Clean fun podcast recommendations?
March 14, 2018 9:54 AM Subscribe
Seeking something to listen to while starting daily workout habit.
Complication: Will be playing out loud, no headphones, near the sprog, and therefore it needs to be curse-free.
More requests inside.
I'm pretty new to podcast land so I'm a little vague on what my tastes are.
I've listened to One Bad Mother and The Adventure Zone but both fail the "clean" requirement. In addition, I found that after the first sixty episodes or so I started to get a bit bored of OBM-- I'd like something a little bit less repetitive around a single topic. Ideally I want something with a strong and clear linear progression where you need to listen in order, but "many varied different topics" is an acceptable second choice.
I found Welcome To Nightvale and that podcast where they're in space whose name I don't remember to be way too slow-paced for me. In general I need something relatively fast paced.
I have an allergy to calm therapist-y voices. Could not get through a single episode of Longest Shortest Time for that reason. I think radiolab had the same issue for me if I remember correctly.
I do NOT want anything self-helpy or guru-y. I also want to stay away from: politics, horror, murder, gore, anything depressing.
My goal is something super fun and addictive, so that I can use craving it as a trigger to workout each night.
I'm pretty new to podcast land so I'm a little vague on what my tastes are.
I've listened to One Bad Mother and The Adventure Zone but both fail the "clean" requirement. In addition, I found that after the first sixty episodes or so I started to get a bit bored of OBM-- I'd like something a little bit less repetitive around a single topic. Ideally I want something with a strong and clear linear progression where you need to listen in order, but "many varied different topics" is an acceptable second choice.
I found Welcome To Nightvale and that podcast where they're in space whose name I don't remember to be way too slow-paced for me. In general I need something relatively fast paced.
I have an allergy to calm therapist-y voices. Could not get through a single episode of Longest Shortest Time for that reason. I think radiolab had the same issue for me if I remember correctly.
I do NOT want anything self-helpy or guru-y. I also want to stay away from: politics, horror, murder, gore, anything depressing.
My goal is something super fun and addictive, so that I can use craving it as a trigger to workout each night.
Maybe Reply-All? I don't think it's cussy, and it's pretty entertaining. The Yes-Yes-No segments are hilarious.
posted by orrnyereg at 10:06 AM on March 14, 2018
posted by orrnyereg at 10:06 AM on March 14, 2018
Response by poster: Just listened to the first episode of Reply-All and the F word has already been used multiple times. It otherwise sounds like fun, though...
I think a podcast that specifically bleeps curse words might be best? If such a thing exists. Or one with an explicit policy of not having curse words....
posted by Cozybee at 10:40 AM on March 14, 2018
I think a podcast that specifically bleeps curse words might be best? If such a thing exists. Or one with an explicit policy of not having curse words....
posted by Cozybee at 10:40 AM on March 14, 2018
Some other Maximum Fun shows that might be fun are Sawbones, Shmanners, or Judge John Hodgman. They're all more episodic than you might be after, but they're funny and all of them are clean. (I think I remember the occasional "oopsy" swear in some of the early Sawbones eps, but they're mostly fine.)
posted by helloimjennsco at 10:43 AM on March 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by helloimjennsco at 10:43 AM on March 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm a huge proponent of NPR's Planet Money. They are generally swear-free (when they're not, they've got a warning before the episode begins). The episodes are usually around the 20 minute mark, cover one topic, and though I have no background in economics at all, they really do make 'boring' economic topics interesting, enjoyable, and educational.
posted by kmkrebs at 10:50 AM on March 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by kmkrebs at 10:50 AM on March 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
How to Do Everything nicely fits into the "many different topics" category: light-hearted comedic takes on popular science, current affairs (but not much politics), and life in general. It's from NPR, so no cussing that I can recall, and they warn you if there's going to be gross or adult-ish stuff. It's defunct, but there are a couple hundred episodes.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:52 AM on March 14, 2018
posted by hydrophonic at 10:52 AM on March 14, 2018
If you like Films and going to the movies, heck even if you never go to the movies, you might enjoy the weekly BBC Film Review Podcast Kermode and Mayo Film Review
Definitely no swearing, lots of wittering and banter. I love it.
