As I prepare my next Classic Rock magnum opus, The Semiotics of An American Band: Poststructuralist Dialectical Narrative in the Music of Grand Funk Railroad (10,000 words, indexed and footnoted), I have a question for you. Do you listen to any political podcasts?
I would prefer to get all of my political commentary from just hitting refresh and bathing in the fecund sea of witty commentary here at balloon-juice.com all day, but a fella’s got to go to work eventually. Here are the ones I listen to.
Woocast’s Politics and Polls: This is Sam Wang’s podcast and it is one of my favorites. Sam has always seemed like a likely reader of the constellation of blogs we all visit in common. Of all the commentators I can think of, he seems the least likely to go all soft and centrist on us. He and Julian Zelizer are pretty academic in tone. That doesn’t bother me. I like academics.
Five Thirty Eight Politics: Another good one. Fun, knowledgeable journalists from Nate Silver’s site. They try to focus on data and numbers with varying success. Nate Silver rightly decries punditry in all its evil guises…and with the next breath engages in punditry. His employees at 538 all seem to have a genial contempt for him, which makes me think he’s not so bad.
The National Security Law Podcast: This one gets super technical as one might expect from two law professors. Only about 1/4 of it is typically of interest or even comprehensible to me. But that 1/4 is pretty good!
The Lawfare Podcast: This is a mixed bag since they range over lots of topics. Some are good! Some are quite dull. They will platform some conservative viewpoints sometimes too. Mostly having to do with national security.
Rational Security: This is DougJ favorite Ben Wittes’s podcast. When he confines himself to his bailiwick, matters of national security, he is knowledgeable and clear. Great at explaining things and why they matter. When he strays from his realm he is less useful and very much given to smug centrism. Generally very good gender parity on this podcast. Tamara Coffman Wittes, Susan Hennessey, and Quinta Jurecic are excellent. WaPo journalist Shane Harris emcees the proceedings and he is well on his way to becoming another irritating villager. At its worst, this show will feel like a high school lunchroom table filled with unappealing nerds.
Stay Tuned With Preet: Supposedly Preet Bharara has no ambition for higher office. This is his ambition. To be some kind of media person. This is a slick show that sounds like it wants to be on NPR. He has a warm, daddish manner and definitely has some insight into the Mueller investigation. Will fawn obsequiously over guests at times.
Pod Save America: Did you like the Obama approach to messaging? Because this is basically it. This is also a slick, well produced show. I don’t know if I would recommend it to anyone who reads The Blogs on the reg. I feel like it is pitched for those who are taking some tentative steps out of television news. I think younger people would like it too. The live shows I find unlistenable. This is true for any podcast. There’s something particularly irritating about hearing the superfans of a thing that you only like enough not to even pay for. Like suddenly finding yourself at an Alf convention. AlfCon 2018. This show also gets a little bro-y.
Before you explain to me how I have gone all wrong in my choices, please take a moment to consider giving to the fund that’s split between all eventual
Democratic nominees in House districts currently held by Republicans.
ETA: How the hell did I miss this? Thanks, Betty Cracker!
trollhattan
Gave up on podcasts of whatever category, sorry. Find I much prefer to read.
p.s. Mark Farner is the shit, man!!!
charon
I have yet to listen to my first podcast. I expect they are too time consuming, and I have a pretty fast reading speed.
ETA: I very seldom watch videos either
Calouste
Glushkov, the Russian expat found dead in London a few days ago, was murdered by strangulation.
Investigation is run not by the homicide squad, but by the counter-terrorism unit.
mcquibster
Josh Marshall does a podcast now, just started a few weeks ago.
sherparick
You missed the Professional Left, who I think are an important voice because they really, go after the mainstream Media (MSM), the Corporate owners of MSM, and how right wing Republicanism could never have prospered and achieved the Trump Presidency, but for 30 years of “Both Sides” narrative and meme churning. http://professionalleft.blogspot.com/
I also find Driftglass very funny and entertaining and they will take breaks from politics with excursions into Science Fiction which has revived my interest in that genre.
narya
I also don’t listen to podcasts. I’d rather read, and I limit most of that to a small handful of spots. I would listen to a hockey podcast (live from the five hole) that locals here create, but I never seem to get around to it.
rikyrah
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— BLACK GIRLS ROCK! (@BLACKGIRLSROCK) March 16, 2018
rikyrah
#tdih 1960 College students marched to protest segregation in Orangeburg, SC. Police beat & tear-gas them; fire dep’t attacks w/freezing water from high-pressure hoses; 400 protesters & others who offered food & blankets are arrested. Read: https://t.co/LhpcxBhXdX pic.twitter.com/adoEE2lujK
— Zinn Ed Project (@ZinnEdProject) March 16, 2018
FlyingToaster (tablet)
I don’t listen to political podcasts ( though a couple you mention intrigue me). I do listen to StarTalk and Naked Scientists while on the exercycle.
lgerard
I don’t know what you have against Alf, but you better knock it off right now!
