The Pod Piper

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 t...