June 2024 – Podcast Picks
It's been a while & Podcast people making awesome things happen!
A lot can happen in two months. So much in fact that I didn’t have much time to dive into all the great podcasts that have been released lately. Instead, I used the time to start an international association for audio journalists, podcast producers and sound artists called THE ECCO. It’s built around a program, kind of like a self-organized residency (I call it retreat) combined with a series of listening events which involve audio creators worldwide. We held our inaugural listening session in Berlin with a whopping 13 world premiers. More soon.
So, thanks for bearing with me, while I had my head deep in fun scripts and my ears in creative audio edits.
Let’s get into my podcast picks for this month. Whoever says podcasts are dead couldn’t be more wrong. So much is coming out these days, it’s hard to keep track.
If you like what you read, maybe consider “buying me a coffee” here. I love coffee and analogue film, and could definitely use the support to be able to put more time towards building a community and giving creators the stage to showcase their work.
Enough said:
Here’s some of the best narrative audio I heard in April, May and June.
1. Serial (NYT)
When I realized this season was going to be about Guantanamo, I was skeptical. See, if you’ve worked in international news in the Arab World (which I have), you’ll have consumed A LOT of content about it. Documentaries, podcasts, articles, books. The names and characters are quite familiar. So, I wasn’t sure, what I’ll be able to learn from the retelling of the story years later. Is it just going to be the fact that they have a souvenir shop for a prison? I hoped not.
I held my breath and while listening continued breathing again. It IS worth going back to the story with a lot of hindsight. People who weren’t able to say things on the record back then, are now much more willing to speak. I found really interesting that we’re diving into the microcosm and the dynamics of the people in it, the translators, the journalists, the soldiers, the lieutenants etc etc etc. While some parts seemed oddly familiar, there was so much new information.
I particularly enjoyed the episode called “The Forever Reporter” about Carol Rosenberg who’s covered Guantanamo for more than 20 years. (20!!) This episode lives in my brain rent-free. Sarah Koenig and Dana Chivvis spend time with Carol and just all the details of their observation are so rich. Listening to that episode feels like a movie… Yes, there is a scene with aggressive typing sounds, BUT it makes sense! Actually, if I was a movie mogul, I’d try to buy the story of this episode and turn it into a series or a movie.
Really well done. Very classic, almost bordering on caricaturistically-typical-Serial-style storytelling. At this point, there’s a signature writing style in the Serial series, which is good thing. Sometimes, it makes me chuckle though. All in all, I think it’s a must-listen.
2. Proxy with Yowei Shaw
Yes. Yes. Yes!! Independently produced podcasts is where it’s at these days. I’m 100% convinced of it. Yowei Shaw did exactly that. Like many of us, she’d been laid off from her job at Invisibilia, and went through that emotional rollercoaster aftermath and then she pulled herself up by her hair and made a podcast. Proxy with Yowei Shaw.
The premise of the show is to be able to work through problems or issues or challenges not necessarily with the actual people involved, but through proxies of sorts. The first three episodes are all about the process of getting laid off - not just her own, but in a broader sense and by telling the story of Elliot and Miles who’d been dealing with a rather traumatic layoff.
The storytelling is solid and you can tell that this was made by people with a love for the craft, people who’ve been cut loose from having to adhere to arbitrary rules of a station or platform, people who are willing to experiment and just have a little fun and are willing to fail. Such an enjoyable listening experience, even though, as a laid-off person myself, it brought back some not so pleasant memories.
Can 100% recommend (and if you like it, support Yowei on her Patreon, so she can continue making cool stuff).
3. Pretendians
This was my first ever Canadaland podcast and I really like it. I love what both hosts hosts, Robert Jago (member of the Kwantlen First Nation and Nooksack Tribe) and Angel Ellis (a Citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation) bring to the table. Their perspectives are so valuable.
In each episode, one of them will present the case of a “pretendian”, someone more (or less well known) who’s using indigenous identity for their personal gain or political gain or other alternative reasons. They look at the impact of this type of identity fraud has on real first nation and native people. Angel and Jago also look at what happens when an investigation into identity fraud can go wrong, which goes to show the nuance this show offers.
Gotta say that the music is probably one of my favorite parts of the podcast. Such bangers. Couldn’t find the band names in the credits though.
The other thing I love is: This podcast isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. Its entirely built on good stories. Sometimes the audio quality is a bit off, or sometimes you can sense the scripted dialogue - this type of imperfection doesn’t take away from the show though, but I think it adds to its charm and highlights the strength of the actual stories.
4. Pack One Bag
I recommended the pilot episode of this when it first one Tribeca a year ago. It’s been at the back of my head for a year as I was worried it might not get made, considering the current landscape. BUT here it is! And it’s absolutely fantastic!!
I’ve listened to the first three episodes and they’re such a joy to listen to. I love how David Modigliani lets his imagination run wild when scripting dialogue between himself and his late grandparents. It adds so much to the story! And what a story it is.
It’s the story of a Jewish Italian family split apart by love, fascism and war. And I’m so glad, he’s telling the story now, where many of us are wondering: what would I do if I had to flee? What if war spills over? What if we in the West will have to carry the consequences of whatever wars and atrocities our governments take part in abroad? All the what-ifs.
Listening to this you can FEEL the family love and joy and genuine awe and curiosity that went into making this show. You might find yourself giggle and say “no way” out loud in the same episode. I’m so happy this exists.
(Also: Yay Lemonada! Their portfolio has been developing so nicely. Making all the right choices. Happy to see it. AND Stanley Tucci in the credits. Like whaaa??
5. Talk That Talk (The Stoop)
The Stoop is and will always be one of my favorite ongoing shows. I’ll dip in and out of the feed in phases but I never once felt like an episode was wasting my time. I always have learned something.
In this episode, one of my favorite topics: Voices. Hosts Hana Baba and Leila Day talk about Black male voices, how they’re sexualized, why that may be problematic, the impact these voices have on pop culture and they feature an incredible voice.
It’s a really nice episode that’ll make you hear these voices in a different way in the future.
6. Small Rebellions (THE ECCO / Round 1)
March this year, 13 people got together in the countryside 4 hours outside of Berlin for a long weekend. They workshopped ideas for pieces around the theme “Small Rebellions”. Two months later, they presented their pieces to a packed house at a listening event in Berlin. And these pieces are so incredibly varied. I was so surprised that somehow each piece was wildly different from the other.
From a fiction piece about fighting with AI customer service, to an experimental piece that finds order in the chaos of community, to a poetic look at what it means to uproot your life, and the revolution of taking back the ability to be seen and heard. A piece about a time you thought you won a battle against your body, as much as a piece about someone rebelling against health standards.
Featuring creators from Germany, the US and the UK, most of them based in Berlin. You’ll probably see some familiar names and faces.
You’ll find all their pieces here.
(And yes. That’s the initiative I’m currently building. Retreats and listening events coming up in the UK, the US and hopefully somewhere in the Global South next year)
And that’s it!
If you enjoyed this edition, please share it with others.
You can support me by buying me a coffee here.
And if you have tips for other podcasts I should listen to, please send them over! Otherwise, I run the danger of offering you recs out of my own echo chamber.
Happy June & July everybody!!