Podcast sweet nothings into my ear

December 7, 2009 2:26 PM

PodcastFilter: Looking for podcasts hosted by men with pleasing/interesting voices.

I only recently discovered talk radio a few years ago. While scanning stations I ran into Matt Dahl (son of Steve Dahl) hosting a short show on an all-talk station residing in FM.

Something about his voice was very appealing to me. It has interesting little nuances and maybe a slight accent that I find personable and even relaxing.

The talk radio station died and Matt Dahl began podcasting so I picked up his show and after his updates slowed down I began my search for new voices.

I've been listening to AskMefi recommended podcasts the past few weeks.
These are voices that I also like:
Leo Laporte - he does that Tech one. His voice is almost too "perfect" and almost lacking character but his tone is super soothing to me. And he does accents really we'll.
Peter Sagal - he does Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. He has a lot of nuances and is somewhat different. Im not too fond of how announcer-y/game show host-y he goes though.

Voices I don't like:
Ira Glass-nothing special or soothing about his voice.
Carl Kasell- he helps out in WWDTM. His voice is interesting, but not appealing.

Any recommendations? Content isn't a huge issue... the Matt Dahl show is usually just about his life... and while I do love This American Life's content, I'm just just looking for voices.

posted by simplethings to grab bag (22 answers total)

Sadly, he seems to have abandoned it, but there are still some episodes of Ken Nordine's Word Jazz up. Easier heard than explained.
posted by cjorgensen at 2:44 PM on December 7, 2009

Stephen Fry's podcast - like a soothing plum wine.
posted by Paragon at 2:46 PM on December 7, 2009

David Attenborough used to have a wonderful podcast called Life Stories -- I was playing his show on snakes just a few days ago -- but the BBC appears to have yanked them back for some reason, and all my downloads are gone from iTunes. (Aha! They seem to have been slipped in with Clive James' show. Try subscribing to the A Point of View podcast here, and you'll get a few Attenborough podcasts from August and September, at least.)

The Glorious Stephen Fry has a handful of podcasts available here.

I like listening to Bob McDonald on Quirks and Quarks, a science magazine show from the CBC.

Mr. Deity is a video podcast, but I really like the male voices in it. God's a little whiny, but endearing. YMMV.
posted by maudlin at 2:48 PM on December 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

Maybe Phillip Adams on ABC (Australia) Late Night Live? A friend who had only ever read his newspaper articles recently got an MP3 player and started listening and was surprised at his nice voice.

Content is not bad either - "Late Night Live is talk radio with a difference. From razor-sharp analysis of current events to the hottest debates in politics, science, philosophy and culture, Late Night Live opens up a world of ideas, putting you firmly in the big picture."
posted by AnnaRat at 2:59 PM on December 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

I find Bob Boilen's voice very soothing-- plus he has pretty good taste in music.
posted by oinopaponton at 3:03 PM on December 7, 2009

Robert Ashley of A Life Well Wasted is a blast to listen to.
posted by sinfony at 3:04 PM on December 7, 2009

Dick Gordon of The Story, perhaps?
posted by mykescipark at 3:06 PM on December 7, 2009

n-thing Bob Boilen of All Songs Considered
posted by knile at 3:25 PM on December 7, 2009

Robert Krulwich has a very lilting, bubbly voice that I find very pleasant. Even more so that he's on possibly the best science related podcast going, Radiolab. He also has his own show, Krulwich On Science where he relays scientific concepts in layman's terms.
posted by wackybrit at 3:43 PM on December 7, 2009

I'm quite fond of Luke Burbank's TBTL (Too Beautiful To Live) podcast. Ah! He's the aging hipster who puts me to sleep every night (and I mean that in a good way.) He's former NPR, currently back in Seattle, recently canned from his on-air radio gig. I like his voice, but I'm not sure I could specify what is special about it.
posted by DawnSimulator at 3:59 PM on December 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

Actually, I love Jad's voice on Radiolab, and he and Robert seriously run the best podcast OF ALL TIME.

Not a podcast, but James Spader's voice is great.
posted by you're a kitty! at 4:00 PM on December 7, 2009

Metafilter's own YoungAmerican has lovely, dulcet tones and hosts 2 podcats (at least):

The Sound of Young America
Jordan, Jesse, GO!

I find his voice really beautiful.
posted by tristeza at 4:04 PM on December 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

Can't believe he's not been mentioned already - Mike Duncan, History of Rome podcast. Positively womb-like.
posted by runincircles at 4:30 PM on December 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

Seconding tristeza. Jesse's voice is really nice, and his shows are great.
posted by FlyByDay at 5:13 PM on December 7, 2009

I love Word Jazz! Seconding.
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 5:40 PM on December 7, 2009

Mike Duncan's The History Of Rome is very interesting, and he is a wonderful speaker
posted by rebent at 7:01 PM on December 7, 2009

For the shear fun of it....

I have the biggest aural-love-crush on Benjamin Grundy from Mysterious Universe.

You can subscribe through itunes. The bonus? They've made the show longer - almost 2 hours!

Australian accent, great production quality, loads of fun. I guarantee, you will be hooked!
posted by jbenben at 7:35 PM on December 7, 2009

Patrick E. McLean of the Seanachai
posted by mearls at 7:41 PM on December 7, 2009

If you like Garrison Keillor's voice, you can get his Writer's Almanac and News from Lake Wobegon podcasts.
posted by lakeroon at 8:10 PM on December 7, 2009

Seconding Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad on RadioLab. That podcast is one of my absolute favourites.

I think you might like Dr. Bryan Goldman's podcast White Coat, Black Art (CBC). His voice seems to match what you're looking for, and the content is interesting too.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:31 PM on December 7, 2009

I'm just not crazy about Krulwich's delivery. It's a bit too "I'm just so damn irreverent" for my tastes.

Considering all the public radio shows you mention, I'm gonna guess you're familiar with Neal Conan on Talk of the Nation, but that'd be my recommendation. Very comforting avuncular voice.

But no one beats Robert Siegel on All Things Considered. If I wish my doctors had a voice like that.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:45 PM on December 8, 2009

Seconding Garrison Keillor. I use his podcasts to fall asleep to, and found this post when looking for other voices to serve the same purpose. Uncanny.

I especially like that News from Lake Wobegon is imaginative, but doesn't inspire me too much. Enjoyable, but not engaging, so my brain can relax and drift off.
posted by itesser at 12:17 AM on December 9, 2009