Weird, Noncommercial Podcasts?
July 5, 2017 7:24 AM Subscribe
I like podcasts, and I’m excited about the relatively recent explosion of professionally produced commercial content: Serial and S-Town and all the Gimlet shows and all the Radiotopia shows and the like. But I miss the guy in his basement oddball shows that surfaced during podcasting's earliest days. Please point me to underground weirdo noncommercial smalltime podcasts that you find interesting. (I'm not interested in comedy at all, though -- please nobody making jokes.)
Wil Wheaton's podcast is usually highly entertaining. And it is literally Wil in his home office, with the usual distractions of his dogs barking in the background, or noise from the street, etc.
posted by COD at 7:50 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by COD at 7:50 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
Imaginary Advice (itunes) is experimental poetry and storytelling by Ross Sutherland. It's often funny, but not comedy, if you know what I mean. He literally records it from inside his wardrobe, where the sound is best (or so he claims).
Opposable Thumbs - a couple of artist/engineers give themselves and a series of guests themed challenges to make something new every two weeks. [disclaimer: I know one of the podcasters and many of the guests]
posted by moonmilk at 7:51 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
Opposable Thumbs - a couple of artist/engineers give themselves and a series of guests themed challenges to make something new every two weeks. [disclaimer: I know one of the podcasters and many of the guests]
posted by moonmilk at 7:51 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Black Goat is three psychologists at different stages in their careers talking about science, academia, and their personal lives. It's still quite young!
posted by hollyholly at 8:07 AM on July 5, 2017
posted by hollyholly at 8:07 AM on July 5, 2017
You're probably not interested in professional wrestling podcasts, but that universe is full of this sort of thing, with the women of Not Your Demographic spending long stretches of time just talking about stuff that ain't wrestling (I know way more about being a Chicago burlesque dancer/nanny/grad student than I need to) and Facelock Feministas giving grad-level seminars on story and writing.
There are a lot of trivia podcasts out there that are just "person asking other people questions over Skype" (new and fun ones include Beat My Guest and Complete the List).
posted by Etrigan at 8:21 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
There are a lot of trivia podcasts out there that are just "person asking other people questions over Skype" (new and fun ones include Beat My Guest and Complete the List).
posted by Etrigan at 8:21 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
I really like Travis Bickle on the Riveria, a movie podcast hosted by some dudes who really know what they're talking about.
In terms of specialized discussions, there is The Rules of Acquisition, a Star Trek Deep Space Nine podcast, and Just One More Thing, a Columbo podcast.
I also host a couple of podcasts, focused on comics and action movies respectively. Links in my profile.
posted by sleeping bear at 8:50 AM on July 5, 2017
In terms of specialized discussions, there is The Rules of Acquisition, a Star Trek Deep Space Nine podcast, and Just One More Thing, a Columbo podcast.
I also host a couple of podcasts, focused on comics and action movies respectively. Links in my profile.
posted by sleeping bear at 8:50 AM on July 5, 2017
The Partially Examined Life is a podcast by a handful of dudes who dropped out of philosophy Ph.D. programs talking about philosophy. It's what you'd think a philosophy Ph.D. program would be like, if you didn't realize all the crap that Ph.D.s entail.
posted by kevinbelt at 8:58 AM on July 5, 2017
posted by kevinbelt at 8:58 AM on July 5, 2017
XO is sort of like all of that professionally produced commercial content, except it is a lone guy making shows about his experience moving to a new town or his friends love life.
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 8:59 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 8:59 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
Moving to Philadelphia (itunes) - this one's ended now, but there's 52 episodes of musical performance artist Cynthia Hopkins talking about her life, art, and kitties.
Standing in the Stream (itunes) - Percussionist and composer John Lane interviews various experimental musicians and performers.
Gin & Innovation - two researchers in culture, technology, and art talk with various guests and friends about "subjects including: fearful materials, gender in engineering education, flatpack futures, the radio infrastructures of Mexican drug gangs, cat-based surveillance, and the global techno-politics of copper mining." This one hasn't officially ended, as far as I know, but also hasn't updated in years!
posted by moonmilk at 9:04 AM on July 5, 2017
Standing in the Stream (itunes) - Percussionist and composer John Lane interviews various experimental musicians and performers.
Gin & Innovation - two researchers in culture, technology, and art talk with various guests and friends about "subjects including: fearful materials, gender in engineering education, flatpack futures, the radio infrastructures of Mexican drug gangs, cat-based surveillance, and the global techno-politics of copper mining." This one hasn't officially ended, as far as I know, but also hasn't updated in years!
posted by moonmilk at 9:04 AM on July 5, 2017
I was a huge fan of The Bittersweet Life a couple years ago. I probably listened to the first 50+ episodes within a week of finding it. I haven't kept up with it as much recently.
