and learning to live without certainty.
Together they explore why joy and silliness are often dismissed, how fear shapes both art and politics, and what becomes possible when we stop trying to control life and learn to stay with mystery instead.
Support the podcast If you enjoy The Bardo Podcast and want it to keep going, the best way to support it is on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thebardopodcast
Please also subscribe, share and leave a review. It genuinely helps.
In this episode we explore:
Play as a way of living, not just performing
Clowning and the practice of “try, check, change”
Fear, anger, and why joy rarely shows up in politics
Abundance vs scarcity (and what hunter-gatherer societies can teach us)
Work, automation, and imagining life beyond constant optimisation
Why being seen, and failing, might be essential to freedom
Guest
Lara Ricote is an award-winning Mexican-American comedian and actor. She has performed internationally and works across stand-up, sketch, and screen, with a growing interest in play, presence, and risk as creative practices.
Peter Gray - Play as a Foundation for Hunter-Gatherer Social Existence
Bob Black -The Abolition of Work
David Graeber - Bullshit Jobs: A Theory
The Bardo Podcast explores alternative ways of thinking, inner and outer change, and what happens in the space between.
Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features thoughtful conversations with comedians, philosophers, Buddhist thinkers, and other curious minds - not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together.
New episodes explore comedy, philosophy, Buddhism, creativity, and alternative ways of living.
Ep.2 - Dr Steve Todd & Cesare Saguato: The Meta-Crisis - Why We Lost Our Shared Reality
Episode 2
Tuesday, January 20, 2026 • Duration 01:30:45
Marc Salmon is joined by Dr Steve Todd and Cesare Saguato for a wide-ranging conversation about the meta-crisis, Tibetan Buddhism, Western esotericism, psychotherapy, physics, uncertainty, and the overlapping crises shaping modern life.
Together they explore how rigid worldviews collapse into despair, why certainty can become dangerous, and how play, plurality and mystery might offer new ways of relating to ourselves and the world.
Support the podcast If you enjoy The Bardo Podcast and want it to keep going, the best way to support it is on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thebardopodcast
Please also subscribe, share and leave a review. It genuinely helps.
In this episode we explore:
The meta-crisis and why modern solutions no longer seem to work
Meta-modernism and the idea of ironic sincerity
Buddhism, groundlessness, and living without fixed narratives
Science, magic, and the limits of a mechanistic worldview
Rhizomes, decentralised action, and collective change without blueprints
Activism as transformation rather than opposition
Re-enchantment, play, and finding agency in uncertain times
Guests
Dr Steve Todd is a theoretical physicist with a PhD in high-energy particle theory and a long-time Buddhist practitioner within the Drukpa Kagyu tradition. He explores the intersections of science, Buddhism, and Western esotericism. Steve’s Meta-Modern Rosicrucian Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/464647772026730/
Cesare Saguato is a Buddhist practitioner, psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, and clinical supervisor. He works in private practice, education, and organisational settings, and is Chair of Bodhicharya UK. Cesare’s work: https://www.cesaremindfultherapy.com/
Ep.6 - Fer Rodil: What Cancer Taught Me About Love and Letting Go
Episode 6
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 • Duration 02:18:10
Marc Salmon is joined by storyteller, director and screenwriter Fer Rodil for a wide-ranging conversation about cancer, comedy, philosophy, mortality, love and the search for meaning.
Together they explore what a cancer diagnosis can teach us about attachment, relationships, creativity, happiness and the mind, drawing on Buddhism, William James, Nietzsche and the power of storytelling to transform suffering into something meaningful.
Support the podcast If you enjoy The Bardo Podcast and want it to keep going, the best way to support it is on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thebardopodcast
Please also subscribe, share and leave a review. It genuinely helps.
In this episode we explore:
Cancer diagnosis and living with uncertainty
Comedy and the limits of humour
Love, heartbreak and attachment
Turning illness and grief into storytelling
Acceptance, compassion and forgiveness
Consciousness and philosophy of mind
Rebirth and Buddhist ideas of continuity
William James and altered states
Nietzsche, samsara and the search for meaning
Art, bitterness and emotional transformation
Guest
Fer Rodil is an Argentinian director, storyteller and screenwriter. He has written series for HBO, Amazon Prime and Disney+, and now lives in the Netherlands where he teaches storytelling and performs comedy and theatre.
His show Fer Is On A Deadline is a storytelling performance about his cancer diagnosis and the search for meaning when facing mortality.
Why does activism sometimes feel miserable? And how could politics feel joyful again?
