Which Podcasts Fuel Your Listening Pleasure?

[FozzyBear]

“The emotion is so sincere that the hair must be huge.”-Mark on Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs.

And I have a new life’s motto.

[ABay]

Right now I'm enjoying Omnibus and The Magnus Archives the most. Archive 81, Ask me another, Answer me this, No such thing as a fish, Wait wait, too. I'm sad Ars paradoxically is over and that their other podcasts haven't grabbed me. I'm on the fence about Astonishing legends. They're better than ... I've forgotten the name but it's a man and a woman and they talk around and around and never get there. Their voices are also over modulated. The AL guys are credulous but not too bad. I keep wanting to send them the cartoon from the Black Tapes with Alex's balloon showing a ghost and Strand's showing a ghost with a red line across it.

[Sharpie66]

I listened to the first two eps of Bag Man, the new Rachel Maddow podcast miniseries about the fall of Spiro Agnew. It just started this week and is only going to have seven episodes. Really interesting deep dive into his corruption in the first two eps, with promises of the big coverup by the Nixon administration being covered in the rest of the show. I only knew the vague “tax issues” reason behind his leaving the VP position, but it was a lot worse than that, and as she says, if the three prosecuting attorneys in Baltimore hadn’t started investigating bribery in local government contracts, then Agnew could have been president instead of Ford. 

[bosawks]

I finally gave up on "Steve McNair: The Death of a Titan".

What's with the 95% opinion and 5% facts dynamic? 

I'd been holding out hope since it's affiliated with SI that maybe they're back loading actual new factual information but I just can't with this anymore.

[2727]

I'm currently listening to Armchair Export, WTF, Savage Lovecast, Omnibus, Judge John Hodgman, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, My Favorite Murder, Lore, My Dad Wrote a Porno, How Did This Get Made, and a couple of Star Trek ones.

I think I'm about to drop Armchair Expert, though. It's an interview pod with Dax Shepard. It started out really strong and I liked his freewheeling and open-minded style. He did get dinged online for interrupting so much and it seems like he's tried to improve in that area. But as the months went by, the show got longer and longer and it's now regularly pushing two hours. That includes a lengthy segment at the end with his producer Monica where she fact-checks the interview discussion. I don't think she brings much to the table, but even when I stop listening before that part, the pod is still too darned long. Or maybe I got tired of hearing the same personal stories and opinions from Dax over and over. 

I'm enjoying Omnibus a lot as the hosts get more and more comfortable with each other. Ken Jennings has such a quick wit and I like John Roderick on it even though I find him too overbearing on other pods. He recently made a comment that his series on podcast networks (instead of being privately supported) are not profitable for him at all, so I wouldn't be completely shocked if Omnibus comes to an end. Jennings may view it as more of a fun diversion.

[krankydoodle]

I'm a little surprised there isn't more discussion here about fiction podcasts given how those have exploded in the past few years. I mostly listen to horror podcasts. My favorite is The Magnus Archives, which I think is leagues better than Tanis or The Black Tapes (which looks to be following in Homecoming's footsteps by getting a TV adaptation) and still don't understand why it's not better known. I also really enjoy Ghosts in the Burbs, even though it's not like a traditional audio drama in that there's only one actor (who doesn't really do voices) and no sound effects. Despite that, the stories are compelling and often genuinely unsettling.

I do listen to some non-fiction podcasts, mostly pop culture-related. The ones I don't think I've seen mentioned here already are The Rewatchables, Who Shot Ya?, and F This Movie. They all do a good job of mixing interesting discussion with humor. And while I really like We Hate Movies and How Did This Get Made, it's also fun to listen to hosts who love celebrating good movies. My current favorite non-fiction podcasts, though, are Keep It! from the Crooked Media network and Teen Creeps, where the hosts discuss YA novels including most of Christopher Pike's oeuvre.

Edited December 22, 2018 by krankydoodle

[2727]

There's so much news about Peak TV and the ~550 scripted series available now, but there must be even more podcasts.

Can anyone recommend a general TV show? I liked TV Avalanche with Alan Sepinwall and Brian Grubb, but that ended when Sepinwall left Uproxx. Even then, I only watched a few of the series they talked about most. I'd for sure listen to a show that reviewed all new premieres for the week. Maybe that would require too much time on the part of the hosts, though.

1 hour ago, krankydoodle said:

I'm a little surprised there isn't more discussion here about fiction podcasts given how those have exploded in the past few years

I tried Bubble on Max Fun, but maybe scripted isn't my thing, or else that one just wasn't very good.

[Hanahope]

Just found this topic!

So I listend to the whole Crooked Media podcasts.  While Pod Save America/Lovett it or Leave it/Pod Save the World are my favs, I very much appreciate the different points of view from Pod Save the People, Keep It and Hysteria.

I also subscribe to the NPR politics podcast and Up First (which is a bit annoying because it doesn't drop for me until after 6:30 a.m. and so it doesn't always get downloaded until I get to work and I've already listened to several other news podcasts - so more like up third or fourth to me), NPR 1A, Fresh Air and Pop culture happy hour.  

I am unable to watch much TV, so I do podcasts for Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell, which are usually my first podcasts of the day.  sometimes I'll listen to AM Joy too if the weekend seems newsworthy.