The Alfverse is strong my friend
raven
@trollhattan: Was the shit until they started that O’Captain bullshit.
Betty Cracker
I only listen to podcasts on long, solo car trips. I’ve listened to a couple of episodes of Pod Save America and Ana Marie Cox’s With Friends Like These, but that’s about it. Oh, also the new Balloon Juice podcast, which I didn’t even wait for a car trip to hear!
Josh Marshall has a new podcast that I subscribe to but have not yet heard. I know a lot of folks don’t like Marshall, but I do, so I’m looking forward to that. Radio Lab also has an interesting podcast — if you like the show, you’ll probably enjoy it.
trollhattan
@Calouste:
“Strangle self, UK police too stupid to figure out.”
–Vlad
cleek
no political podcasts, no video blogging. i prefer to read, and argue.
i make an exception for TV because Colbert, TDS and Sam Bee are funny.
petesh
Only 10,000 words on Grand Funk Railroad? How can you begin to scratch the surface if you restrict yourself that much?
Lawrence
I never miss The Professional Left on Friday afternoons. Gin and Tacos is starting one that I have enjoyed. I have tried other politics or culture podcasts that I turned off because they really needed editing.
Brachiator
On occasion I will listen to the Politics, Politics, Politics podcast, an iconoclastic and sardonic view by tech gadfly Justin Robert Young.
I also like the political and general discussions found at The Philieas Club, a podcast hosted by a Frenchman living in Finland, Patrick Beja. The most current episode is a special on guns.
I listen to podcasts and audio books on my commute and sometimes at lunch. The podcast app I use lets me play podcasts at 1.5 or 2x speed, which speeds things along while keeping things pleasantly listenable.
I don’t drag books around very much and while I will read online when I have my tablet, I don’t like to do long reads on my smartphone. So, for me, podcasts hit a sweet spot for accessibility.
I’ve listened to Five Thirty Eight and will sample some of the others mentioned.
PaulWartenberg
just a reminder that Camp NaNoWriMo is open for registration for anyone looking to get some writing done this month of April.
GeriUpNorth
I’ve recently started listening to podcasts when I’m in the kitchen cooking or cleaning. Pod Save America is the only political one I’ve listened to so far, but I’ll check out some of the other ones you mentioned. I generally listen to more story oriented podcasts, like Welcome to Night Vale, Lore and The Adventure Zone.
Starfish
I subscribed to them all to see how I like them. Podcasts can be hit or miss, but it is nice to have something to play on the radio when NPR is being full of centrist nonsense. This morning NPR was sad about Lipinski potentially losing his seat and how there are not going to be any centrist Democrats left. Who needs NPR glorifying a congressman who is only in his seat because it was his father’s seat and declaring anti-choice people as the true center of the Democratic party?
guachi
I don’t listen to political podcasts or podcasts of any kind.
But I have a 20 minute drive to work so I appreciate the list of podcasts as I can listen to one while driving to/from work.
I otherwise would prefer to simply read. But that’s probably not advisable while driving.
Arclite
I listen to Left, Right, and Center; the Josh Marshall podcast, and the 538 podcast.
Although not explicitly political, both the Slash Filmcast (movies) and Gamers with Jobs lean left and hit socially left issues from time to time.
Does Sam Harris’ Waking Up podcast count as political? It’s fantastic.
I walk to and from work 30m a day, so a podcast is a great way to get informed and keep the mind engaged during the walk.
ruemara
I have a love hate relationship with Pod Save America, because they’re also smug white males doing smug white male views. I can’t stand industry insiders and I turned off the most recent the minute Elizabeth Warren was on. But Pod Save The World has been a good primer on what’s going on globally – summation: it’s shite. Haven’t tried Pod Save the People yet, because I’m black and that shit is depressing.
