One of the perks of my job is that it I can listen to my phone as I go about my tasks. When I don’t feel like browsing through songs or cycling through Hamilton for the umpteenth time (not that I could ever really get tired of it—there’s not a bad number in the bunch!), there are always podcasts. Whether you want comedy, political analysis, history lessons, discussion on the latest episode of that show you’re obsessed with, or riffs on old-fashioned radio plays flowing through your earbuds, podcasts have got you covered. Here are a few of my current favorites:
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
At this point I feel that saying Welcome to Night Vale is an excellent podcast is like saying I think the Harry Potter books are great—I assume that people would look at me funny, because it’s a truth that everyone and their mother knows, so why state the obvious? For those who haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Cecil Palmer announce the weekly Community Calendar (“Wednesday has been cancelled due to a scheduling error”) or inform listeners of the shades of the sky (“Mostly void, partially stars”), you’re in for a treat.
Cecil (played by the sonorous Cecil Baldwin) is the golden-voiced community radio host for Night Vale, a “friendly dessert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep.” Night Vale is a town where the secret police aren’t so secret, wheat and wheat by-products are verboten, and the radio station’s mascot is floating cat who is stuck hovering by a sink in the men’s restroom. PTA meetings are violently interrupted by carnivorous dinosaurs bolting out of sudden wormholes in the fabric of time and space. The City Council has decreed that angels don’t exist (even though Old Woman Josie has a whole flock of them as permanent houseguests). Go to the library at your own risk—the librarians are everywhere and their tentacles are vicious. And whatever you do: DO NOT APPROACH THE DOG PARK. Dogs and people are not allowed, and it’s best not to stare at the hooded figures lurking within.
New episodes are released on the first and fifteenth of each month.
H.G. Wells (Paul F. Tompkins) looks askance at Ayn Rand (John Hodgman), Chapter 20
The Dead Authors Podcast hosted by Paul F. Tompkins
Capped at a healthy 50 episodes, The Dead Authors Podcast is a hilarious, live-audience, sort of historical set of interviews hosted by H.G. Wells (Paul F. Tompkins) as each week he uses his time machine to bring a famous author back from the past. Current players in the comedy scene portray the authors, which include Sylvia Plath (Jen Kirkman), Oscar Wilde (Jon Daly), Roald Dahl (Ben Schwartz), Tennessee Williams (Kristen Schaal), Plato (Jason Mantzoukas), Charlotte Bronte (Jessica St. Clair), Ayn Rand (John Hodgman), and many more. H.G. Wells chats with the authors about their lives and their works (often with surprising revelations!), and the audience has a Q&A at the end of the show.
The Dead Authors Podcast was created to support 826LA, part of 826 National, a nonprofit organization with tutoring centers around the country that offer under-resourced students with programs and opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. So it’s not just a podcast, but one for a good cause!
Myths and Legends Podcast by Jason Weiser
I’ve only listened episodes so far, but I’m loving what I’m hearing. Hosted, written, and produced by Jason Weiser, and aided by his wife, Assistant Producer Carissa Weiser, this is a weekly podcast telling myths and legends as closely to the originals as possible, whether they be popular characters and stories with surprising roots or obscure figures and tales that deserve to be known. Weiser has covered Koschei the Deathless of Russian folklore; stories of people making unwise deals, including bargaining with the devil and a telling of Rumpelstiltskin; the story of the Korean hero Hong Gildong; the Viking king Ragnar Lodbrok; and the origins of Chinese folk heroine Mulan.
You can listen to all of these great shows wherever podcasts are available, including iTunes, Libsyn, the Myths and Legends podcast website, and the website for Welcome to Night Vale.
