I didn’t begin listening to podcasts until after I’d already started one. It was (is) called Sex Balcony and consists of my girl Aarin and myself being silly while interviewing interesting USC students… with a secret twist. (OOH, AHH, SECRETS.)
Anyway, flash forward to beginning of my junior year, I finally hopped onto the podcasting boat when I began to religiously listen to Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, Fresh Air, and Serial. They serenaded me as I walked to and from campus, grocery shopped, and pretended to study.
Well, those were cool for a while. Then, I began my euro travels. And as can be assumed, there’s a TON of “dead time” when you’re waiting for flights, dying on busses, plotting ways to silently murder the snoring person keeping you awake in your hostel…
So, suggestion-wise, besides the NPR shows mentioned above and other popular ones like Invisibilia and Radiolab, here are my favorites you may not have heard of!
1. Dear Sugar: Cheryl Strayed (author of Wild) and Steve Almond give advice on life’s toughest questions. I love it because there’s no bull shit. Strayed and Almond are completely honest about their own pasts and feel comfortable talking about topics such as polyamorous relationships, cheating, and the art of falling out of love. Every week, they’ll have a guest caller who also puts in their two cents. Guests have included Elizabeth Gilbert and George Saunders.
2. Death, Sex, & Money: Anna Sale (WNYC) interviews crazy interesting people about their personal struggles… like Margaret Cho, Jane Fonda, W. Kamau Bell, and Ken Jeong. She’s a great interviewer, definitely on par with Terry Gross. Not afraid to ask the big questions, and as these three subjects tend to make us vulnerable as fuck, she gets some big answers.
3. Nerdette: A podcast that mixes feminism with the celebration of nerds. Super fun and upbeat. Also I’m a nerd so…
My favorite episode of the month: “The Living Room” from the podcast Love and Radio. It was re-broadcasted on Radiolab, which is how I heard it originally, but honestly, it’s one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever heard. Definitely a tear-jerker.
Now, this has been a super long post about podcasts. Kind of annoying if you ask me. Especially if you’re like most people (although that’s totally changing) and don’t give a shit about podcasts. SO, if I have convinced you at all to try some out, here are the basic steps to get you there.
How to become a Podcast Snob
1. Be super basic and look up “most listened to” shows on iTunes. I can promise you half of them will be NPR and Serial will be listed in the top ten.
2. Once you’ve picked a few starters, listen while you do boring things like brushing your dog or waiting for the shower to become warm and not scolding hot/ freezing cold.
3. WHEN you become obsessed with your first show, start branching out. Other podcasts will be shamelessly plugged, so write down those titles and check em’ out.
4. Don’t be embarrassed to talk about the things you’re learning as you listen. It’ll make yah more excited about this new part of your life/ maybe it’ll get other people pumped about it too. And if your friends call you a LAME-O with a capital LAME-O, just remember that you’re the cool one who is being opened up to the world… your friends can suck it
Free Bagels 