The Pod Piper: January 27, 2021
I’ve had this drafted for a month or more now, but between a surprisingly busy holiday season (despite virtually no travel) and getting settled in with my parents and sister visiting as long-term childcare providers for our daughter as my wife heads back to work, it just didn’t happen. I want to get these recs to you, and to clear my listening slate for the new year. Wait, it’s almost February? SMH, 2021. SMH.
Jill Lepore, historian, takes a crack at a grandiose question: who killed truth? It's a heady task, and - spoiler alert - it's a question that won’t ultimately be fully answered. Episodes are all well made, though some have more of a lasting impact than others. And while I generally kind of hate the voiceovers that Pushkin shows seem to be embracing with semi-reckless abandon (it’s like the podcast version of those ‘omg is the real life’ reenactments from the History Channel), the schtick actually works pretty well on a couple episodes here - most notably on the timely ‘Cell Strain.’ I took it in over the course of several months, and it’s a really pleasurable collection through which to saunter. Come for the promise of enlightenment, stay for Lepore’s authorial ability to capture a sort of meandering retrospection.
Secretly Incredibly Fascinating
Uber lovable host Alex Schmidt (aka Schmitty the Clam, aka Schmitty the Champ, aka Schmitty WerbenJagerManJensen?) was left high and dry after the Cracked Podcast was suddenly axed back in early summer. I’m embarrassed that, despite his former pod being a fairly regular staple in my rotation, it took me nearly two months to even realize the show had folded. But SIF carries on the legacy of demonstrating how life is more interesting than you may think. Each episode features comedian-types dissecting seemingly droll topics that are transformed into essential rabbit holes undergirding human existence. It adeptly pulls off freewheeling banter and intriguing fact exposition - two hallmarks of semi-unscripted shows that often fall flat. That’s thanks in large part to Schmidt’s hosting. I really enjoy his subtle nudges toward civility whenever a tangent starts to drift toward a cynical place. It’s an insightful take on some oft-overlooked facets of modernity, delivered by a jovial and comforting presence behind the mic
I’ll level with you - I’m sort of a jumpy person. When my wife’s leg brushes against me in bed, I assume it’s a snake. When someone walks into a room without me noticing and I’m even remotely engrossed in something, I have been known to shriek. So maybe it’s not surprising that I’d be spooked by a murder-mystery audio drama. But still! I found Deadly Manners to be a perfect complement to the last crisp days of fall before the onset of a barren winter hellscape that has now fully surrounded me in it's icy clutches (snow: yes yes please take me there alldayerryday; sub-30 temps: pleasenopleasenopleaseno). I suspect it holds up as a nice wintery listen as well. A lot of the show is kind of cheeky and genre-appropriate, but something about the timing of sound effects and narration had me ducking and dodging invisible aural enemies while walking the dog (Seriously, at least once I definitely jumped and turned to find the source of sound that ended up being in my earbuds while an onlooker sitting in a car almost certainly eyeballed me assuming I was on a bad trip). Also, can you really go wrong with any Kristen Bell vehicle? Hint: No. No you cannot.
History has the potential to be really drab, especially if you make it about dates and civilizations so far out of reach that they seem completely foreign to a modern audience. I wish I could say that Reconquista had a novel take on the subject, but that is most certainly not the case. The narration is incredibly level in tone and soooooo dry. And yet, somehow, it has a captivating feel to it. The writing is good, and the dryness occasionally veers into witty territory to magnificent effect. From the point of view of someone who lived in Spain/has an interest in the history of the region, I find the show to be both calming and exciting. The average listener may be lulled into a gentle sleep, which I guess is a testament to the show’s broad utility.
(Sidenote: I listened to this one so long ago that I contrived a podcast bearing it’s title; wherein a trio of friends listen obsessively/exclusively to two albums over the course of a week, and record brief journal entries on how the music is in conversation with their lives. Anyway...) If you like live storytelling centered around specific records this show will sometimes be up your alley. It’s a great concept, but sometimes the storytellers just miss the mark. Even if the storytelling is decent, I was not moved unless the intersection with the highlighted record was clear and integral to the conceit. The LCD Soundsystem “Sound of Silver” episode was hit and miss, but the episode on David Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” was spot on. Interestingly, I am a huge fan of the former album and had never listened to the other, so I suppose the show acts as a bit of a music discovery tool for well-loved records.
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