Podcasting Call
My friend used to say that Howard Stern was the "perfect background noise" for grinding online poker, and I tend to agree that talk radio really is the best form of entertainment to get through the solitary nature of playing poker all day on the internet.
Of course I need a high volume of music in my life, but listening to a conversation, a rant, or an interview allows the hours to go by more seamlessly. I wind up feeling somewhat engaged with the outside world, and for whatever reasons, it also helps me focus on the game I'm playing.
Luckily for me, we are in the midst of a podcasting boom, with dozens of mostly comedic personalities engaging in DIY broadcasting and the end product showing up on your iTunes folder on a regular basis.
Julie Klausner - How Was Your Week?
What I like: Klausner is the best thing going in podcasting right now. Her broadcasting style manages to be both stream-of-consciousness and intensely focused. It's a rundown of everything that interests her culturally and philosophically, whether it's feminism or Judaism, Broadway productions or reality TV. She's also extremely witty.
She often invites a guest on the show to focus on a single tangent, like the time she had Patton Oswalt on to discuss the themes and mores in the movie Splash. Ultimately, you get the sense that you are eavesdropping on a couple of intelligent New Yorkers having a fully enriched conversation about whatever.
What I don't like: The bed music she uses reminds me of "We Didn't Start the Fire," which then gets stuck in my head.
Marc Maron - WTF With Marc Maron
What I like: Maron's twice-weekly podcast might as well be the blueprint for the current day comedian's podcast. It mostly consists of him having conversations with a variety of comic and show-business personalities, and the results are usually very funny, often poignant, and occasionally enlightening.
Embracing a heart-on-his-sleeve neurosis and not shying away from the ever-present existential crisis that seems to occupy his headspace, he has shared the triumphs and failures of his career with the audience along the way. It's actually been pretty great to see Maron (whose comedy I loved back during the "alternative comedy" boom) reemerge in this format as a serious and successful interviewer who manages to hit upon both the sublime and the mundane aspects of his guests' life with equal clarity.
What I don't like: Sometimes, Maron's interviews feel too agenda-driven, and there are times when I'd like him to let the conversation breath a little bit more.
Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer - You Had to Be There
What I like: Unabashedly raunchy, loosely formatted, this podcast is like listening to two women have a conversation in which they're grappling with their insecurities while simultaneously shedding those insecurities, leaving behind raw, hilarious honesty.
Their guests are often lesser known comedians, some of whom are still working day jobs, and I especially relate to Glaser as a sort of long lost sister, as she reports on the low-lights of her journey through life, like getting arrested for smoking pot outside of a NYC club or having to move back in with her parents as she struggles with life as a road comic.
What I don't like: Inconsistency. Lately, the show has not been popping up in my iTunes according to its regular schedule, and that is a fairly important aspect of podcasting.
The Sklar Brothers - Sklarbro Country
What I like: Comedy meets sports meets referential humor, with a send-up to close out each episode. The twins Randy and Jason Sklar have a really enjoyable flow, and you certainly don't need to be a sports fan to enjoy this show. In reality, sports is just a starting point for the brothers to riff endlessly.
What I don't like: Sometimes, it can be hard to focus on the comedic content as they vigorously run down news items on the absurd behavior of professional athletes, and I'll have to rewind to catch the subtleties.
Jesse Thorn - Bullseye with Jesse Thorn (formerly The Sound of Young America)
What I like: Straightforward, well-structured interviews with the gamut of entertainers. Whether he's talking to Weird Al or Carrie Fisher, Dick Cavett or Daryl Hall, Thorn really knows his interview subject, and results are predictably engaging. He generally doesn't plumb the depths of the human condition like Marc Maron, but the subject matter is so rich in and of itself, he doesn't really need to. His breadth of knowledge is nothing short of impressive.
What I don't like: That breadth of knowledge comes off too polished sometimes, and as a result, his level of engagement can feel a bit stuffy.
