Your Favorite Podcasts, and Recommendations

[chet_manley]

Hello all,

I listen to a lot of podcasts. A lot. I'm always looking for new additions to the circuit. Let me know what some of your favorites are and I'll share a few as well!

History and Geography

Spoiler

• Dan Carlin?s Hardcore History
  • Start with ?Blueprint for Armageddon,? which I talked about at lunch. Six parts, totaling about 25 hours, about the history of World War I and its implications on modern life.
• Common Sense with Dan Carlin
  • Shorter episodes than Hardcore History, this one is more Carlin?s take on current events and various ?what if?? scenarios.
• Revisionist History
  • Malcolm Gladwell (author of The Tipping Point, Blink) investigates anomalies in history and questions why they aren?t parts of the human narrative. Like Gladwell?s books, there is a decent amount of anecdotal evidence to describe sociological and psychological trends.
• NPR Politics Podcast
  • Probably doesn?t need an explanation.

Art and Leisure

Spoiler

• 99% Invisible
  • A podcast about how unseen art fashions our subconscious and dictates our decisions. Love them all, but the ?McMansions? episode is what got me hooked.
• How I Built This with Guy Raz
  • Guy Raz hosts introspective interviews with entrepreneurs and company founders. A good way to feel like you haven?t accomplished enough.
• Off Camera with Sam Jones
  • Well, every once in a while you may want to turn your brain off and see what your favorites celebrities think about this or that. As an interviewer, Sam Jones does a great job driving the narratives in unique directions.
• You Must Remember This
  • Karina Longworth looks back at the forgotten histories of early Hollywood. Secrets and scandals abound.
• Decoder Ring
  • A new Slate podcast that looks into cultural mysteries. Only three episodes in, and they have all been great.
• West Wing Weekly
  • Joshua Molina (who plays Will Bailey starting in season 4) and Hrishikesh Hirway discuss The West Wing episode-by-episode. They often bring on stars to discuss the plot arcs and roles and behind-the-scenes stuff as well.
• Song Exploder
  • Hrishikesh Hirway sits down with musicians to break down the creation and composition of singular songs. Pick and choose the ones you are interested in, because there is a lot of pop/punk/EDM.

True Crime

Spoiler

• Serial
  • The podcast that made podcasts cool. Sarah Koenig investigates the murder of Hae-Min Lee (season 1) and the Bowe Bergdahl desertion and capture (season 2). Amazing investigative journalism and Koenig has the perfect radio voice.
• Crime Town
  • Though the approach feels a bit rudimentary at times, Crime Town tells the story of the mob in New England, largely focusing on the Patriarca Crime Family and Buddy Cianci, and Providence, Rhode Island?s place in American gangland history.
• S-Town
  • A reporter receives an e-mail from an eccentric man in Alabama about an unsolved murder in his town. Reporter Brian Reed investigates and finds himself deep in the inter-workings of the town and the eccentric?s life.

Sports

Spoiler

• 30 for 30 Podcasts
  • Behind the scenes looks and introspectives on famous scenes in sports. If you only listen to one, listen to ?A Queen of Sorts.?
• Effectively Wild: A Fangraphs Podcast
  • Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan recount the current happenings in baseball. Dive into data, history, etc. Plus sometimes I they work on stuff I contributed.
• The PosCast
  • Michael Schur (Executive Producer of The Office, Parks and Recreation) and Joe Posnanski talk sports and draft random things. A total time-waster, and they?ll make sure to remind you.
• The Infinite Inning
  • The closest thing to a Dan Carlin podcast about baseball, Steven Goldman talks about the history of the game and about helplessness.
• Stolen Signs
  • Baseball Prospectus discusses advanced statistics and the stories they tell.
• The Wheelhouse with Jerry Dipoto
  • Jerry Dipoto is the General Manager of the Seattle Mariners. You don?t have to like the Mariners, but he is the only General Manager who has his own podcast. A great look into the interworkings of a front office.

Fiction

Spoiler

• Homecoming
  • Awesome cast with Catherine Keener, David Schwimmer, Oscar Isaac, David Cross, Alia Shawkat, Michael Cera. Fictional story with a Total Recall/Serenity feel in a modern world.
• Sandra
  • Alia Shawkat, Kristin Wiig, and Ethan Hawke front-line this science fiction show where our attachment to technology goes a little too far.

 

[blushpeony]

Casefile True Crime