I listen to a lot of podcasts. There are the perennial favourites such as Kermode and Mayo, The Football Ramble and Danny Baker, but I have also discovered a few new ones which I find rather good and you might too.
First up is WTF with Marc Maron (http://www.wtfpod.com/). An American comedian, he interviews all manner of people in his garage (everyone from fellow comedians to Richard Linklater and St. Vincent.). Some are a bit hit and miss (and I could lose his guitar playing at the end), but on the whole they are great, informative interviews, well worth a listen.
Next we have the British equivalent, sort of, which is The Comedian’s Comedian (http://www.comedianscomedian.com/) wherein Stuart Goldsmith interviews comedians about their craft. Again very interesting stuff if you like this kind of thing.
Finally two by American comedian Greg Proops (who you may remember from Whose Line Is It Anyway). His Smartest Man In The World Podcast is savage, erudite, highly political and very funny (http://www.gregproops.com/blog/smartest-man-in-the-world-podcast/). He also does a separate Film Club podcast, where he screens a favourite film of his at a cinema in LA and talks about the film beforehand (although this frequently goes off on hilariously surreal tangents. The Point Break one is a very good example) then answers questions from the audience afterwards. He clearly loves cinema and has the knowledge and passion of a true fan.
Any more for any more?
I really like WTF: the Robin Williams one from a few years back that he re-posted recently was fantastic.
I also enjoy WTF’s slightly sunnier cousin, the Nerdist. Impressive guest list.
Beyond that, Doug Loves Movies can be very funny, especially when they have the guy on who pretends to be Mark Wahlberg/Werner Herzog, and By the Way with Jeff Garlin is also not bad.
Finally, there’s this relatively new podcast by a bunch of chancers who call themselves “The Afterword”. Dunno what they’re banging on about half the time, but every now and then U2 get a royal slating, which is entertaining.
The guy on the Nerdist who sounds like Tina from Bob’s Burgers (Matt Myra?) is so innately Bezzy, I had to let my sub lapse about 18 months ago. Hardwick himself is more than tolerable.
Apart from the usual Radio 4 gubbins, I love Bill Burr and Adam Carolla’s ‘casts while accepting that Carolla is very much an acquired taste.
I go back and forth on the Nerdist guys.
Sometimes I find them annoying, and Hardwick’s insincerity begins to grate (he has that media training thing going on where his need to move the conversation on leads him to pretend enthusiasm for things he clearly doesn’t give a toss about), other times I think they do a really good job of putting their interviewees at ease and bringing them out of themselves.
I think it’s that relaxing thing that makes the Nerdist work so often. For example, Jeff Bridges and Tom Hanks have both gone into Nerdist sounding like they don’t even know what podcasts are, and had such a good time made a point of coming back a second or even third time. When it works it’s very very good, specially the musicians (Thomas Dolby and Henry Rollins spring to mind).
As to Hardwick’s insincerity, that might be a cultural thing. I find him painfully sincere and a bundle of energy and enthusiasm, which is a nice change.
That said, their “Hostfuls” with just the hosts (Hardwick, Ray and Mira) might be a difficult-to-acquire taste. On the whole I like them. It’s more like sitting in the corner quietly listening to your mates nattering than anything else. There have been a few duds though. The hits to duds ratio is still very high.
I’d suggest Band Geek by Ritchie Castellano. Ritchie plays keyboard and guitar with Blue Oyster Cult – over on the old site (the old, old site, not the old one) Fraser gave some exposure to Ritchie’s recording of “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
The podcasts feature Ritchie’s wife and friends – most of whom are excellent musicians – and a variety of guests including BOC’s Danny Miranda and Kasim Sulton. Most weeks feature 2 or 3 great cover versions of songs and a host of geeky music chat about equipment, chord changes and so much more. As someone who can barely play 2 barre chords most of this goes over my head, but the energy and enthusiasm more than make up for this.
I listen to podcasts nearly all the time on my commute. There is so much fantastic content out there it’s impossible to narrow it down, but a few that might be of interest to folks here are..
Vitriola – Robin Ince and Michael Legge chat about music and many other things in possibly the nearest thing to the old Word podcasts when Messrs Ellen and Hepworth would just shoot the breeze about any old stuff.
The Parish Counsel from the Rocking Vicar – again, great listen on modern popular culture
Ian Collins Wants a Word – I like the Collins from his LBC show, this is more comedy than talk radio stuff.
Hello Internet – CGP Grey and Brady Haran talk about all sorts – again, another good listen, a but more serious than the others above
Gunwash – the sound of zoo radio in NYC.
Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase – tales from a flight attendant
Music based podcasts worth checking out are :-
80s Electro Radio Show
The Best Radio You Have Never Heard
CISM 89.3: London Cafe
Polyvinyl Craftsmen
Podrophenia
Medium Wave (come on Dr V, time for another)
The Shend’s Radio Programme
Sound Opinions
Oh, and you’ll have heard about Serial. It’s compulsory to mention it in any podcast thread. It’s very any good.
My usual recommendations:
No Such Thing as a Fish – The QI Elves chatting about interesting things, without the tiresome distraction of comedians trying to out shout each other.
Savage Lovecast – Frank (and definitely NSFW) sex and relationships advice.
Sleep With Me – The podcast for insomniacs which attempts to bore you to sleep, and succeeds. Genuinely useful.
Ah, thanks for the Savage Lovecast recommendation, looks really good. You might want to check out Dear Sugar- a bit more vanilla (although still NSFW, what with the effing and jeffing) but along the same lines.
Agreed WTF is excellent – I love how MM is genuinely interested in the subjects. Some great interviewees. Worth shelling out for the premium version for access to all shows
Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast is also great. Very potty mouthed and talks too much about sports but makes me laugh like few others can.
Answer me this – Helen Zaltzman and Ollie Mann answering queries form listeners with much humour
The Rocking Vicar – as Jockblue says above
Soda Jerker – Just discovered this in the last few days. Couple of chaps interviewing songwriters. The few I’ve listened to so far have been very interesting – some big hitters too.
Marathon Talk – talking about, eh, Marathon running.
Sound Opinions – US based music chat with interviews. Not too US centric.
Sid Griffin’s Call all Coal Porters – a bit self promotional but non the worse for it.
.. and the usual Radio 4 stuff…. Thinking Allowed, Moral Maze, Any Questions/ Answers, Desert Island Discs, etc.
I heart podcasts, me.
I love Welcome To Night Vale, which is essentially what Lake Wobegon would be if Garrison Keillor had read a lot more HP Lovecraft.
I also enjoy Richard Herring’s Leicester Square podcast where he interviews other comedians and asks them ridiculous questions (would you rather go on a date with a six foot penis, or a normal man with a little man where his penis should be?)
Seconded for RHLSP – the episode with Ross Noble was superb.
They’re available on iTunes and there’s also a list here:
http://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/richard_herring_lst_podcast/
(Episode 31 is Ross Noble)
Also NPR’s All Songs Considered, which is a good source for new mainstream indie, if that’s not a tautology
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. Not so much a podcast as an audio book every three months or so.
Currently working his way through World War I.
At the risk of being pooh-poohed, I’d recommend the Patcast by Pat Monaghan of Train. He comes over as a really funny and simpatico kind of guy. He interviews an odd assortment of musos and gets round to some real good anecdotes about the ups and downs of the business. If you listen to one, make the one with Richard Marx……bear with me, he tells a great story about Michael Bolton and a case of explosive diarrhoea.
We’ve got this far and no mention of In Our Time? For 45 mins I feel like I’m back at university. This week is eunuchs (steel yourselves gentlemen) .
Reply All, about the Internet. I recommend the one about the guy who invented the pop-up. Talk about unintended consequences.
+1 to Welcome To Night Vale.
Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii am not a eunuch!
Little Stevens Underground Garage is available as a podcast via ROCKFM. Kind of weird as its the full 2 hour show but it starts with a presenter talking in Spanish. But good to know its available for free via iTunes. Well worth seeking out.
Stuck in the 80s is an podcast focusing on that decade. Worth seeking out old episodes, Brian Johnson AC/DC etc.
Another recommendation here for Marc Maron WTF. I’m currently halfway through the recent Harry Shearer interview.
+ 1 for In Our Time. It’s wonderful.
This thread is awesome, has just filled up my queue (ooerr). A little plug for the excellent Downcast app to manage all your podcasts.
I’m a regular listener on many of the above (WTF, Smartest Man…, Nerdist, RHLSTP). There have been many spectacular interviews on WTF and Nerdist, well worth going back through the archives, although WTF needs the paid subscription. I’d say it’s worth it, but you can try the latest 50 to see if he’s your bag. Man.
Also I’d chip in with
…Harmontown (who’d have though Dungeons and Dragons with comedians would be that entertaining, at least most of the time),
…The Bugle (mentioned extensively on the old place),
…Infinite Monkey cage (I can have it on when kids are in the car, unlike everything else I listen to)
…The Dana Gould Hour, and
…Superego.
