Talk to Me
Listen to these podcasts if you want to be inside my head.
I listen to too many podcasts. I caught the bug in 2008 when I was living in another country, and found the RSS feeds of my hometown radio shows so I could keep up with them, downloading episodes much slower than real-time. When driving or going on walks, I prefer audiobooks, but podcasts keep me company while I work, do house chores, and sometimes fall asleep. I can’t imagine going back to a quiet mental soundscape now! A decade in, I switched to the Pocket Casts app, which tells me:
When I started podcasting myself in 2014, I added a lot of shows to my rotation. I wanted to learn from what others were doing. And I found great guests for my own shows that way! Apparently I subscribe to 443 different podcasts. A lot of these don’t release new episodes, but you never know when they’ll return! And there are plenty I don’t regularly listen to, but for a great guest or episode description I’ll dip back in.
I’m past my true crime podcast days (but still welcome documentary recs), and there’s a lot of TV aftershows I tune into as soon as they drop. But outside of those… here are some you should check out if you’re looking for new shows to keep you company:
Writing
Scriptnotes
Smart listening for all writers, not just screenwriters! I love the way John August (Big Fish, Go, Charlie’s Angels), Craig Mazin (The Last of Us, Chernobyl), and their guests break down story, dialogue, and their own projects.
Sample ep: The Wizard of Splash
More like this: 3rd & Fairfax, The Screenwriting Life
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Bingeing The Shit About Writing Team’s podcast throughout my first year of novel-writing really changed the game for my understanding of the publishing industry. It helped me understand query letter conventions and think deeper about elements of craft that I needed to improve upon. And without host Bianca Marais’ Beta Reader Match Up, I never would have met AnneMarie Hogan!
Sample ep: Untangling Complex Queries: Writing with Clarity Across Timelines
More like this: I’m looking for recs! I want to check out Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin; I loved The Creative Act and I’ve heard his interview with Anne Lamott and her husband Neal Allen is excellent.
Society
Jacob Reed and Me
I knew Heather Sundell in elementary school, and was delighted to reconnect with her through mutual friends in adulthood (subscribe to her wonderful Substack!). Her husband Jacob Reed has put together several collaborative projects over the years—my fiancé participated in the animated Our Frasier Remake—and his new podcast is a hoot. Tracking down people who share his name, reveals interesting stories about Jacob Reeds from all walks of life.
Sample ep: The Artist
More like this: Beautiful/Anonymous, Sixteenth Minute (of Fame)
Maintenance Phase
Listening to Aubrey Gordon deconstruct weight loss fads may be one of the best things you do. She lays bare the harmful fatphobia in our culture that we’ve internalized to weaponize against ourselves and those most discriminated against because of it. And she and Michael Hobbs are hilarious while doing it!
Sample ep: The Body Mass Index
More like this: If Books Could Kill, You’re Wrong About, Amanda Montell’s Sounds Like a Cult
Panic World
Ryan Broderick investigates the internet to help us understand the world we live in. It’s helped me gain familiarity with niche subcultures and topical trends that have worldwide ramifications, better than I could on my own.
More like this: A Bit Fruity, Behind the Bastards, There Are No Girls on the Internet
Pop Culture
60 Songs that Explain the ‘90s
I rarely listen to a show exclusively hosted by cis straight white guys, but Rob Harvilla is a worthy exception. The way he spins relatable anecdotes from his youth into well-researched examinations of the musicians that soundtrack our formative decades is exceptional. (After returning to the ‘90s with a second round, he’s now doing songs that explain the 2000s!)
Sample ep: “Believe”—Cher
More like this: One Song, Song Exploder
Black Men Can’t Jump in Hollywood
This movie review podcast is hosted by three hilarious performers, and they cover both classics and new hit releases. They don’t rank films based on how much they liked them, but on how well they advance the cause of leading Black actors in Hollywood.
Sample ep: Captain America: Brave New World
More like this: The Bechdel Cast, Feminist Frequency Radio (I did not create this podcast’s ethos—be critical of the media you love—but I do my best to carry it on!)
Breakfast All Day
My favorite weekly rundown of new movies, hosted by veteran film critics Christy Lemire and Alonso Duralde. They cover blockbusters as well as indie fare, and I trust their opinions even when I don’t always agree with them! They also have a recurring segment called “was it great or were you eight” where they revisit movies they loved in childhood and review them honestly.
Sample ep: The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Hokum, Mile End Kicks
More like this: FilmWeek, Linoleum Knife, Maximum Film!
The Gaymazing Race
An academic and somewhat irreverent post-show for The Amazing Race, through an LGBTQ lens. Including interviews with contestants!
Sample ep: A Meaty 3Way (Alliance) Conquers Argentina (S36, E6) [featuring me!]
More like this: Race Chaser (kinda)
Hey Dude… The 90s Called!
My 90210 rewatch podcast is on indefinite hiatus, but I still love a healthy dose of nostalgia. Hosts Christine Taylor and David Lascher’s interviews cover long careers with peaks and valleys, that show how much more there is to the people behind beloved characters we grew up with.
Sample ep: On Your Marc (Summers)
More like this: The Blaze with Lizzie and Kat 😎
This Had Oscar Buzz
It feels decadent to have a weekly show where hosts chase every tangent that comes to mind and episodes regularly stretch past two hours. But Joe and Chris’ particular brand of millennial that grew up devouring Entertainment Weekly feels like nerding out at a film school party (complimentary).
Sample ep: Cats
More like this: Little Gold Men by Vanity Fair
Viva Betty
Ugly Betty meant so much to me and so many people, and it’s beautiful to revisit it with stars Ana Ortiz and Mark Indelicato. Mark, who played preteen Justin on the show, is watching the series for the very first time. His fresh perspective is surprisingly emotional and insightful, and his and Ana’s offscreen chemistry as screen-mother-and-son is beautiful.
Sample ep: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Who? Weekly
I feel like half of my internet friends are fellow Wholigans, so if you’re even a little bit interested in celeb culture, you’re probably listening to this already.
More like this: Celebrity Book Club (RIP), Comments by Celebs
Grief
All There Is
Anderson Cooper buried his grief for decades after the deaths of his father and brother. Only recently, after the loss of his mother, has he begun the journey of feeling it. His conversations are teary and genuine, often helping me to a cathartic cry.
Sample ep: Stephen Colbert: Grateful for Grief
More like this: A Good Cry, Last Day, Terrible, Thanks for Asking
Just Chats
Ask Ronna with Ronna (& Bryan)
I’d listened to Bryan Safi on Attitudes! and Jessica Chaffin’s Ronna character for years, but their dynamic quickly became an integral part of my week. It’s part advice show, part interview, all fabulous.
Sample ep: A Get Who Gets It with Wendi McLendon-Covey
More like this: Couples Therapy, I Said No Gifts!, No Autographs, Please!
Double Threat
Julie Klausner (Difficult People) and Tom Scharpling (Monk)… need I say more? I fell head over heels for this podcast listening to their excoriating roasts of Woody Allen. But their regular fodder of offbeat interviews, reactions to bizarre clips, and cultural references half a century too old to be relevant, have me crying laughing.
Sample ep: On a Zoom Call with Woody Allen
More like this: Best Show, How Was Your Week?
Sample ep: Ryan Coogler
More like this: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, U Talkin’ U2 to Me? (not similar in form but I love Adam Scott Aukerman getting punch drunk over dad rock)
Handsome
also duh
Sample ep: Paula Pell asks about bad dates
More like this: Best Friends, Good One, Threedom
What are some other podcasts you think I should listen to? Are any of these among your favorites?