Jordan B Peterson Live: Does He Still Have It?

As I walked with a friend to Jordan B. Peterson’s live show at the Apollo Theatre in Hammersmith, London, on September 21st, I was filled with a kind of apprehension. We had purchased tickets three years ago, in 2019, when Peterson was at the height of his cultural and social influence. To say I have been a fan of Peterson’s work is something of an understatement. When I left the Royal Air Force due to a medical discharge in 2017, I consumed his lectures and content rabidly. He was a huge influence, among many, that drove me to pursue a career in psychology, and to return to an education system that I knew was fundamentally flawed. Since then, his content has ranged from informative lecture series’ and older academic content to interviews with some of the sharpest and most high-profile minds and pure, rank political punditry. 

As we saw with the infamous Cathy Newman interview on Channel 4, some of his appearances on legacy media have been profoundly resonant, hitting all of the right notes. Other pursuits, including attempts to reach out beyond his discipline by commenting on wider Canadian policy and international relations, have been met with criticism. But the thing that kept bringing me back to Peterson was his relentless honesty. Even though he has been lampooned for not holding fast to his philosophical ‘rules for life’ in the totality of his personal life, I never got the impression that he was doing anything other than what we all were: trying to be the best person he could be. We’re all flawed; we’re all human. I can’t begrudge him that.

After his near-fatal encounter with benzodiazepine withdrawal and a number of cancer scares with his wife, many saw a broken Peterson attempting to reclaim his past self by the time the Covid-19 pandemic rolled around. Indeed I too saw his online presence change. He becomes more bitter and began to snap at people on Twitter—a platform he has admitted he has an unhealthy relationship with. Then came the announcement of his new Daily Wire series Dragons, Monsters, and Men, as well as a streak of disastrous interviews with figures such as Islamist Mohammad Hijab and atheist Richard Dawkins. I was concerned, even worried that Peterson was being wasted on news cycle content and distracted during his interviews, barely allowing the other party to speak. Perhaps, said the most cynical part of my brain, there had been some neurological damage caused by his antidepressant addiction and subsequent radical rehab treatments.

All of this was running through my mind as I walked up to the doors of the Apollo. I took my seat and glanced around. The event had originally been sold out, and certainly, the vast majority of seats were still filled even after a three-year delay. To my right were my friends; to my left a Greek man who was passionate about self-improvement. In front of me sat a middle-aged English woman who claimed Peterson’s work had changed her life irrevocably and saved her from a dismal end. Everyone agreed that they were here in the hopes that Peterson would demonstrate his older style of talk: something akin to the biblical lectures that were so successful and interesting. Nobody wanted the bitter man we saw presenting the likes of ‘A Message to Muslims’ or a tirade of “up yours woke moralists” talks.

The show began with a series of classical pieces from two Canadian musicians; a classical guitarist and a violinist. Then Jordan’s wife Tammy came out and introduced her husband. Peterson has a very meandering way of discussing the topics at his live shows. In many ways, it felt like even he didn’t know what he was going to be saying, though there were several iPads dotted about with notes for him to reference. He began by speaking about gardens, specifically their boundaries, and how gardens are no longer gardens if they don’t have boundaries. This bridged into a commentary on the Garden of Eden, and perhaps the most important thought that characterised the evening:

“The important thing is not whether this story happened, what’s important is that the story is happening all the time.” 

Here he was digging at the heart of why stories resonate with us: why some stories have been with us collectively for thousands of years. What is it about a story describing two naked people and a talking snake in a mythical garden that appeals to the heart of man?  The conclusion was that Adam and Eve had both exhibited differing sins and that Adam’s sin is often glossed over in commentary about the Bible.

After meandering around the concept of sin, Peterson read the story of Cain and Abel. He contends that Cain in killing Abel out of jealousy and spite had destroyed the concept of the ideal in every sense. Given that Peterson is all about religious ideals and attempting to reach that which cannot be reached, it makes sense that he would draw this inference; the lesson is not as simple as ‘thou shalt not murder’ or ‘thou shalt not covet’, but a deeper conveyance about the destruction of good in the pursuit of evil. Cain is, of course, cursed forever as a result of his actions, and he left, spitefully, never to return, and never to repent. 

Irrespective of if you find his commentary on the Bible interesting, accurate, or relevant, the show was undeniably the Peterson of old. Jungian to the core, his meandering thought process could be likened to a poet. He weaves descriptions that delight and amuse, pontificating about human nature as it is and as it should be. The most enjoyable moments of the show are when he stops suddenly mid-sentence, only to articulate an amusing or striking realisation of thought. One such example would be when describing the role of women and their process when taking part in sexual selection. “Women!” he exclaims. “How many men should you reject? The answer is, of course, almost all of them!” There is a pause as he considers the ramifications of such a process. “Of course, it’s easy to overdo that.” Such commentary is met with a smattering of applause and amused chuckles from the audience, notably the women amongst us.

If I had had a more expensive ticket, I would have loved to attend the meet and greet and ask him about how he’s felt the last few years have changed him as a person. I’d like to know whether he feels he’s returning to more of the man we all loved, and who so inspired me all those years ago. Still, I left the event reassured that though a lot of his content has struck the wrong chord lately, there is still the inquisitive, passionate soul in the middle of it all. I dearly wish that he lets that aspect of him be the dominant one going forward.

Mark Houghton is a qualified psychologist, political commentator and founding member of the Basketweavers initiative. He is a frequent guest on popular internet talk show ‘Unpopular Opinions’. He promotes ethical and virtue based practise and believes everyone can live an authentically meaningful life if given the tools and the environment to thrive.

Find Mark here or follow him on Twitter