(Since I’m still working on my promised post about the US police force [I’m doing tons of research for this, to back up everything I say, so it’s a lot of work and I don’t have that much free time, which of course means it’s taking longer than I expected], I thought this would be a good, fun, light interim post.)
So… I listen to a lot of podcasts. I thought it’d be cool to list and talk about podcasts. As I said… I have a lot here, and I am going to list them all, and include links. However, I’m only going to give details on a select few, so this isn’t overly-long.
So here we are… my podcasts:
Social/Political Commentary:
1. Citizen Radio
2. Radio Dispatch – Hosted by John and Molly Knefel, this is an awesome discussion show about modern topics and current events. They’re very political and very left wing.
3. TWiB! Prime w/ Elon James White – Currently hosted by Elon James White, Amber Flame, and Imani Gandy (or Emily Epstein White when Imani Gandy isn’t available). TWiB stands for This Week in Blackness, and is an amazing political talk show from their perspective. They’re funny, intelligent, interesting, and do an amazing job of covering current political events. You can actually see them live Monday through Thursday at 9pm EST either on YouTube or, if you have the channel, on Free Speech TV. And if you are watching them, make sure to livetweet at #TWiBNation.
4. The Black Guy Who Tips – Hosted by Rod and Keren, this podcast, while it does get political, is definitely more social commentary. I love both of them and what they have to say, and I’ve learned so much from them.
5. Best of the Left
6. Best of the Left Bonus (members-only show)
7. Marijuana Today
8. Marijuana Today Daily
9. TalkPoverty Radio (I would recommend this, but I only just started listening, so I’m still forming my opinion; I love what I’ve heard so far, though)
10. This Week in Drugs
11. Black Agenda Radio
12. Black Agenda Radio Commentaries
13. #GoodMuslimBadMuslim – This podcast is absolutely amazing. Tanzila ‘Taz’ Ahmed and Zahra Noorkbakhsh talk about US-American society, culture, and politics from the lens of being Muslim American women. It really is fascinating to listen to, and definitely worth it. I love this podcast so much. It also only updates once a month, which gives me a sad, but that’s okay!
14. The Read – Crissle and Kid Fury are just incredible. You can’t get better than The Read.
15. Keith and the Girl
16. Yo, is This Racist? – Y’all really should know this one already. It’s hosted by Andrew Ti, and the main thrust of the show is basically answering voicemails about whether something is racist (the answer is nearly always “yes”). Andrew Ti is also the person behind the popular Tumblr blog of the same name.
Skepticism Commentary:
1. Oh No Ross and Carrie – I feel like most of you should already know this one. Ross and Carrie investigate claims so we don’t have to. It only updates once a month, so when it does, I get so excited.
2. Inquiring Minds – I started listening to this podcast after I saw it recommended by Rebecca Watson. I’m going to have to second that recommendation.
Science:
1. Astronomy Cast – They’re currently on their summer break, but Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay are awesome hosts of this incredible podcast that covers basically everything we know… and don’t know… about the universe. You can also watch them on YouTube, and they stream live, although I haven’t been able to watch them live, yet, sadly…
2. Planetary Radio – I’m a member of the Planetary Society, so of course I listen to their podcast.
3. Awesome Astronomy – It’s hosted by Ralph, Paul, and Jen, and is another astronomy podcast that is also hilarious.
4. NASACast: This Week @NASA Audio
5. This Week in Science – Dr. Kirsten “Kiki” Sanford, Justin Jackson, and Blair Bazdarich are the amazing hosts of this great podcast which is dedicated to covering the week in science!
Entertainment/Fiction:
1. Welcome to Night Vale
2. Alice isn’t Dead
3. Within the Wires
I’m gonna talk about these three together because they’re all created by the same people: the creators of Night Vale! All three are amazing fictional podcast shows that I can’t get enough of. You should be listening if you aren’t already. Oh… and the main characters of all three podcasts are part of the LGBTQ community, and it’s just accepted. It’s not made a thing in any of them.
4. The Message – This was a short podcast series. It’s over now, but was definitely an interesting story and worth listening to for some fascinating entertainment.
Miscellaneous/Other:
1. Tell the Bartender (A Storytelling Podcast) – Hosted by Katharine Heller, this is a podcast where friends, acquaintances, and family recount interesting stories in their lives.
2. The Struggle Bus – This one is hosted by Katharine Heller and Sally Tamarkin, and is a self-care/mental health advice podcast. I actually wrote in to them once! But I won’t tell you the nickname used for me. Sorry.
3. The Hot Mess Comedy Hour
4. Ramble On Radio: The Led Zeppelin Podcast (Be honest… you’re not really surprised that I listen to a Led Zeppelin podcast…)
5. Special Sauce with Ed Levine – Do you like food? Are you a foodie? Listen to this podcast hosted by the head of Serious Eats!
