The Pod Piper

This week I'm switching up the format a bit. There are still top episodes (without any explanatory text), but in Something New we've got a year-end blowout of shows I've caught but haven't had time to write about at any length. This is born out of both a desire to experiment and my lack of available time to devote to the cause. But let me know what you think, it may be the way to go in 2019... THE LIST 1. Reply All  - "Negative Mount Pleasant" 2. Showcase from Radiotopia  - "The Stoop #3 - I Got the Nod" 3. Villains  - "Amy Dunne from 'Gone Girl'" HONORABLE MENTION Showcase from Radiotopia  - "The Stoop #2 - Gullah Geechee" Futility Closet  - "The Children's Champion" SOMETHING NEW Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football, Inc. The story of Aaron Hernandez, football star and convicted murderer, just sucked me in. I knew what happened in the end, but I guess my lack of familiarity

THE LIST 1. Heavyweight - "Marchel" Wandering through the lens of his history as a film criticism, Jonathan Goldstein riffs on an old Russian art flick and a nagging feeling he can't shake. Broadly speaking, what is the nature of regret? And what does it look like to encounter someone who should objectively long for a re-do...but just doesn't? While the movie is integral to the parsing out of these large existential quandaries, the episode's approach does not rely on any prior knowledge. It is classic Heavyweight : Goldstein's idiosyncrasies politely pound away at a perplexing question in a whimsical journey of investigative reporting.  2. Decoder Ring  - "Sad Jennifer Aniston" Of the many topics covered by the excellent Decoder Ring through eight episodes, none seems more blithely obvious than that of the tabloid news cycle. I mean, isn't it obvious that people are suckers for salacious details of lives that appear out of reach

It's a week without a longer review, and a week encapsulating a fortnight of listening. This intro note section may be the least relevant I've yet to write. Seriously just start the next bit already. THE LIST 1. Love and Radio  - "Such is the Way to the Stars" This strange documentary from Love and Radio breaks from their solo-narrative-culled-from-interview format but retains the show's trademark voyeurism. It's a coherently rambly mishmash centered on the city of Richmond, Virginia, and reminds me of a more produced version of the Reply All marathon call-in shows. Incredible. Maybe the most novel episode I've heard maybe all year. 2. This American Life  - "Where There Is a Will" I've made the claim before, but this might be peak 2018 TAL in all their politically-tinged glory. This episode balances quirky human interest piece and important political history at a time where human interest seems steeped in politics. The thesis

THE LIST 1. Planet Money  - "Why Did The Cow Cross The Border?" International trade is one of those subjects that seems really important and all-encompassing, and altogether too massive a concept to ever set out to tackle. While implications of the multinational swapping of goods evade easy understanding, it seems like a closer physical proximity to a trading partner can’t hurt in the quest for demystification. Mexico borders the US, so why not start there? The Planet Money team takes on a zany sounding story that got me thinking about how these conceptual monoliths we call government dictate the movement of real things in confounding patterns. In this case, we're talking cows, and the ways in which it does (and, really, doesn’t) make sense for the noble beasts to traipse to and fro across our southern border.  2. 30 for 30  - "The Loophole" Continuing the theme of swapping exports, this 30 for 30 episode details the tumultuous journey of Japane

THE LIST 1. Decoder Ring  - "The Incunabula Papers" Yes, this was my number one pick last week. And yes, I did listen to it again this week, in part for  my review of Decoder Ring  for Podcast Review (a channel of the LA Review of Books ), but also because it is very good. It's an exceptional episode of an incredible show, and intrepid listening leads to the revelation of a secret episode. Try to solve the puzzle yourself, or appeal to the power of the Reddit hivemind for the link. 2. Reply All  - "The Snapchat Thief" No doubt you've heard that securing your digital identity is incredibly important. But you might still not be completely compelled to do anything to protect yourself. What's that? You need a vivid narrative to spur you to act? This is it. A podcast host puts a lot on the line to foster a meeting between a scared teen and the thief that preyed on her. 3. Planet Money  - "Hot Dog Hail Mary" Why are prices so hig

THE LIST 1. Decoder Ring  - "The Incunabula Papers" Through her years as a television critic for Slate, Willa Paskin has developed an impressive critical eye. Now she has her own unique take on cultural criticism in podcast form. As the host of Decoder Ring, Paskin and producer Benjamin Frisch examine integral aspects of cultural that escape the bounds of a traditional review. On "The Incunabula Papers," the most ambitious episode to date and one of the most intriguing podcast episodes of 2018, the duo diabolically writes and executes a mesmerizing crossover from straightforward audio reporting to performative auteurism. The episode is about the original alternate reality game (ARG), and it really drives home the idea that crafting such a thing is a new form of literary art.  2. Breach  - "Midterm Election Special" Our voting system is susceptible to hacking in ways you may and may not have considered, and the duo behind Breach highlights th

