A Culture of Excess with Mickey Down + Konrad Kay

Sober Curious

Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, creators of HBO's Industry, on addictions to success, status and money, and the substance abuse that fuels their hit show. In the episode we discuss:

-Why the themes of ambition, success, and money are at the heart of HBOs Industry – and how these themes manifest in various addictions among the characters

-Choosing what we worship, and what happens when we put our faith in external things to make us feel safe, secure, happy, and whole

-Why recreational drug and alcohol use is so normalized – and how it morphs into more problematic use, especially in high pressure industries

-The individual drivers behind the culture of “success addiction” and “never enough” depicted in the show

-The role of childhood wounds in our self-destructive adult behaviors

-The transactional nature of the sex depicted in the show, and what this says about the characters’ lack of capacity for connection and vulnerability

-Dating apps being the crack cocaine of courtship – and the role of this in an addictive hookup culture

-The motivations for two of the characters getting sober in Season 2, and their different approaches to their sobriety

-The complexity of human nature, and how our “worst selves” often come out when we are feeling vulnerable and afraid

-The role of art in helping us develop self-compassion for our less palatable actions and behaviors

-Two key lines from the show that encapsulate our modern culture of excess

Seasons One and Two of Industry are streaming now on HBO. You can follow along on Instagram @industryhbo for updates.

Big thank you to Ghia for partnering on this episode. Get your Ghia at Drinkghia.com where you can get $10 off your first online order with the code CURIOUS.