Hobbies The Podcast Thread

[antemortem]

Who listens to podcasts? Which ones? How often do you listen? (plz recommend some)​

I like podcasts about true crime, drag, and pop culture and find them super easily digestible.

If I had to guess, these were my top 4 podcasts of 2021, which is a pretty good representation of the other handful I listen to in-between (I have at least 1-2 podcasts that release an episode every day of the work week):

 

[zee]

I listen a lot of NPR in my car, and my local station features a lot of interesting podcasts on sex and relationships, politics, and economics. I've been listening to NPR avidly for about the past 16 months and I'd recommend it to anyone. Keeping up with the news is great and all but I really enjoy it for the shows they feature and the really interesting conversations, I've been informed on so many new things and changed my perspective on loads more. If I remember some particularly good ones I'll edit them in.

But one specific one is something my American Lit teacher made us listen to as a class project in junior year of high school: Serial. It's about a murder trial, specifically of Adnan Syed who was alleged to have murdered his high school girlfriend. The podcast goes through the facts of the case and gives Adnan's side of the story, maintaining his innocence. While it's obviously not clear one way or the other, it's a really nice listen if you like crime stories and gives a good glimpse into the racial prejudice found in our judicial system.

Link:
https://open.spotify.com/show/5wMPFS9B5V7gg6hZ3UZ7hf?si=8052b251f16d4df7

 

[Rugi]

I used to listen to Joe Rogan a lot but the cunt loaded his podcasts with way too many ads and the guests aren't what they used to be either

Cumtown is a good laugh depending on the episode

Artifexian podcast is a nice discussion on world building and story devices with a sprinkle of contemporary linguistics

Two white chicks in China is a discussion about contemporary Chinese life, language and politics from the perspective of two "white chicks" who have been living there for quite a while now. Very niche but interesting.

The Friendlyjordies podcast can be pretty fun and has plenty of Australian cultural and political humour when it's not giving me high school flashbacks

For a far more recent podcast Safety third with William Osman is a lot of fun and follows the strange lives of the people who make science and engineering infotainment on youtube

 

[velvet]

I’ve been listening to The Trash Taste Podcast for a while and it’s pretty chill honestly if you’re looking for something to laugh about or relate to. Most discussions can be about anime, random life events that’s happened to one of the members of the podcast or the general aspect of life in Japan which is where their podcast is held in.

Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/6i9SWtZPb30xVXWVHSKCqq?si=lfA1bMGMS7KpZoZ3_eOHfg

Another podcast I listen to from time to time is Something Scary Podcast. It’s pretty straight forward, you go in and listen scary stories that are about 30 minutes long each. If you’re into spooky stuff like I am then this is definitely something you’d enjoy.

Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IhUqegzY0g0PJJPaoQdYS?si=feFJtaZJQWCrbd5UuoajEA

 

[antemortem]

I listen a lot of NPR in my car, and my local station features a lot of interesting podcasts on sex and relationships, politics, and economics. I've been listening to NPR avidly for about the past 16 months and I'd recommend it to anyone. Keeping up with the news is great and all but I really enjoy it for the shows they feature and the really interesting conversations, I've been informed on so many new things and changed my perspective on loads more. If I remember some particularly good ones I'll edit them in.

Hell yes, NPR. Do you know the names of the series your local station plays?

I haven’t listened to them in a while, but TED Radio Hour used to be one of my favorite soundbites for brain food. Their episodes on failure (link 1), “how we love” (link 2), and especially on how the brain works (link 3) are some of my favorites to-date. I picked this up late in the game, right before the pandemic started, and held on as long as I could while Guy Raz was the host. There’s nothing wrong with Manoush Zomorodi; in fact, she’s a great interviewer. Her voice just doesn’t have the same enamoring magic that Guy’s used to.

I also used to really like Code Switch, especially for int’l music recommendations.