Other 'political' subscriptions include Why is this Happening with Chris Hayes, the 538 podcast, the NYT Daily, Wash Po "Can he do that?", Larry Wilmore Black on the Air, Stay Tuned with Preet Bahrara, The 45th 

I listed to a wonderful, and disturbing podcast called Believed, which was about Larry Nassar.  

And then 'fun' podcasts for Survivor and the Amazing Race (Rob has a podcast) and Felicia day's podcast, Felicitations.

I listen to podcasts all day at work and sometimes its a challenge to see if I can get through a week without too many left over.

[rcc]

Journeys of Faith podcast by Paula Faris is interesting with different religions discussed by celebrities on their faith. On ABC podcasts, Google podcasts, ITunes ...

[glowbug]

I listen mostly to true crime and political podcasts but I have a couple favorites that don’t fall into those two genres. You Must Remember This, a podcast exploring Old Hollywood, has been one of my favorite podcasts. I also like the podcast, Something You Should Know. Some of the topics are really interesting and I’ve picked up a few books based on the author interviews  

For political podcasts I recommend the Crooked Media podcasts Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Crooked Conversations, The Wilderness, and With Friends Like These. I have tried all of their other pods as well but I just couldn’t get into them. I also love the Slate podcasts Political Gabfest and Slow Burn, which covered both the Nixon and Clinton impeachments, and the first two seasons of Radio Lab Presents: More Perfect about the Supreme Court (the third season was about the constitutional amendments and I couldn’t get into it). I learned so much about the history of some of the Court’s most important cases and rulings, some of which I had never heard of before. I’ve also just started listening to The Argument from the New York Times, which I like but isn’t as good as some of the others I listen to. 

As for true crime, I listen to all of the staples. Serial is the podcast that got me into podcasting so it will always be one of my favorites. Season one will probably never be beat but I really enjoyed season three as well. The other investigative True Crime podcasts I listen to are In the Dark, Accused, Teacher’s Pet, Dirty John, Broken Hearts, Missing and Murdered, Missing Alissa, Phoebe’s Fall, Trace, Uncover: Escaping NXIVM (I couldn’t get into the second season about a completely different topic with a different host), What Happened to Jodi?, Young Charlie, Heaven’s Gate (about the cult), and Offshore. I also listen to a number of case of the week type true crime podcasts. My Favorite Murder, Casefile True Crime, Real Crime Profile, Crime Junkie, Criminal, Once Upon a Crime, Southern Fried True Crime, and True Crime Story Time are the ones I currently listen to. I used to listen to Truth & Justice and Undisclosed but I burnt out on both of them. I listened to some of Missing Maura Murray and Up & Vanished but I thought the hosts of both of those podcasts were awful so I quit listening. 

[Kromm]

Long time since I posted here, although I recommend looking back at some of my older posts here, because I suggest a lot of things.

Here are a few more recent suggestions:

 

Humor/General Entertainment -- We Got This With Mark and Hal - actually a long running show, but a new recommendation for me. I got into this about 6 months ago and am working my way back among a few hundred episodes.  There are an awful lot of "two guys debating a cultural point" podcasts out there, but this is one of the best. They see it as the silly endeavor it is, but at the same time actually DO come to a conclusion they've put a decent amount of work into.  Topics like 'Best Star Wars Character", "Best Ice Cream Flavor", "Too Hot or Too Cold" and hundreds others. If some of those topics seem limited, that's part of the appeal. They can make a big deal out of nothing at times, or conversely, cut down a major topic into manageable pieces they get through quickly, and really it's often done in service of making fun of their own geekery as much as anything else.

Link: https://www.maximumfun.org/shows/we-got-this

Kids -- Pants On Fire - has general appeal to everyone, but especially to kids. Basically it's a host, a fictional robot, a real kid, an adult expert in something, and an adult LYING and acting like an expert, and the kid has to suss out which adult is the liar.  It's fun.

Link: http://feeds.gen-z.fm/pofpodcast

 

Humor/News/Social Commentary/Interview - Larry Wilmore: Black On The Air - For those who loved and miss The Nightly Show.

Embed: 

On 12/21/2018 at 2:44 PM, 2727 said:

I'm currently listening to Armchair Export, WTF, Savage Lovecast, Omnibus, Judge John Hodgman, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, My Favorite Murder, Lore, My Dad Wrote a Porno, How Did This Get Made, and a couple of Star Trek ones.

I'm okay with Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, but miss Live From The Poundstone Institute. I thought it was a better formula for a show.

[Hanahope]

Last month, I heard about a podcast, Mueller She Wrote, which is a weekly review of the lastest Mueller investigation activities.  

[Kel Varnsen]

On 12/30/2013 at 11:26 AM, sevans623 said:

How Did This Get Made is great.  If you watch The Leauge, and hate Andre and Rafi (I totally did) you should still try this one out.  and you get to waste time watching crappy movies while you're at it. 

I have been getting into podcasts just because I needed something different to listen to on the bus ride to work. I generally like How Did this get made, and they say a lot of funny stuff. But sometimes it is hard to accept their opinions about bad movies when June Diane Raphael is partially responsible for one of the worst movies I have ever paid to see. She co-wrote Bride Wars, and of the 5 or so HDTGM episodes I have listened to the only one where the movie was worse was Battlefield Earth.

