August 2, 2020
THE LIST
There is much to learn and much that will never be known about Spain during Franco's regime in the middle of the 20th century. This episode highlights one of the physical reminders of those dark days - the dictator's gravesite - and the recent developments following the exhumation of his body in 2019. In addition to some powerful subject matter, this episode touches on the overarching context of Spain pre and post civil war and contains a great narrative of escape from a forced labor camp.
Richard Parks III continues to push the audio envelope with perhaps the shortest richly produced pod ever created. It's just barely 3 minutes long and features Wolfgang Puck and a conversation with Parks' mom that is both on theme and a window into the food writer/podcaster's childhood.
Is it possible to find something both sad and simultaneously comforting? If so, I think that's about the best way to describe this affecting episode of TAL that meditates on being alone.
Reforming data privacy and monetization is a fascinating subject, and worthy of the Flash Forward treatment. I liked this episode both because of it's resonance with other media I've encountered and because of the left turn that I didn't see coming.
Conservatives for prison reform? Believe it. Or at least conservatives for sentencing reform. This episode is mainly set in Oklahoma, a place that's been on my mind a lot recently after finishing the excellent book Boom Town by Sam Anderson.
The compelling final chapter in RVs miniseries about the atomic bomb redeemed some of the more plodding elements of the 4-episode arc. Where a lot of the earlier episodes detail the plot points of history, here we finally reconcile with the moral implications often buried in service of the "greater good."
HONORABLE MENTION
Switched on Pop - "folklore: taylor swift's quarantine dream"
99% Invisible- "The Dolphin that Roared"
SOMETHINGS NEW
Bear and a Banjo
I’ve truly never heard anything like this show, or even any comparable thing in it’s genre of historical musical fiction. Very thorough and heartfelt, and with some of the best acting and dialogue I’ve heard in audio drama. The original music is quite solid and would be reason enough to follow along with some of the zany plots. The story is a bit larger-than-life - sort of a Forest Gumpification of music history with characters that seem to have encountered several major real life musicians at a crucial turning point. It’s also framed from the perspective of a historian in search of the titular characters, and I swear that almost every episode had me second guessing the fictional nature of the narrator. Each episode is a great short story, but the through line that connects the string of episodes didn’t provide the kind of emotional fulfillment one might expect. Perhaps that’s intentional, though, given the mysterious origins and incomplete historical record presented throughout.
Snacks Daily
Day trading seems to be oddly commonplace these days, no longer relegated to the overly confident get-rich-quick schemer. I’ve not gotten swept up in it, but my tangential fascination with business news makes this pod from day trading app RobinHood a tantalizing offering. The show provides daily news on whatever company is making waves, similar to Marketplace albeit with a less fully produced traditional reportage. For the most part it’s not too self-promote-y, although those bits can be kind of grating. It’s more than just a vehicle for headlines or a PR tool, thanks to some witty writing. The chemistry and playfulness of the hosts animates the jokes, and honestly it’s their structured banter that compels me as much or more than the content itself. It’s kind of like that bit in Marketplace when Kai Rysdal recaps stock exchange highlights with zippy puns...but for an entire 20 minute episode. That said, it’s as likely to play endearingly as it is to totally turn off listeners. Right now, I’m digging it.
Literally! With Rob Lowe
Celebrity interview shows are not something new, but this is a new celebrity conducting interviews. It’s a little shaky, but there is definitely potential. The conversations are with Rob’s friends, who happen to be celebrities. This is both something novel and something that gets a little old. Sort of like name dropping but with inside jokes that sometimes translate and sometimes isolate the listener. It lacks the kind of deep probing questions you’d expect from a master interviewer, which could be attributed both to Lowes’ novice skills and the familiarity with his guests. It helps to have a captivating guest. Keegan Michael Key is far and away the best guest featured to date, as the conversation devolves into some entertaining celebrity impressions. Even that episode, however, didn’t deliver any insight from either the host or guest. Lowe’s charm does buoy the show, and so perhaps if you are a huge fan this will be enough to make it worth your precious listening time.
I’ve truly never heard anything like this show, or even any comparable thing in it’s genre of historical musical fiction. Very thorough and heartfelt, and with some of the best acting and dialogue I’ve heard in audio drama. The original music is quite solid and would be reason enough to follow along with some of the zany plots. The story is a bit larger-than-life - sort of a Forest Gumpification of music history with characters that seem to have encountered several major real life musicians at a crucial turning point. It’s also framed from the perspective of a historian in search of the titular characters, and I swear that almost every episode had me second guessing the fictional nature of the narrator. Each episode is a great short story, but the through line that connects the string of episodes didn’t provide the kind of emotional fulfillment one might expect. Perhaps that’s intentional, though, given the mysterious origins and incomplete historical record presented throughout.
Snacks Daily
Day trading seems to be oddly commonplace these days, no longer relegated to the overly confident get-rich-quick schemer. I’ve not gotten swept up in it, but my tangential fascination with business news makes this pod from day trading app RobinHood a tantalizing offering. The show provides daily news on whatever company is making waves, similar to Marketplace albeit with a less fully produced traditional reportage. For the most part it’s not too self-promote-y, although those bits can be kind of grating. It’s more than just a vehicle for headlines or a PR tool, thanks to some witty writing. The chemistry and playfulness of the hosts animates the jokes, and honestly it’s their structured banter that compels me as much or more than the content itself. It’s kind of like that bit in Marketplace when Kai Rysdal recaps stock exchange highlights with zippy puns...but for an entire 20 minute episode. That said, it’s as likely to play endearingly as it is to totally turn off listeners. Right now, I’m digging it.
Literally! With Rob Lowe
Celebrity interview shows are not something new, but this is a new celebrity conducting interviews. It’s a little shaky, but there is definitely potential. The conversations are with Rob’s friends, who happen to be celebrities. This is both something novel and something that gets a little old. Sort of like name dropping but with inside jokes that sometimes translate and sometimes isolate the listener. It lacks the kind of deep probing questions you’d expect from a master interviewer, which could be attributed both to Lowes’ novice skills and the familiarity with his guests. It helps to have a captivating guest. Keegan Michael Key is far and away the best guest featured to date, as the conversation devolves into some entertaining celebrity impressions. Even that episode, however, didn’t deliver any insight from either the host or guest. Lowe’s charm does buoy the show, and so perhaps if you are a huge fan this will be enough to make it worth your precious listening time.
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