In May 2014, at the Hilton in Sedona, Deepak Chopra was hosting a three-day consciousness-raising event. Patrick was one of his featured guests. I had been a fan of Deepak since his groundbreaking PBS special in the 1980s, so when Patrick invited me—at the last minute, no less—to film him being interviewed by Deepak, I was over the moon.
But as I set up my camera, one of the event organizers leaned in and whispered that I couldn’t film without prior permission from Deepak himself. Since Patrick’s invite was so spontaneous, I completely understood. I packed the camera back up and went to join Stephanie, who was waving to me from the middle of the crowd.
When Deepak took the stage, he began with a playful introduction of Patrick, fondly calling him a “Gift to Humanity.” He teased Patrick with affection, ribbing him for his mischievous challenges to the stodgy scientific status quo. The audience loved it—laughter and applause rippled through the room. Patrick took it all in stride, smiling warmly and quipping:
“Wow, Deepak. You really nailed me.”
The crowd roared, and the tone was set for an unforgettable conversation.
Though I couldn’t roll video, I noticed the audio system was excellent. So, discreetly, I flipped my camera mic on—just in case. I had no plans to release the recording without permission, but I knew even having it as reference could be gold. Meanwhile, I joined the many audience members snapping photos, which Deepak’s team had no objection to. At worst, I’d have some great social media material. At best, I’d have the raw ingredients for a future video featuring both Patrick and Deepak.
The interview itself was electric. Deepak’s deep respect for Patrick’s life work shone through every question, and Patrick, in turn, lit up with his trademark mix of brilliance and humility. The hour flew by in what felt like minutes.
Afterwards, in the hallway outside the ballroom (a space, fun fact, that in 2015 we’d later rent for the release of Patrick’s updated Neo Neurophone), Patrick, Stephanie, and I joined the line of audience members waiting to greet Deepak. Stephanie hugged Patrick with joy. Patrick then introduced me to Deepak himself.
I seized the moment. “Deepak, would it be alright if I used the audio I captured for THE FLANAGAN EXPERIMENTS?”
Deepak considered for just a beat, then smiled and nodded to his team. “Yes, as long as I have final approval on the video.”
Done. Permission granted.
It was a small miracle, the kind that seemed to follow Patrick wherever he went.
Enjoy the interview! (Funding update after the break.)
First, thank you who have supported this project with your donations! I’m deeply grateful that we’ve reached 30% of my $5K GoFundMe goal during such tough times. Your kindness and support means the world to me and has, with this episode, brought you 30% of the originally planned 50 episodes.
Given Patrick’s devoted fan base — and my own history of raising over $2 million for various creative projects — it’s clear the current economy has made completing this beautiful tribute more challenging than usual. In better times, this GoFundMe would have wrapped up in just a few weeks.
If funding continues to flow slowly, I will of course need to pause new chapters. But please don’t worry — this project is a labor of love, and I’ll keep sharing stories of my adventures with Patrick whenever I can carve out the time.
Because, truly, I love remembering my work with this brilliant, mischievous, and big-hearted man and his amazing wife and partner in all things Stephanie.
