August 17, 2017: Podcast Episode Recommendations

In our first installment of Podcast and Episode recommendations, my playlist grew by giant leaps and piles of downloaded audio – thank you for all the suggestions!

I have a few more episodes to suggest this week, especially because I found these to be very thought provoking – sometimes enough to listen to multiple times.

So, let’s get started!

Lifehacker The UpgradeLifehacker’s podcast The Upgrade has been changing in subtle ways – there’s a new co-host, and there’s more discussion between the co-hosts before they get to the interview. I’m not sold on either combination, to be honest.

The interviews are the best part, however, and there are three episodes I really enjoyed that I’d like to tell you about.

First: Why Your Awkwardness Is Secretly a Social Asset, With Ty Tashiro was a brilliant interview. Tashiro is compassionate towards the emotional pain of social awkwardness, and also scientific in his approach and analysis, a combination I found very compelling.

Tashiro’s book, Awkward: The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), is now on my TBR, but if you only listen to the podcast, there are many kind and soothing pieces of advice, and techniques to examine your own perception of your awkwardness. I recommended this episode to about six people while I was listening to it.

Other interviews that are excellent from this series:

And one of my favorites that I’ve also listened to multiple times: Charles Duhigg on Self-Motivation, Mental Models, and Getting Stuff Done. There’s one moment where he talks about the desk of 50 years ago that I think about constantly.

You can find Lifehacker: The Upgrade on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you access your fine podcasts.

The Racist Sandwich podcast logoAmanda also has a suggestion:

I’d like to recommend the Racist Sandwich podcast, which discusses food and its connection to race. It’s really fascinating!

They have guests like food photographers, cookbook authors, etc.

Episode 20: Taking in New Orleans in the Age of Trump is where I started because of this LitHub article, “Talking in New Orleans in the Age of Trump,” written by Maurice Carlos Ruffin.

Racist Sandwich is available at iTunes, Stitcher, and in your friendly local podcast app.

Hey Sis podcast logoElyse really likes the podcast Hey, Sis, which features two sisters (you guessed it!) in a conversation-style podcast. From their description:

We’re Nicole and Nailah Blades, two sisters who are 12 years apart, living 3,000 miles apart, but who still manage to talk everyday about so many different things. We thought it’d be cool to add other folks, like you, into this ongoing conversation.

In particular, Elyse recommends episode 4, “Read ’em, Honey,”  wherein they interviewed Glory Edim of The Well Read Black Girl, a Brooklyn based book club.

You can find Hey Sis on Stitcher, iTunes, and your podcast app-land.

Slate Culture GabfestSlate’s Culture Gabfest podcast has a lot of different and interesting episodes, but my favorites are the Hit Parade episodes, which are nerdy deep dives into popular music.

First: Hit Parade: The Imperial Elton and George Edition looks at the “imperial period” of Elton John and George Michael – the period at which they were so popular their music was an instant hit, regardless of what it was. The episode also looks at their friendship, and I got teary listening to it at the end – and built the mother of all playlists from some of the songs sampled.

Then, Hit Parade: The Charity Megasingle Edition:

In the mid-1980s, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and “We Are the World” gathered dozens of the biggest stars in music to put on a show for a good cause. The two songs spawned imitators, but today, the charity megasingle is a relic of pop music’s past, except around the holidays. This month, we examine how good intentions, pique, excess, and vanity led to the rise and fall of the do-gooder celebrity pop song.

If you’re a little like me, the prospect of a nerdy behind-the-scenes exploration of charity mega-singles sends a thrill right to your eardrums. Fear not, Canada, for Northern Lights is also mentioned – you’re not left out!

You can find Slate’s Culture Gabfest on iTunes, Stitcher, and all the nifty places you grab your podcasts.

(And though I’m pretty sure you know, I want to make sure to note that we also have a podcast, Smart Podcast, Trashy Books, and you can find all the details here at the site, or at iTunes or on Stitcher.)

So what episodes of what shows have rocked your brain lately? Anything you want to tell us about?

 

Comments are Closed

  1. Rebecca says:

    I have been loving the new season of revisionist history by Malcolm gladwell. He had an episode called “miss Buchanan’s period of adjustment” that was a very different take on brown vs board of education. One of the most fascinating things I have learned about all year.

