The Pod Piper

If there was ever any doubt that public radio takes itself too seriously, look no further than Wait Wait Don't Tell Me to find a healthy reality check of self-deprecating humor.  The aspect of the program that most closely parallels the news-driven mission of NPR is its ability to consistently deliver a condensed review of current events.  In addition, this quiz-show sparkles with the help of a charming host, a rotating panel of journalists and/or comedians, celebrity guests and a smattering of regular segments that are as groan-inducing as they are clever.  Think of it like the pithiest and best organized series of topical dad jokes you've ever heard, structured in such a way that you leave feeling entertained and up to date. Peter Sagal maintains the ship, stoking its proverbial furnace with the logs of comedic timing and fanning in sparks of well-informed wit.  The long-tenured host serves the function of corralling various panelists and guests to keep the show ...

1. Radiolab  - "Shots Fired, Part 2" Radiolab has zeroed in on a compellingly epic report about gun use statistics in the state of Florida. The dearth of data on gun violence in the US is pretty shocking, and while I've come across various smaller projects this attempt by Tampa Bay Times reporter Ben Montgomery is the most exhaustive. Part 1 of the series centered on the family members affected by various police shootings, and in Part 2 the show takes a deeper look at one specifically harrowing incident.  Intentionally or not, these episodes both have some parallels to the series Embedded is running about police videos (see below) - the common theme being "all gun violence is tragic but with a somewhat staggering variety."  I hope, and honestly believe, that I am attracted to these stories out of a sense of their import to society and not out of some grotesque fascination with this American pandemic.  I don't have any answers, but I think the issue is wort...

Whenever I try to describe a podcast to someone unfamiliar with the medium, I start by debunking the notion that the field is primarily comprised of random people ranting off script about objects of little concern to the majority of the population.  It's true that such shows exist, and are indeed quite prevalent.  But podcasting has come a long ways in it's comparatively brief time on this earth, and there are shows that extend far beyond the simplistic process of hitting record, rambling, hitting stop, and uploading to the masses.  The span of creativity ranges from incisive cultural critiques to narrative-based field reporting, from shows with a common theme to shows with a clever gimmick.  In the ever-expanding soundscapes of portable audio, one show manages to to tower above/aside from the field.  That show is  The Gist  with Mike Pesca. Before going any further, let me be perfectly clear: there may well be other shows that land in the same podca...

1. Strangers  - "Claire Obscure" "Claire Obscure" evoked more dismayed protestations ("No, no, no!") from me than any podcast in recent memory. This is not an uncommon occurrence when listening to Strangers , and it is quite the feat for an interview driven show to cultivate such an impassioned response. Lea Thau delivers a recollection of terrible events in the past that takes an unlikely twist, leaving me stunned and anxiously awaiting the follow up promised at the end of the episode. Despite the tragedy there are glimmers of hope from Claire, the unbelievably resilient figure at the center of this still evolving story. 2. Embedded - "Police Videos: Flagstaff" The incredible second part in Embedded's series on police related violence takes on a case atypical of many stories that involve police and guns. When something goes awry in the field, is it always OK to use the incident as a teaching moment? This episode definitely drives home th...

When I was younger, I used to dread being stuck on the infamous Capital Beltway at 6PM (pundits, say what you will, being on the beltway is a far greater hell than being on either side of it).  This meant that  Marketplace  was on the air, and rather than informing myself about the important news of the day via  All Things Considered , the all-mighty dollar was now forcing it's way into my mind in place of the myriad of human plights certainly more deserving of my attention.  I would listen for about 30 seconds, catching some clip about "the fed" or "the numbers," sigh dramatically, and switch the radio off rather than be drowned in meaningless financial speak.  I was young, idealistic, and at a pretty gigantic loss to understand anything related to money than extended beyond my own personal finance.  There's not a finite moment to which I can trace back my conversion, but to this day I credit my emotional anchoring to the show to the dulcet tones of ...

1. Flash Forward - "California Dreaming" Last summer on a long road trip, my wife and I had a discussion about which state would make the best independent nation.  We concluded that California's diverse geography and unique economy would make for a pretty decent independent country.  Normally I'd only associate post-civil war secession in the United States with Texas.  Somewhere a few years back I remember hearing that lawmakers in the Lonestar State regularly vote on a proposal to leave the U.S., an idea that has always seemed more like uber-isolationist bravado as opposed to any kind of well thought-through plan.  But as I listened to Flash Forward  dissect various independence movements that have ebbed and flowed for quite some time, our road trip hypothetical started to seem a lot closer to reality. "California Dreaming" leans a little more on history and a little less on science than the typical episode from the visionary podcast, and I'm happy to...

March 2017 has been deemed a month for suggesting podcasts to friends.  Many of the heavy hitters in the industry have embraced this mission, centered around the hashtag #TryPod (NPR has the scoop here ).  In addition to calling out friends with recommendations when I post this blog to social media, I'm writing a couple features to highlight a podcast that does not qualify for my weekly review.  These are excellent shows that are simply too frequently released for me to rank and critique on an episode-to-episode basis, but certainly merit attention.  First up: The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media. I never thought I would have the stamina to keep pace with a daily podcast, but when said podcast is a joyfully sleepy five minute meander through poetry and literary history the pleasure is all mine. Admittedly there are some days that evade my grasp, and I've been able to make peace with the missed shows without obsessing over catching every installment - peac...

1. Love and Radio - "Understood as to Understand" I've long been wary of Love and Radio 's occasionally shocking subject matter.  It's not from the standpoint of taking the moral high ground, but because there are some aspects of the human condition that I'm simply not interested in learning more about.  "Understood as to Understand" may just be the closest to the line the show has gotten for me; in other words, it is fairly unknown territory that I find both interesting and helpful to hear about.  I don't even want to go into more detail, but   L+R did the public some good in spotlighting a person who is likely maligned by hoards on both end of the political and social spectrum. 2. Love and Radio - "La Retirada, Part One" Utterly compelling from the first voice distorted interview, "La Retirada, Part One" investigates the secret and increasingly terrifying life of an ordinary woman who married into a crime family.  It...