Discussion-based Podcasts
July 19, 2018 3:58 AM Subscribe
It finally dawned on me that the common thread among podcasts I've enjoyed is that they're people talking to each other and not to the listener. Unfortunately this does not seem to be the direction the medium has taken, so I come looking for recommendations. I'm fairly agnostic as to subject. I would like podcasts that are either regularly recorded or have extensive back catalogues. Examples and non-examples inside.
The three active podcasts I listen to are Football Weekly, Good Job Brain and The West Wing Weekly. Football Weekly is literally a (pre-planned, edited) discussion and basically defines what a podcast should be for me. I don't really like the parts where someone has pre-recorded a report about the goings on in league X. The West Wing Weekly is "we watched and episode of the West Wing and now we're going to talk about it". Notably, I've enjoyed TWWW less as time has gone on and they've spent more time interviewing people and less time talking about the episode in detail. Good Job Brain is basically "each person tells the others about some thing they've researched or gives the others a quiz", which isn't a discussion, but is people talking to each other, naturally.
Things I don't like: basically anything "reported" or performed, especially things in the "voice" of This American Life. So: Radiolab, 99% Invisible, the 30 for 30 podcast, sadly even Game of Our Lives. The Moth. I've never bothered listening to Serial because it's so obviously in this mould. S-Town mentioned yesterday on the Blue is another obvious no.
Revolutions (which I should perhaps go back to--I tried it when I didn't have a public transport commute) is an edge case. It's one person talking, so seems like it should be a no, but it feels natural. I do like Fighting Talk as well.
The three active podcasts I listen to are Football Weekly, Good Job Brain and The West Wing Weekly. Football Weekly is literally a (pre-planned, edited) discussion and basically defines what a podcast should be for me. I don't really like the parts where someone has pre-recorded a report about the goings on in league X. The West Wing Weekly is "we watched and episode of the West Wing and now we're going to talk about it". Notably, I've enjoyed TWWW less as time has gone on and they've spent more time interviewing people and less time talking about the episode in detail. Good Job Brain is basically "each person tells the others about some thing they've researched or gives the others a quiz", which isn't a discussion, but is people talking to each other, naturally.
Things I don't like: basically anything "reported" or performed, especially things in the "voice" of This American Life. So: Radiolab, 99% Invisible, the 30 for 30 podcast, sadly even Game of Our Lives. The Moth. I've never bothered listening to Serial because it's so obviously in this mould. S-Town mentioned yesterday on the Blue is another obvious no.
Revolutions (which I should perhaps go back to--I tried it when I didn't have a public transport commute) is an edge case. It's one person talking, so seems like it should be a no, but it feels natural. I do like Fighting Talk as well.
If you're not averse to a Liverpool-centric view of your football, The Anfield Wrap is very good.
posted by corvine at 4:05 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by corvine at 4:05 AM on July 19, 2018
Gilmore Guys was basically a more freewheeling version of The West Wing Weekly. Be warned the first half of the first season is pretty rough though so try skipping ahead a bit before giving up all together.
posted by telegraph at 4:08 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by telegraph at 4:08 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
A couple of the podcasts I'm currently listening to are ID10T by Chris Hardwick and StarTalk featuring Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Both are interview-style podcasts that involve two people holding a discussion about a particular topic, rather than one person addressing an audience.This Week in Tech by Leo Laporte might also be a contender, since it includes a roundtable discussion with a panel of guests as opposed to just two people.
posted by Roger Pittman at 4:15 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by Roger Pittman at 4:15 AM on July 19, 2018
Remainiacs fits this description exactly & is hilarious, although the subject matter (a detailed and ongoing takedown of Brexit and its perpetrators) is fairly specialised.
posted by el_presidente at 4:31 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by el_presidente at 4:31 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
I like those best too while I work - like I can tune in or out as it goes.
Some I listen to:
Comedians:
- Ari Shaffir
- Joe Rogan
- all killa no filla
UK left politics:
- TyskySour
- Reel Politik
- Trash future
posted by JonB at 4:34 AM on July 19, 2018
Some I listen to:
Comedians:
- Ari Shaffir
- Joe Rogan
- all killa no filla
UK left politics:
- TyskySour
- Reel Politik
- Trash future
posted by JonB at 4:34 AM on July 19, 2018
I enjoy Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews that I think is in the style you are looking for. There's a little description of what it is like around the middle of this page.
posted by like_neon at 4:37 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by like_neon at 4:37 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Dollop and Sawbones might be up your alley. Both of them generally feature one person who has researched a topic talking to another person who's not really familiar with the subject (history and medicine, respectively). The non-experts are largely in charge of providing entertaining reactions.