In this solo episode of The Bardo Podcast, comedian Marc Salmon reflects on activism, community, and why movements trying to change the world can sometimes lose their sense of humour.
Through stories from activist meetings, reflections on anarchist philosophy, and everyday examples of mutual aid, Marc explores ideas like worker cooperatives, universal basic income, and solarpunk futures. But the real question might be simpler.
What if the revolution starts with something smaller. Like knowing your neighbours again.
Support the podcast If you enjoy The Bardo Podcast and want it to keep going, the best way to support it is on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thebardopodcast
Please also subscribe, share and leave a review. It genuinely helps.
Book Recommendations: Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution - Peter KropotkinBullshit Jobs - David GraeberThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Ep.5 - Gabriel Kennedy: Robert Anton Wilson and the Philosophy of Maybe
Episode 5
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 • Duration 01:55:12
Marc Salmon is joined by writer and researcher Gabriel Kennedy, author of Chapel Perilous: The Life & Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson, for a wide-ranging conversation about Robert Anton Wilson, uncertainty, belief systems, anarchism, humour and the art of not knowing.
Together they explore model agnosticism, reality tunnels, Chapel Perilous, the SNAFU Principle, conspiracy culture, synchronicity, grief, forgiveness, self-metaprogramming, and why learning to hold our beliefs more lightly might be one of the most important skills of modern life.
Support the podcast If you enjoy The Bardo Podcast and want it to keep going, the best way to support it is on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thebardopodcast
Please also subscribe, share and leave a review. It genuinely helps.
In this episode we explore:
Robert Anton Wilson and the art of not knowing
Model agnosticism and reality tunnels
Chapel Perilous and synchronicity
Anarchism and the SNAFU Principle
Humour, play, and laughter as tools for sense making
Grief, forgiveness, and transformation
Guest
Gabriel Kennedy is a writer and researcher, and the author of Chapel Perilous: The Life & Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson.
Gabriel Kennedy – Chapel Perilous: The Life & Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson – Cosmic Trigger
Ep.4 - Abby Wambaugh: Can You Be Too Honest for Comedy?
Episode 4
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 • Duration 02:08:42
Marc Salmon is joined by writer, performer and comedian Abby Wambaugh for a wide-ranging conversation about vulnerability, creativity, comedy, sincerity and what it means to make honest work.
Together they explore trauma, responsibility, contemporary clowning, audience care, humour as a force for social change, and Abby's acclaimed show The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows, produced by Hannah Gadsby.
Support the podcast If you enjoy The Bardo Podcast and want it to keep going, the best way to support it is on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thebardopodcast
Please also subscribe, share and leave a review. It genuinely helps.
In this episode we explore:
Bodies, illness, embarrassment, and telling the truth
Vulnerability on stage and the risks of sincerity
When openness becomes unsafe, and how to care for audiences
Creativity as compulsion rather than performance
Metaphor, repetition, and “rats in the wall”
Comedy, compassion, and responsibility
Imagination, hope, and the idea that another world is possible
Writing, practice, and learning to stay with what we resist
Guest
Abby Wambaugh is a multi award-winning American comedian, writer, and improviser based in Copenhagen who regularly performs in the UK. Their debut show The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows won Best Newcomer at the Jones ISH Comedy Awards, Best Show at the European Comedy Awards, and Best Comedy at the Theatre Weekly Fringe Awards.
The Bardo Podcast explores alternative ways of thinking, inner and outer change, and what happens in the space between.
Solo: What Accountability Looks Like (For Me)
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 • Duration 13:56
In this solo episode of The Bardo Podcast, I reflect on what accountability looks like for me in practice.
This is a more personal and reflective episode than usual.
I talk about sobriety, spiritual identity, ego, mixed motives, and the discomfort of speaking publicly while still figuring things out. I discuss Buddhist ideas like samsara, beginner’s mind, and confession without self-punishment as a way of thinking about accountability as something lived and ongoing.
The Bardo Podcast explores Buddhism, philosophy, comedy, and alternative ways of thinking through reflective conversations and solo episodes.
Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show is not about certainty or expertise. It is about questioning assumptions, noticing habits of mind, and sitting with ambiguity, often with humour, in the space between inner and outer change.
Ep.3 - Mark Simmons: The Philosophy of Laughter and Dying on Stage
Episode 3
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 • Duration 01:10:47
Marc Salmon is joined by award-winning comedian Mark Simmons for a conversation about stand-up comedy, joke writing, confidence, failure, timing, creativity and the philosophy of laughter.
