Podcast recommendation?
June 29, 2021 8:30 PM Subscribe
My eyes are bothering me, so I think I'll try a podcast for the first time. I'm interested in something stand-alone and not too heavy or dramatic, but not comedy and not an interview. Maybe some type of story, or an exploration relating to music, movies, science, history or culture ...
I think that you might enjoy The Memory Palace.
posted by mezzanayne at 9:01 PM on June 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by mezzanayne at 9:01 PM on June 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
Do you like old country music or just nerd out on music in general? Cocaine and Rhinestones, if so. Or even if not! Lots of storytelling in there.
I would also recommend The Uncertain Hour to anyone and everyone.
posted by kensington314 at 9:06 PM on June 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
I would also recommend The Uncertain Hour to anyone and everyone.
posted by kensington314 at 9:06 PM on June 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
Will Arnett, Sean Hayes, and Jason Bateman host the podcast Smartless, which has guests such as Amy sedaris and David Cross on.
posted by erattacorrige at 9:33 PM on June 29, 2021
posted by erattacorrige at 9:33 PM on June 29, 2021
Criminal tells stories about crime, but it's more like anthropological story-telling than True Crime. It's generally not heavy (you'll know if it is based on the episode description). Alternatively, the same host has a podcast called This is Love, which is the same sort of thing only about love. I really enjoyed episode 19, which is basically an epic saga of a wolf family and also a story about citizen science.
posted by Comet Bug at 9:44 PM on June 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by Comet Bug at 9:44 PM on June 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
Skeptoid (skeptoid.com) is about myths, legends, bad info, and basically be skeptical.
Sword and Scale is probably a bit too "heavy".
Here's a portion of my own subscriptions. :D
Planet Money, The Allusionist (about words), Ask Me Another (sorta quiz show), Common Sense, Cognitive Dissonance (warning: foul language, skepticism), Hardcore History, Freakonomics, Hidden Brain, Oh No Ross and Carrie (they try stuff like Scientology), Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell, Real Criminal Profile (may be heavy, by real Criminalists analyzing TV covered crimes), Sawbones (medicine), Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, The Spoonful (food), Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, You're Not So Smart (cognitive disorders)
posted by kschang at 10:00 PM on June 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Sword and Scale is probably a bit too "heavy".
Here's a portion of my own subscriptions. :D
Planet Money, The Allusionist (about words), Ask Me Another (sorta quiz show), Common Sense, Cognitive Dissonance (warning: foul language, skepticism), Hardcore History, Freakonomics, Hidden Brain, Oh No Ross and Carrie (they try stuff like Scientology), Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell, Real Criminal Profile (may be heavy, by real Criminalists analyzing TV covered crimes), Sawbones (medicine), Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, The Spoonful (food), Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, You're Not So Smart (cognitive disorders)
posted by kschang at 10:00 PM on June 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
99% Invisible, Memory Palace, and RadioLab are my holy trinity of podcasts (and 2/3 mentioned so far in this thread), but you mention both “stand-alone” and “music” plainly enough that I bet you’ll love the Wind of Change podcast. It’s a fun romp that crosses a lot of territory. Something like 8 episodes of 40-ish minutes apiece. Kinda like a non-fiction audiobook.
posted by etc. at 11:16 PM on June 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by etc. at 11:16 PM on June 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
The Reply All episode about a lost hit song is pretty good as a stand alone single music related podcast.
posted by vunder at 11:26 PM on June 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by vunder at 11:26 PM on June 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
Something True is not a currently active podcast but there's 17 or so episodes of historical hijinks.
posted by juv3nal at 12:17 AM on June 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by juv3nal at 12:17 AM on June 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Stuff You Should Know. It’s been a top ten for years and is fabulous.
posted by pearlybob at 3:41 AM on June 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by pearlybob at 3:41 AM on June 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
A new podcast called "Cheat!" hosted by Alzo Slade is about people who break the rules (i.e., crimes and scams) and whether it's appropriate.
The host's voice is really great. It's only three episodes old so far but I am enjoying it.
posted by wenestvedt at 4:38 AM on June 30, 2021
The host's voice is really great. It's only three episodes old so far but I am enjoying it.
posted by wenestvedt at 4:38 AM on June 30, 2021
For history, I heartily recommend Mike Duncan's Revolutions. Start at the very beginning.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:01 AM on June 30, 2021
posted by Thorzdad at 5:01 AM on June 30, 2021
I also love Criminal, Memory Palace, and 99% invisible. You might also try This is Love (same host as Criminal), Decoder Ring, Imaginary Worlds, Sidedoor from the Smithsonian, Twenty Thousand Hertz, and Brought to You By…
posted by xsquared-1 at 5:31 AM on June 30, 2021
posted by xsquared-1 at 5:31 AM on June 30, 2021
The excellent History of the 20th Century podcast, from Mark Painter, covers the music, movies, science, history, and culture that got us (mostly) to the present. It's currently about 240 episodes, now delving into the 1920s, and (mostly) has a new 45-minute episode each week. It's worth it alone for the coverage of the 1918-19 flu pandemic (Episodes 171 & 172) which were released just a few months before COVID.