I'll also second the recommendation of In Our Time.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:43 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'll also second the recommendation of In Our Time.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:43 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Read is exactly this and is a hilarious window into pop culture that I don’t know how I did without before.
posted by mdonley at 4:46 AM on July 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by mdonley at 4:46 AM on July 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
The metafilter podcast is basically cortex and jessamyn chatting about the last month or so of their lives and also metafilter.
posted by rockindata at 4:52 AM on July 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by rockindata at 4:52 AM on July 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
I really, really enjoy the Omnibus Project podcast. While it is, technically, telling the listener about a thing, it's the two hosts (Ken Jennings and John Roderick) having a long, twisty discussion about a series of topics that, eventually, lead to the topic of the show. So while it's no-doubt researched and aims, on some level, to inform, it's more like listening to a discussion than to a scripted report.
posted by uncleozzy at 4:57 AM on July 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 4:57 AM on July 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
If you watch any of the TV shows they cover, I highly recommend either RHAP or Post Show Recaps. They're both part of the podcast empire of Rob Cesternino, a former Survivor contestant who started off podcasting about reality TV, and eventually branched out into a ton of other stuff. They pretty much all follow the same format: two smart people with good senses of humor have a conversation about an episode of a TV show.
There's a vast archive of podcasts on both sites as well as constant new stuff.
posted by yankeefog at 5:07 AM on July 19, 2018
There's a vast archive of podcasts on both sites as well as constant new stuff.
posted by yankeefog at 5:07 AM on July 19, 2018
Hey, I went through this exact same process. I didn't care much for the journalistic podcasts either.
One category of podcasts often missed is Dungeons and Dragons podcasts. Sounds super boring I know - I hadn't ever heard of or played dungeons and dragons. This one is called Critical Role.
So, I've played a few video games (overwatch, mostly) that have pretty well-known voice actors. It turns out the voice actor that voices McCree from Overwatch runs this fantastic D&D campaign - for 8 other voice actors. He is able to create this beautiful world, where each NPC has it's own (often funny/interesting/mean/etc) voice, tons of characters, huge, overarching plots. The other 8 voice actors have interesting characters as well with books of backstory that is explored through intrigue and dialog.
The trick to this is they actually play live on Twich.tv, but then share it out as a podcast. So, you aren't listening to anything preplanned, you are just listening to people play D&D. Where most podcasts are a 3/10 engaging for me, Critical Role is about a 6/10.
If you want to try it, I recommend starting at either S1E1, or S2E1. Season 1 went on for something like 115 4 hour episodes (I'm on 99 right now), so it's a lot of content. The sound quality and overall recording quality goes up significantly after episode 2 - but I wouldn't skip the first two.
Most others I've met like the more comedy-style D&D podcast called "Adventure Time" - which is three brothers and their dad playing a humorous D&D. They aren't as much a stickler for the rules, but the fact that it's 4 male family members makes it slightly less interesting for me. Still - it's not bad. The real reason I prefer Critical Role is because of that McCree voice actor and the amazingly good plots and story and characters. However, Critical Role does occasionally get frustrating when some of the players aren't listening very well, whereas I believe Adventure Time is a bit more fast-paced.
posted by bbqturtle at 5:24 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
One category of podcasts often missed is Dungeons and Dragons podcasts. Sounds super boring I know - I hadn't ever heard of or played dungeons and dragons. This one is called Critical Role.
So, I've played a few video games (overwatch, mostly) that have pretty well-known voice actors. It turns out the voice actor that voices McCree from Overwatch runs this fantastic D&D campaign - for 8 other voice actors. He is able to create this beautiful world, where each NPC has it's own (often funny/interesting/mean/etc) voice, tons of characters, huge, overarching plots. The other 8 voice actors have interesting characters as well with books of backstory that is explored through intrigue and dialog.
The trick to this is they actually play live on Twich.tv, but then share it out as a podcast. So, you aren't listening to anything preplanned, you are just listening to people play D&D. Where most podcasts are a 3/10 engaging for me, Critical Role is about a 6/10.
If you want to try it, I recommend starting at either S1E1, or S2E1. Season 1 went on for something like 115 4 hour episodes (I'm on 99 right now), so it's a lot of content. The sound quality and overall recording quality goes up significantly after episode 2 - but I wouldn't skip the first two.
Most others I've met like the more comedy-style D&D podcast called "Adventure Time" - which is three brothers and their dad playing a humorous D&D. They aren't as much a stickler for the rules, but the fact that it's 4 male family members makes it slightly less interesting for me. Still - it's not bad. The real reason I prefer Critical Role is because of that McCree voice actor and the amazingly good plots and story and characters. However, Critical Role does occasionally get frustrating when some of the players aren't listening very well, whereas I believe Adventure Time is a bit more fast-paced.
posted by bbqturtle at 5:24 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Did you ever try Stash & Burn, a knitting podcast? They have years of back episodes and frankly it’s the only knitting podcast I’ve ever liked.