[BuyMoreAndSave]

On 2/3/2019 at 1:52 AM, glowbug said:

As for true crime, I listen to all of the staples. Serial is the podcast that got me into podcasting so it will always be one of my favorites. Season one will probably never be beat but I really enjoyed season three as well. The other investigative True Crime podcasts I listen to are In the Dark, Accused, Teacher’s Pet, Dirty John, Broken Hearts, Missing and Murdered, Missing Alissa, Phoebe’s Fall, Trace, Uncover: Escaping NXIVM (I couldn’t get into the second season about a completely different topic with a different host), What Happened to Jodi?, Young Charlie, Heaven’s Gate (about the cult), and Offshore. I also listen to a number of case of the week type true crime podcasts. My Favorite Murder, Casefile True Crime, Real Crime Profile, Crime Junkie, Criminal, Once Upon a Crime, Southern Fried True Crime, and True Crime Story Time are the ones I currently listen to. I used to listen to Truth & Justice and Undisclosed but I burnt out on both of them. I listened to some of Missing Maura Murray and Up & Vanished but I thought the hosts of both of those podcasts were awful so I quit listening. 

I also recommend The Vanished. The host covers a new case every week and what sets it apart is that she actually interviews loved ones of the missing person and/or law enforcement working on the case. A lot of the cases she covers are not well-known and she gets a ton of information from the interviewees that isn't available anywhere else online. It's the best true crime podcast hands down. I don't know why it isn't more popular.

True Crime Garage is another good one although it's based off of publicly available information so it's more of a background noise podcast for me. I also liked The Dream (podcast about MLMs), Serial Season 3 is good (about the daily operations of the Cleveland courthouse), and I always enjoy Reveal when I come across it on WNYC (investigative journalism show and podcast). I like Glynn Washington but I just couldn't get into Heaven's Gate for some reason, but maybe I will finish it someday. I've come across some other good true crime ones but can't remember the names now...will post again if I find them.

Edited March 2, 2019 by BuyMoreAndSave

[teddysmom]

On 2/19/2019 at 6:06 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

June Diane Raphael is partially responsible for one of the worst movies I have ever paid to see. She co-wrote Bride Wars, and of the 5 or so HDTGM episodes I have listened to the only one where the movie was worse was Battlefield Earth.

Listen to the one about Runaway, the Tom Selleck sci fi movie.  She tells a story about freaking out because her iPod or something turned on by itself and it is fucking hilarious.  When she starts asking questions and Jason is  all "here we go" because she's going to want to know  what Street Fighters are.  Or how tornadoes work.  Jason admitting he cried at the end of Safe Haven is too adorable. 

I've been listening to The Dropout, about Theranos & Elizabeth Holmes. It is fascinating. I hope they put that lunatic in jail and throw away the key. 

Dumb People Town is a comedy podcast they read stories from the news about people who do stuff like crawl thru the roof and grease trap of a Chinese restaurant to rob it, and get stuck,  have sex in public,  steal ambulances, get in fights with family members over food,  etc.  It's really fun, the hosts are the Sklar Brothers and Daniel Van Kirk.  

Edited March 7, 2019 by teddysmom

[starri]

The Sword and Scale guy finally said something gross enough to get dropped from Wondery.

Good riddance.

[Danny Franks]

Okay, so two podcasts I've been listening to, which are flat out hilarious:

Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend - Basically Conan having forty minute long conversations with various celebrities that he likes, in the conceit that he wants to actually make friends. All of the episodes have been funny, but the ones with Marc Maron, Timothy Olyphant and Lisa Kudrow are fantastic. The chemistry Conan has with them all is great, and there's just so much to laugh at. I was laughing out loud in the car, as he was explaining to Marc Maron that he was doing the podcast because he needs money, after losing a ton on investing in a Great Depression era theme restaurant.

My Dad Wrote a Porno - A British TV writer learns that his father has decided to start writing erotic fiction, and gets together with two of his friends to read it. It's just painfully funny, thanks to Rocky's (the pseudonym for the father) awful writing, lamentably poor understanding of the human body (particularly the female form) and lack of attention to anything resembling chapter structure and coherent storyline. The story is set in the high pace, high pressure world of pots and pans sales, and revolves around the sizzlingly sexy Belinda Blumenthal.

David Tennant's new podcast is a nice listen. The episodes with Olivia Colman and Jodie Whittaker were fun.

I listen to a whole bunch of political podcasts - the PSA guys, Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, occasionally Ezra Klein but he tends to get a bit lost in the weeds a lot of the time.

And a lot of history - The Pirate History Podcast, The Bowery Boys, Tides of History, Hardcore History.

For anyone who's a fan of professional wrestling, Edge & Christian's Pod of Awesomeness and Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory are both really good, for learning more about the performers and their lives outside the ring. E&C obviously bring a lot of bantering humour as well

Edited March 13, 2019 by Danny Franks

[ABay]

The idea behind of Throughline is great--providing context for current events--but the guy sounds like such an airhead (as we used to say) that I want to smack him.

