I had planned on making a list of my favorite podcasts and adding them to my end of the lists which will be posted soon but they are difficult to rank. Another factor was that I'm sure many of you don't listen to podcasts and maybe some don't exactly know what it is. It's worth noting that as I type this it indicates the plural of podcast is a spelling error.
Without getting too technical and just quoting the Wikipedia podcast page, I'll give you crash course into podcasting. It's generally an audio file (but sometimes video) which can be downloaded or streamed on your computer, iPod or smart phone. It's similar to a radio program, in fact numerous radio shows can be downloaded in podcast format to avoid the commercials and let you pause for your convenience. You might be surprised to learn that you can stream many podcasts directly to your phone with Stitcher or similar phone apps.
I do a fair amount of traveling for work and generally will listen to strictly podcasts while I'm on the road and alternate between music and podcasts while I'm in my office. As much as I absolutely love music it seems to make long drives go faster when there are a few comedians in the car with me.
It doesn't matter if you enjoy cooking or comedy, fashion or fantasy football, there is a podcast for almost any interest or hobby. And if you're a total weirdo, there's a whole category on iTunes for podcasts about podcasting. According to a recent count, there are over 600,000 podcasts available on iTunes. Below are a list of some of my favorite podcasts in alphabetical order along with a brief description and an episode that I recommend starting with.
The Adam Carolla Show
Start with May 23, 2011 Episode with Albert Brooks
A daily podcast with radio legend Adam Carolla as he interviews guests, discusses current events, plays entertaining games and goes on angry but often hilarious long winded rants. He is the Guinness World Record holder for most downloaded podcast and for very good reason.
The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons
Start with November 3, 2011 Episode with Adam Carolla
Bill Simmons is one of the nation's preeminent sports writers and a couple times each week he releases his podcast in which he is generally joined by a guest. Bill is a pop culture junkie and it's not just a sports related podcast clearly evidenced by the two part episode he did with fantasy analyst Matthew Berry in which they only discussed their favorite moments from Beverly Hills 90210.
Comedy Bang Bang
Start with Episode 126 with Jon Hamm, Paul F. Tompkins & Nick Lowe
Formerly known as Comedy Death Ray, this is a weekly podcast that is essentially an hour of improv comedy. The host Scott Aukerman is very funny himself but each week he acts as the ringleader to the most talented men and women in the comedy scene. This truly is comedy in its most pure form.
Doug Loves Movies
Start with June 17, 2011 Episode with Jon Hamm, Bill Simmons & Adam Scott
Comedian, pothead and movie aficionado Doug Benson hosts this weekly podcast in which he has guests who will discuss recent movies then play The Leonard Maltin Game in which the guests are given clues and have to bid on how many names of the cast list it will take to get the guess the movie title.
Hollywood Babble-On
Start with Episode 55 Babble-On Philadelphia
Hosted by radio personality Ralph Garman and director Kevin Smith who record this podcast in front of a live audience. They delve into the depths of showbiz as they dissect the top movies at the box office, upcoming projects and other random stories related to the industry. While Kevin Smith was out promoting Red State, Ralph was joined by some great co-hosts including Jon Lovitz, Adam Carolla, Bill Burr and Catherine Reitman.
How Did This Get Made?
Start with Episode 9 'Fast Five'/Adam Scott
This is possibly my favorite podcast available to the people of Earth. Every other week Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas and a guest try to explain the most inexplicable films ever made. Every two weeks that breakdown films like Love Guru, Old Dogs and Leprechaun in the Hood. There are also special episodes in which a special guest involved with the movie will sit down to explain how it went so terribly wrong.
Jordan, Jesse GO!
Start with Episode 192 with Rob Huebel
In the vein of Comedy Bang Bang, hosts Jordan Morris and Jesse Thorn record an hour long podcast that is equal parts interview, sketch comedy and radio play. Both hosts have a unique sense of humor that it well suited for this style of comedy.
The Kevin & Bean Show
Start with November 11, 2011 Episode
This is technically a radio show which is just edited and posted online in podcast form. I've been listening to Kevin & Bean for over a decade but now that it's in podcast form I can hear the whole show without the commercials and the same five songs from Linkin Park and Red Hot Chili Peppers every morning.
The Kevin Pollack Chat Show
Start with Episode 78 with Bryan Cranston
Have you ever asked yourself, what is Charlie Rose interviewed people I was really interested in and used the f-word on a somewhat regular basis? Then this is the show for you. Yes, that Kevin Pollack sits down once a week with actors, comedians, musicians, directors and others for an in-depth interview that commonly runs over two hours but always ends with the guest playing the Larry King game. For those interested, you can watch the interview live online and actually send questions to the guests via twitter.
The Mental Illness Happy Hour
Start with Episode 28 with Teresa Strasser
One of the more noble podcasting endeavors is the one done every week by Paul Gilmartin as he discusses his own battles with mental illness and tries to create awareness while also keeping the show entertaining. Paul has been a stand-up comedian for over 20 years and in each episode he talks with a guest about their neuroses.
The Nerdist
Start with Episode 134 with TJ Miller
Host Chris Hardwick discusses everything in the nerd culture which has actually migrated into pop culture. Chris and his co-hosts Jonah Ray and Matt Mira discuss all things nerd with their guests who are always interesting and not who you might expect.
NPR: Live Concerts from All Songs Considered
Start with Bon Iver Live From the 9:30 Club
If there is one area of podcasts that I believe is lacking it is music. There aren't many good music podcasts and I've tried several of them. That being said, the best available are the All Songs Considered podcast which previews and reviews new music and the Live Concerts series from All Songs Considered which allows the listener to experience full length concerts from many great bands in the alternative and indie music scene.
The Pod F. Tompkast
Start with Episode 13 We Have Returned
Comedian Paul F. Tompkins has been a guest on an absurd number of podcasts. If you don't believe me, just check this link. Paul's own podcast The Pod F. Tompkast doesn't seem to have a regular release schedule but as comedian Paul Gilmartin said "it's like comedy Christmas" every time a new episode is released.
The Rich Eisen Podcast
Start with September 7, 2011 Episode with Tom Brady, Adam Carolla & Dan Patrick
Typically this show revolves around the world of football (the good kind, not the European kind) but host Rich Eisen is well versed in comedy and pop culture but most of his conversations focus on the world of football. However, he will generally have guests from varied entertainment occupations along with some of the top talents in the football world.
Sklarbro Country
Start with Episode 31 with Patton Oswalt and Chris Cox (AKA Owen Wilson)
Sklarbro Country is what you get by combining sports, comedy, music, impersonators AND TWINS! Jason and Randy Sklar have been working comedians for nearly twenty years and achieved some notoriety with their ESPN series Cheap Seats. Each week the Sklar Brothers give their takes on the most outlandish sports stories around the globe, play some great music and interview terrific guests who are generally from the world of comedy. They also cap each episode by having the immensely talented Chris Cox and Jason Nash perform impressions of Tiger Woods, Owen Wilson, Bryant Gumbel, Vin Scully, Bruce Jenner and many more.
The Sound of Young America
Start with September 11, 2011 Episode with Nicolas Winding Refn
Released by Public Radio International this is a podcast hosted by Jesse Thorn that is generally only a half-hour in length but just long enough for an interview with some of the more interesting names in entertainment industry.
WTF with Marc Maron
Start with Episode 219 with Norm MacDonald
Marc Maron has long been known as a comic's comic. Which is really a nice way of saying he's been at comedy for a long time but hadn't really ever received a big break before starting his very successful podcast. Marc's style of humor isn't generally found in a brief soundbite which is probably why his long form interview show has earned him such a cult following.
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