playnext.fm

Interview Hour

306. I'm With Cupid

·32 min·3 clips
Professor Eris Dickens reveals she's been married four times to the same man, starting with an elopement at age 20.
The episode begins with hosts Lauren and Peter introducing their guest, Professor Eris Dickens, a scholar of the Greek and Roman god Cupid. They discuss how Cupid, originally depicted as a young man and son of Aphrodite, transformed into the cherub figure popularized in Victorian times. Dickens explains Cupid's role in making people fall in love with his arrows, predating St. Valentine. The conversation shifts to Dickens' personal life when she reveals she has been married four times to the same man, detailing their first elopement at age 20, subsequent divorces and remarriages, and a rekindling at a Greek mythology conference where her ex-husband presented on the god Ares. Dickens connects her childhood experiences, where she acted as a mediator for her mother's romantic relationships, to her communication skills in her own marriages. She discusses her new book 'I'm With Cupid,' which explores Cupid's evolution and includes autobiographical elements. The hosts read excerpts about different types of love in Greek mythology, noting the Greeks had distinct words and sub-goddesses for various loves. Towards the end, Dickens speculates on Cupid's future, suggesting he might become associated with platonic love given Gen Z's changing sexual habits, or even be villainized in relation to the male loneliness epidemic. The episode concludes with lighthearted banter about Cupid's potential influence on the hosts.

As heard by us

Cupid's arrows and four marriages to the same man make for a loose, funny Valentine's Day radio detour.

Valentine's Day takes a sideways mythological turn as Peter Narby brings Eris Dickens onto 101.3 WKZB to talk Cupid. Her explanation starts with the familiar arrow, the one that makes someone fall wildly for the first person they see, then moves into Cupid's place in Greek…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get a Valentine's Day Cupid scholar whose lecture keeps catching on four marriages to the same man.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on
Apple PodcastsSpotify
Play clips from this episodeMore from Interview Hour