On every road trip, I try to listen to a new podcast series. Podcasts are great for breaking up your go-to Spotify playlist that you’ve probably listened to hundreds of times. What I love about podcasts is the plethora of diversity that you can find; some subject matter may be contemplative, others comedic, and still others are designed to be useful. So I asked the our team to share some favorite podcasts for your listening (and learning) pleasure!
Say your New Year’s Resolution back in January was to better yourself, and here you are in the middle of Q4, realizing that you haven’t intellectually progressed at all. Enter in Stuff You Should Know, a podcast solely dedicated to giving you helpful information that you probably–you guessed it–should know (but don’t. Honestly, no one does before listening to these). Ranging from 20 minutes to an hour in length, these podcasts are released on the namesake’s website every few days and discuss topics like diabetes, recommended web articles, and what to do if you find yourself stuck in a cave–hint: read this last one before you go on your next spelunking trip. Find survival skills and other great knowledge here.
Near a cave entrance, you might find bugs, bats, fish, and birds to eat, but they’re very hard to catch, and the energy you expend in vain trying to catch them may cost you more calories than you gain.
S-Town has acquired something akin to a cult-like following for its wit as well as gritty background. Exploring “Shittown,” Alabama’s murder mystery involving a man who seems to have committed the cardinal sin with no repercussions, reporter Brian Reed works with John, a cynical yet lovable local, to solve the case. This podcast is anything but the stereotypical murder mystery, however, and instead critiques the Southern stereotype in a way that can only be respected for its unassuming, calculatingly lowbrow manner. Somewhere in this winding journey, the tone moves from conversational to introspective as Reed dives down into the dark waters of justice, or lack of. What you might be surprised to find, though, is that this story may not revolve around the character you think. If you like Serial, another favorite podcast of mine, you’ll love S-Town, the newest installation of Serial Productions. You can find all chapters on the podcast’s page.
Something’s happened. Something has absolutely happened in this town. There’s just too much little crap for something not to have happened. And I’m about had enough of Shittown and the things that goes on.
The Moth collects stories told nationwide during their weekly “Moth Radio Hour,” hosted in pubs across the country. Storytellers give accounts of their own personal mishaps, awakenings, and lessons learned, and the New York City-based company then compiles the best stories from the week and combines them into a podcast. Some stories will have you laughing, some crying, and some questioning what you know. All stories, though, are worth listening to, either on the Moth’s website or on their Spotify channel. This podcast actually got me through an eight hour drive painlessly, so it’s a personal favorite.
I knew that I couldn’t fly that airplane. I knew it would be dangerous to myself and maybe other people and I couldn’t fly it. On the other hand if I said I couldn’t fly it, they’d pull my wings, I certainly wouldn’t…that whole part of my life would, would deteriorate.
