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Which Podcasts Fuel Your Listening Pleasure?


sdpfeiffy
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EllieH in re: spoiler, not that Sarah has presented so far. I'm really stumped why

the Time of Death was established by a cell phone log v. Medical Examiner/autopsy, other than her body being found 3 weeks later in cold ground? IDK. Hae Min was supposed to pick up her cousin 3:15 so it is likely she was at least abducted prior to that time. You can see why the state was adamant about the 2:36 time, because then Adnan is the ONLY suspect that makes sense, slam dunk conviction, but man if I had been a juror no way would I have accepted a cell phone log and a drug users narrative as beyond a reasonable doubt evidence.

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I just started listening to Serial, and I too, am hooked. I was afraid it was going to be narrated like those "true crime" shows they keep rerunning on HLN, with phony dramatic statements every few minutes, but it's not like that at all.  

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Thanks for the Serial recommendation! It is indeed riveting--I binged it over the past two days and am very curious to see where it will go from here. I truly don't know what to make of the case one way or the other; there are enough holes on either side to keep it all very ambiguous. 

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Here's a question: What will they do for the next season of Serial?  Another true crime story?  Or something completely different?  What has so many facets that it warrants a multiepisode examination?  Does it need a whodunit at it's core?  I could see a big complicated story with a lot of actors and angles like Gamergate covered over a season, but there's not an end event that I could see a narrative driving towards. Maybe a political story?

 

And an unrelated poll, you must choose only one bastion of podcast silliness: Andy Saltzman from The Bugle's giddy Pun Runs or one of Eliot Kalan from The Flop House's loopy Listener Mail theme songs?

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Here's a question: What will they do for the next season of Serial?  Another true crime story?  Or something completely different?

 

I'm not sure they'll do another true crime story next, unless they've changed to plan to only focus on crimes.  I was trying to think of past This American Life topics that could work in this format if they were expanded, and I feel like all the ones I came up with were crimes (the PI Moms, Petty Tyrant) or quasi-crimes (the baby switch one).  A political story might be a good idea, or maybe one focusing on the same "thing" (a building, an item) over time?

 

A couple of spoilery thoughts after listening to Episode 7 today...

Bringing those folks from the Innocence Project could be a game changer, depending on if they can find any new forensic evidence.  I also think they need to cover the following things in the next few weeks to present a complete story:

1) Jay's perspective (may be covered next week)

2) Hae's family's perspective

3) Aftermath of the disappearance/ aftermath of Hae's body being found/ reactions to Adnan being charged

4) Results of the forensics/ what evidence is still available

5) And of course, if Sarah Koenig thinks he's innocent/ what they think actually happened

ETA 6) Any other evidence the original lawyer might have withheld for an appeal?

Anything else?

Edited by EllieH
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My faves:

The Read - first podpodcast I got into; I love how Kid Fury and Crissles keep such a balance between humor and seriousness

Where's My 40 Acres - primarily focused on hip hop music and also great discussion on general pop culture and current events

Black On Black Cinema -been a little obsessed with this one. Thorough discussion of the best and worst of "black" movies. Very funny and thought-provoking

We Hate Movies - recently discovered this one...they rip apart bad movies and it's hilarious

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I started listening to The Read based on this thread! HI. LA. RIOUS. I'm sure people stare at me as I'm cracking up driving.

spaceytraci1208, all those other ones sounds good. Where will I find the time?

@nicepebbles , I find that podcasts have taken over music as my go-to listening happiness while at work :D

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Thanks guys, I'm now listening to The Read. I don't even know half the people they are talking about but I loooove it. Also, please listening to the fourth episode, "Bow Down" because it is hilarious and (a year later) relevant.

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With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus, the new loosely Comedy Bang Bang-related thing on Earwolf, is the best thing.

 

Reply All, the successor to TLDR that's the first podcast from the company producing Startup, is also good (basically exactly the same as TLDR, unsurprisingly).

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I started listening to The Read a couple months ago.  I love it, even though I frequently have to google the people they are talking about.  I've also been dying to find other people who listen to it so we could discuss, so I was very excited to stumble on these threads.  Last week, I finally started listening to the archives starting with the first show; so much awesomeness.  

