This week, reader, we are going on a little adventure. An adventure into the world of spoken word. An adventure into podcasts.
I got into podcasts this summer, when I was interning in Boston. Getting to and from the city was a two-hour commute, spent on the train and the subway. I quickly realized the best way to pass the time and to also be semi-aware of my surroundings was listening to podcasts.
Podcasts served as a great way to pass the time. Some of the ones I listened to were informational, some were comedic, some were straight news podcasts, some were interview-based, and some were just people playing board games and recording their reactions and banter.
“Pod Saves America” is a bi-weekly podcast about the current political climate and political events, and features three former Obama administration contributors — Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, and Jon Lovett. The podcast definitely leans to the left side of the spectrum — so it’s definitely not for everyone. While smartly discussing the sometimes dark events of the week in terms of historical, current, and future contexts, the three keep the podcast light with hilarious banter.
“SinCast” is a podcast by the writers and voices of the YouTube channel “Cinemasins,” which points out all of the so-called sins of films in a satirical format. Each week they discuss topics like the best horror films of the past 20 years, or do reviews of all the movies in one year and analyze the general trends and effects of the year on the American film cannon. For a film buff, this podcast is pure gold.
Malcolm Gladwell’s books have already made a name for themselves, and his podcast “Revisionist History” is on it’s way to doing the exact same thing. In this fascinating podcast,Gladwell goes back to forgotten and misunderstood historical events to re-analyze and revise what actually happened. The podcast is more of a thriller novel than anything, with each podcast full of twists and turns, introducing to its listeners new lines of thought, new ways of looking at our past.
“The Nerdist” is a podcast hosted by Chris Hardwick, who is occasionally joined by Jonah Ray and Matt Mira. On this podcast, Hardwick has weekly guests with whom he essentially nerds out. Hardwick and his guests talk about whatever they’re passionate about, whether it’s comedy, film, or politics. The podcast is a good way to get a deeper impression of someone in the entertainment media — you finds out what they’re passionate about, what they sound like without the fancy editing.
In the same vein, “Anna Faris is Unqualified” is a podcast hosted by actress Anna Faris in which she has weekly guests from the entertainment industry. This podcast is a peek behind the scenes of what the entertainment industry is actually like.
Finally, “Radiolab” is a podcast hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. This smart podcast combines culture and science, each week focusing on one big concept and going into personal anecdotes, interviews, news stories, history, and straight science to weave together a beautiful tapestry that causes the listener to have interesting and enlightening thoughts.
So, reader, if you need a new way to pass the time (as if you already don’t have a million ways to do it), I recommend podcasts.
