Hi all,
Welcome to part one (finally) of the 2019 TOA Podcast Awards. Today, we’ll look over some of the shows I listen to… but never right away.
The list below is ranked from worst to first. Enjoy!
Honorable mentions
The Luke and Pete Show
This show is evidence of the age-old wisdom that two people talking nonsense is always a surefire formula for a good podcast. Luke and Pete, who I know better for their work on longtime favorite The Football Ramble, take a couple half-hours each week to discuss with humor and enthusiasm any topic that catches their interest.
Unfortunately, although I’ve always enjoyed their shows, it’s been a few months since I last listened to an episode - I've simply chosen to listen to other shows first and such evidence explains how the show lands at the bottom of my current podcast rotation. I suspect by this time next year, there is a good chance I won't consider this show for my 2020 shortlist.
House of Carbs
Around once a week, this podcast takes a closer look at a topic from the world of food. Like with The Luke and Pete Show, I know House of Carbs host Joe House for his regular role on The Bill Simmons Podcast. He brings the same zany but entertaining conversation style to House of Carbs that have made his guest appearances on other shows so enjoyable over the years.
I can’t rank this podcast any higher simply because I’ve realized that the topic isn’t quite right for me – the food discussion is entertaining but I have other podcast topics I prefer. These days, I limit episodes only to those featuring guests I already know – and in an appropriate role reversal, the most frequent of these guests is Bill Simmons.
The Rewatchables
This show breaks down movies in movie-length episodes. My approach to this podcast is very logical – if I liked the movie, I’ll listen to the episode. Unfortunately, I don’t watch anywhere close to enough movies to listen to more than 10% of the shows (and that number will shrink in the future). It’s possible that this show climbs my rankings next year but that would require that I suddenly develop a movie habit. Such a big change to my lifestyle feels unlikely (and might come at the expense of the time I reserve for writing, which would mean the likely end of the these rankings, anyway).
Bookfight
On the surface, this podcast is just like The Rewatchables except that it focuses on books instead of movies. I even pick episodes the same way, only listening to shows featuring a work or author I’m familiar with. Despite all the reading I do, it’s fairly unusual for an episode to come out that I end up listening to – there are simply far more books and authors out there than movies, it seems.
There is a little more to Bookfight that moves it ahead of its cinematically focused counterpart in these rankings. The show follows the classic ‘two people talking nonsense’ formula outlined above for the second half of each episode and I often enjoy this segment of the show more than the portion they spend dissecting the book. I think they might do better if they released the ramblings from the second half-hour as separate episodes instead of as the back end of an hour-long show.
Second runner-up: Call Your Girlfriend
If I recall correctly, I had high hopes for the future of this show in last year’s rankings but it just hasn’t quite worked out for CYG in terms of securing a regular position in my podcast rotation. There are a number of reasons, I suppose, but primary among them is the show's loose focus on politics - I find CYG valuable because I rarely listen to podcasts about politics but I suppose there's also a reason why I don't listen to other podcasts that cover politics. I think at its core CYG is not just about its discussion topics but also about applying those ideas into a certain kind of lifestyle. It’s a lifestyle I can enjoy listening about on these shows from time to time but it’s also clear to me that it isn’t a lifestyle that I’ll exemplify anytime soon.
First runner-up: Hardcore History
Of all the shows on this list, Hardcore History is the most likely to move from the ‘Storage Bin’ category to the ‘ASAP’ for next year’s version of the awards. This isn’t because the show covers urgent topics – most of these marathon episodes cover a chapter of history from long ago. It’s also not because I’m particularly interested in the topics – a 2018 episode was about pain and the various ways people throughout history have made suffering not just a part of life but also a source of entertainment. Good topic (and good show) but not a concept I spend too much time thinking about in my daily routine.
I’m predicting this show will move into the ‘ASAP’ category next year because these shows are consistently excellent, finding ways to use history as a foundation for asking deep questions about human nature and modern civilization. Whenever I get around to listening to these episodes, I find myself wondering why I left Hardcore History on the backburner for so long.
Winner: EconTalk
The weekly discussion on EconTalk always ties back to a larger theme or idea from economics, a subject I majored in, and I find that each show broadens my understanding about how today’s world works and what the various points of view are about how things might change in the future. This show succeeds because host Russ Roberts consistently nudges his guests to teach the audience as the show proceeds by using his superior interviewing skills to slow the pace of the discussion whenever an extended explanation or clarification is required.
There have been times when I’ve treated new episodes of this program with ‘ASAP’ urgency but these days I keep new episodes in reserve until my other shows slow down. This feels like the right rhythm, even if I do find most episodes are worth the wait, because the show’s topics are never pressing or urgent. The exception is for shows featuring guests I’m already familiar with. Those who are interested in starting up with EconTalk could do worse than pulling every episode featuring Mike Munger, the most frequent guest in the show’s history, because I think the episodes with him routinely stand out due mostly to his chemistry with Russ Roberts.