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Most of my favorites have already been listed-

 

This American Life

RadioLab

Serial

 

I also really like Stuff You Should Know and Stuff you Missed in History Class.

The podcast that really got me into podcasts though (and I'm a recent convert) is A Way With Words-all about language and how we use it.

Books and Nachos is a good discussion on books.  

 

I'm taking everyone's advice now and just started downloading PopCulture HappyHour, ExtraHotGreat and Thrilling Adventure Hour.

 

Looking forward to these!

 

ETA:I have a question about TAH, for those who listen.  I saw a post above about something becoming canon.  Are these episodes standalone or is there some kind of continuity?   I'm just wondering where would be the best place to start listening.

Edited by sunshinelover
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I've recently started listening to "Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period" from Wolfpop.  It might sound a bit narrow - how many hours could conceivably be dedicated exclusively to the praise of Denzel -- but (apart from that being an absurd assertion to begin) the hosts, W. Kamau Bell (formerly of Totally Biased) and Kevin Avery (writer on Last Week Tonight), allow the conversation to range beyond Denzel on occasion.  But really... Denzel.

Edited by dusang
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ETA:I have a question about TAH, for those who listen.  I saw a post above about something becoming canon.  Are these episodes standalone or is there some kind of continuity?   I'm just wondering where would be the best place to start listening.

 

 

Start as far back as you can; they're all worth it. More practically, though, it's a spectrum. The majority of the 'middle segment' episodes (everything that isn't Sparks Nevada: Marshall On Mars or Beyond Belief) are purely episodic, with stock characters in stock situations that require no prior knowledge. Beyond belief does a fair amount of referencing that which has gone before, and starting back as far as you can will make it more enjoyable but isn't strictly necessary. Sparks Nevada is a tangled mess (she said fondly), and while it makes an effort to explain itself as it goes along you will probably be very confused if you try to jump straight into it.

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I just started listening to The Read a week or so ago and I fucking love it! I'm already sad to think about running out of episodes weeks down the line. ive been trying to enjoy podcasts since the app was placed on my iPhone and I wad on the verge of thinking they weren't for me. I even tried Serial and found it very boring after a few episodes. I'm so happy I found The Read. It's gotten me through a few tough weeks at work as I find myself snickering over and over again.

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Yep, I'm been plowing through The Adventure Zone the last few days (after Glen's recommendation on PCHH). So great, though I am actually a D&D fan (and am currently running the same campaign that they're playing...). It's interesting to compare how much funnier they are than us / the completely different way they approach things than we do. Also hilarious to hear Justin complaining about how slow things are when they move three times faster than the typical D&D group.

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Has anyone started the new NPR podcast, Invisibilia?  I've listened to the first two episodes, plus the "cross over" with TAL and it is fascinating!  I just want to talk about it with everyone.  Thoroughly enjoyable.  (I cannot tell the two women apart -- they actually joke in the first episode that their voices are very similar -- but that doesn't particularly bother me on this show.)

Edited by dusang
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Has anyone started the new NPR podcast, Invisibilia?  I've listened to the first two episodes, plus the "cross over" with TAL and it is fascinating!  I just want to talk about it with everyone.  Thoroughly enjoyable.  (I cannot tell the two women apart -- they actually joke in the first episode that their voices are very similar -- but that doesn't particularly bother me on this show.)

 

Thanks for the recommendation, dusang. I listened to the first two and they were both really interesting. That whole "your thoughts really aren't that important" philosophy they used for the wannabe-axe-murderer guy was something I never would have thought of but makes total sense.

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I really enjoyed the "history of thoughts" component of the episode, I actually know someone currently doing a PhD thesis on mindfulness, but the part I keep telling people about is Martin Pistorius -- can you imagine being so horrifyingly trapped in your own body?!?!

 

It looks like episode three is a repeat of the TAL installment.  It's also super interesting -- I mean, the main dude they are speaking of/to is pretty fascinating but even just the small detail that blind children will naturally attempt to echo-locate but often don't develop the ability because people discourage them from making the necessary noise.... are you fucking kidding me?!?!

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Has anyone started the new NPR podcast, Invisibilia?  I've listened to the first two episodes, plus the "cross over" with TAL and it is fascinating!  I just want to talk about it with everyone.  Thoroughly enjoyable.  (I cannot tell the two women apart -- they actually joke in the first episode that their voices are very similar -- but that doesn't particularly bother me on this show.)

