Several months ago, I began to become extremely disinterested in music as a whole. As someone who, at one time, did very little outside of listening to music, this sudden realization began to make a lot of situations (such as long car rides, of which I have dozens over the course of a year) feel very... empty. Since music began to be uninteresting to me, I realized I needed to find something else to fill the void, and what I decided to try out was listening to podcasts.

I've always liked podcasts to some extent, and over the years, I've found several that I really enjoyed. However, it wasn't until this shift in interests that my options really began to open up to me. The main reason that podcasts seemed to be the natural alternative to me is that, when I listen to them, (especially on those long drives) the sound of people talking helps me to prevent the loneliness I frequently experience when traveling alone. Compared to music or even something like talk shows on the radio, podcasts usually feel more like a conversation, making me feel more involved and interested than alternatives. Better yet, I've been able to find a half dozen podcasts to cover just about every interest I have, covering nearly every mood I could possibly be in. Here are some of my favorites:

The first major one that started to catch my attention over this past summer was the Star Wars New Canon Book Club. If you're interested in Star Wars, you're likely aware of Disney's massive reset of the previous Star Wars Extended Universe several years ago. This podcast has the goal of making its way through all of the novels, comic books, and TV shows that build upon Disney's new extended universe. The hosts (two of whom are pretty well-known YouTubers) also give their opinions on the things they've read or watched, creating really interesting discussions from their differing opinions. You can find SWNCBC on Sound Cloud.

Always Open is probably one of my favorite things to listen to (and watch since there's is a video version of this one) as of late. This podcast is an offshoot of Rooster Teeth, and frequently centers around social experiences, sexual health, and just about anything else you can think of. More often than not, the cast is all women (two consistent members and two rotating ones) which are a welcome change to many of my listening trends. As a straight, white man, it's always incredibly interesting to listen to experiences and point of views that I've just never experienced myself. I look forward to watching/listening to this when it comes out to the public every Thursday.

I've mentioned this podcast before when discussing Internet personalities being open about their political and moral beliefs. But the Co-optional Podcast is pretty much exactly what one is likely looking for when searching for a video game podcast. This show features three Youtuber hosts (Jesse Cox, TotalBiscuit, and Dodger) and a rotating guest who is always related to the gaming community in some way or another. Each week, they spend the first half of the show discussing what games they'd been playing lately and then discuss news/new releases throughout the second half, effectively covering all necessary bases. A video version of this Podcast also gets put up on YouTube each week and is streamed live on Twitch a few days before that.

Some of the other podcasts I listen to do cover similar topics to these. Dropped Frames, for example, works very similarly to the Co-optional Podcast but with a greater focus on Twitch. Beyond that, I listen to The Dex Podcast (a weekly Pokemon podcast), the Rooster Teeth Podcast (covers general pop culture each week), and the TOVG Podcast (another weekly gaming podcast through the same company as The Dex). I also know of sports, retro music, and even linguistics podcasts out there.

If ever you've considered getting into podcasts, I honestly cannot recommend them enough. They help fill long travels, are great to have on in the background while you do other things, and there is undoubtedly something out there for just about any interest. If you have any interest, definitely go for it. You won't regret it.