The Black Guy Who Tips & Insanity Report are two good POC podcasts that touch on our domestic nonsense but they’re also funny as hell. You kinda need that break. I can sometimes stomach a little Maddow, since she’s usually on when I’m in the gym. Otherwise, I do story podcasts like my own (ostium), delved into one on serial killers, Lore is a fave and Warcraft podders like Lore Watch & The Instance. I burn through podcasts at work though. I sometimes bring my kindle and let the soothing electronic voice read me books.
Doug R
You kids and your podcasts. I do listen to Stephanie Miller on the computer via KPHX or WCPT or Free speech tv. I do click on fresh clips from Propane Jane on the Rick Smith show. and once in a while I’ll click on a CBC news story I just missed in the car.
Mnemosyne
@Calouste:
I guess the complaints about potential collateral damage from public poisoning got to the right Russian bureaucrat. Look, we assassinated the guy, but no innocent bystanders were at risk! Happy now?
germy
Larry Wilmore has a fine podcast. He had a great conversation with Coates a few months ago.
Mnemosyne
@Lawrence:
Ed from Gin & Tacos has gone full-metal broflake on Facebook by banning anyone who disagrees that we need to win back the (white) working class, so listen with a boulder of salt.
Lalophobia
@sherparick: Yes!! They’re merciless while still managing to be very….homey and relatable. Driftglass and Blue Gal are like the firebrand leftist aunt and uncle I never had.
@ruemara:
Same. They’re obsessed with the WWC and are always sure that they’re right. I think their hearts are in the right place, but they have blind spots they frequently refuse to acknowledge when they bump up against them and it can be frustrating as hell.
No Drought No More
Way back when in the San Francisco Bay Area (i.e., KSAN), FM radio ignored Grand Funk Railroad altogether, and for good reason. But that band was accorded serious air play on the AM stations, and must in turn have generated some serious coin. I don’t care enough to google about it, but it would be nice to learn the musicians all cashed in accordingly.. In light of all the horror stories about musicians being robbed by record companies, however, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re currently playing summer gigs at the San Cruz Beach Walk…
germy
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/03/democrats-may-seek-prosecution-of-witnesses-who-misled-house-intelligence-committee/
retr2327
In terms of Democratic nominees in districts currently held by Republicans, I would like to draw attention to this story:
“In Maine, a Republican state House candidate, Leslie Gibson, lashed out at some of the student activists in south Florida working on gun reforms, calling one student a “skinhead lesbian” and denouncing another as a “bald faced liar.” Gibson was running unopposed. Now, however, he has a Democratic rival: Eryn Gilchrist told the Portland Press Herald she didn’t intend to run for elected office, but she felt “horrified and embarrassed” at the thought of Gibson representing her.”
Put up a fundraiser for Ms. Gilchrist: Gibson needs to go. I will commit to $50 to start, but I’d like to run it through this blog so as to maximize BJ’s impact.
NY Robbin
@sherparick: Love the Professional Left! Also the Pod Save America family, like Pod Save the World
KithKanan
@No Drought No More: Having worked at the Boardwalk a couple decades ago I was prepared to agree with you, but it looks like the only place in CA they’re scheduled to play this year is Turlock. The rest of their schedule posted so far includes Alaska, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.
James E. Powell
l wanted to bring up Grand Funk in the comments to your recent music post, but I have no idea how old you are and I think it’s very hard to explain the popularity of Grand Funk Railroad to anyone who was not present at the time.
As to your podcast question, I get nearly 100% of my politics from this place and LG&M. I occasionally scan the Great Orange Satan, but mostly for sport.
Mr Stagger Lee
I prefer Pod Save The People, a good podcast. Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave are ok, but the commercials are too much. Larry Wilmore’s Black on the air is great for the interviews (Check out the one with Forrest Whitaker) but he cynicism is much. My favorite non political pods are Star Talk and The History of Rome.
frosty
@petesh: One of the 10,000 words should be tinnitus. GFR was the loudest band I ever saw — my ears rang for a day and a half afterwards. I’m blaming my tinnitus on that show.
Doug R
I’m thinking that most anyone who still identifies as white working class has retreated into their racist cubbyhole. If you’re not racist, you tend to indentify with other groups like far leftys, progressives, social democrats, etc. Or you take a gender orientation stand.
If they call themselves WWC, they’ve built up the defense mechanism already-prime example, why do they watch Fox “news” and still listen to right wing radio. I say we don’t sell out the rest of the coalition and have that seat ready at the table but if they don’t want to come in, it’s their loss.
