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Podcasts

Started by popcorn, July 09, 2017, 02:15:56 PM

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mothman

Well, I've heard more annoying voices on podcasts. Never really thought about it - her voice is as much part of he show as the story. Guess that happens if you grow up with a name like "Karina Lombard" (if that is her real name, wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't).

Small Man Big Horse

Just remembered Dead Pilots Society - http://www.Spam/shows/dead-pilots-society - where a bunch of well known US actors and comics (including Adam Scott, Laurie Metcalf,  Paul Scheer, and Paul F. Tompkins) perform table reads of unmade sitcoms by fairly famous writers like Victor Fresno, John Hodgman, Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, there's also interviews with the creators each time which make for a fascinating listen.

sprocket

Quote from: kittens on July 09, 2017, 08:34:48 PM
hollywood handbook best podcast

kittens is of course correct.

Ones that haven't been mentioned that I enjoy are the Guardian's football podcast, and the Bugle (at least when Nish Kumar isn't on).

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Phil_A on July 09, 2017, 05:15:36 PM
Recently I've been dipping to My Brother, My Brother and Me,  the McElroy brothers advice podcast. The best parts are when they try to respond to questions posted on Yahoo Answers, this one about some guy trying to explain his erotic Garfield fanart to his girlfriend is legendary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PExKw38rntw

Have you seen the SeeSo tv adaptation of this? I've just watched the first episode and enjoyed it a lot and was wondering how it compared to the podcast.

non capisco

Quote from: Sin Agog on July 09, 2017, 10:58:28 PM
Gah, I forgot how selective I am when it comes to whose voice I'll allow to caress my cochleas on an audiobook or podcast.  May have to switch off You Must Remember This thirty seconds in because the host has the most over the top bitchy Valley Girl lilt I've heard outside of a John Hughes movie.

She's not that bad! I quite like Karina's voice, especially when she's doing faintly contemptuous impressions. Wait til you hear the episode where she impersonates Alfred Hitchcock.

non capisco

Quote from: hewantstolurkatad on July 09, 2017, 10:08:28 PM
There are people who listen to cumtown that dont listen to chapo trap house?

I've dipped in and out of Chapo. Might have to give the UK election eps a listen.

Sin Agog

Quote from: non capisco on July 10, 2017, 07:46:54 AM
She's not that bad! I quite like Karina's voice, especially when she's doing faintly contemptuous impressions. Wait til you hear the episode where she impersonates Alfred Hitchcock.

I think the intro must have been recorded earlier than the actual content, as she dials it down later on.  Listening to her chat I wouldn't have a problem with at all, but whenever something's scripted I need a raspy-voiced old Englishman or I won't believe your filthy common lies!  Dunno if that comes from my dad plopping me down in front of nature docs so much as a kid instead of parenting me.  Digging that Secret Hollywood pod.  Surprised he didn't break each episode up into a dozen parts and plaster Casper Mattress adverts all over it.

hewantstolurkatad

Karina Longworth is very bad at the introductions, adverts, etc
Tbh I find it kinda charming how ridiculously she overcompensates (especially the ads, I've never heard anyone go so far with the "see, I actually use this shit"  stuff as some of hers).
Once you're into the actual content of the episode she's fine though.



I'd also suggest with podcasts to just get over needing those BBC voices in general. A large chunk of the easy listening US ones are done by NPR and they tend to be pretty wafer thin as far as content goes.

hedgehog90

Quote from: non capisco on July 09, 2017, 09:47:12 PM
Cum Town
Mainly to see if one day Adam will actually snap. And I find Nick Mullen a fascinating individual and still have no idea where the irony lines are and if they exist at all.

When it started it was my favourite podcast by far.
I've burnt out on it recently though. Nick is consistently great, but Adam and Stav are just crap for the most part. Stav's schtick in particular has grown incredibly wearing and annoying.
Can't stand that lad.

Hemulen

I'll second Doughboys wholeheartedly. As a vegetarian Englishman there is really no reason for me to be listening to Americans overanalysing the quality of Carls Jr cheeseburgers and whathaveyou, but Nick and Mitch's loving-yet-fractious relationship somehow makes it compelling listening.