I am a huge fan of How Did This Get Made, also, which is best if you like bad movies. I don’t watch the movies most of the time, and still enjoy it.
posted by cabingirl at 5:29 AM on July 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
I am a huge fan of How Did This Get Made, also, which is best if you like bad movies. I don’t watch the movies most of the time, and still enjoy it.
posted by cabingirl at 5:29 AM on July 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
I recently found Saga Thing through a MetaFilter post and I'm hooked. The premise is that the two hosts pick an Icelandic saga every week, summarize it, and then debate the best bloodshed, best nickname, which character they would outlaw, etc. It's definitely more of a discussion between the hosts than the hosts reporting out to the listener. It's pretty niche and might be more academic than you're looking for, but I really like it.
posted by capricorn at 5:40 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by capricorn at 5:40 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Most others I've met like the more comedy-style D&D podcast called "Adventure Time" - which is three brothers and their dad playing a humorous D&D.
Clarification: The podcast is actually called The Adventure Zone with the McElroy Brothers + their dad Clint. It's pretty heavily serialized, albeit broken up into more manageable story arcs. They wrapped up their first big D&D campaign last year, and are currently doing a supernatural-mystery themed campaign that may be a better place to start.
The McElroys do a bunch of other podcasts, the most popular of which is My Brother, My Brother and Me, a freewheeling comedy "advice" show built around the brothers answering questions sent to them by listeners, with ridiculous tangents galore. The brothers can be a bit of an acquired taste for some folks, but once you get into their rhythm they're a lot of fun.
posted by Strange Interlude at 5:44 AM on July 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Clarification: The podcast is actually called The Adventure Zone with the McElroy Brothers + their dad Clint. It's pretty heavily serialized, albeit broken up into more manageable story arcs. They wrapped up their first big D&D campaign last year, and are currently doing a supernatural-mystery themed campaign that may be a better place to start.
The McElroys do a bunch of other podcasts, the most popular of which is My Brother, My Brother and Me, a freewheeling comedy "advice" show built around the brothers answering questions sent to them by listeners, with ridiculous tangents galore. The brothers can be a bit of an acquired taste for some folks, but once you get into their rhythm they're a lot of fun.
posted by Strange Interlude at 5:44 AM on July 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Another Round - has guests on but most of them chat with the hosts rather than doing formal interviews. Currently on hiatus but two years' worth of episodes are online.
No Such Thing as a Fish - each of the hosts brings the most interesting fact they learned that week to the table and the group riffs on them
Still Processing - Jenna and Wesley discuss pop culture and American culture
I Don't Even Own a Television - in which the hosts read and discuss a new terrible book each episode
posted by Flannery Culp at 5:48 AM on July 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
No Such Thing as a Fish - each of the hosts brings the most interesting fact they learned that week to the table and the group riffs on them
Still Processing - Jenna and Wesley discuss pop culture and American culture
I Don't Even Own a Television - in which the hosts read and discuss a new terrible book each episode
posted by Flannery Culp at 5:48 AM on July 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
Adam Buxton Great rambling chats with a variety of folk. Amusing musical interludes too.
posted by gnuhavenpier at 5:50 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by gnuhavenpier at 5:50 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
How Did This Get Made? is going to change your life! New episode should be out today!!
posted by jbenben at 5:51 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by jbenben at 5:51 AM on July 19, 2018
The first episode of Threedom is available for free. Paul F. Tompkins, Lauren Lapkus, and Scott Aukerman are 3 real life friends and very funny improv comedians; you may have also seen Paul and Lauren in supporting comedic roles in TV/movies.
No idea if this would be to your comedic taste. This one is notable because all hosts are regularly involved in many, many podcasts, and this is the one they started specifically to be able to "hang out" and talk with each other with no guests, rules, or structure.
posted by seemoorglass at 5:55 AM on July 19, 2018
No idea if this would be to your comedic taste. This one is notable because all hosts are regularly involved in many, many podcasts, and this is the one they started specifically to be able to "hang out" and talk with each other with no guests, rules, or structure.
posted by seemoorglass at 5:55 AM on July 19, 2018
Response by poster: Since it's another popular podcast genre I don't really like, I should mention comedy is probably not what I'm looking for. "Lighthearted and sometimes funny", sure, but probably not comedy.
posted by hoyland at 5:59 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by hoyland at 5:59 AM on July 19, 2018
Stuff You Should Know!!! Josh and Chuck basically just talk about how stuff works, interesting old mysteries, animals, events in history, etc.
posted by cooker girl at 6:02 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by cooker girl at 6:02 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
The absolute best football podcast going right now is by A Team of John O'Sheas. They do short series on a vague concept, and have in-depth conversations about narrower topics within that. It's outstanding. Don't sleep on it.
Another really good football podcast is Double Pivot. Two analytics-based football writers discussing, well, football analytics.
Others: Oh No Ross and Carrie is a show reporting on religious/paranormal experiences, but the hosts do it in conversation. Reply All does mostly tech-y stories, but likewise through a conversation.
posted by General Malaise at 6:24 AM on July 19, 2018
Another really good football podcast is Double Pivot. Two analytics-based football writers discussing, well, football analytics.
