I need more chores and travels to get through this list! My recommendations from 2015, in no particular order: - Marc Maron talks with Barack Obama: - Beyond Batman (Invisibilia), which is rightfully on that list. Very intriguing. - Eye in the Sky (Radiolab). Sight Unseen was great, but I thought this episode about privacy and surveillance also raised some interesting questions. - Maria Popova - Cartographer of Meaning in a Digital Age (On Being). Okay, it's been a while since I listened to it, but I do remember it being a good interview. Plus, Krista Tippett is basically lil in disguise. - Bathysphere (99% Invisible). I can't believe 99pi is still so good every week. This episode shines for its audio design and for really pulling me into the story. - Penn Jilette's Marathon Life in Magic (Here's the Thing with Alec Baldwin). Very enjoyable interview, if you like either of the two. Same goes for Jimmy Fallon
Anybody else not able to get into Reply All? I tried for a while cuz I feel like I hear from a lot of places about how good it is, but I just can't get into it. It feels forced and like it's trying too hard to fit into the WNYC vibe to me. Also, not a single episode of Song Exploder? Oh! also, if anybody's really into public radio/podcasts and the economics/people/powers that drive them, you have to check out the Hot Pod newsletter. Unfortunately, it's just hit the TinyLetter subscription limit so you can't subscribe atm, but the host just said in yesterday's letter that he's moving over to MailKimp for the first letter of next year.
I don't know if you have any interest in true crime stuff and the like, but I've been plowing through this podcast Sword and Scale which is really graphic, in depth, intense and amazing stories about insane crimes. The guy who does these is insane and I love how he lets the story play out in full. He let's these super long excerpts of 911 calls, video recordings, audio recordings, courtroom audio, etc. play out for way longer than anyone else would dare to. Because of this, you often get the full, first-hand account of stuff and it leaves you dazed and taken-aback and filled with emotion. We are so used to everything being chopped down into a short article or news story so the way he does it is so striking. I listened to one about Jonestown the other night and it was insane because I've read about Jonestown quite a bit. But he lets the audio - the manic, delusional, paranoid, crackhead (speedhead) audio play out in its entirely. The vulgarity, etc. is stunning, gross, grotesque, and amazingly fascinating. Added bonus: the music he uses in every episode is so great. I would recommend starting with episode 40 which covers Charles Cullen aka the serial killer nurse. Then - immediately listen to the two-parter: Episode 5 & 6. I was considering making a standalone post about this one but that will have to wait until I listen to it again. This is the craziest story I have ever listened to. IF and only if you listen to a few and love them, then check out Episode 20 which is more of a work of art and experimental audio than anything else. His skills as a producer really shine in this episode, as he uses computer generator voices to read a buttload of chatlogs between people who talk about killing and eating babies. No joke. This one really isn't for the faint of heart -- I only listened to about half of it. But I was still super impressed. --- Again, true crime is totally a guilty pleasure of mine and so this podcast certainly isn't for everyone. Another podcast that I've listened to almost in it's entirety is Thinking Sideways where these three people analyze awesome unsolved mysteries. It's way lighter and fun and I often find myself cracking up at them.
I listened to episode 40, awesome and creepy. I listened to episode 5 and I can't bring myself to listen to 6. It's so horrible, it's really hard to sit through. I might be a wuss but I'm not sure if I'll ever get back to it. I like the podcast in general though. It's like you said, the super long audio clips really immerse you in a way snippets don't. Cool stuff, thanks for the suggestion!
Hey same here! (Except in a day and a half but still). Safe travels. Holy shit tacocat that is the best thing I've seen today.