Tom Scharpling, Maggie Serota and Daniel Ralston - Low Times Podcast
What I like: A newcomer in the field with only a few episodes on iTunes so far, this biweekly podcast features interviews with a variety of musical personalities by each of the hosts. Tom Scharpling (whose Best Show on WFMU, also a podcast, would make the list if it were not a terrestrial radio show) is something of a renaissance man and a living legend of underground broadcasting.
So far, Scharpling and his co-hosts Maggie Serota and Daniel Ralston have produced some excellent interviews with a variety of musical personalities whose music they clearly know well and love.
What I don't like: I'm not exactly on the cutting edge of new music these days, and I'm often not familiar with the music beforehand, so I am not as immediately interested in the subjects.
***
Honorable mentions: Doug Loves Movies, This American Life (not great for poker but great), Walking the Room, Fitzdog Radio.
What are your favorites?
Of course I need a high volume of music in my life, but listening to a conversation, a rant, or an interview allows the hours to go by more seamlessly. I wind up feeling somewhat engaged with the outside world, and for whatever reasons, it also helps me focus on the game I'm playing.
Luckily for me, we are in the midst of a podcasting boom, with dozens of mostly comedic personalities engaging in DIY broadcasting and the end product showing up on your iTunes folder on a regular basis.
Julie Klausner - How Was Your Week?
What I like: Klausner is the best thing going in podcasting right now. Her broadcasting style manages to be both stream-of-consciousness and intensely focused. It's a rundown of everything that interests her culturally and philosophically, whether it's feminism or Judaism, Broadway productions or reality TV. She's also extremely witty.
She often invites a guest on the show to focus on a single tangent, like the time she had Patton Oswalt on to discuss the themes and mores in the movie Splash. Ultimately, you get the sense that you are eavesdropping on a couple of intelligent New Yorkers having a fully enriched conversation about whatever.
What I don't like: The bed music she uses reminds me of "We Didn't Start the Fire," which then gets stuck in my head.
Marc Maron - WTF With Marc Maron
What I like: Maron's twice-weekly podcast might as well be the blueprint for the current day comedian's podcast. It mostly consists of him having conversations with a variety of comic and show-business personalities, and the results are usually very funny, often poignant, and occasionally enlightening.
Embracing a heart-on-his-sleeve neurosis and not shying away from the ever-present existential crisis that seems to occupy his headspace, he has shared the triumphs and failures of his career with the audience along the way. It's actually been pretty great to see Maron (whose comedy I loved back during the "alternative comedy" boom) reemerge in this format as a serious and successful interviewer who manages to hit upon both the sublime and the mundane aspects of his guests' life with equal clarity.
What I don't like: Sometimes, Maron's interviews feel too agenda-driven, and there are times when I'd like him to let the conversation breath a little bit more.
Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer - You Had to Be There
What I like: Unabashedly raunchy, loosely formatted, this podcast is like listening to two women have a conversation in which they're grappling with their insecurities while simultaneously shedding those insecurities, leaving behind raw, hilarious honesty.
Their guests are often lesser known comedians, some of whom are still working day jobs, and I especially relate to Glaser as a sort of long lost sister, as she reports on the low-lights of her journey through life, like getting arrested for smoking pot outside of a NYC club or having to move back in with her parents as she struggles with life as a road comic.
What I don't like: Inconsistency. Lately, the show has not been popping up in my iTunes according to its regular schedule, and that is a fairly important aspect of podcasting.
The Sklar Brothers - Sklarbro Country
What I like: Comedy meets sports meets referential humor, with a send-up to close out each episode. The twins Randy and Jason Sklar have a really enjoyable flow, and you certainly don't need to be a sports fan to enjoy this show. In reality, sports is just a starting point for the brothers to riff endlessly.
What I don't like: Sometimes, it can be hard to focus on the comedic content as they vigorously run down news items on the absurd behavior of professional athletes, and I'll have to rewind to catch the subtleties.