I just started listening, and man, I am hooked!  

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The Allusionist: ~15 minutes every other week of an interesting bit of etymology/etc, with Helen Zaltzman (of Answer Me This! fame). Only two episodes so far, but they're both pretty enjoyable.

 

Just finished #4 Detonating the C-bomb -- I love discussions of "taboo" words.  Origins, rankings, it's all so bizarre and fascinating.

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Hey, This American Life fans, I've had recent episodes "Cops See It Differently" parts 1 and 2 downloaded and ready to play for a couple of weeks but just am not sure I care how cops see it.  Can someone let me know if this is worth listening to or just rage-inducing?

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Hey, This American Life fans, I've had recent episodes "Cops See It Differently" parts 1 and 2 downloaded and ready to play for a couple of weeks but just am not sure I care how cops see it.  Can someone let me know if this is worth listening to or just rage-inducing?

 

I listened to it and thought it was pretty interesting, dusang. IMO they did a good job of being fair to both sides and there were only a couple of head-shaking moments for me. (One was feedback from a cop friend of one of the interviewers--she clearly had blinders on.) One thing that I found interesting was that cops hear "I can't breathe!" almost every day, usually as an excuse, so unfortunately they've become somewhat immune to it. Clearly that causes problems when it's actually true, so they talked about changing how they handle that. They also talked a lot about what works well and what doesn't in different jurisdictions and how some police departments have attempted to address and improve racial profiling. Overall, I recommend it. Don't think your blood pressure will suffer too much. 

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(edited)

I've put some of my faves in the @Podcasts topic, which is about the podcasts of @Midnight regulars.

 

But since some of the ones I'm listening to aren't @midnght people, I guess I'll reiterate here and also add those other non @mid people.

 

Paul F. Tompkins has several slots on my list.  I like The Death Authors Podcast most, since it's the most easily accessible, but Thrilling Adventures Hour is more ambitious, albeit a bit harder to get into. 

 

One I've been listening to a lot, but who I don't think gets on a lot of people's list, is Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast.  The form actually seems to fit Gottfried's interests and style really well--it's one of the most consistently entertaining podcasts out there.

 

A great "big" show I listen to consistently is WITS, a public radio show turned into a podcast.  It's done by some of the same people who produce A Prairie Home Companion, but without all that Garisson Keillor old man deadweight.  It's basically just a variety show, with a roster of fairly well known comedians and musician guest stars who get roped into going to the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul (where A Prairie Home Companion is also done).

 

I know he's a hot potato in terms of his big mouth, but I actually have found myself enjoying the archive of stuff from Alec Baldwin's Here's The Thing podcast.  He gets these guests no other podcast gets--he's the one getting Lorne Michaels to do a podcast and Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman, and other names of that magnitude.  

 

My favorite podcast for years has been the oddball Michael Ian Black/Tom Cavanaugh "Ed" reunion podcast, Mike & Tom Eat Snacks.  They'll occasionally go a year between episode runs, then spit out a half dozen, but there's a nice archive of old episodes by now, and they're not topical so don't suffer from being old. Another funny podcast from Black is one he does with Michael Showalter, called "Topics".  This one is a real odd one--it's kind of a parody of NPR and similar stuff, and if you don't catch on to that it sounds like the two Michaels are just being blowhards.

 

One I'm trying recently is an experiment, because I very much dislike both men separately, but for some reason thought they might be interesting together--Dennis Miller (yes, he's kind of a nut) and Adam Carolla (yes, he's kind of a douchebag).  But for some reason it's interesting listening to them on the same podcast, called PO'dCast. I'm not even saying they make each other better human beings, but it's an interesting experiment because they're both about the same level of fame, and both in comedy, nevertheless it's a weird pairing despite that, and I like that element.  Their politics are horrible, but I mostly laugh AT their views rather than really get offended.