Superego is a bit unusual in that it is essentially improv sketch comedy with recurring characters and comedy superstar guests (see http://www.gosuperego.com/ for examples). Main team includes Paul F Tompkins (and as mentioned above, he’s the voice of Werner Herzog, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Gerry Marshall among others on Doug Loves Movies). Their earlier seasons are by subscription too, the latest one is free.
I used to like All Songs Considered a lot, but I just couldn’t keep up with the volume of content. Their half-year and end-of-year best-ofs are well worth a listen though. Same problem with You Made It Weird – great interviews with Pete Holmes (who is possibly an acquired taste) but just too much of a time commitment for me. Upwards of 2 hours per interview is fairly standard. I tried In Our Time after a recommendation at the old place and from Nerdist of all places, but found it as dry as dust. I went off
“Headphone Commute”, obviously feeds.feedburner.com/headphonecommutepodcast (free lengthy music mixes created exclusively for Headphone Commute by various peeps).
I also enjoy Gilles Peterson’s Podcasts http://www.gillespetersonworldwide.com/feed/podcast (jazz/soul/world/etc. music and interviews “searching for the perfect beat”).
Yet another thumbs-up for Welcome To Night Vale…
Also another for Podrophenia.
A few good ‘uns can be had from Resonance FM and it’s archive, particularly Jonny Trunk’s O.S.T. (soundtracks, TV music and library music), Panel Borders (comic art & artists), One Life Left (computer gaming), The Truth About Markets (a refreshingly bonkers take on markets, finance, economics & global politics by Max Keiser & Stacy Herbert) and Hello Goodbye (live sets by unusual musicians and chat).
I have previously utterly dismissed BBC R4’s In Our Time, and mostly it is far too dry, dusty and academic for me. To be scrupulously fair, now and then the subject matter is so fascinating that I’ll put up with all the dust. The recent Eunuch discussion was one such.
Like many of the above. My faves tend to be muso stuff, history or current affairs. Being a morose git I have no comedy.
Politics Weekly from the Grauniad
Week in Westminster – BBC
Westminster Hour – BBC
History of electronic music
Beeb Jazz Library especially excellent
The Archers
Listen to Lucy from the FT, mocking business idiocy
In our time – Beeb
Great Lives – Beeb
Sodajerker
Recording Lounge
Home Recording Show
View from 22 – from the Spectator
How stuff works
History of Britain
History of the Crusades
BBC History magazine
Loads of great recommendations
I have put in a word for The Dollop – Dave Anthony & Gareth Reynolds’ American history podcast – at its’ best the funniest thing in the podcast domain IMO, & a worthy successor to the much missed Walling The Room.
Also as ever 99% Invisible for all your architecture & design story needs – a recent example included the tale of the Moontowers of Austin, Texas – always fascinating
The Q & A with Geoff Goldsmith – in depth interviews with screenwriters of contemporary movies usually in front of an audience after an LA screening of the movie in question
Battleship Pretension – more movie chat – can get get long ( 2-3 hours) which is fine with me. Nice chemistry between the hosts – one a small c conservative Christian & the other a left leaning veteran of the LA hardcore scene.
mini addendum – can’t work out editing yet – Walling The Room should of course be Walking The Room.
No new ones to add really but a +1 for the Rocking Vicar and +2 for the Infinite Monkey Cage, a great listen on science stuff.
I love science me
If you like your music a bit obscure, raw and fuzzy – from Sixties Garage Rock, Rock n Roll, Psych, Soul, Punk, New Wave and Power Pop – then I do a Podcast called Retrosonic with the Rock Photographer Paul Slattery (Smiths, Joy Division, The Fall, Dr Feelgood, Clash etc…) – although it’s not all retro as we have lots of new bands too. There’s also special dedicated interview episodes with people such as Chris Wilson (The Flamin’ Groovies, Barracudas), TV Smith (The Adverts), Graham Day (The Prisoners), The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Billy Childish etc…It’s free on iTunes or Soundcloud.
Other Podcasts (that aren’t mine!) I like are Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s movie round-up (although they could do without all the boring reader’s letters), The Football Ramble cuts through all the usual blandness and tells it like it is, Football Weekly is good if Barry Glendenning is on, but am I the only one who is getting a bit tired of James Richardson’s constant butting in and talking over people? Sacrilege maybe…!, Word Massiver Mondo’s Podrophenia is also great.