posted by JenThePro at 11:12 AM on March 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Definitely no swearing, lots of wittering and banter. I love it.
posted by JenThePro at 11:12 AM on March 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
A meta-recommendation: most of the sort of podcasts you want are going to be weekly or fortnightly, so you'll need more than one podcast if you want to get a workout habit going.
posted by madcaptenor at 11:16 AM on March 14, 2018
posted by madcaptenor at 11:16 AM on March 14, 2018
I was also going to suggest Judge John Hodgman. There are occasional episodes that deal with "adult hugging and kissing" (as he calls it) or that use the occasional bad word, but there are usually warnings at the top of the episode if that's the case.
posted by Johnny Assay at 11:23 AM on March 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Assay at 11:23 AM on March 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Rex Factor! Going in order through all the kings and queens of England, then starting over and going through Scotland.
No cursing, but they do award points for scandal. Some of the Anglo-Saxons enjoyed sex with nuns, which kinda sets the benchmark for good scandal going forward. And there is the occasional murder, and some of the Viking punishments very early on are nasty.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:33 AM on March 14, 2018
No cursing, but they do award points for scandal. Some of the Anglo-Saxons enjoyed sex with nuns, which kinda sets the benchmark for good scandal going forward. And there is the occasional murder, and some of the Viking punishments very early on are nasty.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:33 AM on March 14, 2018
Can I Pet Your Dog is hilarious, completely curse-free, and an absolute joy to listen to. Renee and Allegra's enthusiasm is endlessly endearing, whether you're a dog-lover or not. I'd also second Judge John Hodgman, which is good clean fun and has now amassed an eight year back catalog that seems ideal for working out.
One that's just starting out but I really have grown to like is Gimlet's Every Little Thing. In terms of subject matter, it's often sort of in the vein of Radiolab and (to a lesser degree) 99% Invisible, but without that semi-reverent tone that so many shows in that sphere latch onto. It's light-hearted, playful, and sometimes hilarious, and takes its questions in directions that consistently surprise me in wonderful ways.
posted by caliche at 11:51 AM on March 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
One that's just starting out but I really have grown to like is Gimlet's Every Little Thing. In terms of subject matter, it's often sort of in the vein of Radiolab and (to a lesser degree) 99% Invisible, but without that semi-reverent tone that so many shows in that sphere latch onto. It's light-hearted, playful, and sometimes hilarious, and takes its questions in directions that consistently surprise me in wonderful ways.
posted by caliche at 11:51 AM on March 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
For History, then a few more at the end:
Queens of England (and his followup - The Other Half)
Hardcore History (longform (4-6 hour episodes, once or twice/year)
Reasons to be Cheerful (might be too close to politics? Issue-based, not current-events based)
Revolutions (each season is a different historical revolution; England, USA, Haiti, France, Venezuela, 1848ish, etc)
The History of Rome (what it says on the tin...)
Ear Hustle (life in San Quentin State Penitentiary. Not crime-based, more a "this is what it's like")
Sawbones (a show about medical history. Spoiler. Don't drill a hole in your head.)
Shipping and Handling (life as a literary agent in NYC)
You Must Remember This (Hollywood in the Golden Age)
posted by Seeba at 11:51 AM on March 14, 2018
Queens of England (and his followup - The Other Half)
Hardcore History (longform (4-6 hour episodes, once or twice/year)
Reasons to be Cheerful (might be too close to politics? Issue-based, not current-events based)
Revolutions (each season is a different historical revolution; England, USA, Haiti, France, Venezuela, 1848ish, etc)
The History of Rome (what it says on the tin...)
Ear Hustle (life in San Quentin State Penitentiary. Not crime-based, more a "this is what it's like")
Sawbones (a show about medical history. Spoiler. Don't drill a hole in your head.)