 

One totally out of left field that I bet nobody knows/has heard of.  For years on YouTube I used to watch this channel called "Red State Update" where these guys parodied being well... Red State hicks.  Which they actually somewhat were, being from there originally, but they'd actually moved to California and were doing an over the top version of their hometown (Murfreesboro, Tennessee).  The real guys, Jonathan Shockley and Travis Harmon, play fictional characters named Jackie Broyles and Dunlap (no last name), who are flag waving conservatives (the opposite of the real guys). They stopped doing the YouTube videos a few years ago,  I guess because it was a lot more trouble (Harmon, who plays the old man character, Jackie, had to get into heavy makeup, a fake beard, etc.), but continue to do an audio podcast.  

 

Hmm. I dabble in some other podcasts, but its scattershot--Eddie Pepitone's Pep Talks, Pete Holmes You Made It Weird, Nerdist, Kevin Smith's ONLY tolerable podcast, Hollywood Babble-On, Stuff You Should Know, and the music podcast, Tiny Desk Concerts.

 

One I found today is a podcast by Pat Monahan of Train (who knew he had a podcast?) that I'm willing to try because he seems to have gotten interesting guests. It's called "Patcast".  I don't know if to recommend it yet or not--I'm only just listening to it now as I type this. (EDIT - It's not that bad--I just listened to an episode he did with Michael Ian Black who did some project with Train, but I have to listen to some other episodes to really decide if Pat can actually hold my attention without someone as clever as Black there buoying things).

Edited by Kromm
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A few days later (from my last post):

I'm going to remove any hint of a recommendation for PO'dCast. While I thought it amusing to laugh at their politcs, it's relentless and I got tired of it. Miller literally can't shut up about Obama, and Corolla is yeah yeahing him constantly. It's too tiresome and relentless for me to roll with it.

Also, Pat Monahan isn't as clever a guy as I'd thought he might be, so remove any hint of a recommendation for "Patcast" too (I was very tentative when I posted the above).

A few additions (things I'd forgotten about because every time I move between different Podcast clients I lost my subscription list and have to start over):


--The Tobolowsky Files - Another reason I'd totally forgotten about this is because Stephen Tobolowsky seemed to stop making them. But it turns out it was life getting in the way. He posted a new episode recently and apparently he hurt himself badly last year and didn't make any podcasts (or presumably act) while he recovered. Now Tobolowsky is one of the ultimate "Hey It's That Guys", and a GREAT storyteller. Unlike a lot of other podcasts this show isn't gabbing or ranting.  It doesn't have guests.  It's not "funny" in any purposeful manner (not that parts aren't humorous, but he's not telling any jokes).  It's mostly Tobolowsky very poetically--almost hypnotically--telling stories. I know most people would never think "Ned Ryerson" from Groundhog Day would be a genius orator/storyteller... but he totally is. I can't really describe it, but SO recommend trying it out.

--Mohr Stories - Mohr is another of those guys who often kind of annoys me (he's one of those guys who just broadcasts smugness), but he actually DOES have some neat insider stuff and stories that are entertaining. It's not totally consistent, but it's worth searching the episodes and looking for guests you like.
 

--The Larry Miller Show - Another "Hey It's That Guy" with a podcast.  Nothing like Tobolowsky's podcast though--this is more of the rants/jokes thing.  But he's fairly entertaining.

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A few days later (from my last post):

I'm going to remove any hint of a recommendation for PO'dCast. While I thought it amusing to laugh at their politcs, it's relentless and I got tired of it. Miller literally can't shut up about Obama, and Corolla is yeah yeahing him constantly. It's too tiresome and relentless for me to roll with it.

 

My BIL hate-listens to some crazy right-wing conspiracy theory podcast and I just can't imagine the long-term entertainment value.  Eventually (like, say, minute five) the cost of my blood pressure meds overshadows any accidental humour, you know?

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I've recently started listening to "Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period" from Wolfpop.  It might sound a bit narrow - how many hours could conceivably be dedicated exclusively to the praise of Denzel -- but (apart from that being an absurd assertion to begin) the hosts, W. Kamau Bell (formerly of Totally Biased) and Kevin Avery (writer on Last Week Tonight), allow the conversation to range beyond Denzel on occasion.  But really... Denzel.

Thanks for this recommendation, dusang. I love, love, love this podcast. The hosts are funny, smart, and interesting. I enjoy every episode, even ones that about Denzel movies that aren't my favorites (American Gangster, for example). It's absolutely hilarious.

