Time for another round of podcast episode recs! Typically when a podcast is recommended to me, I’m a little overwhelmed and not sure where to start. Even with my own, I did a “recommended favorites so you can start here” list at the top of the page. And, btw, if you’re looking for more romance-focused podcasts to try, I have a page collecting them at RomancePodcasts.com.
So let’s talk podcast episodes that have been rocking our brains, shall we?
Coffee With My Ma – I binge-watched Letterkenny recently, which meant that I then started Googling the show and the actors. Kaniehtiio Horn, who plays Tanis, has a new podcast where her mother, radical Mohawk activist Kahentinetha Horn tells stories of her life.
And holy cow the stories. I’ve listened two the first two episodes so far, and both are fascinating as narratives and as a historical perspective on life in the 50s a young Mohawk woman, then as a radical activist and as a walking target (literally). But in addition to the perspective on Indigenous Canadian history from the point of view of one (incredible) person, what I love is the feeling of being invited into a family kitchen while there are stories being told, with laughter and outrage and excellent sarcasm. There are moments where Kaniehtiio or maybe one of her relatives says in the background, ‘Is this this story about that guy? I love this story!’ It’s a kind of intimacy that I find incredible and often unique to podcasts.
You can find Coffee With My Ma on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Radio Public.
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I’m not sure where I first heard about Dick Flicks, but I think it might have been on Friendshipping or on Double Love. Either way: feminist re-examination of classic “dude-centric” films? I’m in! The description speaks perfectly for itself: the show is “a podcast about examining movies geared toward (cis)men/dudes through the lens of queer feminism and humor!” Alternate description: “The podcast where queer ladies pick apart Dude Movies for bloodsport.”
And the host bios are tops, too: “Jenna Bradley is a standup comedian and full-time asexual panromantic boner-killer with a day job that she nearly quits on the reg,” and “Kathryn Burns is a bipolar, polyamorous, pansexual, cat-collecting novelist, feminist warlord, and wannabe programmer who uses entirely too many descriptors in the hopes that you’ll think she’s too busy and interesting to take two naps a day.” I don’t know if anything I could say in addition would top that. I listened to the episode on American Pie and nearly choke-laughed several times.
You can find Dick Flicks on their website, and on Apple Podcasts.
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And finally, a podcast that was recently announced and I plotzed several times: Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom have teamed up for a podcast called Hear to Slay: “a black feminist podcast, with an intersectional perspective on celebrity, culture, politics, art, life, love and more.” Guests will include Natasha Rothwell, Gabrielle Union, Audra McDonald, Sarah Paulson, Ava DuVernay, and Gloria Calderón Kellett.
The podcast is available on the Luminary podcast app, which is free, and also has a premium subscription for $7.99 per month. And if I’m reading correctly, this show will be part of the Luminary Originals, which are accessible only through the subscription service.
What podcast episodes are you really into lately? Any recommendations to share?
Mission to Zyxx has been making me so happy these past few weeks – sketch comedy science fiction that’s funny without being mean. Truly delightful.
Ologies just did a podcast on hagfish- haven’t finished listening but so far it’s great.
I have been really enjoying podcasts and trying to avoid politics and stuff that stresses me out (prolonged down period) so this is a perfect post for me!
99% invisible you almost can’t go wrong, but the one on the Chrysler building is wonderful. https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/higher-and-higher/
Reply All consistently puts out amazing podcasts, i’d recommend Long Distance to start. https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/emhw25/102-long-distance-parts-1-2
I’d recommend The Pitch if you like shark tank, you really can jump in anywhere but suggest starting at the beginning.
The Cut,I love you I love you I love you for romance fans 🙂
The dropout series is short and fascinating
I have been delighting in switched on pop – hop in wherever there is music you like, but I really liked the barbershop quartet one and also the a cappella.
Others I am listening to are every little thing, against the rules, Daniel and Jorge explain the universe, imaginary worlds, in our time, motherhood sessions, radio lab, invisibilia. I have a long commute :). All of those you can hop in wherever.
David Tennant has a podcast where he interviews celebrities. He’s pretty good at interviewing, and since he’s talking with people he knows, they are fairly open and entertaining. My favorites so far are Catherine Tate (because the two of them were my favorite thing about Doctor Who), and Michael Sheen (in part because I cannot WAIT for their Good Omens, but also because he was funny and interesting to listen to).
I love Stuff You Missed In History Class- two super smart, super engaging women who do impeccable research.
Another favorite is ‘Mortified’ – people read excerpts from their Jr. High/ High School journals in front of a live audience. Some episodes are sad, but overall it’s hilarious and it makes me feel really connected to humanity as a whole.
I also love 99% Invisible! Episode 65, Razzle Dazzle, is one I’ve successfully recommended to my retired father. I loved it, too: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/episode-65-razzle-dazzle/
From recent episodes of Planet Money I recommend #905 The Chicago Boys Part 1 and #906 The Chicago Boys Part 2 (CW for discussions of violence and torture), #903 A New Way to Pay for College, #901 Bad Cops are Expensive.
From This American Life I recommend #672 No Fair!
From Radiolab, I recommend Loops, For Whom the Cowbell Tolls, and Americanish
I like food podcasts, but the only one I *love* is Spilled Milk. It’s by two food writers in Seattle and they are hilarious and incredibly informative. They will talk about anything, from braised vegetables to Cool Ranch Doritos, and manage to turn anything into a sexual innuendo (but not in a gross or annoying way).
Oops forgot to recommend an episode. Episode 52: Apples is a good place to start. The earlier episodes aren’t as funny because they were still figuring the show out, but this episode inspired a long-running inside joke in the show.
Also episode 215: Croutons
My favorite episode of the Death Sex and Money podcast is actually one with a guest interviewer, when Diane Morris, a Black mom with two autistic sons interviews a white police officer who also has an autistic child. I love all of the episodes with Diane, she’s refreshingly honest about her parenting challenges. I also love when Sonia Manzano from Sesramr Street interviews Justice Sotomayor. Those two are poignant, but for a funnier episode Lisa Ling interviewed Awkwafina recently.
Read-weep.com the best ones are about garbage movies like Thankskilling, but the episode about Hocus Pocus is also hilarious (especially when they discuss Thackery Binx’s kitty sex life)
Thanks so much for recommending “Coffee With Ma”. As a Canadian it’s amazing to get some historical context from an Indigenous Woman’s POV. Hearing names like the Telegram and Peter Gzowski and how they treated Indigenous women and the culture in general (Gzowski good, Telegram bad) helps to heal the terrible tragedy of how the Canadian establishment treated its Native people. It will be a long road but witnessing stories like this is a balm.
@Ashley
I need to listen to that because that cat was my second crush (first crush was Kirk Cameron ew)