I’ve listened to a lot of good episodes from various podcasts since October (when I listed my favorite subscriptions). Here are a few that I rated the highest. Most of them should still be available to download, or at least to stream.
NPR: Music Reviews
- ’11Jan11 – Sneak Previews: Telekinesis, R.E.M., Iron And Wine, More
- ’10Dec21 – Jimi Hendrix spent years recording with whomever he could before being discovered and whisked off to London. A new Legacy box set, West Coast Seattle Boy, showcases Jimi Hendrix as sideman to a number of musicians. Rock historian Ed Ward takes a look at it today.
- ’10Oct5 – The Best New Electronic Music
NPR: Fresh Air
- ’11Jan24 – A Physicist Explains Why Parallel Universes May Exist [Brian Greene]
- ’11Jan17 – 1) ‘Dream’ Speech Writer Jones Reflects On King Jr. 2) Following The ‘Trail’ Of King Assassin James Earl Ray
- ’10Dec31 – 1) Sarah Silverman: Playing The Dummy For Laughs 2) Comedian Joan Rivers, Still A ‘Piece Of Work’
- ’10Nov29 – 1) Anne Hathaway: From Princesses To Passion 2) Surely, Fresh Air Remembers Leslie Nielsen
OnPoint
- How I Killed Pluto w/ Mike Brown, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- 2010’s Best Books
PRI: The Sound of Young America
- Greg Fitzsimmons is a standup comedian. His memoir is Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons.
- Kristen Schaal is a comedian, actress, and author. She’s best known for her role as Mel, the devoted, stalkerish fan of the band on HBO’s “The Flight of the Conchords”. She’s recently co-authored a book, “The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex”, with Rich Blomquist.
Savage Love
- #213 – Clown porn – balloon poodles will never be the same. How do you tell your partner that she should lose a little weight? Is it racist to dig Mexican men? And Dan is joined by Wayne Besen of “Truth Wins Out” on how to deal with victims of the ex-gay movement. Apniatic?
- #210 – Dan is joined by Christopher Ryan, coauthor of Sex at Dawn. The two attempt to tackle your freaky sex problems from an evolutionary psychologist’s perspective. Dan just wants to talk about plunger dicks, big sperm babies, and bonobo vulvas. Science!
This American Life
- #317: Unconditional Love
- #416: Iraq After Us – ’10Oct17 – When John returned from Iraq, he was haunted by the killing he’d done. He got treatment, and his case looked optimistic. Then John attacked his fiancée. This and other stories of people who’ve come face to face with death and are struggling to move on.
- #361 Fear of Sleep – Mike Birbiglia had bizarre adventures at night, but just got used to sleep being slightly scary—until it almost killed him. Reasons to fear sleep, including roaches, bedbugs, “The Shining,” and mild-mannered husbands who turn into maniacs while asleep.
- #359: Life After Death – Stories of people haunted by guilt over their role in others’ deaths, even when everyone agrees they’re blameless.
Radiolab
- Shorts: Gravitational Anarchy – ’10Nov30
- Cities – ’10Nov2
Stuff You Should Know
- How Migraines Work – ’10Dec16
- How the Rules of War Work – ’10Dec2
- How Gender Reassignment Works – ’10Oct19
Diane Rehm Show
- Thomas Powers: “The Killing of Crazy Horse” – ’10Dec28 (rebroadcast from earlier in the year)
- Emma Donoghue: “Room” – ’10Dec9