Graphic by Hannah Anderson
As a born-and-raised Northern Minnesotan, I spend at least one weekend per month at home. I live just south of Duluth, so my drive back takes almost three hours. I’ve actually started looking forward to these drives, as they allow me to decompress from my stressful, fast-paced life at St. Olaf. I spend most of my drives listening to music and, more recently, I’ve added podcasts.
Before coming to St. Olaf, I had paid little attention to podcasts. Why listen to someone’s voice in my ears when I could read a book or watch a TV show? However, the pre-college Kaya who thought this also had an excess of time to devote to reading or watching TV, which now-Kaya does not.
It was only this last fall semester that I first tried listening to a podcast on my drive home. My choice: “The Broski Report with Brittany Broski.” In a non-hyperbolic way, I genuinely cannot recall a time that I have laughed harder at any piece of media in my life. Every time I press play on a new episode I forget that I’m listening to a podcast. From the first second Brittany Broski speaks, it feels like I just picked up the phone and my best friend is on the other line. Just like your best friend, it’s impossible to get bored of Broski. But don’t be fooled: although she might start an episode with a serious, well-spoken examination of the American political system, it will inevitably — and very quickly — shift to her squealing about a fanfiction starring the character Ghost from “Call of Duty.” If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, then I recommend staying away — Broski is not for the faint of heart.
In all honesty, I’m scared to broaden my range of podcasts beyond “The Broski Report.” If you’re reading this, like “The Broski Report,” and have other recommendations, I welcome your emails.
Kaya Stark is from Wrenshall, Minn. Her majors are English and philosophy.