The aforementioned Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown is hands down the best podcast panel show out there, but Do The Right Thing also deserves a mention. Host Danielle Ward is great (and her questions/script are wonderfully idiosyncratic) and she has a great rapport with the team captains so even episodes with weak guests tend to make for an enjoyable listen. I'd love to know if there are other decent podcast panel shows out there. I dip in and out of International Waters, but the calibre of guests is often pretty poor, making it a bit of a slog at times.

Oh No Ross and Carrie
A lot of fun and somewhat less smug than a lot of "sceptical" podcasts. It features two former evangelical Christians turned atheists who investigate various cults, religions, alternative therapies and "claims of the paranormal" by just showing up, joining in, then reporting back. They got a lot of attention for their Scientology investigation, but I find the episodes tackling lesser known groups more interesting in a lot of ways (Tony Alamo Ministries, Aetherius Society, OTO, etc.).

Do Go On
Three Australian comedians take it in turns to research a topic (either their own choice or a listener suggestion) and present a report to the others, who will interrupt and derail them with jokes and tangents. Good format, likeable hosts, but there's a few dud episodes here and there. I tend to skip episodes if I'm not interested in that week's topic.

Hello From The Magic Tavern
Improvised comedy set in a fantasy world. The premise is that host Arnie Niekamp has fallen through a portal into the magical world of Foon. When not looking to find a way home, he hosts a podcast from a tavern, interviewing the locals along with his co-hosts Chunt (a shapeshifter) and Usidore (standard wizard). The most extraordinary thing is their dedication to continuity which, given everything is improvised and their guests generally aren't superfans with a thorough knowledge of the inner workings of Foon, means that the regulars have to find interesting ways to contort and shape the world to continually "Yes and" every bizarre thing their guests come up with. The performers are all part of the Chicago improv scene so it also makes a nice change from the same old Earwolf/LA comedy regulars that you'll hear on most comedy podcasts.

hedgehog90

Quote from: popcorn on July 09, 2017, 02:15:56 PM
Waking Up with Sam Harris
Everyone here hates Sam Harris but I find him quite an interesting, thoughtful chap who Makes Me Think. I don't always agree with him, and a lot of the time I don't understand him.

I listen to this too and feel the same. He is an odd pup at times for sure.
Sometimes I'd go as far to say he enrages me, but by and large he does conduct some interesting and enjoyable chats.
He's open to criticism and takes it well, and his discussions are noticeably civil and without drama.
That said I've only listened to the last 10 episodes or so, this may be a recent development in his character.

popcorn

Quote from: hedgehog90 on July 10, 2017, 10:22:46 AM
I listen to this too and feel the same. He is an odd pup at times for sure.
Sometimes I'd go as far to say he enrages me, but by and large he does conduct some interesting and enjoyable chats.
He's open to criticism and takes it well, and his discussions are noticeably civil and without drama.
That said I've only listened to the last 10 episodes or so, this may be a recent development in his character.

There were two or three about a year ago that were a bit more spicy. They were both cases where he had people who actively oppose him on the show. Worth a listen.

Shit Good Nose

Only three regularly:
Buckles, of course;
Athletico Mince (although I'm a few behind);
The Dollop (I seem to remember it's not thought of very highly on CaB)

Maron I listen to when he has a guest I'm interested in (the Herzog one was excellent), unlike Buckles, which I always listen to regardless of who he has on there.  But otherwise I've never got what all the critical fuss about with it being the best thing ever.  He's just not funny or particularly interesting.  In my opinion.  Ditto Joe Rogan.

I used to listen to StarTalk, but a year or two ago Tyson seemed to start consuming his own smoke and develop an ego, at which point the whole show got a bit annoying.  Haven't gone back since.

Of the numerous others I've dipped my toes into, they've all been a bit try-hard (most American ones), interminably dull (most British ones), very repetitive (Stanhope, Bill Burr), or all of the above.

Would like to try My Favourite Murder, but it's fitting it in.