But one specific one is something my American Lit teacher made us listen to as a class project in junior year of high school: Serial. It's about a murder trial, specifically of Adnan Syed who was alleged to have murdered his high school girlfriend. The podcast goes through the facts of the case and gives Adnan's side of the story, maintaining his innocence. While it's obviously not clear one way or the other, it's a really nice listen if you like crime stories and gives a good glimpse into the racial prejudice found in our judicial system.

Link:
https://open.spotify.com/show/5wMPFS9B5V7gg6hZ3UZ7hf?si=8052b251f16d4df7

A friend has recommended Serial to me countless times! I think I’ve always hesitated because I’m particular about the way podcasts are formatted. Is it presentational, or is it more like two people talking about the case with as many researched facts are available?

I used to listen to Joe Rogan a lot but the cunt loaded his podcasts with way too many ads and the guests aren't what they used to be either

God, are you kidding? It was bound to happen with such the huge acquisition Spotify made with that exclusive contract back in July. The Obsessed podcast I linked in the OP is produced by Spotify and has like 8 ads per 20-minute episode… Wild.

Another podcast I listen to from time to time is Something Scary Podcast. It’s pretty straight forward, you go in and listen scary stories that are about 30 minutes long each. If you’re into spooky stuff like I am then this is definitely something you’d enjoy.

Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IhUqegzY0g0PJJPaoQdYS?si=feFJtaZJQWCrbd5UuoajEA

Haven’t listened to many audio dramas because it’s difficult to find well-produced ones, but this sounds fun so I will definitely try this out. Have you ever heard of The Truth? It’s similar in the way it’s anthological and usually reminiscent of the style of the Netflix show Black Mirror; suspenseful, perhaps slightly dark/comedic, based at least loosely in sci-fi. The episode from 2012 called The Cake is what got me interested in the first place… super eerie, great storytelling and narration.

 

[monkfish]

my faves are

Making Sense with Sam Harris - long-form conversations about philosophy, consciousness, altruism, science & religion, etc. as long as you avoid the episodes where he complains about wokeness he is generally a voice of reason and has interesting guests.

Sean Carroll's Mindscape - similar to the above but less political and more sciencey. a lot of the physics goes over my head but you always learn something and he is a likeable host

Very Bad Wizards - two guys (a philosopher + a psychologist) who pick a subject along those lines every week to talk about. they are crass and funny and no bullshit, and have been going for like 8 years

The Adam Buxton Podcast - british comedian who pioneered the podcast scene with his comedy partner Joe Cornish in the 2000s. their show together is long over but now he hosts his own in which he interviews various public figures. i think i listen to it more out of nostalgia for their old show than for anything else, but he is a good interviewer who tries to get a genuine conversation going, and show the human side of his guest. the best episodes are the ones with Louis Theroux, who he knows very well

What a Time to Be Alive - three comedians who i came across on twitter and randomly decided to listen to their podcast. its alright but the way they talk can be very american (annoying)

 

[Kalalokki]

I think all my podcasts fall under like 3 categories: EDM podcasts that are basically hour long playlists, various podcasts made by Rooster Teeth, and a bunch of swedish documentary ones made by our state radio that are among the most popular over here.

The EDM ones are two Monstercat ones, CYB3RPVNK Radio, Aoki's House, and Tritonia. They're usually the only new music I listen to nowadays and I've honed in pretty well that I can expect enjoy almost all the tracks that are featured.

Rooster Teeth I've followed for a long time and since I like the people involved I've usually come to like their podcasts too, even though some of them can easily stand up on their own merit and not because of them being connected to Rooster Teeth. Those I listen to currently are RT Podcast, Off Topic, Red Web, Face Jam, and Black Box Down.

The swedish documentary ones are prob not worth mentioning their names, as most here wouldn't understand them and if you can you've prob heard of them already. The main one has been running since 2004, covering all kinds of incidents and events in both modern swedish and world history. Often with interviews of people involved and they've always had great production quality throughout their years. The others are one with spotlights on influential people throughout swedish and world history, such as kings, politicians, civil rights movements etc, a music documentary one highlighting artists and bands, and a dystopian one that looks at various things that might happen to us in the feature, with both a fictional narrative and knowledgeable people talking about how things might end up on the path that the world is on right now.

