A Working-Class Poet on Masculinity, the Manosphere & What a Man Actually Is - Emmet O'Brien

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


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