BBC, Babes & Bedtime Thrills: My Favorite Podcasts
Sarah Athanas threw down the gauntlet earlier this week when she posted her favorite podcasts – and challenged myself and Dena Haden to do the same. Hey – that’s how motivational co-working works!
Our Favorite Podcasts posts are in preparation for the launch of Ground Control: The Groundwork! series of podcasts by Sarah, Dena and myself that will be ready for release soon. I admit here and now that as a podcaster, I make a great blogger. But with guests like DSoups’ Devin Byrnes and musician/historian Carl Simmons – and a canvas like New Bedford – I look forward to growing into the role of the host of Ground Control: New Bedford Now.
Anyway, podcasts are hot and as a long-time lover of radio, I find plenty of inspiration behind the mic. My favorite podcasts are a mix of re-purposed radio programs and Internet-only original productions. In no particular order:
THE BAKER STREET BABES
You always remember your first and the Babes were my first podcast. They consist of a group of women from both sides of the Atlantic who discuss all things Sherlock Holmes. Their lively dialogue is matched by their impressive mastery of the Canon – the 56 original short stories and four novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle devoted to the world’s first consulting detective. The Game is Afoot here.
THE NEW YORKER RADIO HOUR
This terrific podcast is first broadcast on WNYC and then made available to New Yorker subscribers as a podcast – and is also available on iTunes. It often embodies the wide breadth of editorial content you find in the magazine and, because of the lofty place the New Yorker holds in publishing circles, attracts top-notch talent. Editor David Remnick most often leads the discussions and he is the digital age answer to the legendary William Shawn.
CREATIVE MINDS OUT LOUD
This is a podcast “for arts and culture nerds” produced by the Massachusetts Cultural Council – and it’s quite excellent. A series of conversations with arts leaders across the state, it takes a deep dive into what it takes to run arts organizations of all disciplines in Massachusetts.
BBC Radio Podcasts
Britannia rules the airwaves thanks to the BBC – and their website and killer app is a podcast candy store. News, music, discussion, drama…you name it, you’ll find it here. It’s hard to settle on just one favorite podcast as you can literally get lost for days perusing all that the BBC offers. And, it’s all served up in an impeccable English accent! On my list are: Free Thinking on Radio 3; Discovery, Exchanges and Outlook on World Service; and the many dramatizations on Radio 4.
THE NO SLEEP PODCAST
Finally, I’m happy to bring you to bed – but leave you with the No Sleep Podcast. I discovered this one because an artist I’ve worked with, Jen Tracy, creates some of the illustrations that accompany the podcasts on the website – and now I’m hooked on the thrills and chills. Check out The Closing Shift at Pizza Hut; you’ll be forever grateful that Domino’s on Rockdale Avenue delivers!
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