Bless the Phone with Ross Simonini

Bless the Phone with Ross Simonini

Author: Zak Rosen May 13, 2026 Duration: 20:06
Ross Simonini is an interdisciplinary artist and writer. Read his essays Bless The Phone here and Through the Fire here. Check out his essential interviews with so many modern masters at The Believer! Noa on using our phone less. Dapne on using our phone less. Rabbi Yoni on the bathroom blessing. -- BECOME A WEIRD HELPER AND LISTEN TO THE SHOW AD-FREE! GET YOUR WEIRDLY HELPFUL MERCH HERE! -- Ross has held solo presentations of his work at the Sharjah Biennial (UAE), Francois Ghebaly (NYC), anonymous gallery (NYC), Et Al (SF), SHRINE (LA), suns.works (Zurich), Shoot the Lobster (LU), and Human Resources (LA).  ​His novel, The Book of Formation (2018, Melville House) chronicles the rise of a fictional philosophical movement. His essays appear in the New York Times, McSweeneys, ArtReview and The Paris Review. ​​He releases music under his own name and has released music as a member of the bands, NewVillager and Trespassers William. He has performed at Performa, Andy Warhol Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum.  ​​​As a professor, he has taught seminars on experimental process, writing, art, sound, and dialogue at Columbia University, CA College of the Arts, and UCLA. He served as an editor at The Believer for a decade and has created audio programs for SFMOMA, KCRW, and ArtReview. ​​He ran ALICIA, a gallery & performance space on his property in Altadena before the fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosted by Zak Rosen, Weirdly Helpful (which you might remember as The Best Advice Show) operates on a simple, charming premise: the most effective strategies for getting through the day aren't always the most obvious ones. This is a weekly, compact podcast built on the idea that a slight shift in perspective or a deliberately odd action can recalibrate your mood or solve a stubborn problem. Each episode features a different guest contributor sharing one specific, curious tactic they personally use. You won't get lengthy lectures or clinical self-help here. Instead, you'll hear about tangible, often playful experiments and rituals-think of it as a friendly, audio-based swap meet for life hacks that are delightfully left of center. The practices discussed are genuinely unconventional, yet presented with such warmth and clarity that their utility becomes undeniable. It’s that moment of surprised recognition when something seemingly bizarre, like vocalizing frustration in a primal way or transforming a daily routine into a small sensory celebration, clicks into place as profoundly sensible. The podcast lives in the intersection of Education, Fitness, and Mental Health precisely because improving daily life touches all those facets. Rosen curates these conversations to be short bursts of inspiration, leaving you with a single, actionable idea to sit with and perhaps try for yourself, wondering why you hadn't thought of it before. The cumulative effect of listening is a gentle expansion of what you consider helpful, finding value and a bit of magic in the wonderfully strange.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Weirdly Helpful (formerly The Best Advice Show)
Podcast Episodes
Introducing: No Such Thing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:38
I'm excited to share a preview of a new podcast I think you’d enjoy: No Such Thing. It's a show where three best friends and journalists settle their dumb arguments — and yours — by actually doing the research. Hosts Man…
Navigating Domestic Administration with Clarity and Kindness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:20
Shari and Eric are married with children in NYC. They were last on the show talking about touching feet during marital discord. More on SPOA - Lucy Anderton on graphing household labor and other weirdly helpful gems. - W…
Farting for Relief and Walking for Peace in Our Fragmented World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:07
On today's episode, a family's post-dinner ritual and later Zak tells the improbable tale of Peace Pilgrim. Lucy, Gino and Avery fart walk in Miami, FL. Lucy co-hosts Slate's parenting show with Zak and Elizabeth Newcamp…
How Understanding Your Brain Chemistry Can Change Your Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:28
Mike Pesca is the creator and host of The Gist, the longest-running daily news podcast in history, moderator of Not Even Mad, a political debate podcast, and host of Funny You Should Mention, a co-production with the Com…
How to Make it Work as a Young Artist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:56
Cara Ryan is an academic living in Florida. --- Laura Weber Davis originally gave her cover letter advice back in 2023. --- Listen to WH ad-free by becoming a Weird Helper right now @ Patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful Learn mor…
The Transcendental Power of Wiggling with Toogie Barcelo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:22
On today's episode, Toogie Barcelo shares her unique approach to movement, creativity, and emotional well-being through the power of wiggling! Toogie is a ⁠dancer⁠, ⁠choreographer⁠, ⁠movement director⁠, ⁠certified breath…
99 Ways to Die (and how to avoid them⁠) with Dr. Ashley Alker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:07
Discover practical tips and surprising truths that can help you and your loved ones stay safe and informed with Dr. Ashely Alker, author of ⁠99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them⁠ and an emergency medicine physician on a…