Podcast listening

I go on binges of podcasts on a regular basis, usually when my podcast fetcher has filled up with quite a few episodes. Recently I realized I was really behind, which is a bit of an odd thing to say, but I wanted to listen to them all, but just hadn’t been. Here are some one off episodes of things I liked and few that I’ve been listening to the full seasons.

How Do We Survive the Media Apocaplypse?

I’d never listened to the Search Engine podcast, but this episode was linked by quite a few people I trust, leading me to download it. It’s an older episode but still really relevant if you are at all interested in thoughts about media and how things are going and what a way forward is for folks who want to write, think, share, do journalism, etc. Ezra Klein is the guest and what I found most interesting is his clear eyed view of the 2010s and how media companies were doing during that time. In addition I think he’s right, what you as a consumer click on and where you spend time is how you show what you care about, something I’ve thought about a lot recently.

The Economic Theory That Explains Why Americans Are So Mad

I listen occasionally to the Ezra Klein Show when the guest is interesting (obviously since I just linked to an episode and now I’m linking to another one), and this episode caught my attention because I’ve enjoyed Annie Lowry’s writing about the economy quite a bit. It’s a really wide ranging conversation but I learned a lot and I’m still thinking about the wide differences there are in how people experience the economy.

Significant Others

This podcast is so good. Each episode looks at a person who is connected to someone famous but you probably know nothing about them. I love it. People discussed include the wife of Benedict Arnold, the man who planned the March on Washington in 1963, the husband of Amelia Earhart, and more. I really enjoy them and have learned a lot of interesting things about the people and stories surrounding historic figures.

Wiser than Me

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of my favorite actors and last year I discovered she was doing a podcast talking to older women to learn from them and I listened to them all. The second season is out now and I’m enjoying these episodes as well. I’ll admit that sometimes my favorite part is the introduction by Louis-Dreyfus but usually at least some part of the interview grabs me as well.

Decoder Ring

Gonna admit that I’m pretty sure this podcast plays on my Gen X nostalgia, but I don’t really care as I laugh out loud so much when listening and love it. Decoder ring takes cultural mysteries and tries to figure out what was happening with them. For example: why don’t teens slow dance anymore (yes, that’s right, they don’t and I had no idea) or what is a bookazine or what type of impact did Captain Planet cartoons have or how did subversive art get on to Melrose Place? Highly recommend this as they’re fun.