Definitely take their recommendation to start at the beginning.
posted by daisy55 at 9:38 AM on July 5, 2017
Definitely take their recommendation to start at the beginning.
posted by daisy55 at 9:38 AM on July 5, 2017
I started a daily, >3-minute podcast called Jerk in Progress on January 1 of this year, about staying sober and (trying to) eat right and exercise. I don't think it's any good, but my wife likes it. I will occasionally make a joke, but it's not a "comedy podcast."
posted by Shepherd at 9:43 AM on July 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Shepherd at 9:43 AM on July 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
Though they're part of a podcast network, much of Indian & Cowboy's stuff tends to have a pretty unpolished feel. (In a good way.)
posted by eotvos at 9:51 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by eotvos at 9:51 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also, transom and Unfictional aren't exactly indy, but they often feature weird one-off material from people with day jobs who don't sound like radio pros.
posted by eotvos at 9:55 AM on July 5, 2017
posted by eotvos at 9:55 AM on July 5, 2017
This just prompted me to look and see if Mysterious Universe was still on, and it is! They've been doing this a long time so the equipment and production are good but it's definitely oddball content.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:07 AM on July 5, 2017
posted by Lyn Never at 11:07 AM on July 5, 2017
One of the first podcasts I ever fell for was Robert Ashley's A Life Well Wasted - A show about videogames and the people who love them.
Also:
Homemade Stories - Short stories and personal journals by Shannon Cason.
Beginner - A show about learning to belong, one skill at a time
Man Afraid of Everything - My podcast about doing things I'm afraid of.
posted by systematize at 11:14 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also:
Homemade Stories - Short stories and personal journals by Shannon Cason.
Beginner - A show about learning to belong, one skill at a time
Man Afraid of Everything - My podcast about doing things I'm afraid of.
posted by systematize at 11:14 AM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
You should listen to My Dad Wrote a Porno.... it doesn't hit ANY of the categories you were asking for but everyone should listen to this podcast because it is amazing.
posted by JenThePro at 11:34 AM on July 5, 2017
posted by JenThePro at 11:34 AM on July 5, 2017
In Kevin and Ursula Eat Cheap, author Ursula Vernon (also known by her pen name T. Kingfisher) and her husband Kevin Sonney eat different and often regrettable packaged foods, while recording about the experience. They're both funny and interesting people, and the discussion is wide-ranging and gets increasingly loopy as they make their way through the various alcoholic beverages they're consuming.
posted by Lexica at 12:00 PM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Lexica at 12:00 PM on July 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
Can I Pet Your Dog? is a Max Fun show, and has some production behind it, but it feels very spontaneous and chatty. It's literally just two friends talking about dog-related topics.
Ask a Clean Person is produced by Acast, but also has pretty minimal production, is very weird, and doesn't always follow the very loosely outlined script. The hosts are funny and are not afraid to talk about any topic related to cleaning, no matter how gross. Bonus: you'll learn something!
posted by radioamy at 2:33 PM on July 5, 2017
Ask a Clean Person is produced by Acast, but also has pretty minimal production, is very weird, and doesn't always follow the very loosely outlined script. The hosts are funny and are not afraid to talk about any topic related to cleaning, no matter how gross. Bonus: you'll learn something!
posted by radioamy at 2:33 PM on July 5, 2017
The British History Podcast
Seconding! Listener supported (there's a members only feed which you can totally live without but is also totally worth it), very quirky but highly informative. The only caveat is that he takes it very slowly and we've been on Alfred the Great for literally the last year, but the info and delivery is excellent.
posted by Preserver at 7:01 PM on July 5, 2017
Seconding! Listener supported (there's a members only feed which you can totally live without but is also totally worth it), very quirky but highly informative. The only caveat is that he takes it very slowly and we've been on Alfred the Great for literally the last year, but the info and delivery is excellent.
posted by Preserver at 7:01 PM on July 5, 2017
Erasable Podcast is a podcast about
pencils
posted by rebent at 7:16 PM on July 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
pencils
posted by rebent at 7:16 PM on July 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
Here's a few amateur history podcasts: Martyr Made (the middle East), Migration Nation (US expansionism), Morbid Curiosity (gross/weird stuff from history), One From the Vaults (trans* people through history), Our Fake History (history and myths, mostly European), Pessimists Archive (the historical reactions to new inventions), and Podcast of Doom (disasters in history).
These are most storytelling-ish: Memory Motel (stories about memory), ARRVLS (journeys and destinations), Everything is Stories (interviews with people who have interesting lives), This Is Actually Happening (same concept as EIS), Good Grief (a woman exploring her father's death and her Native American heritage), How to Be a Girl (a woman and her young trans* daughter), Reckonings (interviews with people who changed their life on huge things), and Love + Radio (I don't actually listen to this one, but it is famously weird; I find that it tries too hard).
These are more current events/politics: Gaytheist Manifesto (atheism and GBLT issues) and Home of the Brave (the podcaster is a journalist but definitely making amateurish, intimate stuff, especially in the wake of the election).
posted by possibilityleft at 6:19 AM on July 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
These are most storytelling-ish: Memory Motel (stories about memory), ARRVLS (journeys and destinations), Everything is Stories (interviews with people who have interesting lives), This Is Actually Happening (same concept as EIS), Good Grief (a woman exploring her father's death and her Native American heritage), How to Be a Girl (a woman and her young trans* daughter), Reckonings (interviews with people who changed their life on huge things), and Love + Radio (I don't actually listen to this one, but it is famously weird; I find that it tries too hard).
These are more current events/politics: Gaytheist Manifesto (atheism and GBLT issues) and Home of the Brave (the podcaster is a journalist but definitely making amateurish, intimate stuff, especially in the wake of the election).
posted by possibilityleft at 6:19 AM on July 6, 2017 [1 favorite]
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The Sexiest Podcast
Coffee & Secrets
Touché with Jeff & JennPro
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:40 AM on July 5, 2017