Eight Podcasts We Like
There’s no Ancient and Esoteric Order of the Jackalope podcast this week, but we know you need your podcast fix. How about trying one of these eight podcasts we like?
Apocrypals
Two non-believers read through the Bible and the Apocrypha and try to make sense of it all without being jerks about it. Hosts Benito Cereno and Chris Sims bring good humor and insightful observations that make each episode a true joy. Recent highlights include their discussions of the apocryphal Acts of John and the Book of Revelation, and also a Halloween Special where they discuss Chick tracts.
The Constant
Mark Chrisler describes The Constant as “the history of getting things wrong.” The show reveals that history is less the glorious march of progress and more blind stumbling about in the dark. Favorite episodes include the true story of Wrong-Way Corrigan, the amazing journey of Elmer McCurdy, and that weird time when we were putting radium in everything.
Death in the Afternoon
The Order of the Good Death (who you may know better from Caitlin Doughty’s “Ask a Mortician” series on YouTube) offers this podcast about “all things mortal.” For my money, you can’t beat their discussion of the long history of using discussion of corpses for entertainment purposes.
The Dollop
Each week Dave Anthony reads a story from (usually American) history to his friend Gareth Reynolds, who has no idea what he’s getting into beforehand. Gareth’s reactions and their improvised riffing make it a lot easier to get through some truly terrible episodes in American history. Recent highlights include the story of spy and traitor Chris “The Falcon” Boyce, the history of Lyndon LaRouche, and an epic takedown of Rob Rhinehart and Soylent.
Nice Try!
In the first season of Nice Try! host Avery Trufelman (99% Invisible) discusses six instances where people tried to create a real-world utopia… and the six different ways they failed. The best episode is probably the strange saga of Biosphere 2.
The Omnibus Project
Host Ken Jennings (from Jeopardy!) and John Roderick (of The Long Winters) discuss strange and ephemeral stories from our modern era, presented as a”time capsule” for the civilization that will inherit the earth after we’re long gone. Sure, they may banter to the point where it becomes a running joke about how long it gets to the topic, but they always bring the goods. Fun favorites include the history of the tortilla chip and a discussion of the monkey selfie lawsuit.
Spectacular Failures
NPR host Lauren Ober discusses some of the most spectacular business failures in history, showing how breaking all the rules works… until it doesn’t. Season one highlights include episodes on the collapse of Lincoln Savings & Loan and how Donald Trump managed to lose money running a casino.
House to Astonish
Okay, this isn’t the same sort of podcast as the others on our list, but if you like superhero comics you owe it a listen. Hosts Al Kennedy and Paul O’Brien discuss what’s going on in the comics industry, review some current comics, and make fun of some of Marvel’s long-buried lowlights.
