Inside California's ‘orgasm commune’
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 29 January 2024
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
OneTaste, the organisation behind the practice 'orgasmic meditation', was hailed as visionary at its peak. Since then, its leader, Nicole Daedone, has been arrested by the FBI on forced labour charges and her group has been branded a 'cult' – allegations they deny vehemently. But what is it? Sunday Times reporter Megan Agnew was invited to their California compound, The Land, to find out.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.
Guest: Megan Agnew, News Features Writer, The Sunday Times.
Host: Jane Mulkerrins.
Clips: ABC7 News, YouTube/Rebecca Watson, Eros Platform @OneTaste, goop.
Get in touch: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.uk
Find out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom'
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Guys, it's James and Vuad here. Our Pocock Shitts & Giggs is currently brought to you by Virgin Atlantic. |
| 0:05.6 | The Virgin Atlantic sale has landed with huge deals to incredible destinations from the US and Caribbean to the Maldives and Dubai. You also get treated like the big deal that you are |
| 0:16.1 | when on board with a whole host of delicious food and drinks and the latest blockbuster entertainment. |
| 0:21.2 | Visit virgin.com to book your flights now. |
| 0:24.8 | Sale runs until the 31st of January. |
| 0:27.2 | Terms and conditions apply. |
| 0:31.2 | This podcast is brought to you by Netflix, presenting the multi-award-nominated film Maestro. |
| 0:38.0 | It's up for seven Oscars, including Best Picture and seven Bafters, including Best Actress for Kerry Mulligan and Best Actor for Bradley Cooper. |
| 0:48.0 | The Times Hales it as an astonishingly beautiful film and if the time says so it must be right. |
| 0:56.0 | I've seen it and it is a beautifully captured portrayal of the relationship between the |
| 1:01.8 | great Leonard Bernstein and his even greater wife, Felicia. |
| 1:07.4 | It tackles the difficulties of balancing a towering talent and the needs of a family and it paints an incredibly moving |
| 1:15.1 | account of different forms of love. Both Bradley Cooper and Kerry Mulligan are |
| 1:21.4 | brilliant and give the performances of their careers. Maestro, you can watch it now in |
| 1:28.0 | select cinemas and on Netflix. |
| 1:32.4 | Before we go any further, a warning. In case it isn't obvious from the title of this |
| 1:37.1 | episode, it does contain material of sexual nature. Agnew and photographer Rachel Wright drove along a dirt road about a hundred miles north of |
| 1:56.0 | San Francisco. They just spent two days on a somewhat mysterious compound called the land. |
| 2:05.4 | So, um, |
| 2:07.8 | I'm... |
| 2:08.8 | Me and Rachel are here and we're just leaving the land. It's like dark, nearly dark and |
| 2:16.7 | like there's a really low fog through this valley that we're driving through. how are you feeling Rachel after two days |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.