Podcast

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Episode #23: Head, Heart and Gut

We’re back!  James and I have a rousing discussion of Head, Heart and Gut (And Spleen, and Groin, and Spirit, and a zillion other permutations…)  Read more about it and see lots of neat charts here!

10 comments:

Raphael RKD said...

Hey Matt, really interesting this HHG concept. I think the model could be improved introducing the opposite concept in a wheel (anti-brain, anti gut and anti heart). [ https://ibb.co/0FQJzpz ] When we plot where each character sits in the wheel and how each character change in each arc we almost can plot the hero journey for the main characters. Very interesting see how the movie needs to keep the balances between the roles during the development of the characters... Also, remind me a lot the Heraclitus unity of opposites concept

Matt Bird said...

Wait, James had a bit about anti-brain, anti gut and anti heart (talking about the bad guys in Avatar) that I cut but then he asked me to put it back in. Did I post a version that doesn't have that?

Matt Bird said...

Oh good, it's there at 33:17, but you're right that it could be explored more.

Raphael RKD said...

Yes a little bit, awesome episode btw. I did the first image just for star wars, I will try other movies with more complex characters to see if works well (little miss sunshine, pulp fiction and knives out)

Anonymous said...

I think Sokka and Katara show how two head character can be differentiated. In one of the episodes the gaang tries to enter a fire nation temple and they need fire bending to open a door. Sokka comes up with a plan to make a bomb to simulate fire. When it doesn't work Katara suggests tricking the fire benders into opening the door for them.
So the head/gut is more technical using chemistry, biology and technology.
While the head/heart is more about manipulation, psychology and sociology.

Matt Bird said...

Great point! Can I tell you how happy I am that everybody has seen Avatar now?

Jonas said...

Great episode! Upon quick reflection, I think Detectorists may be another example of a sitcom with relatively well-rounded characters.

Anonymous said...

Do you think that this head-heart-gut idea could work with the head-heart-body categories of the enneagram of personality? (before it gets discussed: I don't think the enneagram of personality should be used for real people either)

Anonymous said...

I love that you talked about The A-Team. Loved that show as a kid!

Harvey Jerkwater said...

Regarding "ensemble lead is head," I think you could find a lot of that if you go back in time. Stories with heroic scientists or police officers bringing order out of chaos - think Dragnet or 1950s sci-fi - and it could work. Old-style westerns probably offer many examples, since a common element of the genre is the creation of order from chaos. The Lone Ranger is a head character. Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke maybe?

An odd variation is the series 21 Jump Street. The lead of the ensemble is Tom Hanson, who is the sole by-the-book cop in the unit, at least in the first episodes. The other three officers in the unit are unconventional and find Hanson's "head" style annoying and counterproductive. The "head as lead of ensemble" works because he's the calm, rational one in the swirling madness of High School Crime!