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Wondering if anyone can recommend some good books/literature podcasts.  I listen to Books and Nachos, and I enjoy that.  I'd like something that does a little bit of author background, and some book discussion.  Classics, modern books, whatever.  Any ideas?

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Wondering if anyone can recommend some good books/literature podcasts.  I listen to Books and Nachos, and I enjoy that.  I'd like something that does a little bit of author background, and some book discussion.  Classics, modern books, whatever.  Any ideas?

 

Have you tried Book Fight? It's a podcast with the guys from Barrelhouse.

 

I'm loving some newer podcasts (all available on iTunes):

 

- Black Girls Talking

- Mmhmm, girl

- Another Round with Heben & Tracy (It's super new; like, the first episode just dropped, and I'm already loving it)

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Upthread I recommend The Tobolowsky Files, which is about Stephen Tobolowsky telling very long form poetic stories.  He doesn't do these very often anymore.

 

Well it seems Tobolowsky has a new podcast, which at least as of Episode 1 (just released like a week ago) he claims will be done more often.  Big Problems Podcast, which is billed as an "advice program".  Listening to Episode 1 right now.  I thought it would be a joke but it seems he's serious about this--it IS an advice program.  Only time will tell if this actually stays interesting, but I found episode 1 interesting at the very least.

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I recently listed to NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour from a couple of weeks ago about Funny Girl by Nick Hornby and film adaptations generally. Normally I quite enjoy that podcast but they all lost major points in my opinion when discussing books and said:

 

1) That Kristen Stewart brought depth and personality to Bella in Twilight, thereby elevating the source material.  No.

2) That Alice Sebold is a good author.  The Lovely Bones was an interesting book and I think the premise hooked people in but when you examine the writing, it is not good.  And her subsequent books are among the most generally reviled books I know.

3) That The Devil Wears Prada was a good book.  That book is literally so shitty that scenes loop back on themselves within a single page and become incoherent continuity errors.  Like, no one proofread that shit.

 

Sorry, I know that this is basically off topic but I just had to put it out there!!

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Paul F. Tompkins, he of the million projects (most of them Podcasts) has ANOTHER brand new Podcast, Spontaneanation.  Yes, that spelling is impossible to remember!

 

Here's where you'll find it:  https://www.earwolf.com/show/spontaneanation-with-paul-f-tompkins/

 

Basically it's another "improvising" podcast.  The idea seems to be that he interviews someone, then he and several others improvise one long sketch based loosely on the Interview.

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Totally new recommendation.

 

Had NO idea this guy had a podcast until yesterday, but it's freaking hilarious.  Josh Robert Thompson, who I bet most of us know better as "The Voice of Geoff Peterson" has a podcast called Joshin' Around.  Mostly improvised apparently--although he goes back and edits it all together after the fact.

 

If you're one of the legions who goes on about how much you miss The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson this is a nice tonic for you.  Mind you it's NOTHING like what Thompson did on that show, but I think fans of Geoff will like this quite a bit anyway. It's very "In Your Pants", without ever going back to that.

 

https://soundcloud.com/jrtvoices

 

BTW: There are other sites pointing to the show, but some of them seem to be several episodes behind. The one above seems to be the only one that's up to date with all of the latest episodes.

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From the Serial thread:

Undisclosed: The State vs. Adnan Syed

http://undisclosed-podcast.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/undisclosed-state-vs.-adnan/id984987791

In the wake of Serial, much new evidence and information has been discovered and uncovered thanks to the investigations of attorneys Susan Simpson and Collin Miller, and the Adnan Syed Legal Trust. Undisclosed will examine and explore the case in greater detail, from an investigatory perspective instead of a narrative one.

 

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A few new ones I've found--focus on Movie Podcasts this time:

 

"I Was There Too" - A really interesting concept. Basically the show combines two common podcast formats into one.  The "we talk about our favorite movies" format quite a few have, and the celeb interview.  But with the unique twist that they seek out... well... "Hey It's That Guys".  People who were in the background of great films, in other words.  

 

"We Hate Movies" - A comedy podcast about really shitty movies.  Yeah, so the same idea as "How Did This Get Made".  But I've liked the comedy in the episodes I've heard.

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