Wet Blanket


Buxton Obvs.
Athletico Mince Hilarious. Although imagine how even greater it would be if it was Vic and not the arsey guy off Twitter.
Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast This one's probably my current favourite. Showbiz old timers sharing anecdotes. They've just switched to some 'premium service' so you can only get the more recent ones on ITunes now, but fortunately I'd already downloaded all of the Marx Brothers related guests. 
The BBFC Podcast. But I only actually  listen to the ones where they discuss the censorship backgrounds of specific films.

I dip into
Scrobius Pip's Distraction Pieces
The Comedian's Comedian
An Irishman Abroad

hewantstolurkatad

I liked the dollop but two a week is just way too much for a podcast that, unless the topic is very good, can grate like a motherfucker.
Asides from the live episodes (which are uniformly terrible) and things I already know, it's very hard to gauge beforehand whether its a good topic or not too.

Unsure if I've ever consistently listened to a British podcast other than Cane & Rinse (I effectively treat Kim Justice like a podcast too tbh); there is a tendency for them to be unbelievably dull, I agree. Adam & Joe years back was very good though, and I'm a big fan of Gervais on XFM still, so it's not like English people are inherently shit.




Also, I'm not sure if it even is bad, but I've noticed I tend to judge people if they say No Such Thing as a Fish is one of their favourite podcasts. It might just be because it's usually listed alongside Night Vale and West Wing Weekly though.

Paaaaul

I've tried a number of times to enjoy The Dollop, but...Gareth Reynolds. He's a humour vacuum, and he's on the show entirely to add colour to Dave Anthony's stories, but he just repeats things Dave says at a higher pitch.
Dave Anthony's previous podcast with Greg Behrendt, Walking The Room, was one of the earliest "two comedians gassing about nothing" podcasts, and one of the best. It genuinely has one of the great "What The FUCK?!?!?" moments in all of everything.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: Ja'moke on July 09, 2017, 02:40:19 PM
I need a new true crime podcast to get into. I prefer serialised ones rather than individual stories each episode. I just caught up to date with Up and Vanished which is not bad, even if the host does try inserting himself into the story; it's an intriguing case and features a rare break in the investigation during the making of the podcast which is unusual.

Any others to recommend? I've done Serial. I've briefly looked into Accused but it didn't grab me.

I think the one I would most recommend is Casefile by Anonymous. The majority of the cases are covered in a single episode, but bear with me...

The podcast was started by someone off work and bored and as the show took up, others are now involved in the research and production.  The episodes started off (going from memory) about 30 minutes are so (but some less) but now are often 90+ minutes and at least one has been two and a half hours.

Recently, there have been multi-part episodes, such as a five-part one about the EAR and a two-parter on The Moors Murderers; each episode is 90+ minutes. With the former, there were a couple of bonus episodes of interviews they had done. There was a slight, misguided (and mercilessly brief) attempt at acting in one episode, but otherwise, the approach is sound.

There's very little padding or superfluous details in the episodes and the friend who introduced me to the podcast commented that liked that the approach is to stick to the facts and although the host has opinions, that's not at the forefront and thought a fair few others could take a leaf out of that  I would agree with that and in the majority of single-episodes stories, I'm not sure how much benefit there would have by spending more time – with the Snowtown one, for instance, I don't know what else there was to add.

Although I'm not against adverts, I've found that the amount and frequency, plus overproduced intros/outros can really pad out an episode – e.g. a couple that I mention below sometime have 20-25 minutes of actual content versus a 30+ minute runtime. That's not an issue with Casefile and certainly with the recent episodes, aren't interrupted by the ads.

If you've listended to Serial, then presumably, you've listened to Undisclosed? If not, I would recommend the first two seasons – far more rigorous than Serial. Also, in both cases, the team has helped to uncover new evidence that may free the two people convicted.

Crimetown has an unusual approach in that it looks at the crime culture in a particular city for a season. The first was Rhode Island and a fair bit is to do with organised crime and the effect on local government. It's entertaining and had many great stories, but although these were interconnected, I felt the approach was slightly too scattergun and being more focused would have helped the overall narrative.

In the Dark – brilliant. The main focus of the first season is about the adbsuction and murder of a young boy by a serial offender. This led to a national register of sex offenders and that's looked at.

Actual Innocence – each episode is about someone wrongfully convicted and later exonerated. Very good.

