7 Podcasts You Need to Listen To Right Now
- kauffmbl
- Sep 12, 2017
- 5 min read
Originally published by The Odyssey Online
I listen to a lot of podcasts. Like, a totally ridiculous number of podcasts. According to the podcasting app on my phone, there are currently 44 podcasts that I am subscribed to. Add in the ones that I have only on iTunes and the ones I occasionally listen to, and the real number is in the upper fifties. That's nearly a hundred hours of new shows each week, more than I could ever actually listen to. These shows also cover a huge range of subject matter, from news reporting and movie reviews to improv comedy and original stories. I've been listening to podcasts for almost seven years now and have kept this current pace up for the last two years. At this point, it might be a full addiction.
All of this experience makes me pretty well qualified to recommend shows to people who want to start listening to podcasts. These aren't all the podcasts that I could recommend or the ones that I have recommended to my friends recently. I could do a list of just the movie podcasts that I listen to. This is just a starting point to the wide world of podcasts that you can get into.
1. News and Information- BBC Global News Podcast
Since I am a journalism major, I want to try and stay on top of the news. The BBC news podcast is the best I've found for a few reasons. Each episode is pretty short, less than thirty minutes, and hits on about ten stories from around the world. It comes out twice a day during the week and once a day on weekends. They fit a lot of scope and variety into each episode. They have reporters around the world covering major global events, as well as smaller human interest stories. If you're tired of hearing the same stories every day in the US, this is a nice change of pace.
Start with: Strong Criticism of Kenya's Electoral Commission. The recent presidential elections in Kenya are a big but under-reported story in the US, so this is a good place to start to see the different angles that BBC offers.
2. Horror and Atmosphere- Alice Isn't Dead
This show is from the same team as Welcome to Night Vale, which is the more famous show. However, I think this one works better as an introduction to fiction podcasts. The atmosphere of horror and dread that the music and writing creates is perfect. Jasika Nicole is the only voice on the show and her performance as this central truck driver. Each episode is short and creepy, taking place mostly as the audio diary of a truck driver looking for the titular Alice. Although clearly inspired by Twin Peaks and urban legends, the final product is completely unique.
Start with: Part 1, Chapter 2: Alice. More ambitious than the first episode, in both the complexity of the story and the audio soundscape. It also does a lot to establish the history of her relationship with Alice.
3. A Long, Epic Story- The Adventure Zone
Technically this is a Dungeons and Dragons podcast, but don't let that scare you away. The Adventure Zone is a hilarious and epic story built within the rules of D&D. Griffin McElroy runs the campaign for his brothers, Travis and Justin, and their father Clint. The brothers have plenty of podcasting experience, so the jokes come fast and the chemistry between them is great. But the larger story is much more impressive and emotional than the early jokes would let you believe. They just wrapped up their campaign after three years, so the story is now self-contained.
Start with: Moonlighting- Chapter One. The first arc of the show is important to the story, but starting here will give you a better idea of the tone of the show and the higher concepts of the story. If you like all that, go back and catch up with the previous six episodes.
4. Interviews and Celebrities- The Turnaround
This is a little bit of a meta choice for an interview show. Longtime podcast host Jesse Thorn talks to famous interviewers about their process and experiences. There are only 15 episodes, but Thorn packs a lot of variety into those episodes. Podcast hosts, TV anchors, and print journalists all come through to discuss their craft. If you're a journalism major or writer like me, this should be required listening. For everyone else, it'll provide a different way to think about other interview-based podcasts that you might check out.
Start with Susan Orlean. Orlean has spent thirty years working as a journalist and writer for some of the best outlets in America. She has great anecdotes about the stories she has worked on and talks in depth about her interviewing philosophy.
5. Reviews and Recommendations- Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit
For all the podcasts that talk about movies, there are few that focus on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Filmspotting: SVU is the best show talking about movies you can watch at home. Hosted by Buzzfeed movie critic Alison Willmore and ScreenCrush editor Matt Singer, the show covers a new streaming title and recommends some related titles. Their main review offers great criticism of whatever movie or TV show the listeners voted for. Between the related titles and the recommendations that they end the show with, each episode gives you a dozen things to check out.
Start with: Split/ Unconventional Superhero Movies. Their review of M. Night Shyamalan's most recent movie is entertaining and the related titles are very eclectic. From Japanese anime series to gritty indie movies, they offer some alternative superhero titles.
6. Comedy and Pop Culture- The Flop House
There are a lot of shows that revolve around making fun of bad movies. The Flop House is one of the oldest and still one of the best. Dan McCoy, Stuart Wellington, and Elliott Kalan have been riffing on movies for over a decade. From failed blockbusters to terrible indie films, they cover a wide variety of recent flops for the show. If you're looking for serious criticism about the movies, they have some good criticisms to offer. But the jokes are the real highlight of the show. Two of the hosts have written for The Daily Show, so the jokes fly fast and their personalities bounce off each other very well.
Start with: USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage. The three hosts are huge fans of the terrible recent movies of Nicolas Cage. The most recent episode about him is a loose review of an instantly forgotten World War 2 movie.
7. Sports- 30 for 30 Podcasts
The 30 for 30 sports documentaries produced by ESPN have been a big hit on their television network, including last year's epic OJ: Made in America. A few months ago they started a podcast version of the show. As of right now, they have five original shows and a handful of behind-the-scenes footage of their new TV episodes. But the high quality of the shows are promising for the future success of the show. The stories they tell are fascinating but they don't require that you come in with a ton of sports knowledge.
Start with: A Queen of Sorts. This is a story about one of the biggest card counting scams in recent history and a profile of the Chinese woman who masterminded the scheme. No prior knowledge about baccarat or gambling is needed to enjoy the story.
These are just a few of the recommendations that I have. If any of these catch your fancy, there are plenty of other shows that you should check out. For more nonfiction/ informational shows, try You Must Remember This and Reply All. For comedy and opinions, check out The Bugle and Spontaneanation. I love talking about these shows, as I assume you can tell by now, and I hope my obsession will catch on with some of you.
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