Jesse Thorn - Bullseye with Jesse Thorn (formerly The Sound of Young America)
What I like: Straightforward, well-structured interviews with the gamut of entertainers. Whether he's talking to Weird Al or Carrie Fisher, Dick Cavett or Daryl Hall, Thorn really knows his interview subject, and results are predictably engaging. He generally doesn't plumb the depths of the human condition like Marc Maron, but the subject matter is so rich in and of itself, he doesn't really need to. His breadth of knowledge is nothing short of impressive.
What I don't like: That breadth of knowledge comes off too polished sometimes, and as a result, his level of engagement can feel a bit stuffy.
What I like: A newcomer in the field with only a few episodes on iTunes so far, this biweekly podcast features interviews with a variety of musical personalities by each of the hosts. Tom Scharpling (whose Best Show on WFMU, also a podcast, would make the list if it were not a terrestrial radio show) is something of a renaissance man and a living legend of underground broadcasting.
So far, Scharpling and his co-hosts Maggie Serota and Daniel Ralston have produced some excellent interviews with a variety of musical personalities whose music they clearly know well and love.
What I don't like: I'm not exactly on the cutting edge of new music these days, and I'm often not familiar with the music beforehand, so I am not as immediately interested in the subjects.
***
Honorable mentions: Doug Loves Movies, This American Life (not great for poker but great), Walking the Room, Fitzdog Radio.
What are your favorites?
posted by Shane Schleger at 6:09 PM
11 Comments:
THE MOTH.
Also, no love for Nerdist and Adam Carolla?
If one associate in a group is innovative enough to record free Internet telephone interactions or convention calls.
Wow... Im surprised you havent heard of No Agenda with Adam Curry and John C Dvorak.
These two guys have such good chemistry.
Joe Rogans podcast, I'm a huge fan of it and he has some interesting guests. I have no idea if you are into anything MMA related but he talks about a lot of other topics as well and has some interesting views on life.
This year I got into the Bugle (http://www.thebuglepodcast.com/), featuring John Oliver (from the Today Show, dunno if he's famous or not?) and his old stand-up partner in the uk. It is/was the comedy podcast from the (London) Times, but they gave the New International scandals some pretty withering coverage, all the same. UK comedy, so I dunno how well it would cross the Atlantic.
Unfortunately, the Times cut its sponsorship, so its future is somewhat in doubt. Time will tell whether it survives.
Personally, I tired on This American Life a lot. When it's good, it's great, but a lot of it is very samey.
Mike and Tom Eat Snacks (MATES)
http://matescast.com
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/mike-tom-eat-snacks/id417759145
Each week Michael Ian Black (The State, Stella) and Tom Cavanaugh (Ed) eat, discuss, and rate a snack, kind of like Siskel and Ebert and The Movies. This narrow format is a starting point for absurd, hillarious, often fictitious stories covering all sorts of subjects: how Ian McShane stole the role of Swearengen on Deadwood from one of the hosts, the best way to murder each other, and what it's like to make it big in the "snack game".
This show is some of the best comedy happening right now, not only in podcast land but anywhere. These two expert entertainers come up with better material extemporaneously than most comedy writers could come up with in a week. Anyone who appreciates absurd humor will love it.
I like This Week with Larry Miller.
I also second The Moth which has a terrible name but it is "true stories told live with no notes". Some of the stories people tell can be very emotional.
I also like Adam Carolla, The Joe Rogan Experience and Mohr Stories (which can be hit and miss).
How to Do Everything, The Moth, and The Splendid Table.
Corolla and Rogan
Nice. Needed some new podcasts to try. I like Adam Carollas, Kevin n Bean, Hollywood Babble-on, Mohr Stories, and WTF with Marc Maron. All really well done podcasts.
Thank you so much for this post. I listen to Sirius and it seems like recently all my favourite shows are getting cancelled. I'll be checking some of these out! Nothing better than good talk radio to help pass the time grinding or on long road trips.
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