Others: Oh No Ross and Carrie is a show reporting on religious/paranormal experiences, but the hosts do it in conversation. Reply All does mostly tech-y stories, but likewise through a conversation.
posted by General Malaise at 6:24 AM on July 19, 2018
Oh, I should mention a couple more things about A Team of John O'Sheas: The last two series, Looking for an Idiom and Morons, are very evergreen, so you lose nothing going back and listening to them. Also, for some reason the page I liked (the podcast's page) doesn't list the most recent episodes, so it's not like they just stopped in January.
posted by General Malaise at 6:27 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by General Malaise at 6:27 AM on July 19, 2018
Men in Blazers for soccer
Rex Factor for English, British, and just finished Scottish kings
Lots of discussion podcasts on the Ringer. Sports, pop culture. The Watch is probably a good start for those guys.
ESPN of course has plenty of sportsy pods if that’s what you’re looking for. Tend to be more single-host-interviewing-somebody, but it’s usually on a specific timely topic. They do have some multi-host shows too.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:46 AM on July 19, 2018
Rex Factor for English, British, and just finished Scottish kings
Lots of discussion podcasts on the Ringer. Sports, pop culture. The Watch is probably a good start for those guys.
ESPN of course has plenty of sportsy pods if that’s what you’re looking for. Tend to be more single-host-interviewing-somebody, but it’s usually on a specific timely topic. They do have some multi-host shows too.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:46 AM on July 19, 2018
The Solid Verbal is this for college football. It's been going on for a long time. During the season they do two podcasts a week, a preview of the upcoming games and then a review of the games that were played.
posted by CiaoMela at 7:05 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by CiaoMela at 7:05 AM on July 19, 2018
Lately, I've been enjoying the Unspooled podcast with film critic Amy Nicholson and comedian/film enthusiast Paul Scheer. They're going to watch every movie on the AFI Top 100 list and talk about them on the show. It's inspired me to do my own watch-along with each week's movies, but their discussion is detailed and enlightening enough that I imagine listeners can consume the podcast on its own.
Scheer is also the co-host of the aforementioned "How Did This Get Made", but the tone of the two shows couldn't be more different. Whereas HDTGM can occasionally feel a bit hasty in its judgments about cult films, Unspooled (thanks in great part to Nicholson's critical voice) is dedicated to meeting things halfway and trying to think about what great films meant to their original audience as well as to people today.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:05 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Scheer is also the co-host of the aforementioned "How Did This Get Made", but the tone of the two shows couldn't be more different. Whereas HDTGM can occasionally feel a bit hasty in its judgments about cult films, Unspooled (thanks in great part to Nicholson's critical voice) is dedicated to meeting things halfway and trying to think about what great films meant to their original audience as well as to people today.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:05 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Extra Hot Great is the flagship podcast by previously.tv. It is typically the three hosts and a guest, talking about various tv things. The hosts are the previously.tv (and before that, television without pity) founds, who are a married couple and a long-time friend of theirs, and most of the guests are also long-time friends of the hosts, so there is a definite conversation vibe. The podcast typically includes a discussion of a particular show up top, a brief discussion of something tv-related that each is interested in, a submission to the canon of great tv episodes and then a tv quiz at the end. Previously.tv also has a whole slate of tv-specific podcasts that might work for you.
Joe Posnanski (who is a baseball writer/author) and Michael Schur (showrunner for the Good Place, Parks and Rec, etc) do the Poscast, which is basically the two of them talking mostly baseball and related issues to one another. It is very loose and they do a lot of digressions, so it might work for you. They just came back from a bit of a hiatus this week, but there is probably a 100 episode back catalog (note that some of the back catalog includes interview episodes that are just Posnanski and the interviewee - you'd want to skip those).
You might also try My Favorite Murder. There are two hosts and each week they each tell the other the story of a murder. It is funnier than you would think based on that description and not very reporter-y. If you try it, I would do a regular (not mini) episode and avoid the live episodes as well to start.
posted by Caz721 at 8:01 AM on July 19, 2018
Joe Posnanski (who is a baseball writer/author) and Michael Schur (showrunner for the Good Place, Parks and Rec, etc) do the Poscast, which is basically the two of them talking mostly baseball and related issues to one another. It is very loose and they do a lot of digressions, so it might work for you. They just came back from a bit of a hiatus this week, but there is probably a 100 episode back catalog (note that some of the back catalog includes interview episodes that are just Posnanski and the interviewee - you'd want to skip those).
You might also try My Favorite Murder. There are two hosts and each week they each tell the other the story of a murder. It is funnier than you would think based on that description and not very reporter-y. If you try it, I would do a regular (not mini) episode and avoid the live episodes as well to start.
posted by Caz721 at 8:01 AM on July 19, 2018
Also, have you tried any of the Crooked Media podcasts? Some of them are definitely speaking to the audience or interviews, but Keep It (the pop culture podcast) may work.
posted by Caz721 at 8:03 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by Caz721 at 8:03 AM on July 19, 2018
The podcasts from Multitude are all friends talking about stuff they're passionate about. Spirits is about mythology and folklore, Potterless is about Harry Potter, and they just launched a new show called HORSE about the culture and fandom of basketball.
posted by _bartleby at 8:05 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by _bartleby at 8:05 AM on July 19, 2018
The gold standard of interesting conversation podcasts to me is definitely In Our Time. I think because I love it so much (and it's usually pretty interesting) a lot of the sort of other popular podcasts just come of as trying too hard or relying on gimmicks to be interesting. In Out Time makes it seem natural.
