Good Podcasts?
Since I have taken to driving to Omaha/Council Bluffs often due to a current work project, listening to good podcasts has really helped make all that highway time go by faster. A few I really like currently are:
Inside Europe by Deutsche-Welle Radio. This is a weekly episode usually about 50 or so minutes long. They tend to cover about 4-5 or so different topics per show “at length.” Recent topics they have examined include the EU’s response to the Hamas election win, the legacy of Slobodan Milosevic, and the Russia/Ukraine gas dispute. Their current episode features a story on the French student riots. The topics they cover are all on current political affairs, and are in-depth enough to provide listeners with a general overview of the topic, but not so detailed that you feel lost if you don’t have previous knowledge about the issue they are examining.
The twice a week Cinecast is made by two young, fast-talking Chicago guys who review both current movies and examine older ones, both well known commercial successes and others that didn’t garner the same level of attention. I haven’t been listening to this podcast that long and haven’t figured out who exactly these guys are, but they obviously watch a lot of movies closely. And they always have some interesting commentary on Keanu Reeves. The discussion is usually in-depth and critical in a thoughtful way, as opposed to being trite or derogatory. In their current episode, they review “V for Vendetta” and offer a preview of their Top 5 dystopian movies. At times however, they tend to talk a little TOO fast.
KQED’s Pacific Time is a short (25 minutes or so) weekly podcast that covers issues pertinent to both East Asia and the US. As opposed to Inside Europe, their content tends to be less political and more the kind of softer “human interest” stories that usually compose the final segment of the evening network news shows. The latest podcast focuses on young, ethnic Cambodians who were raised in the US but deported back to Cambodia for committing felonies state-side because they didn’t have citizen status, and how they are coping with living back in Cambodia - a nation they are unfamiliar with. For more of a political podcast (in English), the Asia-Pacific podcast from Australia is a good one (available as a daily or as a weekly review of major stories).
KCRW’s Politics of Culture can be a total hit or a total miss depending on your interests. They focus on a single topic per issue, and you’re either into it or you’re not. The “Wilshire Blvd” (the history of LA’s Wilshire Blvd and urban sprawl in LA) and “Story Corps” (a current oral history project) episodes I really enjoyed, so much that I forwarded both episodes on to friends. Can’t say the same for the “American Vertigo” episode (interview with a French intellectual about perceptions of the US) or “The Getty Villa.” The “Politics of Culture” label is a bit misleading in my opinion. Its not really a critical examination of how culture and politics interact, but it is an enjoyable listen most of the time, again, depending on your taste and interests.
Anyone have other podcasts to recommend (besides The Onion)?
The Comments
Neal March 24, 2006 at 1:19am
Rick Emerson (http://www.rickemerson.com) has returned to the Portland airwaves, and his shows are now being offered as podcasts (available through iTunes or through his website). Best and funniest talk radio show I’ve ever heard.
Also, if you like the pro wrestling, the Pro Wrestling Torch podcasts are great (http://www.pwtorch.com, also available through iTunes and podcastalley.com).
D.M.B. March 24, 2006 at 6:25pm
I have never listened to a podcast before. I know what they are but I’ve never listened to one. are they produced? meaning if you screw up do you go back and fix it or is it basically winging it? is there a certain length a podcast should be?
Mr. T March 24, 2006 at 7:30pm
I’ll have to give Emerson a try this weekend. But I think I heard somewhere he was fired or something? What gives?
DMB - Prolly the easiest thing is to just go to the “podcasts” section on your iTunes music store and dive right in. There are a lot of other online one-stop shops as well out there, like podcast alley. If you find something that doesn’t show up on iTunes podcasts or wherever, you can also subscribe via iTunes (I know you are an iTunes person) by entering the url information in the “subscribe to podcasts” selction in the “advanced” drop down.
By the way I’m surprised you’re not zoning out in front of the tube watching hoops right now.
D.M.B. March 24, 2006 at 8:58pm
well I’m zoning out in front of the tube as well.
I guess I never realized that podcasts were free. I halfway expected them to cost something.