Stranglers – about the Boston Stangler(s). Overall, I think a book like the one by Susan Kelly (who features) gives a better examination of the case, but there's some good stuff – particularly about the cultural impact of the case. But there are caverats...

It's too overproduced – if someone is writing an newspaper article, there has to be accompanying sound effects, for instance, which is distracting and unnecessary. Some of the choices are odd – for instance, although one journalist is interviewed and comes out rather well, but her coverage helped established the notion that there was one murderer and put information into the public domain that shouldn't have, which is basically ignored. It puts forward the argument about mass panic but others (e.g. Kelly in her book) argue that the panic affected mainly the people, mostly poor/not well off in certain locations, whereas for the well off, it was something not to be taken seriously.

The structure left something to be desired – it starts with DNA linking DeSalvo to one murder, but for most of the series, it's casts doubt on him being the murderer until it gets to the DNA testing, which was a weird decision.

Breakdown – a different case each season. The first relates to an arson case and the various breakdowns (get it??)  that led to a wrongful conviction, which was many, many years later overturned. The journalist behind it has a newspaper background (and it's presented by his paper) , which I think is reflected in the presentation but didn't have any issue with that. Haven't heard the other seasons but will be getting around to it.

True Murder – each week a different author talks about their book. It's rather a mixed bag, particularly dependent on the quality of the book and author; however, some are excellent. The choice of books is quite varied and although some will be about a specific crime/offender, others may look at a series of crimes with different perpetrators or a topic such as capital punishment in America. I would particularly recommend is Blood Runs Green (http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo19966410.html) and the two episodes with Stephen Williams.

If you enjoy podcasts where people suppose far too much from far too little, Missing Maura Murray is the one for you. I manage to make it to around episode 30 before bailing – I've read that it's gotten better, but that doesn't say too much.  The concept is two people are planning to make a documentary about a disappearance, but don't seem to know very much about it. Sometimes it was quite funny (unintentionally) but it was mainly going down one rabbit hole after another. There's also a spin-off called Crawlspace but haven't tried it.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: hewantstolurkatad on July 10, 2017, 12:52:49 PM
Asides from the live episodes (which are uniformly terrible)

Actually, yeah, you're right - the live ones (except for the two with Patton Oswalt, which are fucking amazing, and the Burke and Wills one with Wil Anderson) ARE shit.

Quote from: Paaaaul on July 10, 2017, 01:10:42 PM
I've tried a number of times to enjoy The Dollop, but...Gareth Reynolds. He's a humour vacuum, and he's on the show entirely to add colour to Dave Anthony's stories, but he just repeats things Dave says at a higher pitch.
Dave Anthony's previous podcast with Greg Behrendt, Walking The Room, was one of the earliest "two comedians gassing about nothing" podcasts, and one of the best. It genuinely has one of the great "What The FUCK?!?!?" moments in all of everything.

IIRC, Reynolds is what puts most/all CaBbers off.  I quite like him, I think because he has quite a British sense of humour (being of English/Welsh stock), and he's often very quick as well.  He's also the only American I know of who can do a convincing Brummy accent.

I'd forgotten about Walking the Room, though - yeah, excellent, and I worked my way through all of those in the space of a few weeks.  Such a shame they knocked it on the head.

hewantstolurkatad

The problem with Gareth Reynolds is that when it winds up being a not very funny topic, he tries to big it up anyway and it grates like nails on a chalkboard. Like, an excitable person can add a lot to a thing when you're already having fun, when you're not it'll do anything but that.

Shit Good Nose

He obviously doesn't bother me anything like he does most others.  Fair dos.

Mind you, I will say that I don't think he's so great when the tables turn for the occasional "reverse" dollop.  He invariably chooses fascinating topics, but listening to them just makes me wish Dave Anthony did the research and was covering them instead.

 True Geordie is quite good. I've only been tipped on to him recently, and some of his guests are utterly fascinating. Not especially arsed about hearing about UFC and stuff though.

mothman

The extra-cheery voice Karina puts on for the adverts is actually quite useful: I've become expert at fast-forwarding (while driving a car at 80mph on the motorway) within half a dozen words.

