Within the world of music streaming, there is an entirely different realm for your ears to explore — podcasts. Although initially making their way into the mainstream in the early 2010s, podcasts have really begun to shine in the 2020s. ‘Podcasting’ has become a career of its own, with shows like “Call Her Daddy” and “The Joe Rogan Experience” being cultural touchstones and household names — even with their problematic takes.
In the boom of Cody Ko and Noel Miller’s “That’s Cringe” popularity on YouTube, I started listening to the “Tiny Meat Gang” podcast, albeit only on occasion. But what really got me into podcasts was “You’re Wrong About,” an educational podcast that covers various historical events and attempts to either clarify any misinformation that has been spread about them or reframe them in a different light. Journalists Sarah Marshall and Micheal Hobbs have done episodes on everything from Columbine to the term “Stockholm Syndrome.” Marshall and Hobbs’ fun chemistry and shared interests always made the show engaging, interesting, and laugh-out-loud funny. I listened every week, often whilst cleaning my room or walking on the treadmill, but, when Hobbs left the show in around 2022, I trailed off and looked for new shows to fill the gap.
“Pod Save America” found me in my politics phase in 2020-2021, and it really helped me stay up to date with current news and what was happening in government. Then there was “Popcast,” which ruled my life in my freshmen and sophomore years of college with pop music criticism that analyzed recent album releases and artists’ influence. I also frequent “Very Really Good,” YouTuber Kurtis Connor’s podcast where he gives humorous takes on current events. “Despertando” is a motivational, daily affirmations-type podcast in Spanish that helped me with fluency pre, during, and post-study abroad. For the past two years now, my go-to is “Good Children,” a comedic yet touching podcast about childhood nostalgia, memory, and trauma. Not to mention, “This American Life” will always have my heart, keeping me sane on long drives with their hour-long episodes centered on life, humanity, and people’s stories. I cry every one in five episodes.
That’s all to say I have had a lot of podcast phases. I listen to them in the shower, on the road, when I can’t fall asleep, while working out, and walking from class to class. I gravitate towards shows that are capable of making me laugh but also think — intriguing enough to make me want to share a “did you know?” moment with the person in closest proximity to me. I love discovering and listening to music — that’s always a given — but I always have a podcast in rotation for when I’ve exhausted Big Thief and Megan thee Stallion’s discography.
I have a diversity of interests and tastes — as seen by my podcast choices — but like music, the beauty of a podcast is your freedom to choose. There are podcasts that are historical and informational, like “Serial” and “Reply All,” and ones that are hilarious and goofy, like Trixie and Katya’s “The Bald and the Beautiful.”
Being able to listen to people talk for an hour and it feels like you know them — hello parasocial relationship — is the testament to the perfect podcast for you, but, sometimes, the idea of simply listening to people talk for entertainment isn’t the most appealing premise. If you fall into that camp, here is my suggestion to you: ask around and see what your friends are listening to. Odds are, you have the same interests and draws when it comes to what you find entertaining and interesting.
Podcasts don’t have to be one thing — not just motivational, not just funny, not just advice. Over the years, I have created a multi-faceted array of podcasts that appeal to all the different parts of me. I encourage you to do the same.