The only real outlier is the Scrubs recap podcast: Fake Doctors, Real Friends. Very fun and interesting for a show that's one of the few that I've really binged several times in my life.

 

[faint]

What I listen to:

Chapo Trap House
Fear & Malding

My recommendation based on what you like:

TrueAnon

 

[TheMantyke]

I’ve been a big fan the last year or so of podcasts dealing with the far right media ecosystem and it’s wild conspiracy stuff. It’s a helpful tool for slicing through crap and making sense of a lot of it. It’s maybe not the easiest listening since it’s scary at times, but I find it a pretty cathartic listening having been in the orbit of people who were sucked into this stuff.

Knowledge Fight is two former stand up comedians listening to InfoWar’s Alex Jones and making it a digestible experience. You get to see his burcherite propaganda aired for the barely disguised load it is while also enjoying his unprofessional meltdowns lashing out at his own crew. It’s been particularly entertaining lately from Alex’s lawsuit losses. A good recent starting point would probably be their episode for the show on December 30th. It starts with Alex Jones of all people apologizing for his behavior the previous day and then all the madness unfolds.

QAnonAnonymous is a group of 3-5 regular hosts that dissect and refute aspects of the Qanon conspiracy, the people surrounding it, right wing grifters, and all sorts of other conspiracy topics. Even with Trump out of office, there’s still a lot of this conspiracy group influencing real ass lives, and it’s good to keep an eye on it. It’s also just laugh out loud hilarious at times. For a good starting point, the first one I listened to which hooked me in was their review of the book “The Jesus Q Connection” from January 2021

For far easier listening not about horrible people influencing our lives;

Get Played is a recently rebranded gaming podcast where the hosts dive into some of the worst and weirdest and whateverest games around. It was initially a video game version of something like How Did This Get Made but expanded its scope a bit to anything. The hosts are hilarious and riff off each other super well.

Talking Simpsons is a podcast that gives an in depth dissection of every Simpsons episode ever, usually with a guest in tow. The back catalog is massive and it’s a fun listen if you grew up watching the show and enjoy learning more about the writers and situations around each episode.

 

[antemortem]

What a Time to Be Alive - three comedians who i came across on twitter and randomly decided to listen to their podcast. its alright but the way they talk can be very american (annoying)

This isn’t possibly… the Patrick Monahan, lead singer of Train? lmao no wonder it’s undeniably American. Also what sells something as particularly “American” from your perspective?

Rooster Teeth I've followed for a long time and since I like the people involved I've usually come to like their podcasts too, even though some of them can easily stand up on their own merit and not because of them being connected to Rooster Teeth. Those I listen to currently are RT Podcast, Off Topic, Red Web, Face Jam, and Black Box Down.

I used to love Rooster Teeth’s board game, Minecraft, and Smash YT videos, but never knew they podcasted. Is it… generally a bunch of gamers talking about non-gaming related stuff?? Not a judgement, I just literally can’t imagine that group of fellas outside of their gaming chairs/RT headquarters.

The swedish documentary ones are prob not worth mentioning their names, as most here wouldn't understand them and if you can you've prob heard of them already. The main one has been running since 2004, covering all kinds of incidents and events in both modern swedish and world history. Often with interviews of people involved and they've always had great production quality throughout their years. The others are one with spotlights on influential people throughout swedish and world history, such as kings, politicians, civil rights movements etc, a music documentary one highlighting artists and bands, and a dystopian one that looks at various things that might happen to us in the feature, with both a fictional narrative and knowledgeable people talking about how things might end up on the path that the world is on right now.

