Many exist as mere versions of 'actual' radio shows. But others would only exist in this modern land of broadband.
The emergence of the podcast has been godsend for many. They have a filled a hole that talking books once attempted to satisfy, but they were expensive and dwelled awkwardly on tapes or CDs.
They are fantastic for that long bus journey from Albany. That three-hour drive to Colville. That gardening binge, and especially, for vacuuming. Call me new-fashioned but I would not consider sucking dust without headphones and my iPod.
They are a non toxic, distraction-drug, a soothing sleeping pill during bouts of insomnia, or that middle of night 'wake in fright' when you can't stop ruminating on your financial hell or that problematic work project.
I find short story podcasts from the Guardian or The New Yorker are particularly good at running interference and sending me off to sleep.
The range of these programmes has grown exponentially in the past few years, the range of crap ones even faster. But I'm not here just to moan. I'm here to pass on some the gems I've come to love.
Here's five that I keep coming back to:
1. Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: An absolute must have for those of you who enjoy non-fiction with attitude. Carlin is a former journalist, talk radio show host, and amateur historian, who now makes a living from his podcasting. Hardcore History features gonzo flavoured potted histories of everything from Genghis Khan to the Russian front in World War II. His epic and harrowing three-part series Blueprint for Armageddon tells the story of World War One in such blood-spattered detail I almost needed counseling after it. To say that the American makes history come alive is an understatement of the highest order. He doesn't do many but they are nice and long and there's quite a back catalog. Think Anthony Beevor crossed with George RR Martin. His other podcast, Common Sense with Dan Carlin is also highly recommended. In this one he deals with contemporary issues and covers everything from terrorism to the Rolf Harris trial. A bit like a more thoughtful and less comedic The Daily Show. I've also just started on is The Stuff You Missed In History which is pretty much as the title suggests. Hosted by Tracey V Wilson and Holly Frey, the show is reminiscent of a better than average Uni tutorial, but so far I learnt stuff I didn't know about the flu epidemic and even our own Treaty of Waitangi. If your brow sits a little higher, then BBC stalwart Melvyn Bragg's In our Time should be on your list. The 45-minute radio show has been running since 1988 but the podcast version often comes with extra content. I've listened to a shed load of these, including some excellent shows about the Fire of London or the Kama Sutra.
2. WTF with Marc Maron: Maron recently posted his 500th podcast, and that's the one you really need to hear. In it, the comedian hilariously, and somewhat painfully, comes to terms with the effects he's had on those around him by revealing things about his family and friends in the course of those 500 episodes. Frank, honest, darkly funny, Maron is also a tricky and prickly bugger, but his fractious relationship with his father will make you sigh and cry. "I dumped a load of shit on him that he doesn't deserve", he eventually concedes. There are a crap-load of comedian's making long form conversational podcasts but The Joe Rogan Experience is the only one I've found that features both Marc Maron (ep374) and Dan Carlin (ep 378), just skip the first three-to-five minutes of sponsor babble. And if you're enjoying John Oliver's great new TV show, then you might like to indulge in this long running podcast, The Bugle made with fellow brit Andy Zaltzman.
3. Listen to Lucy: I was surprised when a friend suggested I listen to this podcast as it's from a columnist at the Financial Times. That didn't seem like a good time to me, but how wrong I was. The wry and insightful Lucy Kellaway ruminates on all manner of workplace carry on. A recent favourite is a riff called: "We need new excuses for not replying to emails." In it, she rips the many of annoying ways we use to palm others off. "I've noticed that really important people never send out messages saying they're snowed under." She goes to explain that a better excuse is a "family crisis" though the false invoking of death "the most robust excuse of all, timeless, final and untouched by technology" is fraught with bad karma. They're typically four-to-five minutes in duration.
4. The Memory Palace: Short and sweet (three-to-seven minutes) and wistful as all get out. These are poetically tinged, historical vignettes from American public radio regular Nate DiMeo. The most recent story is a particularly good mini mystery about astronaut John Glenn called The Glowing Orbs. Kind of like a mini This American Life, surely the most well known off all podcasts. (Never heard of it? Get it here ) Also along the same lines is Radiolab. Where sound "illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience."
5. 99% Invisible: It's also superbly produced, which is not surprising given that it's stated objective is to be a podcast about "design, architecture and the 99 per cent invisible activity that shapes our world". I know, that sounds like something that beard stroking, Citroën driving w****** would be into, but believe me, it's good stuff. You need to hear this one about the sound design of sports broadcasting - and this recent one about the design considerations of bank robberies.
* What are your favourite podcasts, and which NZ podcasts should I listen to?