Together they explore what really happens when a joke lands or fails, how audiences respond to confidence on stage, why the same material can work in one room and bomb in another, and what comedy can teach us about creativity, perspective and human connection.
Support the podcast If you enjoy The Bardo Podcast and want it to keep going, the best way to support it is on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thebardopodcast
Please also subscribe, share and leave a review. It genuinely helps.
In this episode we explore:
Dying on stage and losing the fear of failure
Confidence, belief, and audience perception
Fun as a skill in stand-up comedy
Joke writing, wordplay, timing, and structure
Audience trust, taboo, and tension
The philosophy of laughter
Guest
Mark Simmons is an award-winning one-liner comedian known for his sharp jokes and meticulous approach to joke writing. He has toured internationally, appeared on television and radio, and hosts the podcast Jokes with Mark Simmons.
Emily Herring - Herald of a Restless World: How Henri Bergson Brought Philosophy to the People Sigmund Freud - Jokes and Their Relation to the UnconsciousZoe Brownstone's new Stand-Up Special (Go check this out now!)
Ep.10 - Lawrence Dodd: The Buddhist Clown Trying to Stay Human
Episode 10
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 • Duration 01:42:07
Marc Salmon is joined by comedian and clown Lawrence Dodd for a wide-ranging conversation about comedy, Buddhism, sobriety, neurodivergence, political despair and the search for connection in confusing times.
Together they explore clowning, autism, masking, intrusive thoughts, addiction, spirituality, organising, identity, and how play, community and vulnerability might help us stay human when certainty starts to fall apart.
Support the podcast If you enjoy The Bardo Podcast and want it to keep going, the best way to support it is on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thebardopodcast
Please also subscribe, share and leave a review. It genuinely helps.
Topics include:
Comedy and vulnerability
Sobriety and Buddhism
Autism and masking
Intrusive thoughts and overwhelm
Spirituality and uncertainty
Clowning and play
Political despair and connection
Identity and belonging
Community and organising
Staying open in difficult times
Guest:
Lawrence Dodd is an alternative comedian and clown whose work blends performance art, chaos and emotional honesty.
His new show This Can’t Be It is directed by friend of the podcast Lara Ricote with Rachael Dobbie on tech.
The Bardo Podcast explores alternative ways of thinking, inner and outer change, and what happens in the space between.
Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features thoughtful conversations with comedians, philosophers, Buddhist thinkers, and other curious minds - not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together.
New episodes explore comedy, philosophy, Buddhism, creativity, and alternative ways of living.
The Bardo Podcast is a podcast about comedy, philosophy and spirituality, and new ways of thinking in uncertain times.
Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features thoughtful conversations with comedians, philosophers, Buddhist thinkers and other curious minds, not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together.
Episodes explore comedy, meditation, philosophy, creativity and alternative ways of living.
About the podcast The Bardo Podcast explores alternative ways of thinking, inner and outer change, and what happens in the space between. Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features thoughtful conversations with comedians, philosophers, Buddhist thinkers, and other curious minds, not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together. New episodes explore comedy, philosophy, Buddhism, creativity, and alternative ways of living. Find updates and more information at: https://www.marcsalmoncomedy.com/
Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea – The Illuminatus! Trilogy
Robert Anton Wilson – Everything Is Under Control
About the podcast
The Bardo Podcast explores alternative ways of thinking, inner and outer change, and what happens in the space between.
Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features thoughtful conversations with comedians, philosophers, Buddhist thinkers, and other curious minds, not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together.
New episodes explore comedy, philosophy, Buddhism, creativity, and alternative ways of living.
Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features thoughtful conversations with comedians, philosophers, Buddhist thinkers, and other curious minds, not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together.
New episodes explore comedy, philosophy, Buddhism, creativity, and alternative ways of living.
The Bardo Podcast explores Buddhism, philosophy, comedy, and alternative ways of thinking through fun philosophy conversations with comedians, philosophers, and Buddhist thinkers. The show brings together exploring Buddhism with playful, thoughtful discussions about creativity, meaning, inner and outer change, and what happens in the space between.
Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features conversations not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together.
Second and fourth Sundays at 10:30am UK time. Message Marc on Instagram to join.
About the podcast
The Bardo Podcast is a podcast about comedy, philosophy and spirituality, and new ways of thinking in uncertain times.
Hosted by comedian Marc Salmon, the show features thoughtful conversations with comedians, philosophers, Buddhist thinkers and other curious minds, not about certainty or expertise, but about questioning assumptions and sitting with ambiguity together.
Episodes explore comedy, meditation, philosophy, creativity and alternative ways of living.