A political podcast that's interesting and fun is Reasons To Be Cheerful, with former Labour leader Ed Miliband and radio presenter Geoff Lloyd. They tackle timely topics with usually good guests.
For football, I've stuck with AC Jimbo and moved to The Totally Football Show. One big plus is that they frequently have Kelly Cates and Caroline Barker on, and I absolutely love hearing their analysis and snark (when they're not tethered to being a host).
Another sport podcast I've been really digging is Burn It All Down, which is a feminist sports podcast based on conversations and a pretty fresh perspective.
I've also really enjoyed Game of Our Lives, which looks at football, society, politics, and economics. It's from David Goldblatt, so it definitely skews towards the intellectual but isn't super heavy and kind of charmingly playful. It's from Al Jazeera, which brings another interesting perspective not usually heard in football analysis.
And my last recommendation might be a little more niche than the others, but The Media Podcast With Olly Mann about (British) media is often fascinating, particularly as the function and business of media is going through huge shifts.
posted by kendrak at 8:32 AM on July 19, 2018
A political podcast that's interesting and fun is Reasons To Be Cheerful, with former Labour leader Ed Miliband and radio presenter Geoff Lloyd. They tackle timely topics with usually good guests.
For football, I've stuck with AC Jimbo and moved to The Totally Football Show. One big plus is that they frequently have Kelly Cates and Caroline Barker on, and I absolutely love hearing their analysis and snark (when they're not tethered to being a host).
Another sport podcast I've been really digging is Burn It All Down, which is a feminist sports podcast based on conversations and a pretty fresh perspective.
I've also really enjoyed Game of Our Lives, which looks at football, society, politics, and economics. It's from David Goldblatt, so it definitely skews towards the intellectual but isn't super heavy and kind of charmingly playful. It's from Al Jazeera, which brings another interesting perspective not usually heard in football analysis.
And my last recommendation might be a little more niche than the others, but The Media Podcast With Olly Mann about (British) media is often fascinating, particularly as the function and business of media is going through huge shifts.
posted by kendrak at 8:32 AM on July 19, 2018
If you like true crime at all, My Favorite Murder is basically just the two hosts telling each other about a new crime each week, but with a lot of banter and other conversation as well. And I love it so much.
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:49 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:49 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Conversations with Tyler is awesome. Whether or not you agree with his politics, he consistently interviews interesting people.
posted by Vhanudux at 9:11 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Vhanudux at 9:11 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you like people talking about TV shows there’s the Greatest generation, a Star Trek podcast by two people who are a little embarrassed to have a Star Trek podcast. They started reviewing TNG and now they’re on DS9.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 9:15 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 9:15 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Ever since jessamyn mentioned it in her Hobby Horse (mathowie's podcast) interview, I have been absolutely in love with No Such Thing As a Fish, the Qi podcast. Funny and informative.
posted by terrapin at 9:17 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by terrapin at 9:17 AM on July 19, 2018
Kevin and Ursula Eat Cheap is Kevin Sonney and Ursula Vernon eating often regrettable packaged food and discussing it as they do. It's one of my favorites to put on while I'm cooking or doing dishes because it feels like hanging out with friends in the kitchen.
Productivity Alchemy is Kevin discussing productivity tools and techniques with various people (most often artists, writers, or tech people, but he's working to expand the range). While the discussion is structured (he has a list of seven questions he covers with each person), it does wind up being more like a conversation than like a series of presentations. The episodes generally open and close with Kevin chatting with Ursula (aka "our wombat test subject") about what she's been doing and which productivity things she's been trying (and usually rejecting).
Thirst Aid Kit is Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins discussing desire. It's funny and often hot, and they have great conversational chemistry together.
posted by Lexica at 10:05 AM on July 19, 2018
Productivity Alchemy is Kevin discussing productivity tools and techniques with various people (most often artists, writers, or tech people, but he's working to expand the range). While the discussion is structured (he has a list of seven questions he covers with each person), it does wind up being more like a conversation than like a series of presentations. The episodes generally open and close with Kevin chatting with Ursula (aka "our wombat test subject") about what she's been doing and which productivity things she's been trying (and usually rejecting).
Thirst Aid Kit is Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins discussing desire. It's funny and often hot, and they have great conversational chemistry together.
posted by Lexica at 10:05 AM on July 19, 2018
The Long Shot may be just what you're looking for. Its four regulars are from the LA comedy scene, but it's not a "comedy" podcast. They shoot the shit and talk about their lives, and that's about it. No bits, no improv, and very little structure. Sometimes there's a guest, but it's always someone they know personally and they're there as one more person shooting the shit, not as an interview subject.