Shipping and Handling (life as a literary agent in NYC)
You Must Remember This (Hollywood in the Golden Age)
posted by Seeba at 11:51 AM on March 14, 2018
I love Adrift with Geoff Lloyd and Annabel Port. They are a couple of British radio personalities, and they are hilarious. Lots of stories about awkward responses to everyday experiences, and general silliness. I look forward to this one every week.
posted by mareliz at 12:46 PM on March 14, 2018
posted by mareliz at 12:46 PM on March 14, 2018
Oops, sorry about Reply All. How about this: Stuff You Missed In History Class? There's also the legendary History of Rome podcast.
posted by orrnyereg at 1:08 PM on March 14, 2018
posted by orrnyereg at 1:08 PM on March 14, 2018
I like Pediacast, and you might too. Also there are podcasts my kids and I listen to in the car that I like a lot. They are: Brains On, The Past and the Curious, But Why? And Tumble.
posted by bq at 2:24 PM on March 14, 2018
posted by bq at 2:24 PM on March 14, 2018
No Such Thing as a Fish might be up your alley. 4 researchers at the QI show share interesting bits of trivia. Sometimes the humor can get a little dicey with innuendo, but there's no swearing.
posted by airplant at 2:35 PM on March 14, 2018
posted by airplant at 2:35 PM on March 14, 2018
I have a lot of the same requirements as you. I find Planet Money great -- interesting and fast-paced -- but it might not meet your "no politics" rule -- a lot of the episodes consist of in-depth analysis of the economic effects of a specific piece of legislation or government policy, although often it's something historical or foreign rather than US current events. I don't know if you'd consider that to be too political not.
I tried Hardcore History and found it incredibly slow. Also the episode I listened to had a lot of horror / gore -- or at least they spent like the first 15 minutes talking about how there would be a lot of horror / gore and I got bored and turned it off.
"How I Built This" is a series that seems promising.
posted by phoenixy at 2:51 PM on March 14, 2018
I tried Hardcore History and found it incredibly slow. Also the episode I listened to had a lot of horror / gore -- or at least they spent like the first 15 minutes talking about how there would be a lot of horror / gore and I got bored and turned it off.
"How I Built This" is a series that seems promising.
posted by phoenixy at 2:51 PM on March 14, 2018
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Stuff You Should Know yet. There are literally hundreds of episodes, and they're mostly pretty family friendly (although they do cover some topics that would generally might not be for little kids). Generally no cursing, very very occasionally there's a stray bleeped out part.
posted by Fuego at 3:39 PM on March 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Fuego at 3:39 PM on March 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Oh, Ask Me Another is a good one. It's an NPR show, so no swearing, but it's a live trivia game, so no NPR voice.
posted by General Malaise at 4:14 PM on March 14, 2018
posted by General Malaise at 4:14 PM on March 14, 2018
Hm, looking at the itunes feed for Ask Me Another, it looks like a few episodes are marked explicit. But as long as you avoid those episodes, you should be fine.
posted by General Malaise at 4:16 PM on March 14, 2018
posted by General Malaise at 4:16 PM on March 14, 2018
Probably my favorite podcast is Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Review show from BBC FiveLive, better known by the name Wittertainment. (FiveLive = Radio 5, which is a news/talk format station.)
Mark is the Film Reviewer, and a good one at that: he knows when he's being snob, and he mostly requires that a film live up to its genre, not that every movie is high art. Simon is the host, and his job is to keep the show moving, keep Mark on the rails, and keep to the clock, as they're doing a weekly live radio show (nominally Afternoon Drive-time, I think 2-4PM, on Fridays) on BBC (with additional bookend content for podcast listeners), and thus they have to do it without swearing, politics, or promoting any brands. Seriously, if they try to talk about current politics, there's a producer who cuts in birdsong over them.
And it has energy, because Mark is enthusiastic, sometimes overly, and sometimes you get an Epic Kermodian Rant. What I can tell you is that loads of correspondents to the show listen with their kids, often attempting to "convert them" to the so-called "Church of Wittertainment."