THE LIST 1. This American Life  - "Before the Next One" This may be the most shocking episode of TAL I've ever encountered, due mostly to the access the podcast giant affords it's listeners to those present during the Parkland High School shooting earlier this year. The scope of the show is appropriately macro, dealing with methods of preventing school shootings or approaching families in the wake of these tragedies, but of course there is an overwhelming intimacy found interlaced between polarizing takes on gun control and arming teachers. Ira and co. keep the partisanship at bay (an admirable or troubling feature of much of the show's recent work, depending on your view) and the humanity of confusion and reckoning at the core of the episode make it one of the year's most compelling pieces.  2. Reply All  - "The Crime Machine, Part 1 & 2" This impressive crime-tinged documentary brings a dujour issue into focus, exploring how the

THE LIST 1. The New Yorker Radio Hour  - "The Long-Distance Con, Part 1" What happens when the outward facing charisma and charm of a loved one falls drastically short of the decisions that person makes? We all lie a little, executing some measure of personal skeleton masking, but it turns out that we don't all make a fortune and then blow it all leaving a family behind with nothing except the crippling edifice of wealth and and empty bank account. Oh, and a staggering amount of taped conversations with the man who seemingly conned away the fortune of a once-upon-a-time mogul. I'm totally captivated by this miniseries from the perspective of a daughter making sense of her father's checkered past.  2. Criminal  - "Ten Thousand Feet in the Air" One of the more in-your-face Criminal episodes in recent memory, this affair commemorating the century mark in draws us in with the exploits of a failed airplane hijacker. Apparently at a point in the

THE LIST 1. HORSE  - "My Dad, The Commissioner" HORSE may be the most delightful surprise I’ve ever encountered in a podcast. It is driven by the culture and history of the pro basketball, both off-court and on, in a way that seems accessible to a wide range of people. Having some background knowledge of the league doesn’t hurt, and indeed my late-90s-early-2000s obsession with all things basketball probably drives my enjoyment of the show. But I’m guessing anyone seeking to earnestly connect with the NBA in a way not readily available in sports media may find their lane here. There are fun recurring segments setup here in the pilot episode, and the host banter is really nice - deviating for personal anecdotes that form a nice middle ground between straight-up reportage and overlong banter..  2. 99% Invisible  - "Billboard Boys: The Greatest Radio Contest of All Time" In a week where I didn’t discover a nostalgia inducing show that I can connect to my

THE LIST 1.  The Bill Simmons Podcast  - "NBA Hall of Famers, KD’s MVP Potential, and Messi vs. Ronaldo With Steve Nash" There is never a bad time to remember the supreme awesomeness that was Steve Nash on a basketball court. With a new NBA season just around the corner (media day starts today with training camp and the preseason following quickly thereafter), bask in the glory of a sports icon dishing on basketball and his forays into the world of pro soccer.  2.  Scene on Radio  - "Warriors (MEN, Part 6)" Hi-Phi Nation  host Barry Lam guest stars in this episode breaking down some seemingly inalienable truths tied to gender in the military. We accept that men are dominant physically, as a whole, but this does not acknowledge the end of spectrums overlapping. Is the strongest woman really weaker than the weakest man? Newsflash: the patriarchy damages men, too. 3.  Serial  - "A Bar Fight Walks into the Justice Center" The first seas

THE LIST 1. 99% Invisible  - "The House that Came in the Mail" Sears was a progenitor to Amazon...and IKEA. I knew the company once had a well-regarded catalog, but I did not know that it operated campuses in multiple US cities and even bought its own radio frequency. Also, as this episode highlights, Sears actually sold assemble-it-yourself property. For adults. Like, seriously, life-size homes. And a surprising amount are still around! While some of these unique products have stood for over a century and retained the purpose for which they were built, many of the giant regional Sears buildings have since been repurposed as the mail-order business waned. This episode is a fascinating entrypoint to a rabbit hole of googling. Even if you don't have a chance to listen the show, the 99PI website has some excellent photos to peruse (both on the link above and in this additional article focusing on the large plants left dormant after Sears vacated). 2. The New Y

THE LIST 1. The Dollop  - "Ferguson" This episode was released back in August 2014, but it feels just as relevant and informative four years later. Not surprisingly, this is one of the less humorous Dollop episodes...and probably still the funniest Ferguson-centric piece of media that respectfully considers the origins and manifestations of institutional racism.  2. Hidden Brain  - "Bullshit Jobs" There are jobs that just don't need to exist. Like, a lot of jobs. But isn't a mediocre daily grind better than an overly stressful one? TLDL: psychology says no. Please do L, though, and revel in how good you’ve got it or begin plotting how you can wring purpose out of the superfluous career you’ve chanced upon.. 3. Flash Forward  - "Spawn of Sponcon" Advertising creep is real, and promotional content may soon become nearly indistinguishable from interactions with peers. Would that be so bad? Listen in for a taste of the legal and et