November 27 - December 3, 2016
1. Placemakers - "When Good Placemakers Go Bad"
While no actual collaboration took place, this episode comes across as a mix between 99% Invisible and Placemakers, and what an incredible combo it turned out to be. This installment focuses on a man whose life reads like a legend: born into a wealthy Midwestern family only to lose his fortune before moving to New York to regain it all...whilst dabbling in the shadier side of society. And as incredible as the narrative is, the larger theme of break-ins violating the sacredness of space-making made this an easy choice for my top episode this week.
2. Planet Money - "Russian Cowboys (#738)"
Planet Money has done a lot of excellent reporting that has transported listeners to various places all over the globe. But following the path of exporting an American cowboy to Russia, along with providing a glimpse of the faux-Western culture that has blossomed in Siberia? This is going to be tough to beat. "Russian Cowboys" felt a little wackier and a tad less in the vein of simplifying the economic complexities that shape the world, though I'll admit the quirkiness of the subject matter may account for that perception. In fact, that kind of outside the box thinking and variance in material is exactly what makes Planet Money required listening week after week.
3. Undone - "Disco Demolition Night (#1)"
Undone is one of several new podcasts recently launched by Gimlet Media (along with Crimetown, Homecoming and Heavyweight), but I think it's got the best shot at sticking around and turning into a legacy show with a snowballing listener base. The premise is built on investigating stories that grabbed headlines but then faded into the annals of time. Part autopsy and part what-happened-next, Undone has the potential to engage an audience and challenge the way news is gobbled up and instantly forgotten. The pilot dissects the events surrounding 'Disco Demolition Night' - a rally in Chicago meant to rage against a dominant culture that, surprise, had some racially charged undertones. I enjoyed that the interviews were not solely with experts venturing to guess at larger implications, but with people who were intimately involved in various aspects of the story. Furthermore, the overall tone of the show manages to be minimally preachy and exudes a genial curiosity to understand how we deal with information that enters the media spotlight.
While no actual collaboration took place, this episode comes across as a mix between 99% Invisible and Placemakers, and what an incredible combo it turned out to be. This installment focuses on a man whose life reads like a legend: born into a wealthy Midwestern family only to lose his fortune before moving to New York to regain it all...whilst dabbling in the shadier side of society. And as incredible as the narrative is, the larger theme of break-ins violating the sacredness of space-making made this an easy choice for my top episode this week.
2. Planet Money - "Russian Cowboys (#738)"
Planet Money has done a lot of excellent reporting that has transported listeners to various places all over the globe. But following the path of exporting an American cowboy to Russia, along with providing a glimpse of the faux-Western culture that has blossomed in Siberia? This is going to be tough to beat. "Russian Cowboys" felt a little wackier and a tad less in the vein of simplifying the economic complexities that shape the world, though I'll admit the quirkiness of the subject matter may account for that perception. In fact, that kind of outside the box thinking and variance in material is exactly what makes Planet Money required listening week after week.
3. Undone - "Disco Demolition Night (#1)"
Undone is one of several new podcasts recently launched by Gimlet Media (along with Crimetown, Homecoming and Heavyweight), but I think it's got the best shot at sticking around and turning into a legacy show with a snowballing listener base. The premise is built on investigating stories that grabbed headlines but then faded into the annals of time. Part autopsy and part what-happened-next, Undone has the potential to engage an audience and challenge the way news is gobbled up and instantly forgotten. The pilot dissects the events surrounding 'Disco Demolition Night' - a rally in Chicago meant to rage against a dominant culture that, surprise, had some racially charged undertones. I enjoyed that the interviews were not solely with experts venturing to guess at larger implications, but with people who were intimately involved in various aspects of the story. Furthermore, the overall tone of the show manages to be minimally preachy and exudes a genial curiosity to understand how we deal with information that enters the media spotlight.
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