I know what you're thinking, 'you want me to use that useless app on my iPhone that Apple refuses to let me delete?', and the answer is yes, yes I do. Podcasts are one of my favorite things in the world. Whenever I have a long commute to class or traveling to a new city, I love scrolling through my podcast feed and seeing episodes I haven't listened to yet; and when I discover a new channel, I binge listen to that show like there's no tomorrow.
Listening to a podcast nonstop is like binge watching a show on Netflix; it's full of excitement and you can just stay on your bed/couch, lifeless, or you can cook, and clean. You can even do more than binging a Netflix show would allow you: like grocery shopping or driving to work or church.
Like radio and television ( and actually, anything really), everyone has their own preferences. Some prefer dark humor, others light, some want to listen to romance and others want to listen to teachings. The great news is: podcasts of any shape and size exist. Here are some of my favorites:
1. Modern Love: The Podcast
This podcast is provided by WBUR and the New York Times. Each week a piece from the NYT column 'Modern Love' is read by a celebrity and then discussed with the writer to see where their relationship, or lack thereof, is now. Episodes span from the love shared between a son and father, to meeting your future spouse for the first time, to adopting a child. The topic of our current 'hook-up culture' is even spoken of in Episode 10: 'A Millennial's Guide to Kissing'. Each episode is between 10 to 20 minutes long and it's usually updated once a week.
2. We Hate Movies
In this series, four awesome guys (Andrew Jupin, Steve Sajdak, Eric Szyszka, and Chris Cabin) explain - in detail - horrible movies. They usually end up going on long rants about Gallagher smashing watermelons with a sledge hammer or creating hypothetical shows (which would actually be amazing in real life), but this only adds to the hilarity of the podcast itself. By the end of each episode they tell you if the movie is even worth watching for yourself, but no matter what, you will always laugh.
3. The Moth Podcast
The Moth's motto is: "True Stories Told Live". Each week they share two to four stories that have been told at their live events, which take place all over the world and are (usually) free to go to! At a Moth event, you can even tell a story. Stories span from those of near death experiences, to coming out out as trans, to getting locked in a police car as a rookie cop. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll yearn to go to a Moth Story Slam.
4. SinCast - Presented by CinemaSins
If you're not familiar with CinemaSins, go to their Youtube page and check out their videos. They point out the nuances of certain films, firmly believing, "no movie is without sin". On the SinCast, they share stories of working in movie theaters, as well as answer fan questions. Most often they'll talk about their favorite, and least favorite, movies. They make great commentary and are currently opening every episode by discussing which film is the best from a certain year, starting at the year 1975.
5. Dear Hank and John
If you're a fan of John Green, writer of The Fault in Our Stars, Looking For Alaska, Paper Towns, and many more, or enjoy Hank Green, video producer and musician, then you'll love this podcast. Both brothers do so much more than I listed. They educate so many people and have such great creativity. Their podcast centers around giving dubious advice to listeners and also delivers news "from Mars and AFC Wimbledon". Sometimes their advice isn't so dubious, and over time you'll probably become a fan of both Mars and AFC Wimbledon.
6. Blame It On Outer Space
Conspiracy theories are discussed by Eric Szyszka (from 'We Hate Movies') and Ben Worcester, usually accompanied by a guest. These episodes come out sporadically, one every month or so, but there are so many of them that you'll alway be listening to an episode and begin to question: are Lizard People real?
7. Serial
I would be a fool if I didn't include this podcast in my list. Though, personally, I believe season one is much better than season two; Serial will have you questioning what exactly is justice in the cases of Adnan Syed and Bowe Bergdahl. This channel stems from another podcast called, 'This American Life' - which is also a pretty interesting channel.
No matter what, podcasts are pretty awesome so why not give some a chance? Who really knows what's out there?
