Yes, I Now Love Public Radio, Too

As I was reading more of the genius, scarily accurate posts on the "Stuff White People Like" website, I came across the entry on Public Radio and it occurred to me that I even belong in that fan category now, too! Which is interesting, considering that I wasn't really an NPR listener growing up and I can't recall ever listening to it in the car with my family. Without question, if we were listening to the radio, it was going to be music (usually after a bloody fight for control between my brother and I).

Anyway, the point is I didn't really care about Public Radio until I got an ipod. Now, even though I flat-out never listen to the radio these day, public radio has become a daily part in my life. Two programs in particular have dominated my headphones of late, This American Life and The Sounds of Young America.

Of these two programs, the most well-known of them (and my current obsession) is Public Radio International's This American Life. Even though there is a certain, um, tweedy nebbishness (?) about Ira Glass that throws people off at first, he's actually got all the qualities of an ideal host. He's funny and understated, casual without being afraid to ask difficult or uncomfortable questions. He, along with the various contributers, bring incredible enthusiasm to their subjects and rarely fail to be entertaining. One of my favorite parts of This American Life is simply the way he introduces the show. After a cold opening where he usually tells a quick story ("The Prologue") he'll say, as if doing so is such a waste of valuable time that he can't even break up the words: "ItsThisAmericanLife, I'mIraGlass." The story's range from funny and hair-raising (such an NPR correspondent taking on the role of a landlord in a house in Iraq or the anxiety of pitching headline ideas to The Onion writing staff) to sweet and thoughtful (this week's Charles Bausch story "Letter to the Lady of the House" was the inspiration for this post). If for some reason you gave this show a chance in the past and were underwhelmed (as I was last year), I urge you to give it a second chance!

This brings us to The Sounds of Young America (and I've got to give all credit to Todd for the recommendation), hosted by the wonderful Jess Thorn, "America's Radio Sweetheart." Although I've already delved into it before on my podcast post, I wanted to remind people to check this out if you get a chance-it's a relaxed, consistently funny and interesting look at the world of comedy: perfect for a long walk during those times when you're sick of all your music (an increasingly common problem for me, and a big part of my podcast/audiobook love of late).
Jesse Thorn has been interviewing the John Hodgman's of the world for so long now (even though he's shockingly young) that there isn't anything fawning or sycophantic in his interviews- he's ready to go from the start and the interviewees seem to respond in kind. An interview, for example, that took place with Bob Odenkirk last year was an incredibly illuminating peek into the business end of the comedy world. Even if you're not into the podcast thing, he has a very good blog (that gets updated way more than this one) that's worth checking out.

The Pod-roll

I've been woefully lagging behind on posting here the last couple weeks. Maybe it's the just a typical post-holiday hangover? Maybe it's how consumed I am with the presidential race? Maybe it's simply the fact that I'm broke right now and feeling pretty anti-social as a result.

Regardless, as I am in still in the spirit of giving, I thought that I would pass along my recommendations for the best regular or semi-regular podcasts. This is in part inspired by my good friend Todd's recommendation of the fantastic "Sound of Young America" podcast, the final nail in the coffin in terms of me not listening to any actual music on my podcast this month. It's also inspired by the fact that there really don't seem to be a lot of good places to find podcast recommendations. The itunes store itself is actually a pretty good place to go, but most everywhere on the Internet itself you'll just find ad pages posing as recommendation sites.

Anywhere, below, roughly grouped by category, are my favorite podcasts. It's worth noting that there's only one video podcast on here, as I find them to be battery killers and not especially handy on the subway. Without any more ado, here's the list...

Matters Political:

It's All Politics- I've been talking about this one for a long time now and have finally started to win some converts. Ron Elving and Ken Rudin have phenomenal chemistry as co-hosts, and the podcast not only features an excellent discussion of the week in politics, it also makes me laugh out loud at least one every edition.

Slate Political Gabfest - A smart and casual weekly podcast that similarly focuses on the week in politics. The Slate writers (John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon, David Plotz) have a lot of evident passion and intelligence regarding the political world and it makes for a very entertaining, illuminating podcast.

New Yorker: Comment - New Yorker front of the magazine stuff; especially fun whenever it features an article by the phenomenal Hendrik Hertzberg.

Matters Athletic:

Basketball Jones - J.E. Skeets and Tas are a couple of cheerful Canadians that heroically put forth a daily 20-minute basketball podcast. Very funny, oddly addictive, and a great way to catch up on the night in basketball.



The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons - A weekly podcast from ESPN columnist, Bill Simmons. Simmons, one of my all-time favorite sportswriters, has a very funny, loose podcast that is perfect for a post-work subway ride.

Daily Dish - Weekly podcast from Chad Ford, one of my favorite NBA writers. A great source if you want to impress your friends with your knowledge of obscure but up-and-coming Eastern European basketball players.

Matters Miscellaneous:

NPR: Fresh Air - Terry Gross is such an amazing host, so warm and enthusiastic, that she makes all of the Fresh Air podcasts interesting. I must admit, though, a habit of avoiding avoiding any of the Fresh Air podcasts that focus on Iraq too heavily.

NPR: All Songs Considered- Although my friend Brandon and I love to joke about host Bob Boilen's overenthusiasm and tendency to mispronounce band names, this is still very much a worthwhile podcast and has definitely exposed me to some artists I would probably never have given a chance to otherwise.

Sound of Young America - Many thanks to Todd for the recommendation here. For those people interested in comedy and it's mechanics, this podcast is absolutely essential. Jesse Thorn, "America's Radio Sweetheart," is an excellent and very funny host, and he does a great job interviewing John Hodgman, Bob Odenkirk, Michael Cera, and many, many others. I haven't played an album on my ipod it at least a week because of this podcast.

The Classic Tales Podcast - Classic short stories read aloud. In particular, check out "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," by Mark Twain.

Matters of Old/Intermittently Updated Podcasts:

"The New Yorker Festival" Video Podcast - In-depth video interviews with Steve Martin, Judd Apatow, and others.

KCRW Politics of Culture - This doesn't seem to get updated very often, but when it does it features a lot of great general-interest topics. The podcasts on the book "Starbucked" and on the KCRW music library were both very interesting.