9/23/15
I’m hopelessly addicted to stories. Most of you can agree that a good story is worth hearing. Some find their favorites in the form of gossip, maybe even reality TV, but I prefer the purity that is podcasts. One just needs to listen. You can be driving from A to B and simultaneously be transported into a series of spellbinding tales made by the world’s most talented storytellers.
Podcasters have been around for longer than you think, and in that time they’ve really honed their craft. Whether you’re interested or not, I’ve decided to give a list of recommendations because music can get old and I’ve found extreme satisfaction through Podcasts lately. These things are gold when you're traveling or commuting or both. I used them while packed in the Metro under Shanghai, or thousands of miles over the Pacific flying to Australia in a tin can, and I especially tune in when I make the constant drive from Portland to Seattle.
As you go through these, keep an open mind and I sincerely hope you get the same level of satisfaction that I did by listening. These podcasts help me turn my mood when times are tough, they can also elevate an inquisitive mind, expand on existing ideas, and introduce new ones. Happy listening!
If I can only recommend one podcast, this is it. This show is a compilation of stories on each week’s theme hosted by Ira Glass. The theme changes every week and it touches on very relatable stuff, from road trips to racial tension. Some shows are hilarious, some can be intense and challenge your perspective. The staff on this show is so talented that they made Serial as a spinoff of this show—the most well known podcast ever was literally a side project to this one.
This used to be my favorite, branded as “Storytelling with a beat,” the MC puts together tasty tunes to intro each story. If you’re on the fence about it at all, listen to a recent episode called Legendary. The first story in that episode is about Yellowstone’s most popular wolf – if you don’t enjoy it, then you’re kind of dead to me.
This one started it all. An NPR radio show that I grew up listening to on Sunday morning’s following Click and Clack, thanks to my Dad. Perfect for any dork who enjoys a good pun and can stand a panel of chirpy comedians while the host, Peter Sagal, takes a live audience through a news quiz. The best part of this show is that each episode has a celebrity guest who is interviewed and then asked a series of ridiculous questions that have nothing to do with their profession. Guests of the past include President Clinton, George Clinton, Chance the Rapper, Dave Barry, Alice Cooper, Tina Fey, etc. the list goes on. This podcast is great for Monday mornings…or any morning for that matter, their energy will bring you to a humorous sweet spot that makes any monotonous job bearable.
You’ve all heard Terry Gross’ voice at some point in your life, it’s soothing, intellectual, and most often mirrored by another timely voice that she’s interviewing. Her guests span the media from forward thinkers to famous actors and directors. If you’re jonezin for some instant interest, Fresh Air has a treasure trove of notable guests to sift through.
Marc Maron is a generally surly comedian who found that he can really connect with people one on one. He interviews his guests in his garage – mostly comedians but once in a while he’ll branch out. Obama boosted his rep significantly by visiting his garage a few months ago and his guest list has only gotten better since. One thing he does that I’ve yet to see in other interviewers thus far is that he gets down to a level of understanding with his guests where it becomes nothing more than a freewheeling conversation about life. If you fancy yourself a creative, this podcast is a must. I’ve never finished one of his episodes feeling as if I didn’t get to know the guest on a personal level. He even interviewed Terry Gross – the things you’ll find out about her in said episode, you can never un-hear (hint: it will shake whatever preconceived notion you had of Terry).
These guys are classic. They follow what interests them and have a team of great producers to do so. Sometimes they delve into science, other times culture. Not much more can be said because every show is different. Sample their Football episode that came out at Thanksgiving last year. It made me feel not only patriotic but actually proud of America for inventing football – the latter has never happened in my book.
Others worth noting:
Serial – if you’re new to Podcasts it’s worth starting here – the Netflix of Podcasts in regards to addictive quality. Only one season out thus far.
Strangers – if you can live with the host’s voice then you’ll enjoy this. More emotional than most but worth the while.
Invisibilia – intriguing but not much available from this as of late.
TED Radio Hour – same as TED talks but in pure audio formats and mixed per topic not per speech.
Here's a handy how-to for anybody who isn't sure what the purple app on their iPhone actually does - hint: it plays Podcasts.
There's no applicable visual for Podcasts but the make me happy, so here's some two tone glee.