“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.
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