The Vine: July 29, 2011
Sars,
I need recommendations for podcasts. I’ve started a new job recently, and it is boring beyond belief. That’s fine. It’s temporary. That being said, I need listening material. It needs to be light enough to not require 100% attention.
Right now, I’ve got the following on my iPod: “Baseball Today,” “This American Life,” “Pop Culture Happy Hour.” In the past, I’ve subscribed to “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” but like “This American Life,” it’s not a daily, so it’s only one hour of the week! As you can tell, I’m an NPR junkie. I’m also a pretty serious baseball fan (but not many other sports). My reading/music/television tastes are eclectic, and I’ll try almost anything once.
Anyhow, I trust you and the readers can recommend things I might try. I have considered the audiobook, but fear that it requires more concentration than I can give it. It’s a fine line between providing me with sufficient entertainment to keep the dull work bearable and completely absorbing and distracting such that either I don’t focus on my work, or I can’t focus on the show because I’m trying to work.
Bored
Dear Bored,
Your listening profile sounds enough like mine that I’ll recommend you also try Joe Posnanski’s Sports Poscast (he has Mike Schur, a.k.a. Ken Tremendous, on constantly); Extra Hot Great, of course; and WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show (not every segment works, but he’s got about four a day at a half-hour-ish each, so if you don’t care about a given topic, you can skip it). All available on iTunes and all free.
Readers? Let’s find Bored something to listen to. Please limit yourself to three (3) suggestions. Thanks!
Tags: Ask The Readers Extra Hot Great Fire Joe Morgan RIP Joe Posnanski Leonard Lopate popcult
If you like food even a little bit, check out Spilled Milk. It’s one of the funniest podcasts I know.
Also from CBC: Definitely Not the Opera (DNTO) is excellent, and it is available for free on iTunes or from the CBC website.
Car Talk with Click and Clack.
Rec for you, and for anyone else that may enjoy Paul F Tompkins…
The Thrilling Adventure Hour! I am seriously addicted to this podcast. It’s a serialized comedy podcast based on stories from Old Tyme Radio. It features PFT, Paget Brewster, Busy Phillips, Nathan Fillion, and other voice actors who aren’t so “namey”, with special guests like Chris Hardwick of Nerdist, Patton Oswalt, and other comedy nerds.
Check out their stories “Beyond Belief”, “Sparks Nevada, Marshall on Mars” and “Jefferson Reed: Ace American”. They’re recorded live at Largo in LA as a weekly stageplay. So good.
I know you said you’re not big into sports other than baseball, but The BS Report with Bill Simmons has a lot of great shows. You would probably enjoy the baseball shows and the pop-culture stuff. They have descriptors.
I will say that most of the discussions are interesting even if you’re not into the sport (I don’t care about hockey but always learn something) EXCEPT when he does football lines with Cousin Sal. Those will make you want to stab your eardrums with something sharp.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned “The Story”. My local NPR station plays it nightly after Fresh Air and it had a similar format but it’s everyday folks with a story to share.
I also listen regularly to personal finance and economicspodcasts. The daily Marketplace podcast, the weekly Marketplace Money, The Clark Howard Show, Dave ramsey’s free hour, and Suze Orman.
Stuff You Should Know – eclectic topics, ranging from 14 – 45 minutes, twice per week I think. Engaging hosts, have kept me entertained on many a long long drive.
Stuff You Missed in History Class – tidbits of history told for the non-historian. Though I love history to begin with.
Full audio episodes of PBS’ Frontline. If you can take the serious topics, this works very well as audio only.
So many fabulous podcast suggestions! I know Bored said audiobooks might be too much, but I’m going to recommend giving young adult audiobooks a try. I find them much easier to listen to than traditional adult literature. Start with ALA’s suggestions for best YA audiobooks. Unless your library is really up-to-date, you might need to go back a year or two. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/amazingaudiobooks/audiobooks.cfm#current
How Did This Get Made? is a funny podcast dissecting movies of questionable quality. You don’t need to have seen the movies they’re discussing to enjoy the show.
Second the recommendation for WTF with Marc Maron too.
I’m kinda in a financial vein right now and have totally enjoyed listening to Dave Ramsey’s financial podcast. Keeps me focused on saving more money. :)
Agreed on Risk! — it’s good for when you run out of new Moth episodes. If you like a sort of variety show format, try Radio Happy Hour. It’s a goofy take on the old-fashioned radio murder mystery, along with musical guests, trivia, and interviews. I’ve also found it a good way to find cool new bands.
How Was Your Week by Julie Klausner. So funny!
I will throw in my support for Radiolab, Planet Money, and The Moth; all are favorites.
One that I haven’t seen mentioned is All in the Mind, from Australia’s ABC Radio National. It’s got a psychology/neuroscience theme, but it’s accessible for a general audience, and it covers some really interesting topics with some great interviews. For example, they recently did a multi-part feature on Gallaudet University (a university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Washington, DC), which discussed the history of the university and deaf culture, deaf aesthetics, and technologies aimed at improving the quality of life for deaf people. I thought it was fascinating and very well done.
I think someone already mentioned Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe, but the CBC (Canada’s NPR equivalent) has a lot of other stuff worth checking out too! Some of my favourites are Definitely Not the Opera (you may have to search “DNTO” to find it in iTunes) and Q with Jian Ghomeshi.
One suggestion I didn’t see is This American Wife — a podcast that mixes clever parodies of NPR shows with interviews of comedians and other showbiz folks. It’s funny whether or not you’re an NPR fan!
I realize that I’m a little late to the party, but I second the Adam Carolla recommendation. I’m a die-hard Carolla fan–going back to his early Loveline (the radio show) days–so I admit I’m biased. But his podcast is free and so you have nothing to lose by giving him a chance. There’s something special about his brand of humor–He never fails to cheer me up or make an otherwise horrible commute one of my favorite parts of the day.
I, too, just found myself in a deathly boring job. Thanks, Bored (for asking the question) and TN readers for making my days bearable.
Must echo the Tobolowsky love. He’s making my most odious chores a pleasure these days. Love him (wise, compassionate, grounded, brave) and love the stories (insane and surprising.)
Also, no one has mentioned yet “Girl on Guy” with Aisha Tyler. Intelligent, explicit 1.5-2 hour discussions “about stuff guys love, with the ultimate guy’s girl.” Do not miss the Jon Benjamin podcast, unless you have a horror of involuntary defecation, then maybe skip that one. Aisha’s unpolished sound editing makes for a pleasantly intimate visit with her and her edgy, provocative, clever guests.
The Science Show is another good long listen that might make you smarter. Australian CBS host Robyn Williams seems to care and think deeply about the scientific frontiers they’re discussing. Yum.