Today I went through and pared down the podcasts that have pod-faded or that I've lost interest in and I'm still sitting at 53 subscriptions. I'd say about half of them are on a weekly release schedule. Most of them are around 30 to 45 minutes each. Some of them are 1 to 2 hour long shows. In general I'm looking at about 30 hours of content to listen to each week! It's a tough job and I don't even get paid for it.
My purpose here is to shed some light on a few unique podcasts that I think should get more play and that you've never heard of and are worth the time. Shenanigans and I have similar tastes and it shows in our subscription libraries so I can highly recommend everything he's already pimped. I've added the "100 objects" show to my own list recently due to his recommendation. Now I know all about the importance of Korean roof tiles!
On to the podcasts...
Beware the Hairy Mango: I have to admit, the odd title is a large part of the appeal of this podcast. This is a pure shot of bizarre humor in a small bite-sized dose. It's like Being John Malkovich, but instead you're stuck in a fever dream of Matthew Sandborn Smith's.
The Drabblecast: Another bizarre collection of short stories, but this one is an anthology collected from amateur authors. I love this podcast. Norm Sherman is a fantastic host and narrator and the sound engineering is top quality. It is very professionally done and the topics are always outlandish, often humorous, and occasionally horrific. You'll hear Norm Sherman on other podcasts like Pseudopod, EscapePod, and PodCastle. I also recommend his solo album which you can preview and download. Support independent artists!
Geologic Podcast: No, this is not a podcast about earth science. This is a one-man hour long radio show performed by musician and satirist George Hrab and produced by his partner in crime Ms. Information. George got his start doing a college radio show and the podcast has that same appeal with regular segments and "guests", but he often strays from the script and does unique and unexpected things. It is a combination of advice column, comedy skits, musical interludes, science news and skepticism. Check out episodes 31.1, 52.1, 72, and 159 for some highlights and examples of how wildly different the show can be. Also you can check out his albums here.
Quackcast: Mark Crislip is an infectious disease doctor in Portland, Oregon, who uses this show as a cathartic outlet for airing his frustrations about the various scams and frauds of the "alternative medicine" movement. I love his dry witticisms and scathing comments. He's the medical equivalent of Brian Dunning of the Skeptoid podcast.
Reasonable Doubts: A trio of highly, potentially over-educated intellectuals discussing and debating religious beliefs in a skeptical light. Most of these guys either went to seminary or were religious at one point in their lives and then "saw the light" of science and atheism. Now they use their experience and knowledge to construct arguments to counter religious apologists. These guys know their bible and their "On the Origin of Species". I recommend it for everyone, it will challenge you regardless of your position.
Skeptics' Guide 5x5: A short format companion of the equally awesome Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Short and sweet, one topic, staying on-topic, and an introduction to the skeptical rogues who host the main show. Learn something new.
The SubGenius Hour of Slack: On the other end of the spectrum, pure parody and satire of religion, the cult of the SubGenius is a smattering of conspiracy theories, cryptozoology, and pure hedonism. This rambling radio show usually has unique music inspired by the likes of other notable SubGeni like DEVO and Weird Al, along with culture-jamming news and TV mash-ups as well as the usual hosts' improvisational rants. Pure mindless excrameditation.
That's it for now. Check them out and let me know what you think.
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