[GoldenGirl90]

I listen to a few different podcasts, but for now I'll list just two.

For everyone interested in true crime, Trace Evidence with Steven Pacheco is excellent. He lays out the facts first; is always compassionate towards the victim no matter what kind of lifestyle they led before disappearing/being murdered, and in the end, lays out the most popular theories. It's very eerie and serious, which is what I like when listening to true crime podcasts.

Honesty Speaking with Tara Setmayer is also a pretty good podcast. If you're unfamiliar with Tara, she's an African-American conservative woman and former GOP Communications Director on Capitol Hill who occasionally appears on CNN as a political commentator. You may or may not agree with her politically, but she doesn't misconstrue the facts and is honest about her take on current events. She's also pretty funny.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Alexis2291

[Kel Varnsen]

On 3/13/2019 at 12:18 PM, Danny Franks said:

Okay, so two podcasts I've been listening to, which are flat out hilarious:

Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend - Basically Conan having forty minute long conversations with various celebrities that he likes, in the conceit that he wants to actually make friends. All of the episodes have been funny, but the ones with Marc Maron, Timothy Olyphant and Lisa Kudrow are fantastic. The chemistry Conan has with them all is great, and there's just so much to laugh at. I was laughing out loud in the car, as he was explaining to Marc Maron that he was doing the podcast because he needs money, after losing a ton on investing in a Great Depression era theme restaurant.

I really like Conan needs a friend. I was listening to the Tim Olyphant one yesterday on the bus and had to work to keep myself from laughing. I used to love Late Night with Conan and would watch it all the time in my teens and 20's but as i got olded I did really have the time I once did. I think I only watched a few Tonight Show episodes and I don't think I have ever watched his TBS show. So I am glad i can once again get some Conan these days.

[Isle Of Why]

I listened to a few eps of Conan Needs a Friend this week and found them enjoyable even though I've never warmed to Conan.

I was interested due to the guests, but it turned out  that Conan's antic behavior that had put me off his talk show was absent here. If he is doing any mugging, I can't see it. 

I did laugh, so the show is on my rotation for the time being.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Isle Of Why

[teddysmom]

On 3/14/2019 at 7:11 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

On 3/13/2019 at 12:18 PM, Danny Franks said:

Okay, so two podcasts I've been listening to, which are flat out hilarious:

Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend - Basically Conan having forty minute long conversations with various celebrities that he likes, in the conceit that he wants to actually make friends. All of the episodes have been funny, but the ones with Marc Maron, Timothy Olyphant and Lisa Kudrow are fantastic. The chemistry Conan has with them all is great, and there's just so much to laugh at. I was laughing out loud in the car, as he was explaining to Marc Maron that he was doing the podcast because he needs money, after losing a ton on investing in a Great Depression era theme restaurant.

I really like Conan needs a friend. I was listening to the Tim Olyphant one yesterday on the bus and had to work to keep myself from laughing

When he was re enacting "pretending" to sneak into Olyphant's bedroom to get his retainer or whatever, I was dying. 

Also when he and Sona were discussing her birth certificate being a handful of leaves her parents handed to him, and that she thinks the elevator is the magic box. 

I thought he and Kudrow actually dated back in their improv days.  I'm glad they said some improv is really bad.  I think the point of it is more to flex your "think on your feet" muscle and get over fear of being on stage than showing how funny you are, because I rarely find improv funny.     Can't wait to hear this week with Michelle Obama.  I wish he'd have Brian Stack on. 

Did you hear Conan on How Did This Get Made? He did it to promote his podcast, I think back in January. They reviewed the third Look Who's Talking Movie the one with the dogs.  Conan was furious the whole time at how stupid the movie is.  June Paul& Jason telling him "hope you like free mattresses and luggage" when he asked how much money they make from their podcast, is cute. 

[Danny Franks]

7 hours ago, teddysmom said:

When he was re enacting "pretending" to sneak into Olyphant's bedroom to get his retainer or whatever, I was dying. 

Also when he and Sona were discussing her birth certificate being a handful of leaves her parents handed to him, and that she thinks the elevator is the magic box. 

I thought he and Kudrow actually dated back in their improv days.  I'm glad they said some improv is really bad.  I think the point of it is more to flex your "think on your feet" muscle and get over fear of being on stage than showing how funny you are, because I rarely find improv funny.     Can't wait to hear this week with Michelle Obama.  I wish he'd have Brian Stack on. 

Did you hear Conan on How Did This Get Made? He did it to promote his podcast, I think back in January. They reviewed the third Look Who's Talking Movie the one with the dogs.  Conan was furious the whole time at how stupid the movie is.  June Paul& Jason telling him "hope you like free mattresses and luggage" when he asked how much money they make from their podcast, is cute. 

I die at pretty much all his interactions with Sona and Matt. Sona is obviously very used to his ridiculousness, but a lot of it is new for Matt. I just listened to the Middleditch and Schwartz episode, and the Crodney Blangerfield 'improv' was absolutely brilliant. 

Conan and Lisa may have dated - I think they were deliberately vague about their relationship on the podcast - but it's all ancient history now, and they're clearly good friends. I like the little anecdotes about how the Friends cast reacted to that early success, and the comparison between Conan's Catholic prudishness the openness of Lisa's Jewish upbringing were very funny.