We seem to be doing the right thing in the specials so far anyway.
trollhattan
@James E. Powell:
Like a rockin’ version of Three Dog Night.
My sole appreciation of GFR stems from seeing a Chicano rock-and-roll band, probably in Stockton, play “We’re a Mexican Band.” They were “comin’ to your town to pull your panties down” and stuff.
trollhattan
@frosty:
Remember Blue Cheer? At one time they were in the Guinness book as the loudest SPL ever recorded at a concert. What I hated more than sheer volume was volume+distortion. That shit kills. Ugh.
lowtechcyclist
If pivoting to video made no sense, I’d ask Josh Marshall why a pivot to audio does. And I’m also in the Fast Reader Club, so watching or listening to the news talk makes little sense to me if I’m not driving.
Rudi
Will the GFR essay be about the power trio or the power pop crap like “Were an American Band.” Grand Funk Live rocked heavy with a bass line Phil Lesh would love.
Procopius
I don’t do podcasts, just as I don’t do Twitter. I’m willing to watch a YouTube clip of Mark Blyth, despite struggling with his Scots accent, but in general I would much rather read. I’m never going to subscribe to the Jimmy Dore Show.
Brachiator
BTW, Cool nod to Elvis Costello in the thread title
Radio is a sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don’t give you any choice ’cause they think that it’s treason
So you had better do as you are told
You better listen to the radio
Bard the Grim
“bathing in the fecund sea of witty commentary here”
That’s good. I can use that.
I wonder if fecund and fecal have the same etymological root? Which reminds me of the shitgibbon… My mind wanders on Friday afternoons.
Formerly disgruntled in Oregon
@Rudi: Some have described GFR’s bass as “bong-rattling”
JGabriel
Jewish Steel @ Top:
Hey! I resemble that remark.
patroclus
That sounds interesting! I was reading Multi-variable Hermeneutical Schizothymia in the Musicology of Grand Funk Railroad just the other day.
Gin & Tonic
Watching the final minute of the Wichita game in a very loud bar, so no audio. But these refs should be fired. There is no reason for 58 seconds of basketball to take 15 real minutes.
Procopius
@guachi: “I otherwise would prefer to simply read. But that’s probably not advisable while driving.” That was the upside of taking the bus in Bangkok. Plenty of time to read while somebody else had to drive.
Mnemosyne
@Brachiator:
That’s the song that got him banned from “Saturday Night Live” for about 20 years. He was told he could not play it when he and the Attractions were the musical guest because Lorne Michaels didn’t want to piss off the network. Costello agreed, but they only played the first couple of bars of the agreed-on substitute and then ripped into “Radio, Radio.”
Don’t piss off Elvis Costello should be the applicable lesson here, as it usually is.
efgoldman
@patroclus:
English translation: It has a beat and you can dance to it
WereBear
@sherparick: Seconded.
Mnemosyne
@Brachiator:
I found the original video. ?
They also parodied it on the 20th anniversary show with him interrupting the Beastie Boys — the link to that video should show in the YouTube list.
TenguPhule
What about Puerto Rico?
Mike in DC
Still working my way through Magnetohydrodynamic Themes in the Seminal Works of Rush and Electric Light Orchestra.
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
I watched it as it happened. He was my hero for that.
germy
RobertB
@frosty: The loudest concert I ever saw was when I was right in front of one of Ted Nugent’s speaker towers, back in ’78 or so. Shameful, I know, but that was back before he went Full Metal Wingnut.
The second loudest, possibly tied for first, was The Jonas Brothers. The band themselves wasn’t particularly loud, but the sound of 10,000 screaming girls is a lot like sticking your head in a running jet engine.
joel hanes
Add another to the “no podcasts, no video, I read fast” column.
Brachiator
It’s not political, but I often check in to the BBC podcast, More or Less, which is the podcast version of the BBC4 radio program.
The current episode investigates Trump’s ramblings about trade and trade deficits.
Jeffro
OT but boy did I spend a lot of money at the local library’s used book sale. I mean, I was just buying to be buying…
Will have to budget myself to $20 next time. It’s not as if I don’t already have 2-3 dozen books in the ‘to read’ pile(!)
