The Podcasts You Should be Listening To
Podcasts took their rightful place in the cultural zeitgeist last year. ‘Have you listened to Serial yet!?’ was on 68 million people lips. Even the President of the United States, Barack Obama, joined in on the trend when he was interviewed in a standup comedians garage.
Podcasting, which has roots dating back to the 1980s, found its true home midway through the last decade when the genre hit iTunes in 2005 - which made it impossibly easy to download and listen to shows.
The last 10 years have seen a boom of audio talent, there are now more than ‘85,000 podcasts, created in over 100 languages.’ Yes there’s literally something for everyone.
Once an obscure medium, I originally made the mistake in the late noughties of just downloading BBC podcasts - as I never thought to explore deeper into the genre (please note: it’s definitely worth revisiting every Adam and Joe 6music episode.)
Finished Serial? Well it’s time to widen your auditory horizons. These shows will: make you laugh, geek-out, cry, and inform you about this mad, crazy world and the people in it.
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly radio show that started in 1995 and heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 1.5 million people download the weekly podcast.
Hosted by Ira Glass, each episode works to a set theme with 3 or 4 stories on that theme. Most of the stories are original reporting, with an occasional comedy routine or personal essay.
Intimate and personal, the show is consistently amazing. It has won all the major broadcast awards while pushing the boundaries of the medium.
The ultimate ‘must listen’.
Episode to start with: Human Spectacle
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Comedian Scott Aukerman (Producer of “Between Two Ferns”) hosts the weekly podcast which often blends the ‘traditional’ interview format with conversation and character work from today’s funniest comedians.
In it’s sixth year the show only gets funnier the deeper you get into the recurring guests and character story lines. It’s like a comedy cult, but like one of the good ones where you’re guaranteed to discover amazing comedians.
There is also a great, over-looked TV spin-off which is available to stream on Netflix.
Episode to start with: A Silicon Valley P-Cast
How Did This Get Made?
Have you ever seen a movie so bad that it’s amazing? Well you’re going to love Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas’ show.
Released every two weeks, most episodes are recorded in front of a live audience where the three hosts (and celebrity guest) watch a terrible movie, then they discuss the more insane and inexplicable portions of it.
The podcast is pure-joy, a celebration of bad movies and inexplicable delight that they bring especially when discussing them with a crowd. Yes they do feature a lot of Nicolas Cage and John Travolta films!
Episode to start with: Sleepaway Camp
Reply All
Reply All is a show about the internet, and how the internet shapes people. But don’t let that put you off, Reply All is one of the best podcasts out there.
It takes elements of Internet culture that maybe you’ve seen or read about zooms in to tell the human stories that have otherwise been ignored.
Technology is such a prevalent thing in our lives that you can often feel detached from it but Reply All reminds you what it is to be human and connect with the world.
Episode to start with: Shine On You Crazy Goldman
Another Round
Listening to Tracy Clayton and Heben Nigatu’s podcast feels like you’re at a very cool party and the pair are the funny, incredibly smart best-friends chatting away in the corner of the room.
Don’t be fooled by the friendly chilled vibe of the show, the women are not ones to shy away when interviewing guests. They recently asked former first lady, and current presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton if she thought her husband, Bill Clinton, “really f***** [things] up for black people”.
They mess around and utterly charm with their hilarious quizzes one minute and then discuss feminism, racism and depression in the same episode. These women are serious podcast talents.
Episode to start with: Hillary Clinton
Death, Sex & Money
Host Anna Sale talks to celebrities you’ve heard of - and to regular people you haven’t - about the ‘Big Stuff’: relationships, money, family, work and making it all count while we’re here. The stuff that’s often left out of polite conversation.
Sale is trusted to report on peoples most intimate stories and she does it in the most nuanced way. You can tell that contributors are never taken advantage off.
The show is compelling - you get the feeling that Sale can get anyone to tell her their darkest, most intimate and sacred secrets. Listening will remind you that it’s ok not to know everything.
Episode to start with: This Senator Saved My Love Life
Mortified
Imagine reading your teenage diary in front of a bunch of total strangers. Total nightmare right? Well thats the premise of this podcast. It’s time to share in the shame.
Normal, everyday adults share the embarrassing things they created as kids -diaries, fan letters & terrible song lyrics.
It’s full of tales of first kisses, terrible prom nights, puberty and fights with parents. You’ll cringe and howl with laughter, because it’s all true.
Alongside the podcast there are live stage shows in cities around the world, a TV series, a book, a documentary.
Episode to start with: Jimmy: Throw In The Towel
Mystery Show
Hosted by Starlee Kine, Mystery Show is one of the most charming shows you will ever listen to. A detective show, each week addresses a new mystery - the only requirement being that the mystery not be solvable by simply searching for it online.
These aren’t Serial style mysteries, more about uncovering the stories behind a vanished video store, an inscrutable lunch box and Jake Gyllenhaal’s exact height.
The highlights of the show normally have nothing to do with the actual mystery, but the fact that everyone has a story tell. The real mystery is humanity and the small ‘unimportant’ things that stick and leave us questioning.
Episode to start with: Source Code
Sampler
I must also give a honorary mention to Sampler, the podcast about podcasts hosted by Brittany Luse.
Sampler is devoted to bringing you the best moments from the world of podcasting. They listen to everything out there and hand-pick the stuff you just have to hear.
In addition to bite size tastes from the podcast world, Sampler also features regular conversations with podcasters to find out why they do what we do.
It’s the best podcast to subscribe to if you want to find the true podcast gems.
For all their episodes go here
Have a podcast that you’d recommend? Leave a comment below
Happy listening!
[All images: Getty]