I did listen to that episode of How Did This Get Made? and really enjoyed it. That podcast is the only place where I still unreservedly like Jason Mantzoukas, because his over-the-top manic energy fits that podcast perfectly, and bounces nicely off June's calm, quiet demeanour (when she's there). I just wish they did more movies that I've actually seen, or at least heard of. Because I can't make myself watch any of those trashy movies.

[Kel Varnsen]

8 hours ago, teddysmom said:

When he was re enacting "pretending" to sneak into Olyphant's bedroom to get his retainer or whatever, I was dying. 

That was the thing where I had to hold my mouth to keep from laughing on the bus.

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

I die at pretty much all his interactions with Sona and Matt. Sona is obviously very used to his ridiculousness, but a lot of it is new for Matt. I just listened to the Middleditch and Schwartz episode, and the Crodney Blangerfield 'improv' was absolutely brilliant. 

It is funny I remember watching Conan's documantary years ago and thinking he was kind of an ass to Sona, but it is obviously a shtick they have and it clearly works for them. 

I kind of listen to them at random and I also really liked the Colbert one. It was cool how they share a bond and get each other. They are the only 2 people in the world who took over for Letterman (well other than whatever gameshow host took the spot after his morning show).

[Danny Franks]

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

It is funny I remember watching Conan's documantary years ago and thinking he was kind of an ass to Sona, but it is obviously a shtick they have and it clearly works for them. 

It's definitely a schtick they have:

[teddysmom]

15 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I just wish they did more movies that I've actually seen, or at least heard of. Because I can't make myself watch any of those trashy movies.

Same here. I cannot make myself watch some of the movies so I skip a lot of the episodes. 

[starri]

On 3/18/2019 at 5:29 PM, Danny Franks said:

Because I can't make myself watch any of those trashy movies.

I've seen very few of the movies they cover.  The only one I intentionally watched prior to an episode was because I was going to one of their live shows.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 3/18/2019 at 5:29 PM, Danny Franks said:

I die at pretty much all his interactions with Sona and Matt. Sona is obviously very used to his ridiculousness, but a lot of it is new for Matt. I just listened to the Middleditch and Schwartz episode, and the Crodney Blangerfield 'improv' was absolutely brilliant. 

Conan and Lisa may have dated - I think they were deliberately vague about their relationship on the podcast - but it's all ancient history now, and they're clearly good friends. I like the little anecdotes about how the Friends cast reacted to that early success, and the comparison between Conan's Catholic prudishness the openness of Lisa's Jewish upbringing were very funny.

He talked about how they dated a tiny bit in the Ben Schwartz episode when Conan explained how he first tried improv.

I think my favourite part of Conan needs a friend so far was in the Colbert episode when he was talking about how Simpsons superfans will come up to him and talk to him about the show kind of assuming he knows as much as they do. Because if I ever met Conan, as much as I would try not to be, I would probably be one of those guys. 

3 hours ago, starri said:

I've seen very few of the movies they cover.  The only one I intentionally watched prior to an episode was because I was going to one of their live shows.

And that sort of goes back to my problem witj How did this get made. I have seen a surprising number of movies they talk about. And while some of them are prettu bad some of them aren't really. I liked Sky Captain and a few others, but I hated Bridewars.  The only movie I can think of on that podcast I have seen that was worse was Battlefield Earth. And I saw that in theatre.

[Fukui San]

My current bad movie podcast power rankings: 1. We Hate Movies 2. HDTGM? 3. The Flop House. I'll listen to them all, though.

My current good movie podcast power rankings: 1. \Filmcast 2. Who Shot Ya? 3. Trash, Art, and the Movies

My current sportsball podcast power rankings: 1. The Ringer NFL Podcast 2: Stoppage Time: Champions League 3. The Bill Simmons Podcast

My current Smart Stuff podcast power rankings: 1. 99% Invisible 2. Song Exploder 3. Radiolab

[Kromm]

On 3/13/2019 at 12:18 PM, Danny Franks said:

Okay, so two podcasts I've been listening to, which are flat out hilarious:

Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend - Basically Conan having forty minute long conversations with various celebrities that he likes, in the conceit that he wants to actually make friends. All of the episodes have been funny, but the ones with Marc Maron, Timothy Olyphant and Lisa Kudrow are fantastic. The chemistry Conan has with them all is great, and there's just so much to laugh at. I was laughing out loud in the car, as he was explaining to Marc Maron that he was doing the podcast because he needs money, after losing a ton on investing in a Great Depression era theme restaurant.

My Dad Wrote a Porno - A British TV writer learns that his father has decided to start writing erotic fiction, and gets together with two of his friends to read it. It's just painfully funny, thanks to Rocky's (the pseudonym for the father) awful writing, lamentably poor understanding of the human body (particularly the female form) and lack of attention to anything resembling chapter structure and coherent storyline. The story is set in the high pace, high pressure world of pots and pans sales, and revolves around the sizzlingly sexy Belinda Blumenthal.

David Tennant's new podcast is a nice listen. The episodes with Olivia Colman and Jodie Whittaker were fun.