Fair Economist
@lowtechcyclist:
You don’t need to be in the Fast Reader Club for reading to be faster. Normal speaking is at 110-150 words per minute, which is about 4th grade reading level. If you managed to make it out of elementary school you’re better off reading unless reading is impossible for some reason like driving or undemanding manual work.
germy
@Fair Economist: And then on the podcasts there’s all the throat clearing and apologies about microphones, etc.
efgoldman
@Jeffro:
I do the opposite: stock up on used books in an on line sale, then donate them to the friends of the local library for a tax write off
Fair Economist
@germy: Um, ahem, indeed.
efgoldman
@germy:
One can learn not to do that. I did.
Some people, even broadcast pros, can’t stop unless they’re reading from a script.
hitchhiker
I like podcasts & play them all the time … doing housework, walking the dog, running errands, whatever.
Pod Save America can be funny, but I have to keep reminding myself that I (over 60 white lady) am NOT who they’re talking to. I love Deray and his team on Pod Save the People. Love them. Also Tommy Vietor’s interviews tend to be more thoughtful and interesting than anything the bros do. Jon Lovett, meh. He can be funny, is definitely smart — but he’s also kind of a dick.
Stay Tuned with Preet is good. Slate’s Trumpcast is good. The whole MSNBC evening lineup (Chris Hayes, Rachel, and Lawrence O’Donnell) are now delivered as podcasts every night — which is nice b/c there are no commercials and you can take your pick & catch up on whatever happened if you feel like it. Ezra Klein does really interesting interviews on his show, not always about politics.
The West Wing Weekly is fun for West Wing nerds, and Harry Potter and the Sacred Text is fun for HP fans. Krista Tippet does thoughtful interviews in On Being. There’s a BBC show called In Our Time that’s a guided discussion of ALL sorts of topics, each one led by the same guy but with its own panel of experts. Dear Sugars is a sort of podcast advice column with Cheryl Strayed and some dude, usually interesting.
Which brings me to what I wish … I wish for a podcast that was made for and by my own demo. I learn a lot about other perspectives from these shows, but there are not many older women of any ethnicity speaking, unless they’re somehow in the entertainment/politics biz. I would listen to a show that was just a shoot-the-shit hour with some of you, and I’d like to be able to point to it as an example of what women over 50 make of this world.
Fair Economist
On top of video and audio being slower than reading I find it very irritating to not be able to control the pace. Reading I can skim over dull sections, re-read sections I didn’t understand, pause to check facts on the internet, etc. All these are considerably more complicated with video or audio. If I’m doing something that prevents reading I generally prefer to have music on while I think or plan.
Adria McDowell
I’m a podcast connoisseur- I listen to them all the time, even while workin out. It’s better than destroying my tv via shoe watching Fox or CNN or MSNBC.
Love the Professional Left. The Final Word with Frangela is super funny and from the perspective of black women. Love Preet’s podcast also. The Bob Cesca Show is a winner. So is The Bugle (hosted by the very funny and British Andy Zaltzmann, former comedy partner of one John Oliver). I listen to the audio shows of Rachel and Lawrence and Joy.
I can’t with the Pod Save America/the World dudes. I will say that if you are gonna listen to Crooked Media podcasts, Deray McKeeson’s show is the best out of all of them.
germy
@efgoldman: I remember once, many years ago, I was a guest on a radio show, wearing headphones. My voice isn’t reliable sometimes, and so the producer apparently jacked my mic volume.
I turned my head slightly and the headphones and mic caused a piercing feedback shriek.
trollhattan
@Fair Economist:
My iPod (remember those?) has a feature that speeds up spoken language, a feature I didn’t know about that had me scratching my head over why music in podcasts sounded really weird and fast. Quite the ah-ha moment when I finally figured it out.
Jewish Steel
@Mr Stagger Lee: I did that whole History of Rome one. It was pretty good!
Jewish Steel
@JGabriel: I am sure you belong with the appealing nerds.
Jewish Steel
@patroclus: I strongly disagree when the authors of that paper assert:
Jewish Steel
@hitchhiker: You’ve got Pod Save America nailed.
Uncle Ebeneezer
@Lalophobia: I enjoy the insights into how the political process really works, from people with experience. But yeah…it’s white-dude-ish as Fu…
When they all started the apologetics for Non-Voters and Who-Can-Blame-Them/We-Can’t-Shame-Them etc., I almost had to turn it off.
hitchhiker
@Jewish Steel:
Yeah, I want them to be better. I forgot to say that I had to give up on Ana Marie Cox with her earnest Christian-in-recovery-but-I-can’t-stand-Hillary-oh-wait-I-shouldn’t-say-it-that-way bullshit. She’s not 1/10th the woman HRC is, but she still has to whine about how she just wants her to go away.
