Podcasts

[RegularKarate]

So for a little over a year, I've been a part of this improvised sketch podcast, Victrola.
It's been pretty fun and we're finally touring and got a brief mention on huffpo. If you like Superego and the sort, check us out.
I don't know which is the right episode to start with since I'm a horrible judge of my own work, but I would choose an actual full episode as opposed to one of the in-betweeners.

victrolapod.com


All feedback welcome, but not necessary.

[polkablues]

I really like the concept of improv edited down into sketches. You get the spontaneity that makes improv great, minus all the countless ways in which improv is positively unbearable. The hyperfast pace of the editing is great, too, and gives it a really nice old-school radio comedy vibe.

I've only had a chance to listen to a little bit of one of the episodes, but I loved the FM radio DJ tryouts sketch. I will listen to more when time allows.

[RegularKarate]

I really like the concept of improv edited down into sketches. You get the spontaneity that makes improv great, minus all the countless ways in which improv is positively unbearable. The hyperfast pace of the editing is great, too, and gives it a really nice old-school radio comedy vibe.

I've only had a chance to listen to a little bit of one of the episodes, but I loved the FM radio DJ tryouts sketch. I will listen to more when time allows.

Thanks Polka!
For others, these episodes are pretty short (as I think non-conversational comedy podcasts should be).

[Jeremy Blackman]

It's fascinating to me when someone just decides to like something through sheer force of will. See this week's guest on Star Wars Minute.

http://www.starwarsminute.com

[Jeremy Blackman]

This randomly seems like a good time for a Current Favorites update. I'll do a Top 15.

Doesn't include public radio fare, such as This American Life, On The Media, and Radiolab.


1. The Flop House
2. The Flop House
3. The Flop House
4. Judge John Hodgman
5. Read It And Weep
6. Pop Culture Happy Hour
7. How Did This Get Made?
8. We Got This
9. Star Wars Minute
10. FiveThirtyEight Elections
11. Lexicon Valley
12. International Waters
13. Slate's Culture Gabfest
14. The Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
15. The Vulture TV Podcast

[Reelist]

This post is for JB


It was really cool to see My Favorite Murder top the comedy charts this weekend! It's a good listen if you like Sword and Scale or Last Podcast On The Left. They're very nonchalant about being obsessed with violent deaths, it's kinda the charm of the show. Great voices, too. Karen Kilgariff's especially, she played one of Barry's sisters over the phone in Punch Drunk Love.

Then, Rivers Cuomo's interview on 10% Happier was more in depth and interesting than anything Maron could've asked for. He really seems to capture him in his element, it is in his own house after all. I've gotten a lot of recommendations for Dan Harris' book of the same name, he seems to be on a mission to make meditation as practical of a tool as possible for people.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Excellent, I'll check out both of those!

My co-worker / podcast buddy has been absolutely vacuuming Last Podcast on the Left. He's listened to more than 100 episodes now. I recommended it to him after you recommended it to me, and it turns out to be his first real podcast obsession. So know that you've made someone's life richer and somewhat more profane.

[RegularKarate]

Oh, please give me some entry episodes for Last Podcast on the Left. I had a friend swear by it, but I couldn't get over the really cheap and offensive jokes (offensive only bothers me if it's not funny) they seemed to be into and couldn't make it through the episode I tried.

Gonna download that Cuomo episode of 10% happier.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I'm also not entirely over the cheap and offensive jokes. It helps if you realize Henry is doing that mostly to test his co-hosts to see when they'll stop him. But still, not great — sometimes I think it spoils the serious research that goes into the podcast.

In general I don't think they're that funny; their strength is creating a crystal clear picture of something, which is best done in their multi-part episodes. The H. H. Holmes episodes (200-202) stand out to me for their vividness. Their series on Dahmer was also good (122-124). The Waco episode (133) was totally illuminating for me, and they actually take it very seriously.

[Jeremy Blackman]

The latest Read It And Weep is one of their best in a while. If you're interested, this is a good place to start. (Just know that they have a cold open of sorts.)

Also... Last Podcast on the Left's 3-part series on Charles Manson is really good.

[wilder]

Was listening to this episode of UnFictional, "Ministry of Presence" again, that I first heard back in 2012 when it aired. It always stuck with me, really struck a chord, so much that I've revisited it a few times since. The first 5 minutes are among the most moving and haunting I can remember in a podcast.

The death penalty is an emotional and political issue, and it often pits the rights of victims of violent crime against those accused of committing violent crime, but most of us, thankfully, will never actually set foot in an execution chamber. On this episode of UnFictional, the story of a man who called the Death House his office. Carroll Pickett observed 95 executions as a minister at the Walls Prison unit in Huntsville, Texas; and after each one he recorded his own thoughts about sitting with a condemned man on his last day.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I could use some podcast recommendations. Something entertaining.

In turn, I'll recommend this episode of Dead Pilots Society — a reading of John Hodgman's "Only Child." It's a lot of fun. Hodgman always says "specificity is the soul of narrative," and he definitely follows his own rule here.

http://www.maximumfun.org/dead-pilots-society/episode-2-only-child-written-john-hodgman

[Jeremy Blackman]

For the second time, I am watching Top Chef for the sole purpose of listening to a Top Chef podcast: Pack Your Mics.

It's worth it. When I did this last season, I think that was one of my favorite podcast experiences ever.

I recommend doing things like this in general. For example, the Bald Move network has a lot of podcasts that would be good candidates. Mostly because they do such a deep dive into the content. Their Westworld podcasts run over 2 hours. (They also have the best Game of Thrones podcast.)

[Shughes]

Does anyone listen to Scriptnotes - a podcast about Screenwriting (and things that are interesting to Screenwriters)?

http://johnaugust.com/scriptnotes

I haven't seen it mentioned here, but I might have missed it. It's a great resource for writers but also one of the most entertaining podcasts around. The latest 20 episodes are always free and subscribers have access to 270+ back episodes. Highly recommended.

Also My Dad Wrote a Porno is pretty funny:

http://www.mydadwroteaporno.com/episodes/

[Jeremy Blackman]

I see what you did there, Stuff You Should Know. New episode is "How Dictators Work."