I listen to a whole bunch of political podcasts - the PSA guys, Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, occasionally Ezra Klein but he tends to get a bit lost in the weeds a lot of the time.

And a lot of history - The Pirate History Podcast, The Bowery Boys, Tides of History, Hardcore History.

For anyone who's a fan of professional wrestling, Edge & Christian's Pod of Awesomeness and Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory are both really good, for learning more about the performers and their lives outside the ring. E&C obviously bring a lot of bantering humour as well

You'll find searching this topic that My Dad Wrote A Porno is an old favorite here.  We all love it! 

I agree that Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend is great. It's Conan playing with the format in a interesting way.  The format is fairly constant, but there are shades to it which differ each time, because he's had to adjust between people who actually ARE his real friends and people where he's applying this faux-filter of "could they be my friends".  And I love the way he does ads.  This isn't something we are used to him doing on TV, so it's new to him and he clearly has fun with them.

David Tennant Does A Podcast is also on my list, like you, and he's been getting interesting people, but aside from that it's not that ambitious.  He's a reasonably smart man, which helps, but there are definitely boring parts of it. 

I'll cautiously recommend at least trying Jonathan Ross' I like Films podcast.  Why cautiously?  Because I think Ross has slipped a few times and blurted out some dickish things.  For example, this week his guest was Jordan Peele, and Ross took the time to keep hammering on the thought that he felt the original Twilight Zone "was mostly rubbish" even after it became clear that Peele not only felt uncomfortable acknowledging that as the host of the new version, but also that Peele actually clearly loved the classic show. And Ross was totally tone deaf to that. But... he's been getting good guests. So it IS worth listening to because of who he's interviewing.

Like Conan, here's another traditional media person doing a podcast which involves a lot of playing around with the format. The Ron Burgandy Podcast: 

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/the-ron-burgundy-podcast-30270227/

I was so shocked to find how much I enjoy this. Why? Because I'm not really a fan of Anchorman. I like Will Ferrell well enough when he's a straightman, like when he did Alex Trebek in the Celebrity Jeopardy sketches on SNL. But when he's the silly one, I tend to dislike those movies.

But the Burgandy podcast is GREAT. Again it's because like Conan he's actually playing with the format.  He does different things in different episodes.  In the February 28, 2019 episode, for example, he does a combination of a Top 10 list and a celebrity interview with Ru Paul.  In the March 7, 2019 episode, he totally flips things and does a prolonged skit about being trapped in an elevator, where the pretense of this being a podcast instead of a weird incident in the life of Ron Burgandy is barely adhered to.  Then on March 13, 2019 he spends the whole episode singing possible theme songs for his podcast. In other words, he's leveraging being silly in unique ways rather than just endlessly repeating what he did in the Anchorman movies, OR a cliched fake interview format (which is what you'd assume he'd do). 

[bosawks]

Ok, I read the book, I've listened to the Drop Out, and I've watched most of the tv specials.

I have yet to see any of this so-called charm that Elizabeth supposedly had to "cast spells" over others.

She sounds like an adenoidal, not very good, crooked used car salesman.

[biakbiak]

On 3/19/2019 at 6:40 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

And that sort of goes back to my problem witj How did this get made. I have seen a surprising number of movies they talk about. And while some of them are prettu bad some of them aren't really. I liked Sky Captain and a few others, but I hated Bridewars.  The only movie I can think of on that podcast I have seen that was worse was Battlefield Earth. And I saw that in theatre.

But a lot of the movies they choose are because they were box office failures not only bad movies and they often end up liking the movie. Sky Captain cost $70 million only made half that domestically and not much more internationally. 

[Danny Franks]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

But a lot of the movies they choose are because they were box office failures not only bad movies and they often end up liking the movie. Sky Captain cost $70 million only made half that domestically and not much more internationally. 

Honestly, two of my favourite episodes of HWTGM are the Con Air and Face Off ones - Two movies that were very successful, and are well known and well loved by a lot of people, but they're still batshit crazy and of extremely dubious artistic merit. Having Nicholas Cage involved clearly helps with the craziness.

I'd much rather they focus on that sort of content than on some 1980s, horror C-movie that few people can even remember or, in the case of Sky Captain, a failed exercise in demonstrating new technology and new techniques. There's room for all of that, but it's a shame that they've so far ignored some of the egregiously stupid 90s action movies.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Danny Franks

[starri]

5 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

There's room for all of that, but it's a shame that they've so far ignored some of the egregiously stupid 90s action movies.

Off the top of my head, they've done Demolition Man, Judge Dredd, and Face/Off.

[ABay]

Why won't any podcast using Megaphone--and that seems like all of them lately--play on my work desktop? I've tried the podcasts' own websites, Spotify, iTunes, Player.fm, a couple of others,..it doesn't matter. The podcasts won't load, won't play, won't download, nada. Parcast and the How Stuff Works line up are the big culprits for me. Everything on NPR, Magnus Archives, and others are just fine. The problem is specific to those using Megaphone.

[AmberDragon]

On 3/27/2019 at 2:02 PM, ABay said:

Why won't any podcast using Megaphone--and that seems like all of them lately--play on my work desktop? I've tried the podcasts' own websites, Spotify, iTunes, Player.fm, a couple of others,..it doesn't matter. The podcasts won't load, won't play, won't download, nada. Parcast and the How Stuff Works line up are the big culprits for me. Everything on NPR, Magnus Archives, and others are just fine. The problem is specific to those using Megaphone.