I'm probably not selling it too well, but it's been a go-to of mine for the better part of a decade. Maybe this Vulture piece will do a better job.
posted by whuppy at 10:15 AM on July 19, 2018
I'm probably not selling it too well, but it's been a go-to of mine for the better part of a decade. Maybe this Vulture piece will do a better job.
posted by whuppy at 10:15 AM on July 19, 2018
The Dana Gould Hour is a fairly freewheeling, conversation-based podcast. There's some monologuing and some bits, but most of it is him talking to guests who are typically his friends, so the vibe is more "hangout" than "interview".
posted by whuppy at 10:30 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by whuppy at 10:30 AM on July 19, 2018
Seconding In Our Time, i also really like Well Made, and Gastropod and very specific, but the 2 keto dudes podcast.
posted by PardonMyFrench at 10:39 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by PardonMyFrench at 10:39 AM on July 19, 2018
Try Duckfeed.tv, maybe? I've only listened to a couple of their podcasts but they have that listening-in-on-a-fun-conversation thing pretty well nailed, from what I've heard
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:40 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:40 AM on July 19, 2018
Seconding Wittertainment. There's a Witterpedia if you need help catching up with some of the references they make, but the show is not exclusive-- it's a Friday drive-time movie review podcast made to be approachable by everyone, not just die-hard regulars, bookended with some podcast only content which is a bit more self-indulgent.
I'd suggest the short-lived SF discussion podcast (and a radio show somewhere), A Bite of Stars, a Slug of Time, and Thou, in which a selection of short SF is read at the start, either a short story or an excerpt from a larger work, and discussed.
Scott Aukerman, of Comedy Bang! Bang!, along with Adam Scott (of... a million things, maybe best known for Parks & Rec) have had a podcast together where they joke around and talk music to one another: U Talkin' U2 to Me? in which they went album by album through the U2 canon, followed by the currently-running R U Talkin' REM Re: Me? about REM.
"James Bonding" is Matt Mira (originally from the Nerdist podcast, now on many of his own making, as well as staff writer on the sitcom, "The Goldbergs") and Matt Gourley (SuperEgo, Pistol Shrimps Radio, Drunk History) discussing, usually with a guest, a James Bond movie or a theme (such as ranking JB henchman or gadgets, etc.) Likewise Mira joins his "Goldbergs" co-writer Andy Secunda for "Star Trek: The Next Conversation," in which they discuss TNG, episode by episode; they're in the mid-to-late 3rd season currently.
Four podcasts from Longball Studios: "9021 Oh No You Dinnit" discusses BH90210 episode by episode, at length. "Buffy Vs. Bauer" discusses, 6 episodes at a time, BtVS and 24. "Spoiled Again" discusses 2 movies at a time, usually one good, one bad, that tread the same very specific microgenre of movies. And "The Issue at Hand" which talks comic books, ranging far and wide, not just the mainstream stuff.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:51 AM on July 19, 2018
I'd suggest the short-lived SF discussion podcast (and a radio show somewhere), A Bite of Stars, a Slug of Time, and Thou, in which a selection of short SF is read at the start, either a short story or an excerpt from a larger work, and discussed.
Scott Aukerman, of Comedy Bang! Bang!, along with Adam Scott (of... a million things, maybe best known for Parks & Rec) have had a podcast together where they joke around and talk music to one another: U Talkin' U2 to Me? in which they went album by album through the U2 canon, followed by the currently-running R U Talkin' REM Re: Me? about REM.
"James Bonding" is Matt Mira (originally from the Nerdist podcast, now on many of his own making, as well as staff writer on the sitcom, "The Goldbergs") and Matt Gourley (SuperEgo, Pistol Shrimps Radio, Drunk History) discussing, usually with a guest, a James Bond movie or a theme (such as ranking JB henchman or gadgets, etc.) Likewise Mira joins his "Goldbergs" co-writer Andy Secunda for "Star Trek: The Next Conversation," in which they discuss TNG, episode by episode; they're in the mid-to-late 3rd season currently.
Four podcasts from Longball Studios: "9021 Oh No You Dinnit" discusses BH90210 episode by episode, at length. "Buffy Vs. Bauer" discusses, 6 episodes at a time, BtVS and 24. "Spoiled Again" discusses 2 movies at a time, usually one good, one bad, that tread the same very specific microgenre of movies. And "The Issue at Hand" which talks comic books, ranging far and wide, not just the mainstream stuff.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:51 AM on July 19, 2018
Lately, I have been listening to a lot of Partially Derivative, which has the format of 2-3 people having a conversation about data science and statistics. It's out of production now, but there are a few years of back episodes to listen to.
posted by egregious theorem at 11:33 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by egregious theorem at 11:33 AM on July 19, 2018
The Black Guy Who Tips. It says it's a comedy podcast, and it is funny, but it is really a husband and wife talking about news stories and their days, in the context of the segments they have.