There's a website for the inside jokes. There's also an app called Wittr/iWittr for fans of the show who want to find each other (or, more typically, just know they're out there-- by default it fuzzes your position significantly). It's good clean fun, I promise.
Hello to Jason Isaacs.
posted by Sunburnt at 5:17 PM on March 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mark is the Film Reviewer, and a good one at that: he knows when he's being snob, and he mostly requires that a film live up to its genre, not that every movie is high art. Simon is the host, and his job is to keep the show moving, keep Mark on the rails, and keep to the clock, as they're doing a weekly live radio show (nominally Afternoon Drive-time, I think 2-4PM, on Fridays) on BBC (with additional bookend content for podcast listeners), and thus they have to do it without swearing, politics, or promoting any brands. Seriously, if they try to talk about current politics, there's a producer who cuts in birdsong over them.
And it has energy, because Mark is enthusiastic, sometimes overly, and sometimes you get an Epic Kermodian Rant. What I can tell you is that loads of correspondents to the show listen with their kids, often attempting to "convert them" to the so-called "Church of Wittertainment."
There's a website for the inside jokes. There's also an app called Wittr/iWittr for fans of the show who want to find each other (or, more typically, just know they're out there-- by default it fuzzes your position significantly). It's good clean fun, I promise.
Hello to Jason Isaacs.
posted by Sunburnt at 5:17 PM on March 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Podquiz is a weekly trivia contest run by a Brit who I imagine is too polite to swear in public let alone in front of internet strangers. Episodes run ~15 minutes.
posted by mmascolino at 7:21 PM on March 14, 2018
posted by mmascolino at 7:21 PM on March 14, 2018
Lots of great suggestions so far!
- Judge John Hodgman makes a point to be family-friendly. It might also be a good conversation-starter for your family! So many interesting things debated.
- I listed to all of How to Do Everything, and they had several calls from kids so it's definitely kid-friendly. You'll learn a lot of interesting things, but it's also really fun.
- The Sporkful is a fun show about food ("It's not for foodies, it's for eaters") that used to have a Junior Eaters Club or something like that. It used to be part of WNYC, so I am sure it's clean. Interesting stories about food and people.
- I think Can I Pet Your Dog is one of those shows that people either love or hate. I love it! Definitely clean
- If you're into pop music, Switched on Pop and Hit Parade are both great deep dives. I can't think of when they would possibly ever swear.
- How I Built This has really interesting stories about well-known entrepreneurs. Might be too "NPR Voice" for you. Definitely clean.
posted by radioamy at 7:55 PM on March 14, 2018
- Judge John Hodgman makes a point to be family-friendly. It might also be a good conversation-starter for your family! So many interesting things debated.
- I listed to all of How to Do Everything, and they had several calls from kids so it's definitely kid-friendly. You'll learn a lot of interesting things, but it's also really fun.
- The Sporkful is a fun show about food ("It's not for foodies, it's for eaters") that used to have a Junior Eaters Club or something like that. It used to be part of WNYC, so I am sure it's clean. Interesting stories about food and people.
- I think Can I Pet Your Dog is one of those shows that people either love or hate. I love it! Definitely clean
- If you're into pop music, Switched on Pop and Hit Parade are both great deep dives. I can't think of when they would possibly ever swear.
- How I Built This has really interesting stories about well-known entrepreneurs. Might be too "NPR Voice" for you. Definitely clean.
posted by radioamy at 7:55 PM on March 14, 2018
Oh No Ross and Carrie I think is mostly clean - they do investigative looks at Mormonism and Scientology, but in a very wholesome way. Like they don't believe in the stuff they research but are very respectful.
If you're into philosophy at all, history of philosophy without any gaps is enjoyable. The material can be a little dry and arcane, but the host is pleasant to listen to.
posted by Sotha Sil at 9:20 PM on March 14, 2018
If you're into philosophy at all, history of philosophy without any gaps is enjoyable. The material can be a little dry and arcane, but the host is pleasant to listen to.
posted by Sotha Sil at 9:20 PM on March 14, 2018
From the BBC, I'd recommend A History of the World in 100 Objects and 50 Things that made the Modern Economy. Each episode is fairly short so neither series will keep you going for very long, but they're fascinating.