Are you using an adblocker? I had this problem and had to unblock media from [adswizz.com] to get them to play. I assume it's because they're using it to inject ads instead of editing them directly into the podcasts.

[AheadofStraight]

Anyone listening to Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia? I guess it's a companion to a miniseries on TNT but I haven't watched the show. The podcast stands on its own. Lots of WTF parenting moments as you get into details in the later episodes. (Reminded me how my jaw kept dropping when watching the netflix movie Abducted in Plain Sight. You really feel for these kids. Jesus.) I'm now digging into Steve Hodel's blog. 

[Kromm]

A few new podcasts I'm trying out, where at least the initial impression has been good:

Household Name - https://www.businessinsider.com/household-name

Being from Business Insider magazine, one might assume this is dry and boring. But the episode about the Death of Sears, the one I've listened to so far, was anything but dry and boring.

Small Town Murder - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/crime-in-sports/small-town-murder

A True Crime podcast for those of us who don't really have a taste for them. It's a comedic approach, emphasizing the weird over the ones with the biggest impact. It's one crime per episode too, not one per season. 

Plumbing The Death Star - http://www.sanspantsradio.com/plumbing-the-death-star

Only heard one episode, but it definitely entertained me.  It's a good example of the kind of content they have too, I think, based on the episode titles of the rest of the episodes. "Which Superhero is the Worst at Keeping Their Identity Secret?"  Their approach to questions like this seems to be very OTT.  Which I liked.  Some other episodes?  "Why Wouldn't You Travel With The Doctor?"  "Is Wall-E Jesus?"  "Which Would Be The Best Radioactive Animal To Be Bitten By?" And many more.


To revisit a previous suggestion, I'm still recommending The Ron Burgandy Podcast.  Honestly, as I said before, what's so pleasantly surprising about this is how experimental it is. He's NOT just doing the most logical extension of the Anchorman films (films I didn't even particularly like). He's basically doing episodes that are legit celeb interviews. Episodes that are interviews with fake characters.  Episodes that are bizarre extended skits (like Ron trapped in an elevator, and later another episode where Ron is trapped in his haunted garage).  And episodes that are kind of grab bags, like the one which is mostly him picking a theme song for the podcast.   

I'll put it this way. Even if you disliked the films, like I did, if you saw when Will Ferrell went around the whole country and appeared on numerous local news programs AS Ron Burgandy and massive and pretty funny chaos ensured, and you thought THAT was much better than the films?  This is at least a little like that (more than the films).

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/the-ron-burgundy-podcast-30270227/

[biakbiak]

A heads up to anyone not subscribed to  R U Talkin' R.E.M. Re: Me? There is a new ep with Mike Mills. I love the podcast since it was Phish related/RIP Harris it always makes me happy!

[RealReality10]

Hey!  Didn't realize there was a podcast area until just now.

I'm a true crime junkie.  My favorite podcasts..in order

1. In the Dark - season 2.  

    It's really rage inducing, but it's entertaining, insightful and important.  For everyone to listen to.  Also, case is under SCOTUS review right now so it's relevant

2. Dirty John

3. Doctor Death

4. Once Upon A Crime

5. Broken Hart's

6. The Drop Out

7. Swindled

8. Female Criminals

9. American Scandal

10. Slow Burn

I'm listening to bear Brook now and it seems pretty good

[SoCal Mema]

On 4/12/2019 at 9:45 AM, RealReality10 said:

Hey!  Didn't realize there was a podcast area until just now.

I'm a true crime junkie.  My favorite podcasts..in order

1. In the Dark - season 2.  

    It's really rage inducing, but it's entertaining, insightful and important.  For everyone to listen to.  Also, case is under SCOTUS review right now so it's relevant

2. Dirty John

3. Doctor Death

4. Once Upon A Crime

5. Broken Hart's

6. The Drop Out

7. Swindled

8. Female Criminals

9. American Scandal

10. Slow Burn

I'm listening to bear Brook now and it seems pretty good

Here's a few more...

Court Junkie

Over My Dead Body

Uncover: The Village

[AheadofStraight]

Another new true crime podcast is Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad. Paul Holes was the investigator on the Golden State Killer case and Jensen is an author who worked with Michele McNamara and has a new book out. They're reviewing cold cases and asking for people to help. It's cool to get the police perspective when they review cases. 

[Kromm]

Perennial favorite here, My Dad Wrote A Porno, is now on TV as a Special:

HBO (SAT, MAY 11 AT 10:00PM ET ON HBO GO AND HBO NOW):  https://www.hbo.com/specials/my-dad-wrote-a-porno

Sky (Thursday 16th May on Sky Atlantic at 9pm.): https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/my_dad_wrote_a_porno/

More detailed discussion here: 

Trailer:

Edited May 5, 2019 by Kromm

[Kel Varnsen]

On 4/18/2019 at 12:37 PM, AheadofStraight said:

Another new true crime podcast is Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad. Paul Holes was the investigator on the Golden State Killer case and Jensen is an author who worked with Michele McNamara and has a new book out. They're reviewing cold cases and asking for people to help. It's cool to get the police perspective when they review cases. 