Prediction: Jon Favreau is going to run for office. Soon.
I am glad that they’re relentlessly telling their (presumably) young listeners to freaking VOTE next fall.
trollhattan
@Uncle Ebeneezer:
This can’t ever be right. Ever.
JR
Not modern politics, but Revolutions seems depressingly more relevant every day
efgoldman
@germy:
That’s hard to do
Mary G
Count me in as one of the people who just don’t get hooked on podcasts. It always seems like the people involved are talking in-jokes that I don’t know and it doesn’t seem funny, or saying um a lot, or arguing with each other. Once in a blue moon I will listen to Tom and Lorenzo, fashionable and opinionated, because I live on their blog almost as much as here, but they talk fashion, TV and movies, not politics,
There is one I’ve been meaning to try. It’s fairly new and on Crooked Media, so it might be brotastic, but it’s Majority 54, with Jason Kander of Let America Vote. I have a bit of a voter crush on him, and donate to the organization, but so far not curious enough to check it out, He is my dark horse for president in 2020.
patroclus
@Jewish Steel: Yeah, but they definitely had a point when they stated that “the synchophantic accoutrements of Grand Funk Railroad’s rhetoricization of proto-nationalist sentimentalization were pithily realized in the ideal typical characterization used in their predominant compositional form.” I mean, uh, ahem, you’ve, like, gotta agree with that!
germy
The adverse health effects of the lunacy that is Daylight Saving Time
father pusbucket
Deep State Radio
efgoldman
@patroclus:
I see no reason to change my original conclusion, arrived at empirically.
danielx
GFR sux. That is all.
tobie
@hitchhiker:
I agree with you completely. Cox’s contrarianism, ironic detachment and snark can be really annoying and really destructive when it comes to trying to get a movement going.
Bailey
I watch very little television these days (don’t have cable) and any news video I see is a clip posted to Twitter.
I prefer reading.
But I do listen to some podcasts, Pod Save America being one of them. I’d say your description is apt. And the live shows are just awful.
One that I enjoy particularly is “What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law.” It’s Roman Mars w/ a Con Law professor and they go through the various ways Trump is testing the boundaries of the Constitution. Their discussion is lively, informative, topical, historical in context, and apparently has no end of subject material.
Baud
There should be a Baud! Save America! podcast.
Mnemosyne
@hitchhiker:
I think that you, SiubhanDuinne, and satby should start a podcast. I don’t know if any of our WOC are in the right (60+) age group — maybe elie is?
I don’t want to get myself in trouble by naming any other names in case I’m wrong about people’s ages. ?
efgoldman
@Baud:
Well get off your lazy sociopathic ass and do it!
Mnemosyne
@efgoldman:
I wish you could have heard Steve “Jonesy” Jones at the start of his broadcasting career out here in LA. He had NO clue what he was doing when he was on the air, but in a really entertaining way. My favorite car-wreck moment was when he took a cell phone call on the air and they just let it play out. ?
Sadly, he has slowly become more professional over the years and though he’s still entertaining, we’ve lost that dangerous edge of “what’s he going to screw up now?”
(For people my age, that’s Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, not another Jones.)
Frances Langum
@sherparick: Thanks so much! Fran at proleftpod.com
Uncle Ebeneezer
My favorite podcasts are:
1.) The Black Guy Who Tips- it’s a comedy podcast, but a TON of political talk and insights. I’ve probably learned more about systemic oppression/intersectionality and how privilege shapes and distorts our views on politics, than from any books/blogs etc. Plus, it’s g-damn hilarious. Regular segments: LGBTQ News, Guess the Race (game), F-ing With Black People (game), Taking Out The Trash (lots of Trump), and Sword Ratchedness. Also, their Game of Thrones and Walking Dead recaps are so much fun.
2.) The Interracial Jawn- another comedy podcast featuring Leslie Mac the creator of Safety-Pin-Box and Ferguson Response Network. Mac and her husband Drew (VeryWhiteGuy) discuss news, politics and pop culture. Regular Segments: YES, ALL Cops, White People, Rating Public Apologies, Coulda Asked Mom (Stories and studies that “confirm” shit that marginalized groups have been saying FOREVER.).
3.) Sunday Civics- L Joy Williams (Dem Political Strategist) hosts discussions of how to become civically engaged, organize, etc. Very valuable, especially for activists.
4.) UnReasonable Fridays- Featuring Aaron Rand Freeman and Dacia Mitchell (both formerly of TWiB.). Comedy, but still a decent amount of political talk.