I love the sound of this, though I come from a country where everything is available in surplus (which is not always a good thing). The government, as far as I know, doesn’t really facilitate programming like this in the US? Do the swedes enjoy the daily history lessons? Or is this generally just background noise? Do you discuss the topics frequently with people or find them pleasant to listen to while doing work/commuting/etc.?

Genuinely interested in this… if any other Europeans have a POV on this??

What I listen to:

Chapo Trap House
Fear & Malding

My recommendation based on what you like:

TrueAnon

Proud of you for listening to left-leaning content buddy!

But no really what’s exciting about these for you? Or are they just infrequent listens/filler content?

Simpsons is a podcast that gives an in depth dissection of every Simpsons episode ever, usually with a guest in tow. The back catalog is massive and it’s a fun listen if you grew up watching the show and enjoy learning more about the writers and situations around each episode.

I have a lot of appreciation for your listening to media that tries to make sense of far right propaganda… something I regularly try to avoid, if possible, for the sake of preserving my happiness… but off-topic/distracting stuff is up my alley. I didn’t follow Simpsons super closely growing up, but I definitely recognize its position as a pop cultural keystone. The I’m 40% Podcast! show is a similar deep dive into the Futurama catalogue. Major nostalgia drip on this one.

 

[monkfish]

This isn’t possibly… the Patrick Monahan, lead singer of Train? lmao no wonder it’s undeniably American. Also what sells something as particularly “American” from your perspective?

different paddy monahan. and its v american because every other word is "like" or "uhhhh" and theres an incredible amount of referencing different types of fast food

 

[Myzozoa]

fav podcast was serial s1, the goated podcast, with the court house season also v goated. 'philosophize this' w stephen west is quite passable from what I recall if you want to listen to a philosophy podcast. Other than these two I've listened to a lot of bad podcasts so I'm open to recommendations for good ones. I like pop culture but sometimes the hosts are as problematic and or dumb as the content so I haven't ever found one that I could stick w.

 

[velvet]

Hell yes, NPR. Do you know the names of the series your local station plays?

I haven’t listened to them in a while, but TED Radio Hour used to be one of my favorite soundbites for brain food. Their episodes on failure (link 1), “how we love” (link 2), and especially on how the brain works (link 3) are some of my favorites to-date. I picked this up late in the game, right before the pandemic started, and held on as long as I could while Guy Raz was the host. There’s nothing wrong with Manoush Zomorodi; in fact, she’s a great interviewer. Her voice just doesn’t have the same enamoring magic that Guy’s used to.

I also used to really like Code Switch, especially for int’l music recommendations.

A friend has recommended Serial to me countless times! I think I’ve always hesitated because I’m particular about the way podcasts are formatted. Is it presentational, or is it more like two people talking about the case with as many researched facts are available?


God, are you kidding? It was bound to happen with such the huge acquisition Spotify made with that exclusive contract back in July. The Obsessed podcast I linked in the OP is produced by Spotify and has like 8 ads per 20-minute episode… Wild.

Haven’t listened to many audio dramas because it’s difficult to find well-produced ones, but this sounds fun so I will definitely try this out. Have you ever heard of The Truth? It’s similar in the way it’s anthological and usually reminiscent of the style of the Netflix show Black Mirror; suspenseful, perhaps slightly dark/comedic, based at least loosely in sci-fi. The episode from 2012 called The Cake is what got me interested in the first place… super eerie, great storytelling and narration.

Seen black mirror and it’s pretty mysterious and dark so I’ll definitely check that out for sure. Thanks o/

 

[antemortem]

different paddy monahan. and its v american because every other word is "like" or "uhhhh" and theres an incredible amount of referencing different types of fast food

As an American (hngggggg), I can understand this. It makes me ill when hosts can’t carry on their side of a conversation without having to “uh” their way through a sentence. For me it sounds unsure/related to an insecurity about leaving air between phrases or topics. I can get behind unhinged levels of fast food references tho…

fav podcast was serial s1, the goated podcast, with the court house season also v goated. 'philosophize this' w stephen west is quite passable from what I recall if you want to listen to a philosophy podcast. Other than these two I've listened to a lot of bad podcasts so I'm open to recommendations for good ones. I like pop culture but sometimes the hosts are as problematic and or dumb as the content so I haven't ever found one that I could stick w.