  2. bev says:

    One of my very favorite podcasts is Desert Island Discs. Kristy Young is a great interviewer (plus a great voice), I believe Dustin Hoffman told her she should be his therapist during his. The guests are a great mix of celebrities, artists, politicians, scientist, etc. What i find is everyone has stories to tell.
    I just really recommend it.

  3. Emily C says:

    @Rebecca- you took one of my answers! 🙂 I am fascinated by Revisionist History and that episode was particularly poignant. Made me actually rethink the make up of mine and my kids’ public schools here in Florida.
    I also want to recommend a recent episode of Switched on Pop. I may be a little late on this one as it was from June 29th, but they did a great episode focused on the Lilith Fair from the late 90s and the breakout of female powered rockers at that time. Then they took a deep dive into Alanis Morrisette’s You Oughta Know. I listened and then went straight to iTunes to download the whole Jagged Little Pill album and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it, possibly finding it even more striking than when I was in high school.

  4. You know how Junior & Co. said they were “discussing adoption” at that meeting with the Russian lawyer? Well, did you know why adoptions from Russia became an issue? It’s a story about corruption and murder, told by NPR’s Planet Money. Episode #784: Meeting The Russians.

    And if you need a laugh (because 2017), check out NPR’s Live From The Poundstone Institute. Any episode. You will revel in science and ridiculousness. Maybe listen in private, because the snortlaughs are disturbing to fellow humans who cannot hear what you’re hearing.

  5. Stefanie Magura says:

    O my God! I think that Hit Parade podcast is up my alley. There’s even a Fab Four sweep episode on the Beatles!

  6. Emily C says:

    SB Sarah- thank you for the rec for Hit Parade: The Imperial Elton and George edition. I’ve been listening at work, trying desperately not to sing out loud and just itching to get home and put together a playlist of my own. You’ve made my afternoon!

  7. Caroline says:

    I really enjoyed the recent “Stuff Mom Never Told You” about the “men going their own way” movement. Made me wonder what was the Venn overlap between this movement and the tiki torch thugs in Charlottesville. Also really enjoyed the “Guilty Feminist” on male privilege, really funny (I promise!)

  8. Stefanie Magura says:

    My latest recommendations and I can’t remember if I found them here or not are: the Revolutions Podcasts which covers different historical revolutions such as the English Civil Wars and the American Revolution, Ben Franklin’s World about early America, The Bowery Boys about NYC history,, and the First about inventions such as the first soft drink or the first TV Dinner.

  9. Karin says:

    I am sorta related(by marriage) to Ty Tashiro, so it’s great to see him getting recognition!

  10. Hannah says:

    I’m loving these posts and comment threads! Podcasts are one of the things keeping me upright these days, and I’m always delighted to find new recommendations…

    I’ll throw a few on the pile:

    Reply All – Ostensibly about “The Internet” but fairly wide-ranging in scope. Highly recommend the episodes “In the Desert” and “Favor Atender” as places to start.

    99% Invisible – these are shortish (often ~20 minutes) explorations of the way design influences our lives. Start with episode 130, “Holdout.” You’ll cry.

    The Bodcast from Bustle – “about the experience of living in a body in 2017.” Wide ranging, sometimes uncomfortable, but fascinating.

    The Sporkful – “for eaters, not foodies,” fascinating conversations (sometimes with celebrities) about food and culture.

  11. Katie C. says:

    These were repeats from Planet Money but I would recommend the following episodes from this month: The Eddie Murphy Rule, Can You Patent a Steak, and The Anti-Store. A new episode of theirs from this month I would recommend is Robert and Kenny Go to the Fair.

    From the podcast Constitutional I would recommend the episodes Ancestry, Nationality and Race – which are 3 different episodes.

    From Radiolab, I recommend Breaking News (be warned that this will alarm the crap out if you – it is about new technologies that can manipulate video and sound to make anyone “say” or “do” anything.

    And if you are true fan of Disney World, I recommend Retro WDW’s podcast episode Riding on Sunshine – Universe of Energy which is an extremely deep dive into the original Universe of Energy attraction at Epcot. Disney announced last month that the ride will be replaced by a new Guardians of the Galaxy ride and this is a great farewell.

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