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As we slowly approach a post-COVID world, I find myself with slightly less time to binge-watch every show that Amazon Prime and Netflix carry, and instead I have been turning to the wonderful world of podcasts. I am back in my office and working, but I am one of those people who focuses best on what my hands are doing when I have something else for my brain to think about. So I have been...binge-listening?? to a number of different podcasts. Here are ten podcasts that I recommend - but I'd love to find some others, so if you have a favorite that isn't mentioned here, please feel free to post it in the comments!
Their description: "Word Matters is a show for readers, writers, and anyone who ever loved their English class. Join Merriam-Webster editors as they challenge supposed grammar rules, reveal the surprising origins behind words, tackle common questions, and generally geek out about the beautiful nightmare that is language."
My description: It's a bunch of smart and witty people who love words sharing the interesting things they've learned about every aspect of the English language and the joys and struggles of creating and maintaining a dictionary of it.
Why I love it: I discovered it because my husband added Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day" to our morning Alexa news brief, and when I heard it, I sat up and blurted, "Hey, I know that voice! I know that guy!" M-W WotD is compiled and narrated by an old high school friend of mine, Peter Sokolowski. Peter is also one of the editors who participates in Word Matters. He, like the other editors, has a fascinatingly varied background which brings an interesting perspective to the discussion. It doesn't hurt that he has a wonderfully soothing voice and a penchant for tossing off French terms in a magnifique accent, either.
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "What is a Learner's Dictionary?" (April 28, 2021) and "Words That Are Their Own Opposites" (January 6, 2021).
Their description: "Actor & comedian Paul Scheer and film critic Amy Nicholson want your advice as they make the ultimate list of the greatest movies of all time. In Season 1, they watched every one of the AFI’s Top 100 films…and decided they could kick off half. Now, they’re filling in the gaps by investigating wildly diverse areas of film through miniseries on topics like horror movies, documentaries and romantic comedies, with help from listeners’ picks. Along the way, they’ll dissect iconic scenes, spotlight their favorite characters, and talk to some of the actors and directors who worked on these classics. And when Unspooled has built their own list of the best movies on earth, they’ll blast them into space to be immortalized for eternity. Seriously.
My description: Movie analysis from two different perspectives, with a lot of insider knowledge, trivia, and hilarity, plus frequent guests with even more insider knowledge. An interesting look at what makes classic movies classics, and why some "classic" movies haven't aged as well as others.
Why I love it: I first came across Paul Scheer's other podcast, "How Did This Get Made?," in which he and his co-hosts analyze - in a hilarious way - absolutely terrible (but often still very fun to watch) movies. Unspooled is the flip side of that. Amy's years of experience as a film critic looking from the outside in and Paul's years of experience as an actor and director looking from the inside out are a great balance of both perspective and knowledge. This podcast has not only introduced me to a number of unfamiliar movies that are well worth watching, it has also given me a new appreciation for the art of filmmaking and what goes into making a film that creates compelling characters and storylines.
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "The Best Years of Our Lives" (November 13, 2019) and "A Trip to the Moon" (May 5, 2021).
Their description: "A public radio game show of bluff and bluster, words and whimsy."
My description: A bunch of really smart, well-read and well-educated, extremely funny people getting together to play general knowledge games. Includes games like picking out the correct definition of an obscure word, solving puns, identifying what an individual was famous for, defining shades of difference between two similar words, etc.
Why I love it: It's like spending an afternoon with your smartest, funniest friends playing Trivial Pursuit and all those word games your family used to play in the car on long trips. It gives me a sense of pride when I get the right answer before the team does, and I'm continually learning interesting factoids and bits of trivia and history.
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "From Home #5" (February 12, 2021) and "Back-9 #21" (April 16, 2021).
Their description: "Morbid is a true crime, creepy history and all things spooky podcast hosted by an autopsy technician and a hairstylist. Join us for a heavy dose of research with a dash of comedy thrown in for flavor."
My description: The hosts may be a little goofy, but their fascination with and passion for the true crime stories is apparent. Topics range from recent crimes (solved and unsolved) to historical crimes to the occasional episode consisting solely of weird (but usually surprisingly well-told) personal stories submitted by readers.
Why I love it: The hosts are hilarious, albeit a bit irreverent for the topic at times. But they tell the story well and their own interest in the story as it unfolds makes it compelling. Plus, they frequently ask the questions I'm asking in my own head ("Why did he bring a BOWIE KNIFE to a baseball game?!?" "Why did he go look for footprints instead of trying to give his dying wife CPR?!?"). Their style may not be to everyone's taste, but their giggles and overblown reactions somehow make their subject a little less (sorry, have to go there) morbid.
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "The Abduction and Murder of Daniel Morcombe" (April 17, 2021) and "The Weepy Voiced Killer" (January 10, 2021).
Disorganized Crime: Smuggler's Daughter
Their description: "Host Rainbow Valentine discovers her artist mom and 'businessman' dad were deeply involved in the illegal drug trade and unknowingly spent her childhood among a massive pot distribution operation. As she talks with her father in intimate interviews, Rainbow Valentine uncovers a history of her childhood that causes her to reassess everything — and gives us a unique personal window into the infamous."
