10 *Must Listen* Podcasts (According to an unashamed addict)
There was a comical criticism once pointed at those who constantly listen to Podcasts, "Pod-people can't be alone with their own thoughts."
Well guess what? They're right!
As a little girl I would pop cassettes into a colorful tape player and lull myself to sleep with children's bedtime stories about ancient Egypt and Jack's beanstalk. I'd turn the volume down low enough to where I could hardly follow the plot line, comforted instead by the murmuring of a narrator.
From Storybooks to Audiobooks, I learned in my teen years that I was more productive completing physical assignments if I was listening to a book. It felt like multitasking; exerting and absorbing at the same time. I've never liked to feel idle.
Nowadays my morning hours are full of other people's words entering into my brain. I send Nathan off to work at 7:30am and from that point until I leave for work at 2:15pm, I listen to podcasts. I'm serious. I listen to them ALL DAY long while doing chores, running errands and even at the gym. This could be out of a need for some kind of human company but more so I feel that the podcast-hater's are correct; I can't be left alone with my own thoughts. Maybe this has always been the case, but more recently I believe this has come as a byproduct of the field that I chose a decade ago.
There have simply been too many mothers wailing over the loss of their murdered sons who have stood on the other end of microphones I've held. There have been too many relatable accidents and too many sights/smells linked to malicious human wreckage that we in the news industry have spent our working lives encountering. My brain doesn't want to handle it. I can fully admit that while it is perhaps not wholly healthy, letting all of that simmer is not an option for me anymore.
The good news is that I have now become a podcast expert! Oddly enough, many of them fall into the realm of True Crime (when I listen to them to fall asleep, I opt for shows about science as to avoid nightmares). Perhaps that is just the world I have become most accustomed to.
In the past two years I've listened to at least 35 (many of them with multiple seasons and 7-12 hours of content each). Is this something to be proud of? Maybe not BUT I am certainly qualified to give recommendations! To start, here is my list of 10 must-listens!
#10. Serial - Season 1 (Sara Koenig/Julie Snyder, developed by This American Life)
I mean, Duh. Serial, Season 1 was the spark that ignited many of us podpeople. This investigative piece into the murder of Hae Min Lee and the subsequent trial of her high school boyfriend Adnan Syed, first aired on NPR and therefore I had to wait patiently for each episode (of course, its now available for binging in the Podcast app). I fell in love with it so hard that on election day 2014, I realized that I never changed my address for my polling place but since NPR was airing a compilation of Serial episodes that day, I decided to take the 120 mile round trip to vote (and used my civic duty as an excuse to drive and continue my Serial-listening addiction.)
Season 2 is definitely a departure from the first season as it focused instead on Pfc. Bowe Bergdhal, a US Army Deserter but was a great listen nonetheless. I listened to a few episodes in Season 3 which takes place embedded inside of the court system. It didn’t completely hook me.
# 9. Dr. Death (Wondery)
We put a lot of trust in our doctors. This is a podcast that I eagerly zoomed through as it covered the rightful demise of Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon who claimed he was the best in Dallas. On confidence alone, he had nearly everyone fooled including a healthcare system that proved too timid to stand in his way. This podcast reveals a lot about how strange a person has to be to continue on in a career that they are clearly ill-suited for, and the figures in charge who fear nothing more than arbitrary litigation.
#8. Sleuth (Linda Sawyer, iHeartRadio)
"Like a real-life Phantom of the Opera..." I was sold after reading this first line of the series description and remained sold throughout this lengthy listening experience. In Sleuth, investigative journalist Linda Sawyer dives into the murders of Sam Herr and Julie Kibuishi. The "actor" (literally and figuratively) Daniel Wozniak's motive for these killings is just absurdly idiotic and as a listener you will struggle to understand why he would do so much harm for so littler in return UNTIL Sawyer quickly shifts her focus to Wozniaks former-Disney princess-desperate-for-attention girlfriend, Rachel Buffett. I could tell that this podcast was a labor of love and anguish for Sawyer. It totals about 22 hours of audio, so prepare your life to get hijacked by this fascinating all-access story.