Keebleman

Gilbert Gottfried Amazing Colossal Podcast
A huge favourite of mine, and I'm disappointed that the mini-eps are now only available through a paysite.  The Facebook group, 'Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Listeners' Society', is worth joining too.

The Ezra Klein Show
Lengthy, high quality interviews with prominent personalities: Trevor Noah, Jesse Eisenberg, Bill Gates.  An interview with a writer called Tyler Cowen inspired me to create a thread on the GB board, but another terrific interview is with veteran journo Elizabeth Drew discussing the parallels, if any, between Watergate and Trump's current difficulties.

Skeptoid
15 minute investigations into such matters as UFO sightings, ghost photography, GM foods, conspiracy theories, historical legends, etc.  Well researched and well presented by Brian Dunning for ten years now - there's a huge library to investigate. 

For a few months in 2014/5 Dunning had some guest hosts as he was otherwise occupied - as a convict.  He had been convicted of 'cookie-stuffing', a scam through which he cheated eBay of a million dollars.  This sounds a relatively victimless crime, except Dunning was always pleading for cash from his listeners.  I'm glad I never contributed, though my high opinion of the show - as oppose to Dunning's character - has not changed.

History of English Podcast
Incredibly learned and detailed - nearly 100 episodes, and still only up to the 13th century! - and apparently just a labour of love by a gifted amateur.

Big Picture Science
Well-made show from the SETI Institute, presented by Seth Shostak and the sexy-voiced Molly Bentley, that deals with all aspects of science, not just the search for alien intelligence.

Slate's Trumpcast
This started when the Republican primaries were still in progress and the people behind it fully expected it to end after the election.  Inevitably, the metro-liberal tone is annoying at times but there is good stuff here.  The shows are usually 25-30 mins and there are two or more a week.

Plus of course the Radio 4 library, but it does seem strange that the UK is currently lagging behind in producing free-standing radio shows (ie podcasts).

Pranet

Something I've started on but I am sure if I am good enough for it yet- the History of Philosophy (Without any gaps).

It is good but they have already done something like 300 episodes and I am only in the 20s. They are quite short but I need to actively listen, if I get distracted or drift off I lose the thread. It is good though.

Pranet

Re Gareth Reynolds- I can see why he grates on people, and like I said earlier I think two a week is too many and I tend to download an episode when I am in the mood rather than download every episode when it comes out, but he does make laugh out loud quite often.

His reverse Dollops can be very good- the one about the person who decided he was probably a genius at golf and kept trying to enter the British Open was great.

I'm a bit predictable and love human interest stories, so here goes

This American Life - This is what started me off. Hits the target 95% of the time, few duff episodes here and there but usually fantastic
Serial - 1st series only, superb story telling
S-Town - fascinating
99% Invisible - design and architecture
Serial - 1st series only, superb story telling
Lore - creepy true stories, great atmosphere
Here Be Monsters - An unusual podcast exploring the dark corners of the human mind and new frontiers in science, art and philosophy through visceral storytelling.
Criminal - true life crime stories
Kind World - true life stories of how the smallest action can have a profound effect on others lives. Beautiful.
Reply All - stories involving the internet
Storycorps - the stories of everyday life in America
Memory Palace - historical narratives. Beautiful

mothman

Anyone using Apple devices finding the podcast app increasingly flakey? It seems to keep screwing up the downloads. I ofetn find two versions of the same cast in my list, with different run times - neither plays. I have to delete both and download again, sometimes more than once. One problem is the current interface doesn't always make it clear if the cast has downloaded at all - you need an electron microscope to spot the tiny little circle...

Golden E. Pump

The Music Snobs; four guys talk about a host of music subjects. Very knowledgable. Tends to stick to R&B, funk and soul.

hewantstolurkatad

I can never get the apple podcast app to even start downloading.  Phone only has 16gb so I generally dont want to waste space with podcasts anyway, mind.


Memory Palace is lovely but I usually like to let them build up

Ja'moke

Quote from: Ignatius_S on July 10, 2017, 01:14:23 PM
I think the one I would most recommend is Casefile by Anonymous. The majority of the cases are covered in a single episode, but bear with me...



Thanks for all those Ignatius! I will pick and choose my way through.