Over the last few years, podcasts have become completely essential to the soundtrack of my life. Actually, calling it part of the soundtrack isn't accurate; podcasts are more than emotional accents, but rather something marrying music and news, bullshit and schoolin'. Podcasts (herein called "pods") do exactly what traditional radio never truly could; be completely unrestricted and for the most part democratic. What's good gets popular, what's not isn't canceled.
At this point I've listened to quite possible 200 different pods, some for just a episode or two, some are the original discoveries that hooked me into this world. What's been interesting is to see how this revolutionary medium has crept into the broader culture, but yet still is in many ways unknown. In an effort to offer the uninitiated to some of my favorite gems, much like a shadowy dealer on a lamp-lit street corner, I give you a taste of what led me down the path I find myself on today.
Presented in no particular order (because any single episode can percolate its respective feed to the top of my list):
The Nerdist - Longtime stand-up talent Chris Hardwick may be familiar to some, either through his various random roles (such as the original host of MTV's Singled Out) or his semi-regular appearances on G4 hosting Web Soup or Attack of the Show. Essentially an interview show, but in a very loose, yet productive conversational tone. Guests chat about virtually anything. Interesting guests too; Weird Al, Ok Go!, Stan Lee, and even The Muppets have stopped by.
NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! - The pod of the seminal weekly Radio Game Show of current events trivia. One of the very few remaining throwbacks to the Age of Radio, the back and forth between the host and panelists if engrossing, and frequently hilarious.
A History of the World in 100 Objects - From the BBC, this series details objects from the British Museum that represent a chronology of Human History. Narrated by Neil MacGregor, Director of the Museum, the podcast is utterly captivating. Very well produced, and MacGregor's elegant eloquence with slight Scottish Storyteller accent locks me in with every episode.
Onion Radio News / Onion News Network - The audio and video pods (respectively) for the best fake news site out there The Onion, ORN is a short (about a minute!) daily delivery, while ONN is not much longer (about 5 min). Anyone ever see the movie?
Finally, I'm cheating here but I'm recommending the family of pods from HowStuffWorks.com. A collection of blogs presenting research articles on virtually any topic, and many that you never thought of, they publish a collection of pods based on themes. My personal favorites are Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, and Stuff Mom Never Told You. Interesting and often just fun chemistry between the paired commentators, and always good material.
That should get you started.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
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The stuff you should know podcasts are awesome. I look forward to the new installments. The original Stuff You Should Know podcast is probably my favorite (I mean come on, they talk about Chuck or maybe it was Josh getting into a fight with Ira Glass!), but Stuff You Missed in History Class is entertaining and Stuff Your Mom didn't tell you is great as well. Another fascinating Podcast is Radio Lab out of WNYC. This is essentially a science podcast but the interaction between the two hosts keeps it from being dry and stuffy. Check out the one on vanishing words. I could go on and on, but that would be really boring. So, download these and listen.
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