posted by freezer cake at 11:33 AM on July 19, 2018
posted by freezer cake at 11:33 AM on July 19, 2018
I Hate It But I Love It, similar to I Don't Even Own A Television but for bad shows and movies
Also, I like gaming sites' podcasts for being discussion-based like this even if I don't follow game news much. Waypoint's, SBFP's, and Gamers with Jobs' are my favorites.
posted by gaybobbie at 11:42 AM on July 19, 2018
Also, I like gaming sites' podcasts for being discussion-based like this even if I don't follow game news much. Waypoint's, SBFP's, and Gamers with Jobs' are my favorites.
posted by gaybobbie at 11:42 AM on July 19, 2018
You might enjoy "You Made It Weird" with comedian/actor Pete Holmes, wherein he "interviews" guests in a long, freewheeling, rambling format that extends from celebrity life to comedy, music, religion, "why are we all here" and other diverse topics. I come and go from this podcast, but honestly there's not much better to me for long drives than to queue up 3 or 4 long episodes and have at'er. Just skip the intro, Pete goes on for 10+ minutes about stuff he likes and it's a bit much.
Also, as with many podcasts, he manages to interview a woman like 1 in 20 eps. SERIOUSLY PETE.
posted by some chick at 11:49 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Also, as with many podcasts, he manages to interview a woman like 1 in 20 eps. SERIOUSLY PETE.
posted by some chick at 11:49 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Friendly Fire : “John Roderick, Adam Pranica, and Benjamin Ahr Harrison are exploring titles from the entire history of cinema about every war, big and bigger. They discuss filmmaking, geopolitical history, nerd out about uniforms and equipment, and crack wise the entire time. To the victor go the spoiler alerts!”
posted by D.C. at 12:24 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by D.C. at 12:24 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
You might enjoy Ear Biscuits or Getting Curious. Both podcasts feature a TON of conversation and interaction.
Ear Biscuits with Rhett and Link, life-long friends, internetainers and stars of Good Mythical Morning:
Ear Biscuits with Rhett & Link is a weekly, candid conversation in the form of audio and video podcasts. Episodes may feature discussions between the comedic duo or a call-in question from a listener.
Getting Curious by Jonathan Van Ness, Queer Eye's hair stylist:
Growing up, Jonathan had a ravenous curiosity for learning new stuff (like his obsession with Finland) that defied the more common pursuits of midwestern boys. In Getting Curious: The Podcast, Jonathan’s curiosity marches on, exploring topics like the Armenian Genocide, Gravitational waves and the Romanovs to lighter fare featuring Margaret Cho or Denise Bidot on what it’s like being a model in fashion today. Each episode focuses on a different topic of interest, welcoming an expert in that particular field to satiate everyone’s curiosity. Jonathan has been turning out episodes since 2015, you will find Getting Curious on Earwolf, Libsyn or the Apple Podcast Store.
posted by the thought-fox at 12:34 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Ear Biscuits with Rhett and Link, life-long friends, internetainers and stars of Good Mythical Morning:
Ear Biscuits with Rhett & Link is a weekly, candid conversation in the form of audio and video podcasts. Episodes may feature discussions between the comedic duo or a call-in question from a listener.
Getting Curious by Jonathan Van Ness, Queer Eye's hair stylist:
Growing up, Jonathan had a ravenous curiosity for learning new stuff (like his obsession with Finland) that defied the more common pursuits of midwestern boys. In Getting Curious: The Podcast, Jonathan’s curiosity marches on, exploring topics like the Armenian Genocide, Gravitational waves and the Romanovs to lighter fare featuring Margaret Cho or Denise Bidot on what it’s like being a model in fashion today. Each episode focuses on a different topic of interest, welcoming an expert in that particular field to satiate everyone’s curiosity. Jonathan has been turning out episodes since 2015, you will find Getting Curious on Earwolf, Libsyn or the Apple Podcast Store.
posted by the thought-fox at 12:34 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
From the "conversations" category of subscriptions I enjoy:
Alice Fraser's Teacast - she's an Australian stand-up comic, but the podcast is quite literally a conversation with another person, usually over tea (she often has non-tea drinkers on too). She is also one of the regular co-hosts of The Bugle.
Answer Me This consists of listener questions about all manner of things discussed and asnwered - very conversationally - by the podcast's hosts. The podcast appears to be temporarily on hiatus while co-host Helen Zaltzman's voice heals, but there's a large back catalogue of episodes since it's been going for quite some time. Zaltzman's brother is The Bugle's Andy Zaltzman.
Race Invaders (Metafilter's own!) is very conversational. And good! And back for a new season!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:42 PM on July 19, 2018
Alice Fraser's Teacast - she's an Australian stand-up comic, but the podcast is quite literally a conversation with another person, usually over tea (she often has non-tea drinkers on too). She is also one of the regular co-hosts of The Bugle.
Answer Me This consists of listener questions about all manner of things discussed and asnwered - very conversationally - by the podcast's hosts. The podcast appears to be temporarily on hiatus while co-host Helen Zaltzman's voice heals, but there's a large back catalogue of episodes since it's been going for quite some time. Zaltzman's brother is The Bugle's Andy Zaltzman.
