By: Vincent Justin Mitra
In recent years, it has become harder and harder to find someone who does not know what a podcast is. Podcasts are quickly becoming the next big thing, harkening back to serialized radio programs of the past and combining them with the style of on-demand, self-scheduled entertainment promoted by services like Netflix. There’s an intimidating number of podcasts available about nearly any topic you can imagine.
I listen to a bunch; here are a few of the good ones.
My Dad Wrote a Porno (http://www.mydadwroteaporno.com/)
If one of your parents wrote a series of erotic novels, you’d probably never ever tell anyone ever, and just scream for the rest of your life. Instead, the hosts take a chapter-by-chapter look at Belinda Blinked, by Rocky Flintstone, a novel which dives into the apparently salacious world of the pots and pans industry. The podcast is as hilarious as it is dirty, with much of the humour coming from the hosts finding out just how unfamiliar Flintstone is with seduction or even basic biology.
The Mixed Six (http://www.themixedsix.com/)
In one of my favourite podcasts, hosts Spencer and Caleb combine their love of craft beer and pop culture into a podcast about drinking six beers and talking about six topics. Their rotating list of discussion segments include Dissecting Our Fun, where they talk about a board game and what makes it successful; Binge Binger, in which they discuss the merits of different binge-worthy television shows; and Sportsplainer, where Spencer tries to explain sports things to Caleb, like whether baseball can be saved from its own irrelevance and what exactly March Madness is.
This podcast is smart, witty, and it’ll let you know which kinds of craft beer are good (because some of them are garbage). If you like beer, pop culture, and/or drunken philosophy then you will love this podcast.
The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) (http://www.orbitinghumancircus.com/podcast.html)
I can’t recommend this podcast enough. Written by Julian Koster of Neutral Milk Hotel and part of the Night Vale Presents podcast network, The Orbiting Human Circus follows a young man named Julian the Janitor, a shy employee of the wonderfully-surreal circus located in a ballroom at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
The first half of each episode follows Julian as he tries to help out backstage, while the second half shifts to the other side of the curtain as the strange and mysterious headline act takes to centre ring. One such act featured a cricket, a translation machine, and the story of a vengeful clockmaker. It’s delightful.
The Way I Heard It, With Mike Rowe (http://mikerowe.com/podcast/)
If you’re looking for a quick and well-spoken bit of history, look no further! Each six-minute episode, hosted by Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs, looks at a figure of the past and an inspiring story from their life that led them to greatness. These dreamers and visionaries have included people such as the inventor of the Pringles can, the father of Walt Disney, and the founder of Netflix. Often times, Rowe will withhold a key clue to the identity of the person until the very end, revealing it with a satisfying flourish that makes you smile and say, “Hey! I know that person!”
Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids (https://grownupsreadthingstheywroteaskids.com/)
This Canadian podcast travels from town to town and invites listeners and members of the audience to step up to the stage and read something they wrote in their childhood. Often hilarious, the pieces usually include stories, poems, or diary entries that capture a snapshot of past dreams and important moments. Readings have ranged from crying over a broken heart, Indiana Jones fanfiction, asking a girl to prom, coping with the death of a family member, and a story about visiting a planet called Grammar. Returning to these writings as a grown-up allows the reader and the audience to share and reminisce over their awkward formative years, and teaches listeners that there’s no need to be embarrassed about the weird stuff you wrote as a kid.