This podcast acknowledges much of the terrible nature of civilization of the 20th century without being too smugly presentist. It does skew towards a Western and often U.S. perspective (something that Mark acknowledges) but at least attempts to give the wide historical coverage implied by the podcast name.
posted by El_Marto at 6:35 AM on June 30, 2021
This podcast acknowledges much of the terrible nature of civilization of the 20th century without being too smugly presentist. It does skew towards a Western and often U.S. perspective (something that Mark acknowledges) but at least attempts to give the wide historical coverage implied by the podcast name.
posted by El_Marto at 6:35 AM on June 30, 2021
I have been hooked on A Way With Words for some time now. The hosts are very entertaining and if you've ever wondered about the origin of a word, or weren't sure what that weird phrase meant that Grandma used to use, this is the show for you.
posted by DrGail at 7:16 AM on June 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by DrGail at 7:16 AM on June 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Some of my favourites: Literature and History, Our Fake History and The Constant. All three center on history, the first two are more on the literature and culture side, and the latter is more on the science and technology side.
posted by rjs at 7:44 AM on June 30, 2021
posted by rjs at 7:44 AM on June 30, 2021
Also Sound Opinions, which is music journalism and criticism. It's standalone in that it's a weekly podcast/radio show, and you could listen to any one of their episodes without being behind or missing anything. And they know EVERYTHING about music.
posted by Snowishberlin at 9:53 AM on June 30, 2021
posted by Snowishberlin at 9:53 AM on June 30, 2021
You're Wrong About might be a good fit.
posted by commander biscuit at 3:08 PM on June 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by commander biscuit at 3:08 PM on June 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
The Tobolowsky Files - simply the best storytelling theater, acting, life, and relationship from a true mensch.
posted by brookeb at 4:21 PM on June 30, 2021
posted by brookeb at 4:21 PM on June 30, 2021
Came in to say Sawbones and You're Wrong About. I listened to Winds of Change and enjoyed it. Criminal as someone else recommended. Also Maintenance Phase.
posted by kathrynm at 4:40 PM on June 30, 2021
posted by kathrynm at 4:40 PM on June 30, 2021
Two I loved recently:
Wind of Change (which I see I'm not the first to recommend): Did the CIA write a song that helped end the Cold War? Great central mystery, but also more broadly about American soft power and what we know about what the CIA does. By Patrick Radden Keefe, who's a brilliant investigative reporter. It's about how journalists go about answering questions as much as anything else, and fascinatingly so.
The Vanishing of Harry Pace, a series of RadioLab episodes about a man who founded the first Black-owned record label, had a big hand in the career of Louis Armstrong and the invention of Rock and Roll, and went from being a protege of W.E.B. DuBois to passing as white at the end of his life. Explores not only his life and career but the effect that learning about him has on relatives who thought their mysterious great grandfather was Italian.
There's also You're Wrong About, which is delightfully conversational while being simultaneously well-researched.
posted by dapati at 5:21 PM on June 30, 2021
Wind of Change (which I see I'm not the first to recommend): Did the CIA write a song that helped end the Cold War? Great central mystery, but also more broadly about American soft power and what we know about what the CIA does. By Patrick Radden Keefe, who's a brilliant investigative reporter. It's about how journalists go about answering questions as much as anything else, and fascinatingly so.
The Vanishing of Harry Pace, a series of RadioLab episodes about a man who founded the first Black-owned record label, had a big hand in the career of Louis Armstrong and the invention of Rock and Roll, and went from being a protege of W.E.B. DuBois to passing as white at the end of his life. Explores not only his life and career but the effect that learning about him has on relatives who thought their mysterious great grandfather was Italian.
There's also You're Wrong About, which is delightfully conversational while being simultaneously well-researched.
posted by dapati at 5:21 PM on June 30, 2021
Response by poster: Thanks for all the great suggestions! I started with 99% Invisible and enjoyed that.
posted by NotLost at 8:20 PM on June 30, 2021
posted by NotLost at 8:20 PM on June 30, 2021
Oh forgot to mention Mystery Show (also defunct but archives worth listening to).
posted by juv3nal at 8:25 PM on June 30, 2021
posted by juv3nal at 8:25 PM on June 30, 2021
If you like 99PI (one of my faves), a similar show about sound is called Twenty Thousand Hertz.
In terms of music podcasts, Song Exploder, as mentioned above, is great.
- Switched On Pop breaks down popular music, how it works, and why it matters.
- Hit Parade looks at popular music through the lens of the charts.
Most podcasts exist on a continuum from tightly-produced, story-driven, sound-designed pieces to "two dudes in a basement." 99PI and the above-mentioned shows are squarely on one end, and there are a ton of solid shows in this area. I do also like shows that are somewhere in the middle: interviews/conversations that feel natural but are probably somewhat edited for clarity.
- Fresh Air is the gold standard of arts and culture interview shows.
- MeFi's own Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is also an incredible interviewer.
- A fun one if you like science is Ologies, where the host interviews experts in fields from butterflies to postcards.
posted by radioamy at 5:37 PM on July 3, 2021
In terms of music podcasts, Song Exploder, as mentioned above, is great.
- Switched On Pop breaks down popular music, how it works, and why it matters.
- Hit Parade looks at popular music through the lens of the charts.
Most podcasts exist on a continuum from tightly-produced, story-driven, sound-designed pieces to "two dudes in a basement." 99PI and the above-mentioned shows are squarely on one end, and there are a ton of solid shows in this area. I do also like shows that are somewhere in the middle: interviews/conversations that feel natural but are probably somewhat edited for clarity.
- Fresh Air is the gold standard of arts and culture interview shows.
- MeFi's own Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is also an incredible interviewer.
- A fun one if you like science is Ologies, where the host interviews experts in fields from butterflies to postcards.
posted by radioamy at 5:37 PM on July 3, 2021
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posted by primethyme at 8:38 PM on June 29, 2021 [3 favorites]