Our generation has seen such a rapid change of pace in technology that it’s difficult to keep track of. Newspapers have fallen out of style for the Internet and Facebook. Many books aren’t being read on paper; instead, they’re on reading tablets. With the fall of Blockbuster and the rise of Netflix, you can watch any movie or TV show available to you in their entirety, without having to keep track of television channels.
Though some yearn for those days of a newspaper in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, and "M*A*S*H" playing on the television, I’ve embraced the change. Content has become more accessible, less monopolized, and less censored as a result. Entirely new mediums of entertainment have risen, including one of the more innovative kinds: the podcast.
Essentially, podcasts are like listening to a talk radio station, but more individualized, more accessible, and more streamlined. If you have a podcast app like iTunes or Stitcher, you can listen on your own with headphones. There’s an innumerable amount of podcasts you can listen to, but I’m going to list what I’ve found to be the 8 most underappreciated, entertaining picks.
5. Presidential
Releases: Weekly, from January 10, 2016 to November 9, 2016
Episode Lengths: 30 – 50 minutes long
With the upcoming presidential election, it can be easy to lose touch with America’s actual history, so distorted has our present-day become. Not a problem! With The Washington Post’s podcast, "Presidential," you can learn the history of each president in digestible segments.
From George Washington to Barack Obama, each episode touches on the overarching history of their political career, their election campaigns, and the important events of each of their presidencies. It brings on multiple guests, historians, and is excellent for trivia nerds (or anybody taking US History, for that matter).
Presidential is hosted by Lillian Cunningham. You can listen to it here.
4. The Thrilling Adventure Hour
Releases: Weekly, from January 2011 to April 2015
Episode Lengths: 20 – 40 minutes long
Inspired by the old-timey radio shows of the 1950’s, "The Thrilling Adventure Hour" sets out to revive that audio-only storytelling with a variety of live shows to choose from. The two main attractions are "Sparks Nevada" and "Beyond Belief," though many more pop up occasionally.
The first, S"parks Nevada, Marshal on Mars" is a space western following the title character as he defends Mars from the outside world, one thousand years in the future, and stars Marc Evan Jackson. "Beyond Belief," on the other hand, stars Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster as wealthy New York socialites that just want to drink in their penthouse all day, but are constantly bombarded by people seeking help with paranormal problems.
Though "The Thrilling Adventure Hour" stopped recording in April 2015, there are still literally hundreds of episodes to browse to your heart’s content. You can listen to The Thrilling Adventure Hour here.
3. Welcome to Night Vale
Releases: Twice a month, from June 15, 2012 to the indefinite future
Episode Lengths: 25 – 30 minutes long
Unique, surprisingly beautiful, and brilliantly written, "Welcome to Night Vale" is styled as a community radio station reporting on what has become mundane in the incredibly strange desert town of Night Vale. Turn on your radio and hide.
The host, Cecil Palmer (voiced by Cecil Baldwin), delivers a radio broadcast on community events in Night Vale, whether they’re a terrifying Glow Cloud dropping dead animals over the town, bloodthirsty, tendrilled Librarians let loose, or that same Glow Cloud joining the local PTA.
Welcome to "Night Vale" has several international live tours, a complete novel available in bookstores everywhere, and a dedicated fan following, while still remaining relatively unknown to most podcast listeners. You can listen to "Welcome to Night Vale" here.
2. Alice Isn’t Dead
Releases: Every two weeks, from March 8, 2016 to July 12, 2016.
Episode Lengths: 20 – 40 minutes long
From one of the writers of "Welcome to Night Vale" comes "Alice Isn’t Dead:" a ten-chapter podcast from the point of view of a truck driver searching across America for her missing wife, Alice. Along the way, she’s being stalked by the “Thistle Man,” a disturbingly un-human man that threatens the very nature of her existence.
If you want a podcast that chills to the bone and is genuinely intriguing with excellent monologue, "Alice Isn’t Dead" is for you. It manages to be both poignant and terrifying, with immersive audio and brilliant writing. Though part one just wrapped up a few weeks ago, all ten episodes are available for listening, and part two is coming sometime in the future.
Alice Isn’t Dead is narrated by Jasika Nicole. You can listen to it here.
1. Spontaneanation
Releases: Weekly, from April 1, 2016 to the indefinite future
Episode Lengths: 60 – 90 minutes long
Completely improvised from start to finish, "Spontaneanation" (with Paul F. Tompkins) is a relatively simple concept. Each episode features a completely improvised narrative based on a location provided by the episode’s special guest. These locations can be quite literally anything, ranging from “IKEA in Narnia”, to “A Miami Record Store in 1967”, to “The Last Blockbuster Video Store.”Every single episode features a diverse cast of brilliant improviser pals that create what can become a hectic, hilarious narrative that nobody – not even them – expects.
"Spontaneanation" is perfect for anybody that loves improv, comedy, or listening to what ends up as a series of incredibly entertaining conversations. Paul F. Tompkins, who stars on multiple podcasts, is a seasoned, hilarious host, making "Spontaneanation" is definitely worth checking out.