Honorable Mention: TheBodyServe- a tennis podcast with a gay couple are surprisingly informed on Intersectional Feminism and frequently talk about the politics of the ATP/WTA and their players (sadly there are several US players who are outspoken MAGAts, so they cover/diss them quite a bit.). Neither of the hosts are big tennis players, just fans, so it’s not something you need a whole lot of technical tennis knowledge to enjoy.
efgoldman
@Mnemosyne:
Given that local radio jobs for the last 40+ years have been going the way of buggy whip makers, he’s lucky to have a job.
ETA: Very few of us gave it up voluntarily. Beats the crap out of working for a living.
SiubhanDuinne
@hitchhiker:
I have never listened to a podcast, but I might start making an exception for that West Wing thing.
@Mnemosyne:
Are you thinking of a Cranky Old Liberal Broads kind of thing? Because we are legion in these parts. It’s true, once one turns 60 (sometimes much earlier, of course) one’s supply of Fucks To Give runs out quickly.
petesh
@frosty: I can’t hear you!
hitchhiker
@Mnemosyne:
What I’d love is a show with Betty Cracker and Kay. It could be called OHKay, You Bet!
Seriously, every time Kay gets on a roll here, I think where is this voice in the media??
And Betty is of course a joy.
They could team up with Baud Save America and create a BJ mini media empire.
Mandalay
If you want to listen to people who really know their stuff discussing foreign policy (as opposed to opining or being outraged), the FP Podcast is ahead of anything else I’ve heard, including the TV offerings of Fareed Zakaria and Christiane Amanpour:
https://foreignpolicy.com/category/podcast/
And as an added bonus there are no self-important twenty-somethings guffawing at their buddies and sneering at Trump.
efgoldman
@SiubhanDuinne:
As long as you don’t wear red hats.
Mnemosyne
@efgoldman:
He’s a Name (Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols!) so that helps explain both why he has a job and why he was allowed to learn on the job.
Also LA is still a pretty big radio market. I think we only have one white pop station that doesn’t have local DJs (Jack FM). Unless I’m confused about where the Woody Show on Star 98.7 originates from. ?
We even still boast two (2) local public radio stations — one is PRI and the other is NPR.
ruemara
@Uncle Ebeneezer: Haven’t tried Interracial Jawn yet. Good to see another TBGWT fan on here. Rod & Karen are hot!
Zuleika
I don’t listen to podcasts, but I’d definitely tune in for OHKay, You Bet! Brilliant idea, hitchhiker.
Mnemosyne
@SiubhanDuinne:
Yes! Ruemara could be your producer and chime in from time to time even though she’s a bit younger.
David Smith
One year Grand Funk sold out Shea Stadium in 4 hours(it took the Beatles 6 weeks). The next year they couldn’t fill the Capitol Theater in Passaic NJ.
hitchhiker
@SiubhanDuinne:
Cranky Old Liberal Broads is the exact vibe I’m going for … the ones who have long ago emptied the box labeled F*cks to Give.
Brachiator
@Uncle Ebeneezer:
Yep. Yep. Good podcast, especially (as you note) the Game of Thrones recaps.
Lalophobia
@hitchhiker:
I’d listen to that.
Felony Govt (formerly Old Broad in California)
I thought I was the only person who has no patience for podcasts. I’ve tried and tried, but I’d much rather read.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Mike in DC:
You guys will like my upcoming monograph, Bong and Nothingness: Half-Baked Ontology in the Works of Vanilla Fudge.
Jewish Steel
@David Smith: Sic gloria transit mundi.
Jewish Steel
@Steeplejack (phone): Ha!
PIGL
@RobertB: Swans. That is all.
Lawrence
@Mnemosyne:
Hmm… I don’t read him on FB and his podcast is fairly new. Maybe two or three episodes. I haven’t noticed a big change on Gin and Tacos, but I’ll watch out for it.
Jewish Steel
@PIGL: I’ve heard a Swans concert is a truly awe inspiring amount of loud. Mine might shock you: UB40. Holy shit, I think my head is still bumping.
laura
If you’re not listening to Driftglass and Blue Gal on the Professional Left Podcast, then you need to listen to Driftglass and Blue Gal.
laura
Here ya go:
http://driftglass.blogspot.com/2018/03/professional-left-podcast-431.html?m=1
Mnemosyne
@Lawrence:
Sometimes people talk differently than they write, and I think he’s allowing people to egg on his worst tendencies on Facebook, because Facebook is the Devil. Still, something to watch out for.