The Dear Chelsea podcast I linked in the OP is not pop culture, nor do I really take much relationship advice from it, I don’t have or want kids, etc. But she masterfully balances the unprofessional advice column trope and her own seasoned comedic timing—and has some pretty dope guests like Ilana Glazer, Dax Shepard, Gwenyth Paltrow, among others—so it ends up feeling like an easy listen, if not always completely ”relatable.” I do end up walking away from every episode with something that convinces me I’m grateful I listened, though.

 

[Myzozoa]

Ok I was reading a book and I found out the author has a 'podcast'. The author is a professional sad person. I say she's a 'professional sad person' in the most respectful manner, in a way which in no way diminishes or fetishizes the oddly typical cosmic torture of the author's personal life/narrative (spoiler: her husband has a chronic illness). I mean it almost in a hopeful way, in the sense that perhaps one day I could monetize my sadness even in some v minor way, or maybe just be as functional or as willing to reveal myself as the author. The podcast is called: "Eating Alone in My Car" and the author is Melissa Broder. Warning: she actually records this podcast while eating snack foods alone in her car in case that isn't clear.

 

[antemortem]

Couple of new listens this past week. The former is self-explanatory (if not: two Queer nb/femmes interview Queer actors/artists in the most shotgun, earnestly Gen Z way (whatever you’re imagining is exactly what it sounds like)) and the latter is a Futurama review podcast. I used to love Futurama as a kid so this is insanely nostalgic for me. They break down punchlines, modernize references, and drop the veil on tropes… Nicole Byer and Margaret Cho have been guests, too? Not sure what else I gotta do to sell it LMAO

Ok I was reading a book and I found out the author has a 'podcast'. The author is a professional sad person. I say she's a 'professional sad person' in the most respectful manner, in a way which in no way diminishes or fetishizes the oddly typical cosmic torture of the author's personal life/narrative (spoiler: her husband has a chronic illness). I mean it almost in a hopeful way, in the sense that perhaps one day I could monetize my sadness even in some v minor way, or maybe just be as functional or as willing to reveal myself as the author. The podcast is called: "Eating Alone in My Car" and the author is Melissa Broder. Warning: she actually records this podcast while eating snack foods alone in her car in case that isn't clear.

I haven’t listened to this yet, but your description suggests that Melissa Broder is the type of person who… fully claims, if not capitalizes off of, every part of herself? what a comical level of self-awareness lol

 

[Fishy]

i only listen to comedy podcasts as of late, including:

chris d'elia
YOUR MOM's HOUSE / YMH podcast
tiger belly

OHHH YES and the new It's Always Sunny podcast is top of the list, new episodes mondays!!!

 

[TailGlowVM]

Recently I've been listening to the Beef and Dairy Network podcast, the number one podcast for those involved, or just interested, in the production of beef animals and dairy herds. I never thought I'd find a podcast like that interesting (I wouldn't want to become a farmer or anything), but it provides a very informative look at the industry, interviewing a variety of professionals about the different aspects of farming, ethics of beef and associated news. The podcast began with the current host in 2015 and has continued monthly ever since (the later episodes get longer than this first one)

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7g...i=iWIesP0URFSlKRlFB3z8cg&utm_source=copy-link

 

[antemortem]

anyone have any upbeat podcasts that release on Tuesdays? i’m so mfin dry before Wednesdays it’s not even funny

 

[Lasen]

been listening to the Sleep Deprived podcast; it's a bit abrasive and it has no set theme besides "4 dudes say mildly offensive shit and sometimes make 9/11 jokes" but no podcast makes me laugh harder. They release on Monday/Tuesday depending on your timezone and you can jump on at any episode since, again, there is no overarching plot, really.