Digging Into Alan Watts Audio Talks
Got obsessed with Eastern philosophy last month after reading some weird Zen stories. Kept hearing this Alan Watts dude mentioned everywhere but never actually heard his voice. Thought: “Man, gotta find where people listen to his talks for free.”
The Wild YouTube Hunt
Typed “Alan Watts free audio” into YouTube first. Thousands of results popped up – some with trippy animations, some just black screens with his voice. Clicked three vids:
- One got taken down mid-play because of copyright crap
- Second had 10 minutes of some guy rambling about crypto before the talk actually started
- Third one worked! Listened to “The Nature of Consciousness” while washing dishes
Podcast Alley Surprise
Remembered podcasts might have better quality. Checked the giant podcast app on my phone. Searched his name – bam! Official Alan Watts archive channel popped right up. Got super excited until I saw most episodes locked behind paywalls. Scrolled way down and found five free full-length lectures from 1968. Downloaded “Stop Chasing Happiness” instantly.
Bonus Treasure Hunt
Went down a rabbit hole in comments sections. People kept mentioning certain sites that host his old radio shows. Tried three different sites – first wanted credit card info for “free trial”, second asked for 20 survey submissions to unlock one file. Third site actually had clean audio files without bullshit pop-ups. Jackpot!
Current Setup
Now I’ve got this ritual:
- YouTube mixes for background noise while working
- Podcast app for walks with one free episode on repeat
- Downloaded stuff on old MP3 player for the park bench sessions
Still find new lectures every week somehow. That man’s voice turns dishwashing into enlightenment time. Wild.
