A Working-Class Poet Who Can Perform for Thousands But Struggles to Say How He Feels. Emmett O'Brien on Grief, Masculinity & Finding a Voice.

Emmett O'Brien is a poet, actor and storyteller from Cabra who's built a reputation for putting into words what so many people feel but never quite know how to say. He started writing at 13, after a 14-year-old friend was killed in a hit-and-run and a counsellor suggested he find a way to express it. What began as rap became spoken word, and it's carried him from ten people in a basement to stages across the world.

Ryan sits down with Emmett for an honest, wide-ranging conversation about creativity, class, masculinity and mental health.

What we get into:

  • Growing up in Cabra and why he was the "outlandish" kid
  • Starting to write at 13 to deal with the death of his friend
  • How rap became spoken word, and the artists who shaped him
  • The working-class accent as identity, and being paid to write but not to speak
  • Why he can perform for thousands but can't talk about his own feelings
  • The one-man play about hitting rock bottom that nobody knew was about him
  • Grief, his ma's passing, and the moment his emotions finally opened up
  • Masculinity, the manosphere, and what a man actually is
  • Why it's good men capable of violence, who choose not to use it, who matter
  • Imposter syndrome, Damien Dempsey, Kelly Harrington and self-doubt
  • Calculated luck, the 10,000 hours, and why sacrifice is the whole game
  • Surrounding yourself with genuine people, not yes-men

Ryan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing.

Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis

If anything in this episode resonates with you, support is available in Ireland. Samaritans are free and available 24/7 on 116 123, and Text About It can be reached by texting 50808.

🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar, Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

Rss
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör Ryan Curtis. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Ryan Curtis och inte av, eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.