Is that one good? I recently finished Monster the Zodiac Killer (which I heard about from the AV Club's podcast article). It was good but I felt like it started to run a bit long towards the end. Anyways Paul Holes was interviewed in one of the episodes talking about the Golden State Killer, so his name caught my eye.

Funny enough when talking about Golden State, Holes mentioned the Bearbrook murders which was the first case to use genetic genealogy. There is actually a Bear Brook podcast that I am listening to now. I like it better than Monster Zodiac because it is shorter/more concise. Plus it happened in New Hampshire so a bunch of the people interviewed sound like characters from an Adam Sandler movie. It does feel sadder though since 3 of the victims were kids and 3 of the 4 victims have never been identified.

Also to change things up a bit and speaking of Sandler, i recently listened to his Conan O'brien needa a friend episode. The best part was that Conan said that when he was at SNL he shared an office with Greg Daniel (creator of The Office, King of the Hill), Robert Smigle (Triumph the insult comic dog) and Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul). And now I think I am convinced that that office was the funniest place in the world at that time.

Edited May 6, 2019 by Kel Varnsen

[Danny Franks]

I just started listening to Behind the Bastards, a podcast that does deep dives into the shitty people, organisations and companies of world history.

I've listened to the Ku Klux Klan,  anti-Vax and Oswald Mosley episodes so far, and have just started the first of the East India Company ones. These are really interesting stories, told in an engaging way.

The Klan ones had me creased over laughing, along with the podcast hosts, over the sheer LARPy cheesiness and dorkishness of the Klan and its 'arcane' rules and structure.

[AheadofStraight]

On 5/6/2019 at 7:42 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

Is that one good? I recently finished Monster the Zodiac Killer (which I heard about from the AV Club's podcast article). It was good but I felt like it started to run a bit long towards the end. Anyways Paul Holes was interviewed in one of the episodes talking about the Golden State Killer, so his name caught my eye.

Funny enough when talking about Golden State, Holes mentioned the Bearbrook murders which was the first case to use genetic genealogy. There is actually a Bear Brook podcast that I am listening to now. I like it better than Monster Zodiac because it is shorter/more concise. Plus it happened in New Hampshire so a bunch of the people interviewed sound like characters from an Adam Sandler movie. It does feel sadder though since 3 of the victims were kids and 3 of the 4 victims have never been identified.

Also to change things up a bit and speaking of Sandler, i recently listened to his Conan O'brien needa a friend episode. The best part was that Conan said that when he was at SNL he shared an office with Greg Daniel (creator of The Office, King of the Hill), Robert Smigle (Triumph the insult comic dog) and Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul). And now I think I am convinced that that office was the funniest place in the world at that time.

I do like the Jensen and Holes podcast. The episodes don't end all wrapped up in a nice bow though because they're trying to solve cold cases. I enjoy both Billy and Paul so it's worth it to me. I especially like Paul's perspective. (I first heard both of them on My Favorite Murder discussing GSK.) 

I just finished Bear Brook yesterday. Very good! I'm also a fan of the Conan podcast. We have similar taste lol. 

[Kel Varnsen]

20 minutes ago, AheadofStraight said:

I do like the Jensen and Holes podcast. The episodes don't end all wrapped up in a nice bow though because they're trying to solve cold cases. I enjoy both Billy and Paul so it's worth it to me. I especially like Paul's perspective. (I first heard both of them on My Favorite Murder discussing GSK.) 

I just finished Bear Brook yesterday. Very good! I'm also a fan of the Conan podcast. We have similar taste lol. 

Listened to the first Murder Squad episode and liked it. The crime scene descriptions were a little more graphic than I was expecting but it was still good. The second episode is Terry Rasmussen and after listening to the whole Bear Brook podcast in about a week I think I need  break from that case.

The one thing I really like about Conan is you can still hear a lot of his Simpsons writer sensibilities in the bits he does now. There was one add where he was talking about Mizzen and Main clothing and doing a sailor voice and it just reminded me that this was the guy who created Captain McAllister.

[Kel Varnsen]

I finally listened to the Murder Squad episode about Terry Rasmussen (the Bear Brook killer). While it had some good interviews overall it was kind of a let down. They spent a bunch of time talking about their own connection to the case, and murders that may be linked, but they completely skipped over the DNA connection between Rasmussen and the victims in the barrels. And that is like the most important part of the story.

[RealReality]

..

Edited June 2, 2019 by RealReality

[Fukui San]

I’ve started listening to a new to me movie podcast Blank Check With Griffin and David.  Griffin is Griffin Newman of The Tick. They choose a director and devote one episode to each film in their filmography, good and bad, in exhaustive but still fun detail. They exalt over the good movies and skewer the bad one should. 

So if you ever wanted someone to discuss The Wedding Banquet, Sense& Sensibility, AND The Hulk this is your podcast. Directors done so far include Spielberg, Warchowski sibs, Shyamalan, and Tim Burton. Occasionally they have off format episodes discussing random movies, like having the screenwriters of Detective Pikachu on for a fascinating look at how the Pokesausage was made.