#7. Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. (The Boston Globe, Wondery)
You don't need to be a football fanatic or a true crime devotee to become completely enamored with this one. The incredible Globe Spotlight team dives into the promise and complicated ruin of the life of football star Aaron Hernandez. 'Gladiator' wont leave you to dwell on a single facet of this story. Instead, it leads a listener through the subject's childhood, bodily trauma, sexuality and the rarely policed world of college/NFL football culture.
#6. Up and Vanished (Tenderfoot TV)
I was really skeptical (snobbish) in the first few minutes of listening to Season 1, fearing that this was just a sophomoric Serial knock off. Instead, host Payne Lindsey's wide-eyed approach works out for the listeners benefit. In that first season the true story of a Georgia high school teacher will captivate you and then stun you with sudden developments. Up and Vanished displays the power in the medium as you follow along a cold case that quickly warms up.
#5. Someone Knows Something (CBC Podcasts)
I was instantly attracted to this series because it has five seasons and I could binge it to my heart's delight. The end result has been complete inspiration and admiration for the way that these true crime investigations are told. SKS combines boots-on-the-ground journalism and poetry. Host, David Ridgen's empathetic and gorgeous prose made me want to open my laptop and write. The way he treats the family of victims throughout the process of telling their stories is something to behold.
#4. The Teachers Pet (The Australian)
About four hours into this 18 hour series I found my own thoughts coming across with an Australian accent. This is another one that I listened to so often that it started to infiltrate my dreams. The Teachers Pet is a feat in strong journalism. It tells the true story of a star "footballer" Chris Dawson and the not-so-mysterious disappearance of his wife Lyn. The entitlement of Chris overflows into the relationship he formed with a student of his. The Australian is clear in their intent. To understand why police failed to charge Lyn's husband and to change the fact that they have not. The Teacher's Pet consumed an entire continent and will do the same to your brain.
#3. Crime Junkie (Audiochuck, Ashley Flowers)
The fear of Monday has become anticipation. A new Crime Junkie is released every Monday and each week host Ashley Flowers dives into a different crime that has taken place around the country. These stories are always true and well researched but they are told in a true storyteller fashion by a woman who is audibly as captivated by the tale as the listener.
I swear, I could happily mix cement or clean liter boxes for an hour just so long as I could tune in to Crime Junkie.
2. S-Town (Serial & This American Life)
In 2017 I sat still with my jaw open, wishing that the airplane I was on had not caught a tailwind and was about to land ahead of schedule. I started this series as my flight took off and immediately was overcome by the artistry contained within this series. I did not want to have to take off my headphones to deboard. It is hard to describe, and is best not to be completely understood before listening. All that can really be said is that S***Town is the result of producers actually taking an NPR listener up on a suggestion to investigate a "death" in the town where he lived in and loathed. The letter-writer "John" reached out with a story and a different one was brought to light. I was amazed by the symbolism contained in this work and was brought to tears on multiple occasions. I cannot say enough about S-Town.
1. Cold (KSL Podcasts, Wondery)
I don't know what it was about the storytelling or this crime that held my attention so well. Cold not only looks into the vanishing of a Mormon mother named Susan Powell but unravels the fascinatingly grotesque minds of her husband Josh and his father, Steve Powell. The most fascinating part about these men is that they are not exceptional at all. They are odd. Nothing more, from the outside. Can you legislate weird? Can the law control strange? What is frugality and what is financial abuse? Gosh this podcast was GOOD.
If you've already listened to most or some of these please feel free to reach out! I know the listening experience is super subjective so I am absolutely curious to know if you loved or really disliked any of the Podcasts mentioned above. Also, I have a list of about 25 more that I have loved so if you'd like any more suggestions based on your interests, I'm your gal!
