Winter is a cold and lonely time for a student, whether you’re waiting in despair for the bus to your 8:30a.m. class, or looking in horror at the pile of dishes you haven’t yet done, to the room you haven’t cleaned, the food you haven’t cooked . . . if only you had some voices in your head to cheer you up during these arduous tasks.
While many people favour music on their commutes, there’s nothing like a friendly discussion or a cool new fact to help you start your day. CBC, NPR, and the BBC are chock-full of interesting podcasts you can download for free, not to mention countless independent productions. Here are a few highlights from the many independent podcasts you might want to check out.
Welcome to Night Vale
20-30 minutes
Narrative style
Fictional radio host Cecil Palmer provides unusual reports from “a friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep.” Think Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio drama meets quirky comedy, all in a small-town setting.
The show keeps you on your toes. Charming characters and one-shot plots keep you waiting for the next episode. The writing by creators Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor is a little bit maddening and very creepy at times, but always entertaining. Just don’t listen to it while you’re out alone at night.
While predictably formatted, the show has very little connecting plot.
There are a couple carried subplots, but they advance infrequently in favour of single episode narratives.
If you’re into Douglas Adams-style philosophy and absurdity, check it out. There’s nothing like having voice actor Cecil Baldwin’s dulcet tones in your ears as you ride the bus to class.
Read It and Weep
Around one hour
Discussion style
Portland comedian Alex Falcone, his friends Chris Smith and Ezra Fox, and the occasional guest panelist consume “bad books, movies and television,” so you don’t have to. Subjects of criticism in the past have included the entire Twilight series, various TLC shows, and Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead.
Special episodes include annual Nick Cage film festivals, and a self-reflexive hour wherein the podcast reviews itself. The show’s structure ensures both passive-aggressive positive and negative criticism through a “compliment sandwich,” as well as reoccurring games that change the pace and format of commentary.
The reviewers record from different places, so occasionally the audio quality leaves something to be desired, but it never becomes incoherent.
The reviewing itself is in the vein of entertainment—if you’re looking for any kind of real and serious commentary, look elsewhere.
But, if you want to be well informed on a diversity of pop culture without actually having to subject yourself to all of it, this podcast might be worth checking out.
Nerdist Podcast
An hour to 90 minutes
Interview style
Now a television show, Nerdist started as a podcast and continues to run as one today.
It’s an interview show in which hosts Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray, and Matt Mira talk to each other, famous people and discuss generally geeky, pop culture-related topics.
Guests are varied, from Joss Whedon, to Christina Ricci, to Neko Case.
The listener gets a great behind-the-scenes-style stories from these guests, and in-depth discussions about the pop culture and art they’re involved in creating.
One thing to keep in mind is the shows reliance on the listener already having a familiarity with the subject. There also is a lack of structure—the conversation can flow anywhere.
The British History
Podcast
Around 20-30 minutes
Educational style
I know what you’re thinking. British history. But the podcast, beginning in the Ice Age, is a chronological retelling of the story of Great Britain.
The podcast is told to you like a bedtime story by host Jamie Jeffers, complete with the ridiculous amounts of politics and drama only the British can provide.
It’s as though the author is trying to write all of British history as one continuous narrative, and in doing so he’s actually able to make the historical figures into relatable human beings.
It’s history. Sometimes it gets a bit slow or dull. It’s also rather overarching and looks at large time periods very quickly.
The narrator will sometimes divulge from what can be historically known about important figures in order to consider their character more deeply.
It might be dry for some. But if history is your thing, you will be delighted.