Race Invaders (Metafilter's own!) is very conversational. And good! And back for a new season!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:42 PM on July 19, 2018
Tank Riot : infrequently released but lots available in the archives.
posted by metadave at 2:36 PM on July 19, 2018
posted by metadave at 2:36 PM on July 19, 2018
Oh also, a friend of a friend recently started producing Stop Hating Yourself, which consists of two people talking casually about anxiety and depression, and how they deal with them.
posted by egregious theorem at 2:50 PM on July 19, 2018
posted by egregious theorem at 2:50 PM on July 19, 2018
You might like the Bad Christian podcast. It's a pastor and two guys from a band talking about everything under the sun. And there are 380+ episodes now. They make me laugh out loud frequently.
posted by tacodave at 4:32 PM on July 19, 2018
posted by tacodave at 4:32 PM on July 19, 2018
My favorite type of podcast is one where the hosts have a great rapport with each other, and have natural discussions. Here's my top few favorites.
posted by yuwtze at 6:40 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
- Hello Internet: CGP Grey & Brady Haran (educational Youtubers) discussing flags, voting, internet timfoolery, and whatever strikes their fancy.
- Dear Hank & John: "Hank and John Green (YouTubers and etc) answer questions, give questionable advice, and talk about Mars (the planet) and AFC Wimbledon (the 3rd tier English football club)."
- No Dumb Questions: Destin Sandlin and Matt Whitman discuss a wide range of topics.
- The Unmade Podcast: "Tim and Brady discuss ideas for podcasts that they will (probably) never make."
posted by yuwtze at 6:40 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Seconding The Greatest Generation and Friendly Fire. Adam and Ben also do The Greatest Discovery about the newest Star Trek show.
posted by bananacabana at 7:36 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by bananacabana at 7:36 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
I was coming to suggest Gilmore Guys and Dear Hank and John as well. Both are loosely “comedy” podcasts, though DHAJ is only a comedy podcast because it had the fewest number of settings for different genres on iTunes when Hank set it up.
Delete This and Holy Fucking Science are two Hank Green podcasts you may like as well. Delete This is with his wife, and HFS is a round table discussion with a panel talking about how cool science is.
posted by guster4lovers at 5:19 PM on July 22, 2018
Delete This and Holy Fucking Science are two Hank Green podcasts you may like as well. Delete This is with his wife, and HFS is a round table discussion with a panel talking about how cool science is.
posted by guster4lovers at 5:19 PM on July 22, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I gave Getting Curious a go yesterday on the grounds that it sounded kind of like In Our Time, which I've subscribed and then not listened to multiple times for no particular reason. (So, an astute suggestion from those of you who mentioned it. I decided to start with something I felt freer to hate. And... now I've realised I had Ideas and In Our Time confused (Ideas doesn't do it for me), which may be why I keep not listening to it.)
posted by hoyland at 3:59 AM on July 23, 2018
posted by hoyland at 3:59 AM on July 23, 2018
I really like EconTalk. Same host interviewing people on a range of subjects, ostensibly, but not always, about economics. Overall I appreciate the way the host challenges his interviewees, and the digressions in conversation that ensue, though the host can be a bit bull-nosed. I've heard one episode all about congestion pricing for traffic, and one about hallucinogens, to give an example of range.
posted by taltalim at 7:53 PM on July 25, 2018
posted by taltalim at 7:53 PM on July 25, 2018
There's a brand-new podcast called Everything is Alive, which is very high-concept as podcasts go, really: Host Ian Chillag has an informal interview with an inanimate object, such as a can of generic cola, or a streetlamp (that's all that's out so far). The inanimate subject (if you will) is voiced by an actor who has done a bit of research on things and composed some anecdotes (a can of cola that once saw "Jaws"), but has not been scripted.
It's very pleasing. In both episodes so far, Chillag breaks momentarily out of the interview to talk with a real person with a real story that's tangentially related. That real person is someone with a personal story, not massively remarkable but interesting nonetheless, of an object similar to the one in the studio hot-seat. For example, in the second episode, Chillag speaks briefly with a person who once owned a famous streetlamp, until it was stolen. You might think you can't think of any famous streetlamps, but this one must be the best-known streetlamp of the 20th century.
posted by Sunburnt at 2:34 PM on August 10, 2018
It's very pleasing. In both episodes so far, Chillag breaks momentarily out of the interview to talk with a real person with a real story that's tangentially related. That real person is someone with a personal story, not massively remarkable but interesting nonetheless, of an object similar to the one in the studio hot-seat. For example, in the second episode, Chillag speaks briefly with a person who once owned a famous streetlamp, until it was stolen. You might think you can't think of any famous streetlamps, but this one must be the best-known streetlamp of the 20th century.
posted by Sunburnt at 2:34 PM on August 10, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jon1270 at 4:00 AM on July 19, 2018 [2 favorites]