Uncle Ebeneezer
@ruemara: And bulletball EXTREEEEEEEEEME…..
Definitely check out the Interracial Jawn. Drew & Leslie are friends with Rod/Karen and have been on TBGWT a couple times.
Rod & Karen are truly wonderful people. Not only in all they do for the audience and the numerous other Black podcasts they constantly promote and support etc., but even just the way they treat each other with such love and respect.
PS- the TBGWT Facebook group is also a whole lot of fun.
Miss Bianca
@Mnemosyne: of course, my mind went to acronyms for Cranky Old Liberal Broads, which led to COLB, which led to the COLB-Ear Report. Yes, i did just open a cider, but i’ve either already drunk too much, or not nearly enough.
joel hanes
Cranky Old Liberal Broads is the exact vibe I’m going for
Y’all should be reading Juanita Jean’s
http://juanitajean.com/
(Her previous blog was named “Kiss My Big Blue Butt”)
ruemara
@Uncle Ebeneezer: I agree, I met them at PodCon. Karen is TINY! Haven’t joined the Facebook group, but I pester Rod a lot on twitter and he hasn’t blocked me yet.
Lumpy
I can’t stand Pod Save America. It’s really bland rehashing of the news from yesterday/2 days ago, with no new information to add. It seems like a pretty superficial examination of the issues, for all their “insider” status.
I listen to Rachel Maddow’s show as a (free) podcast, there’s no commercials so it’s time effective. You lose a little bit by not getting the visuals, but since it’s kind of an end-of-day recap, it’s usually not a huge issue (you’ve already seen the picture of today’s school shooter, etc). I also started listening to Lawrence O’Donnell, although his show is a little too… pedantic? Preachy (to the choir)? Ham fisted? I skip this one sometimes.
I also like Majority Report with Sam Seder, he has great guests like David Dayen, Ari Berman, Heather Parton (Digby from Hullaballoo blog) etc, and various authors (it’s not always current events, it’s deeper than that). Sam’s political analysis is (IMO) usually spot-on, he has a good handle on the political process, and I feel like I can learn things from listening. The co-host can sometimes give it a “Morning Zoo” vibe which I don’t love, but it’s usually worth it anyway.
Brachiator
@hitchhiker:
Not sure if they are 50, but you might check out the BBC Radio 4 podcast, Fortunately, with Jane Garvey and Fi Glover. And of course, the Woman’s Hour, with a range of guest hosts and topics
.
BroD
Nope, don’t do podcasts. Maybe I would if I had a commute or spent time tying flies or something like that….
J R in WV
@frosty:
I always take earplugs – shooting earplugs, with a big dB effect on loud sound – to rock shows.
Many great bands are way too loud, one giveaway is when the band has their ears filled with custom sound gadgets, like the Tedeschi Trucks band. Great musicianship, all wearing hearing protectors with the mix supplied quieter.
woodrowfan
to answer your question, I don’t listen to any podcasts. at all.
Uncle Ebeneezer
@ruemara: Very cool. They seem super-gracious yo their fans. I wear my TBGWT shirt all the time but so far have never had anyone recognize the reference. When they had Corey Glover of Living Colour on, I damn-near lost it. LC was one of the most influential bands for me as a musician.
John Revolta
JR in WV:
Well to be fair, those in-ear monitors are very useful……………….they save the band having to shlep on-stage monitor cabinets around and they enable the musicians to move around the stage and still hear everything. I haven’t used them myself but I wouldn’t be surprised if they also allow a certain “volume creep” to happen.
Gretchen
@sherparick: i second the recommendation of The Professional Left.
NotoriousJRT
@hitchhiker:
I think you hit the nail on the head re: the Pod Saves and Lovett in particular. I usually learn stuff from ‘ the World and ‘the People. Rarely on ‘ America and unsubscribed Leave It (I left it). Crooked Conversations May have promise, but they are way heavy on the white bro for this white sis. They are insulated from the consequences of Trump and spend too much time on yucks or useless indignation. But, I, too, am not the target demo. I like Josh Marshall’s podcast thus far. I subscribe to bunch but am not consistent about listening, which I do at work.
NotoriousJRT
@SiubhanDuinne:
It’s true, once one turns 60 (sometimes much earlier, of course) one’s supply of Fucks To Give runs out quickly.
Word.