My description: A long-retired hippie pot distributor and his equally hippie artist wife recount their days in the business to their daughter, who grew up having no idea that was what her parents did for a living. A fascinating account of living a relatively normal life amid a relatively dangerous operation.
Why I love it: It's really interesting to hear the daughter's response to hearing these stories for the first time as you're also hearing them for the first time. The dad is particularly hilarious and disarmingly charming, usually sounding like he can't believe how much they got away with either. It helps that he sounds EXACTLY like a guy I know who is also hilarious and disarmingly charming. I don't usually think of drug dealers as being either personable or devoted family men, so it's particularly interesting to me to hear the first-hand story of someone who is both. The podcast is as much a story of a loving but offbeat family as it is the story of the life of a drug dealer.
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "Psychedelic Pioneers" (December 11, 2019) and "Savings and Loam" (January 8, 2020).
Their description: "In every episode, host LeVar Burton invites you to take a break from your daily life, and dive into a great story. LeVar’s narration blends with gorgeous soundscapes to bring stories by Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury and more to life."
My description: ^ What they said.
Why I love it: The collection of stories is truly eclectic; it's all fiction, and it's all short, it's all (mainly) in English, and LeVar likes it all. That's literally all the stories have in common. So I never know if I'll love a story or if it will leave me cold. And honestly, I've listened to episodes in both categories. But LeVar Burton has one of those voices that I'll happily listen to reading the phone book, so I'm willing to give any of the episodes a shot. Because, as LeVar always said at the end of every episode of Reading Rainbow and also says at the end of these podcasts, "You don't have to take my word for it." I may or may not like the book, but I always like hearing his take on it at the end.
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu (August 21, 2017 - be sure to have tissues handy) and "Pockets" by Amal El-Mohtar (August 10, 2020).
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Their description: "More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults, but where public view ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers and astrophysicists, host Tony Cohn sneaks listeners through Smithsonian’s side door to search for stories that can’t be found anywhere else.
My description: Stories cover a wide range of intriguing topics including everything from little-known but interesting stories of both famous and unknown people, fashion history, random scientific concepts and discoveries, true mysteries, space travel, video games, and any other topic you can come up with.
Why I love it: Much like the Smithsonian Institution itself, the podcast is full of curious tidbits you didn't even know you needed to know about.
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "Apollo 12's Really Close Call" (July 20, 2020) and "Discovering the World's Oldest Winery" (June 27, 2018).
Their description: "The truth is rarely the best story. And when it’s not the only story, the truth deserves another look. We tell the complicated stories behind the world’s most controversial events and possible cover-ups. Conspiracy? Maybe. Coincidence? Maybe. Complicated? Absolutely. "
My description: Two reporters research various conspiracy theories: How much is based on truth, and how much is just rumor and speculation? They present the known facts and then rank the believability of each theory on a scale of 1 to 10.
Why I love it: In their own words, the hosts aren't conspiracy theorists, but they are open-minded. They approach each case without the premise of attempting to prove or to debunk, but simply to determine the truth. I'm sometimes surprised at how much factual backing there is for some theories, and sometimes by how little there is. But in every case, I enjoy tracing how a few facts can lead to either outrageous or relatively believable explanations. Plus, some of their subjects are unfamiliar, and the theories themselves are as intriguing as the possible explanations.
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "Mysterious Humming" (Parts 1 and 2) and "Mozart's Death" (Parts 1 and 2).
Their description: "Lore is a podcast about true life scary stories. Lore exposes the darker side of history, exploring the creatures, people, and places of our wildest nightmares. Each episode examines a new dark historical tale in a modern campfire experience."
My description: A blend of folk tales and urban legends, this podcast is one part Twilight Zone, one part Once Upon a Time, and one part tween sleepover bedtime stories.
Why I love it: I am constantly in search of storytelling podcasts, be it true crime stories or literature reading, and this fills the bill while being distinctly different from others. The stories are often fantastical and sometimes vaguely creepy, but never to the point of being off-putting or nightmare-inducing. They're simply tales that make you go, "Hmmm..."
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "Loyal Companion" (February 15, 2021) and "Adding It Up" (October 11, 2020).
Their description: "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built."
My description: Discover the ways various entrepreneurs found success; some with rough starts and multiple failures, and some with slow but steady climbs.
Why I love it: Don't you ever wonder if people like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett are truly smarter and more talented and savvy than most people, or if they just happened to be in the right place at the right time with a good idea and a lot of determination and persistence? Isn't it amazing to think what a different place the world would be if just a few tiny factors in someone's life were different - they didn't happen to have a godfather in the industry, or they weren't bold enough to accost a CEO in an elevator, or their financing didn't quite come through in time? These stories are as different as the people and products they center on.
A few good episodes to whet your appetite: "How I Built Resilience: Lisa Baird of National Women's Soccer League" (March 18, 2021) and "Norma Kamali" (February 1, 2021).
Happy listening!
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