I'm wondering if audiobooks might work better for you than podcasts, especially for having a compelling narrative. I can't think of many podcasts that have a continuing narrative and are suitable for listening to with children, but the range of audiobooks is much wider. My top recommendation would be "The True Meaning of Smek Day" by Adam Rex, which was adapted into the film "Home" but is far, far superior.
posted by kelper at 1:44 AM on March 15, 2018
I'm wondering if audiobooks might work better for you than podcasts, especially for having a compelling narrative. I can't think of many podcasts that have a continuing narrative and are suitable for listening to with children, but the range of audiobooks is much wider. My top recommendation would be "The True Meaning of Smek Day" by Adam Rex, which was adapted into the film "Home" but is far, far superior.
posted by kelper at 1:44 AM on March 15, 2018
It’s been a while since I listened to it regularly but The Bittersweet Life might fit the bill. I don’t recall it being explicit, but some of the topics might not be appropriate for everybody. They’re pretty clearly marked as such and called out in advance though, so no surprises.
posted by daisy55 at 5:01 AM on March 15, 2018
posted by daisy55 at 5:01 AM on March 15, 2018
Seconding Stuff You Should Know. As well as listening at home, we like to listen on road trips, which invariably starts great discussions with our kids.
posted by cooker girl at 5:49 AM on March 15, 2018
posted by cooker girl at 5:49 AM on March 15, 2018
How old is the Sprog? I wouldn’t have hesitated to listen to stuff with bad words when mine was pre-verbal. Any bad words she had picked up from us! If your kid is over 5, you both might enjoy the kid’s podcast “Brains On.” Mine didn’t have the patience to listen to it until about that age and now we listen to it in the car on our commute and I find it very interesting, too. They way they cover the topics tends to cover a few different levels of understanding. The host, a woman, has a great voice and there’s silly parts to keep the kid transfixed. Might be something to throw in the mix.
posted by amanda at 6:36 AM on March 15, 2018
posted by amanda at 6:36 AM on March 15, 2018
I mean ... Judge John Hodgeman obviously.
posted by Crystalinne at 2:05 PM on March 15, 2018
posted by Crystalinne at 2:05 PM on March 15, 2018
Also Star Talk radio can be fun
posted by Crystalinne at 2:06 PM on March 15, 2018
posted by Crystalinne at 2:06 PM on March 15, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks for suggestions.
A few points of clarification: it's not "NPR voice" I mind, (I can listen to NPR just fine). It's "calm therapist voice"-- something that to me feels artificially emotionally flattened, often a bit slow, often a bit breathy and "gentle". (For a specific example, the This American Life episode with the five women whose lives intersected with the sexual molester editor, his wife's voice was unbearable to me.)
Thus far nothing here that I've had the chance to check out has quite hit the sweet spot I'm looking for (although I'll keep them as backups if my perfect podcast can't be found). I'd love something storytell-y, but not an audiobook-- it's important to me it be episodic. A clean serial story with fastish plot would be perfect, if it exists. (The Adventure Zone, without curses, would be precisely what I'm looking for)
posted by Cozybee at 1:00 PM on March 19, 2018
A few points of clarification: it's not "NPR voice" I mind, (I can listen to NPR just fine). It's "calm therapist voice"-- something that to me feels artificially emotionally flattened, often a bit slow, often a bit breathy and "gentle". (For a specific example, the This American Life episode with the five women whose lives intersected with the sexual molester editor, his wife's voice was unbearable to me.)
Thus far nothing here that I've had the chance to check out has quite hit the sweet spot I'm looking for (although I'll keep them as backups if my perfect podcast can't be found). I'd love something storytell-y, but not an audiobook-- it's important to me it be episodic. A clean serial story with fastish plot would be perfect, if it exists. (The Adventure Zone, without curses, would be precisely what I'm looking for)
posted by Cozybee at 1:00 PM on March 19, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by General Malaise at 9:58 AM on March 14, 2018