For the Love of Pod: My Favorite Podcasts
- Antonia Quinn
- Mar 13, 2018
- 5 min read
Podcasts are sooo boring... at least that's what I used to think. My mom would tell me I should check out some NPR podcast and I would be like yeah I'm probably never going to do that. But then one day a year ago I started listening to Serial because I had heard of it as basically the OG podcast that started it all. I honestly can't explain to you how hooked I got as soon as I started listening to that podcast. You'll definitely hear me talk about my love for it at least a couple more times in this post so I won't go on and on but... it really did get me addicted to listening to podcasts. I wanted to find more, and finally took my mom's suggestion and started listening to all kinds of podcasts from NPR... and they're incredible (thanks mom!). I started listening to them constantly - actually the only thing I'll listen to on a long run anymore is a podcast, it makes the time go by so quickly, and I learn so much. Here is a list of my favorite podcasts, click on the title of each to learn more... and if you're reading this and have any favorites of your own, let me know in the comments below!
Science & Culture Podcasts
All different topics ranging from the D.B Cooper heist (one of my faves) to Psychopaths, to Sea Monkeys. The podcast itself is really funny and informative on topics you didn't even know you wanted to learn about. I love the two guys who host it, Chuck and Josh, because no matter what the topic I always enjoy hearing them talk!
Every week they take the best Ted talks that relate to one central topic and make them into an hour long episode. It's usually all different kinds of people from different professions talking about that topic. I love the format, and it's easier to understand topics that you might not know too much about in this format, rather than listening to one isolated Ted talk. One of my favorite episodes is Peering Into Space, and the follow up episode to that one: Peering Deeper Into Space.
Stories & Humor Podcasts
The Moth is such a cool podcast, it's people's own stories told by them live on stage at Moth events. The stories range from being hysterical, to heartbreaking, to inspiring and everything in between but they are fascinating in their own way. One of my favorites is a guy telling the story of how his neighbor and friend at his apartment complex actually turned out to be one of Americas Most Wanted criminals, and how he had to help the FBI catch him. (Episode: Oreos, Heaven, and America's Most Wanted from November 8, 2017)
So the guys who host Young & Happy post a lot less than they used to which is a bummer, but I still go back and listen to old episodes because I think Caleb and Rone are hilarious. They comment on Pop Culture, music news, and whatever other topics their conversation leads them to.
Interviews with people like his wife, Kristen Bell, and his friends such as Ashton Kutcher, Adam Scott, and Jimmy Kimmel. Each episode Dax and his guest talk about life, their stories, and their experiences working in Hollywood.
True Crime Podcasts
I don't think I'm alone in this, but I am absolutely addicted to a great true crime podcast. I originally fell in love with podcasts because of the first season of Serial, and after that I found Up and Vanished which was (almost) as good. They're soo addicting, and the best thing you could listen to on a long car ride!
This is probably my favorite podcast of all time. Aside from the fact that it's the most compelling story with tons of twists and turns, I absolutely love Sarah Koenig who hosts it. This was actually the basis for the HBO miniseries The Night Of, which I had watched before listening to Serial and didn't realize they were related beforehand. This is so much more than just a story about a murder - it teaches you a lot psychology, memory, the justice system and adolescence. Serial will always keep you wondering wondering what the truth is and who you can trust.
** I also really liked Season 2 about Bowe Bergdahl but the first season was much more interesting in my opinion.
So this podcast was started by a guy named Payne Lindsey, who was actually inspired to start it because he listened to Serial. At first I was kind of turned off by it because as he says he is an amateur filmmaker who just started looking for a crime that was unsolved to investigate. But very quickly my mind was totally changed.
He decides to start investigating the cold case of the disappearance of a teacher named Tara Grinstead, and shockingly he starts getting real breaks and leads in the case. In a wild ending no one saw coming, he actually helps solve the case!
This 6-episode series is a story about a woman who falls in love with a man who might not be who she initially thinks he is. It's a story about seduction, lies, and manipulation and will keep you guessing until the end!
Nick's Favorites:
Nick and I love a lot of the same podcasts, like the Moth and Ted Radio Hour. But he's a huge sports guy and just like I'm addicted to my True Crime genre, he's addicted to sports. He also loves hearing about industry and economy. It kind of works out though that we like listening to different things, because we both report back to each other on the thing we listened to that were really interesting. And after being together for a longgg time and living together, it's always good to find new things to tell each other about :)
Hockey Podcast I'm assuming is about all things Hockey. The small clips I've listened to are actually really funny so that definitely counts for something. Also the title, Spittin' Chiclets, refers to hockey players getting their teeth knocked out, which is pretty funny in it's own right.
Conversations between host Stephen Dubner, who co-authored the book Freakonomics, and weekly guests. They discuss society and culture in this weekly podcast and clearly I don't know too much more about it.... But I will say that the stories from this that Nick has told me about are really interesting!