6. The Weekly Planet
7. SinCast – Presented by CinemaSins
8. World Tea Podcast
9. My Japanese Green Tea
10. Talking Tea
11. Doctor Who: Verity!
12. Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro
13. Doctor Who: Gallifrey Public Radio
If you love Doctor Who, you should probably be listening to the above three podcasts. They are all awesome.
Like I said… I listen to a lot of podcasts… and I pretty much listen to all of them at 2x speed. Which has done this thing to me that, now, podcasts playing at 1x/normal speed sound strange to me. Like… they sound like slow motion.
But what about you? What podcasts do you listen to?
Oh, I love Inquiring Minds podcast! Really enjoy that one. I also love Monster Talk.
I wish I had more time to listen to podcasts because there are so many good ones.
The Bible Geek, by Robert M Price. You email questions about religion, myths and their relation to society, and he answers with encyclopedic knowledge. He’s also a fan and expert on comic books and Lovecraft. Price is a christ mystcist -- one who argues that not only is Christ a myth, but the historical Jesus didn’t exist either.
And, a surprise, Price is that rarity, an intelligent right-winger. Socially very liberal, but has no time for liberal “muslim apologists” or Obama-fans. If you want to engage with a right-winger who *isn’t* a mouth-breathing Trump supporter, it’s quite refreshing.
http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/biblegeek.php
I track philosophy bites, the memory palace, and philosophize this! Also, hardcore history and backstory.
I don’t believe you actually listen to all of those; that’d be a full time job!!
Marcus Ranum @ #3:
Oh I absolutely do listen to all of them… at 2x speed. And they don’t all update at the same time, which also helps. On average day I’m listening to maybe half. I don’t think I’ve ever had all 40 at the same time in playlist cue…
hello -- I’ve only recently begun checking out your blog, and intend to do so more often! I have a great fondness for podcasts as well, and here are a few that may interest other readers, in no order in terms of genre, content, etc:
Our National Conversation About Conversations About Race -- an American show. The title pretty much says it all
Edge of Sports -- I like sports, and this podcast addresses the intersections of sport and politics. One example: the host, Dave Zirin, did a series of excellent stories from and about the Rio Olympics -- the evictions, the corruption, etc.
ProPublica Podcast -- investigative journalism in the U.S.
Science For the People -- a weekly hour-long investigation into one science topic, with experts in the fields
setisoppO -- “Opposites” spelled backward. This is the new podcast from the hosts of the wonderfully irreverent Sundays Supplement (also recommended). In each episode, Iszi Lawrence and Simon Dunn discuss what is the opposite of, for instance, Wednesday, or crocodiles, or Sgt. Pepper’s, or…you get the idea.
Surviving Scientology -- new releases are very far apart, but if you have any interest in Scientology from former insiders, it’s pretty interesting.
The BBC has numerous excellent podcasts, such as: The Inquiry -- a weekly show addressing a topical question in depth; Thinking Allowed -- cutting edge social science research; Radio 4 General Knowledge Quiz -- highbrow panel quiz shows, some of which I prefer over others, but they are all entertaining; The Infinite Monkey Cage -- science and humor!; and many more. OH! I should mention the short-lived Body On The Moor -- a fascinating investigation into determining the identity of a person found dead on, yes, a moor, with no ID, etc.
For those in Seattle, or interested in Seattle: Hella Black Hella Seattle -- what it says; Blabbermouth, the podcast of local paper The Stranger
The Allusionist -- Helen Zaltzman goes in depth to explain the origins of words and phrases, among other linguistic turns.
The “New Books In _____ Studies” collection can be pretty interesting. For example, a recent episode of “New Books In Gender Studies” features an interview with Michelle Cruz Gonzales, who was in the feminist hardcore band Spitboy (my musical tastes run the gamut from punk to hardcore to crust to grind to sXe to ambient black metal to, yeah, stuff like that).
There are all the usual, popular atheist and skeptic shows that everyone knows which I will not name here. I just wanted to lay out a few suggestions that might not be on people’s radar.
Two final podcasts that I can’t recommend unreservedly, but I enjoy: Do The Right Thing -- a live British comedy podcast where the humor is ribald, to say the least, and may not be to everyone’s liking; Radio Free GOP -- a recent addition to the world of podcasts, hosted by a long-time Republican strategist, who bemoans the current state of his party. If he had any sense, he would have bemoaned it decades ago, but it is interesting, at least for me, to hear what is basically the inside scoop from him and his guests. He has the connections to get pretty powerful behind-the-scenes people on, so if one has any interest in the sausage making of American politics, this provides more than a glimpse.
Thanks for the opportunity to share, and thanks for the recommendations from yourself and others!
Just discovered the Sci-fi serial Dramedy Wolf 539. Very fun hard sf with a funny pop culture edge.
And in politics I swear by The Professional Left with Driftglass and Bluegal, if you listen to Best of the Left you probably hear them there.