I got an ipod for Christmas, and I’m crazy about it. It’s revolutionized the way I work around the house, the way I go grocery shopping, the way I stayed sane at the boring desk job, and best of all, the way I sleep. Long time readers know I am a chronic insomniac, but this magical little box has rescued me from my nightly affliction.
On some of my really really bad endo nights, we’d move the TV into the bedroom since I couldn’t leave the bed. It ended up just keeping me awake longer because I’d want to watch whatever visuals went with what I was hearing. I just couldn’t resist the temptation to look up. But now I just listen to podcasts and I’m out like a light. There’s no visuals to distract me and no voice in my head thinking of 40 different things, so I end up just being lulled to sleep by the soothing radio voices.
It’s also upped my productivity level by at least double since I used to spend ages and ages online reading one newspaper or another, and now I can get it all in handy podcast format. Now I can get my witty NPR commentary while I’m picking out my fresh tomatoes.
I thought I’d share some of my favorite podcasts with you, and hopefully you’ll comment back with your favorites. My ipod is only half full, for crying out loud.
My first and foremost favorite is the show that sucked me into NPR and I’ve since listened to nearly every show they’ve done. I used to just sit for hours in my studio making stuff and putting on show after show. Now I can listen to them no matter where I am. They’re notorious for their empathetic journalism, but I just love listening to the stories they tell: This American Life.
I can’t even remember how I found The Sound of Young America, but I got so hooked so fast. I’ve been back through the archives and listened to just about every show from this one too. It calls itself “the show about things that are awesome,” and it’s totally true. It consists mainly of interviews with all sorts of awesome people. Mainly comedians, but also musicians, writers, actors, anything that strikes the host, Jesse Thorn, as particularly interesting. He also produces the excellently funny Kasper Hauser Comedy podcast, as well as the goofy Jordan Jesse Go, which is really just two guys talking but there’s something so winning about it that I find myself listening to this podcast before almost any other.
Next comes my NPR obsession. Well, I should probably say Public Radio obsession and include the first two. I tend to not stray very far from what you’d find on your local listener supported radio. If you search through iTunes for NPR, you’ll find so much great stuff! My top is Fresh Air with Terry Gross. She’s a great interviewer, really focused in on the creative process, and she gets the best guests.
You can also search for PRI, which is a distributor for Public Radio content. That’s how I found Fair Game, which is billed as “the Daily Show with a girl for a host.” I don’t find this quite accurate. It is a humorous take on the news, but it’s no where near as barbed, or as incisive as the Daily Show. Still, those are big shoes to fill. That’s how I also found Studio 360, which is another great arts and media show. You might be noticing a theme here.
Individual public radio stations also post their own podcasts, and my favorite of these is KCRW in Los Angeles. They host a million great podcasts, but my favorites are The Treatment and Morning becomes Eclectic’s Song of the Day The Treatment is another interview show, but they focus solely on the movies, interviewing writers, actors, and directors. It’s a fascinating view into the creation of a film and it makes me appreciate the finished product in a whole new way. Morning Becomes Eclectic is kind of ubiquitous in LA. It’s a fantastic show that highlights underground or underappreciated music, and a lot of hipsters just use it as a Cliff’s Notes for what music they should like. You can’t blame the show though, it’s not its fault it’s so good.
I also just got hooked on a new podcast, RadioLab out of WNYC in New York (obviously). I heard it recommended on both This American Life and The Sound of Young America, so I knew it was for me. It’s similar to This American Life in that it’s a radio show that features stories produced by journalists, but the way they use the medium of radio is really kind of mindblowing. The rapport of the hosts comes across as truly natural and not all fake passive-aggressivey like your local newsanchors, and the sound of the show is just amazing. Such a great find.
I’ve downloaded a few more, but I really can’t recommend them yet. To be honest, I’m kind of in a podcast rut. Everything I thoroughly enjoy is either no longer being produced (zefrank) or is some satellite of Public Radio. I’d really love to get some good crafting podcasts on board, but so far, I’ve honestly found them all boring. I don’t want to listen to two women discussing all their unfinished projects and debate yarn content. That doesn’t really do anything for me.
So, got any hidden gems to keep me from being completely sucked in by all things NPR?
Thanks so much for the mention! Maybe you could try the other podcasts we make? Jordan Jesse Go or Kasper Hauser?