As a people-hating introvert, I am a little too in love with the idea of popping in my headphones and tuning out of the world for a little while. However, even moody folk music becomes exhausting after a while, and my brain desires something a little more stimulating on its journey to escape the world. When this happens, I turn to podcasts--online talk radio shows that cover every topic under the digital millenial sun.
Below are some of my favorites for every mood and every interest. Whether you crave information, comfort, or just general distraction, this list can help you choose.
Detroit Today
While not technically a podcast, WDET's Detroit Today is hosted by the Pulitzer-winning Stephen Henderson and airs lives every day 9am--recordings are generally posted by the following afternoon. Henderson discusses important news topics from an unbiased, level-headed perspective, but is often joined by guests of all fields and positions, which makes for a well-moderated but lively discussion. Topics range from current events such as the Flint water crisis or public school reform, to noteworthy literature and theatrical productions. Detroit Today also curates an intentional but not overwhelming appeal to the city of Detroit itself, which centers the discussion in a way that hits just perfectly close to home.
RadioLab
Produced by NPR, RadioLab is made up of a team of journalists covering the weird, the fascinating, the urgent, the extreme, and the unknown--so, basically everything. RadioLab usually picks one topic each week and dives way in. Some of my favorite recordings have discussed cross-national surrogacy legality in Nepal and India, the origin and trajectory of American political sex scandals, and counterculture rock bands in revolutionary Cuba. All of these shows are complete with interviews, real-world perspectives, and plenty of background information. They're a great way to spend an hour without sacrificing your brain power.
Strangers
Strangers is similar to the popular storytelling Podcast "the Moth", but is way more intimate. Lea Thau hosts in her calm and radically empathetic voice, and invites everyday folks to share their stories of love, pain, and deep human connection. Each podcast involves a couple ten- to twenty-minute testimonials, perhaps about a loved one's battle with cancer and the blessings encountered along the way, or even brushes with the supernatural. Strangers is a quick, affecting listen that will leave you feeling a little better about the way we interact with the world around us.
Serial
When it's in season, Serial is released every Thursday, and I have spent more than one night trying to stay awake as I finish the latest episode before the weekend. Serial is crazy popular, so it's no surprise if you're tired of hearing about it--but the hype is more than worth it. Every season (so far there have been two), host Sarah Koenig digs up an old piece of criminal legislation and picks it apart in ways you never knew possible. Koenig's dare-I-say-obssessive journey through these cases will leave you speechless--especially when she does something crazy like calling the Taliban on the phone or showing up unannounced at a criminal witness's house some fifteen years after a trial. Bottom line? Listen to Serial. See you when you run out of episodes after listening compulsively for two weeks straight.
Dear Sugar
Time for some feel-good. An audio adaptation of the popular "Rumpus" column Dear Sugar, this podcast is hosted by two former writers of the Dear Sugar column, Steve Almond and Cheryl Strayed (famous author of the super-fab book WIld). Each week, Steve and Cheryl tackle a series of advice-seeking letters sent to them by individuals seeking help with failing relationships, finances, family troubles, or the search for self. Whatever crisis you're experiencing with humanity--perhaps the death of a loved one, a seemingly endless spiral into professional mediocrity, or a general who-am-I-what-is-my-purpose-here crisis, the Sugars can help you. Come for one, stay for all of them. Dear Sugar will take you on an emotional, soul-searching ride.
Guys We F*****
The title may be obscene and a little WTF-inducing, but GWF is worth a listen. Perfect for a casual listen on a Saturday night when you need to unplug, hosts Krystyna and Corinne are whipping out their most raucous wisdom on everything sex-positive: dating, hookups, and all the wonderful weirdness that comes with it. In addition to frankly discussing their own sex lives, Corinne and Krystyna invite a guest on each episode. Older recordings usually featured a past lover of either (or both?!) of the host's (hence the title), but now the girls are popular enough to score interviews with moguls like Stoya or Harrison Greenbaum. If you need a little smut and a lot of laughs, GWF is for you.
