Podcasts

[The Octagon]

Recently been listening to 'How Did This Get Made?', in which 3 comedians / TV writers plus a guest tear into (or re-evaluate) bad movies (like Face Off, Streetfighter, Wild Wild West and the Fast and Furious series).

Usually quite anarchic (particularly Jason Mantzoukis, who you may have seen playing off-the-wall characters in US sitcoms mostly) but very funny in places.

Also if you watched The West Wing, one of the actors (Joshua Malina, who played Will Bailey) and another guy are currently rewatching the entire series (up to the beginning of Season 2 at the moment) and getting some really good guests in to talk about the show and all aspects of it (filming techniques / politics / funny anecdotes, etc) - The West Wing Weekly

 

[Artaxerxes]

Started on The Bright Sessions its great stuff.

Psychiatrist analyses people with special powers, it starts to get very dark as they learn to use their powers...

 

[D'wards]

Athletico Mince is hilarious, but you need to like Bob Mortimer's humour, which i do. Maybe it helps to have a scant knowledge of football, but possibly not because he invents entire new ridiculous personas for footballers anyway.
Poor Steve McClaren

 

[Lord Camomile]

Usually quite anarchic (particularly Jason Mantzoukis, who you may have seen playing off-the-wall characters in US sitcoms mostly) but very funny in places.

I really struggle with Mantzoukis - he can certainly be funny, but he doesn't really pay attention to other comedians so overall it can have a quite jarring effect and damage the whole of whatever he's in even if his bit is funny.

Also if you watched The West Wing, one of the actors (Joshua Malina, who played Will Bailey) and another guy are currently rewatching the entire series (up to the beginning of Season 2 at the moment) and getting some really good guests in to talk about the show and all aspects of it (filming techniques / politics / funny anecdotes, etc) - The West Wing Weekly

I adore TWWW (helps that I adore TWW). What I really like about it is that they could just rest on a general chat about the show and maybe one or two amusing anecdotes from Malina, but they really go out of their way too add to it with, as you say, the really good guests, be they actors from the show or the professionals who actually deal with the issues covered in the show.

Started on The Bright Sessions its great stuff.

Psychiatrist analyses people with special powers, it starts to get very dark as they learn to use their powers...

Ooh, interesting! I've been looking to venture into fictional podcasting a bit more and this sounds an interesting setup, will check it out.

On which note: Gimlet have released three new shows, all of which seem to have had good starts. Homecoming seems a step above most other fictional podcasts I've heard, not falling prey to quite stagey delivery, and ep.1 - Disco Demolition Night - and ep.3 - The Deacons - of Undone were both very interesting.

 

[The Octagon]

I really struggle with Mantzoukis - he can certainly be funny, but he doesn't really pay attention to other comedians so overall it can have a quite jarring effect and damage the whole of whatever he's in even if his bit is funny.

He does talk/shout over the other speakers a lot, which does irritate a bit, but he keeps the energy up.

He's similar in Brooklyn Nine Nine, where he's funny if used sparingly.

I adore TWWW (helps that I adore TWW). What I really like about it is that they could just rest on a general chat about the show and maybe one or two amusing anecdotes from Malina, but they really go out of their way too add to it with, as you say, the really good guests, be they actors from the show or the professionals who actually deal with the issues covered in the show.

Indeed. I also like that, even though Josh Malina is obviously a longstanding collaborator and friend of Sorkin's, they're not afraid to say when the show gets it wrong or the writing is poor in places. It's not just a love-in, although they clearly enjoy watching the episodes.
I'll be intrigued when they get to the part when Sorkin leaves and the show was acknowledged to hit a dip in form (Season 5).

 

[Lord Camomile]

He does talk/shout over the other speakers a lot, which does irritate a bit, but he keeps the energy up.

He's similar in Brooklyn Nine Nine, where he's funny if used sparingly.

Yup, he annoyed me in that too

Indeed. I also like that, even though Josh Malina is obviously a longstanding collaborator and friend of Sorkin's, they're not afraid to say when the show gets it wrong or the writing is poor in places. It's not just a love-in, although they clearly enjoy watching the episodes.
I'll be intrigued when they get to the part when Sorkin leaves and the show was acknowledged to hit a dip in form (Season 5).

Absolutely, they're not shy of criticising. Likewise, will be interesting when they get to Will Bailey's entrance...

 

[8den]

going through the Bugle's back catalogue of bullshit

It started out as a small podcast on the Times with a pre-Last Week Tonight John Oliver & Andy Zaltzman. They were fired from the times (mainly because their pilot pretty much consisted of viciously attacking Rupert Murdoch and continued to do so for about 100 episodes until it was too much). Oliver leaves around 2014 when other commitments become too much. But it's a great topical podcast (albeit about 4 years old) and Andy does some truly spectacularly painful pun runs. Like physically painful, it's a form of aural masochism.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

Used to love The Bugle (Helllllllo Buglers!) - went downhill when Jon Oliver left imho. Great podcast.

Love the episode where they argue about the lyrics of Here comes the hot stepper

 

[8den]

Used to love The Bugle (Helllllllo Buglers!) - went downhill when Jon Oliver left imho. Great podcast.

Love the episode where they argue about the lyrics of Here comes the hot stepper

I've listened to a couple of recent episodes without John, and yes, Andy can't quite carry the show himself with guests, Still it's only 2012, two more years of bullshit left!

 

[QOTH]

I've listened to a couple of recent episodes without John, and yes, Andy can't quite carry the show himself with guests, Still it's only 2012, two more years of bullshit left!

I'm enjoying the current incarnation of the Bugle so far. Hoping it lasts more than two episodes...

 

[Dom Traynor]

Some more good uns I've found

Podcasts - Very much the same as middleeastweek, it's even done by the same people, but it's focused on jihadists


Irish Revolution Podcast series by Michael Laffan - podcast, more of a series of lectures, about Irish history in the 19th century and early 20th century, there are other interesting looking podcasts on the same site but i haven't explored them yet


Belabored | Dissent Magazine trade union podcast, US-focused

Who Makes Cents really good long discussions on particular aspects of the history of capitalism

Belabored and Black Sheep are great, also Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff, he has an annoying voice but has some good thought provoking interviews.

 

[D'wards]

I now take 29 podcasts - its a ruddy job to keep up with them all.

I now am chagrined when someone recommends one i'll like.

I have dropped a few too - Infinite Monkey Cage, Robert Elms, This American Life, Guilty Feminist

 

[Crispy]

I have recently binged on The History of Rome ~ 200 episodes from Romulus & Remus to the fall of the Western Empire, and am now nearly caught up with the same author's Revolutions which has so far covered the English (22 episodes), American (17), French (60!) and Haitian (20) revolutions and is now well stuck into Simon Bolivar. Exhaustively detailed and delivered with dry wit. Really good stuff.

 

[lizzieloo]

I've been enjoying these recently

The Truth

Also these can be hillarious

http://getmortified.com/podcast/

They all come under the Radiotopia umbrella, lots of good stuff there

Radiotopia

 

[pennimania]

If you like the Archers, Dum Tee Dum is very entertaining!

 

[DotCommunist]

on this currently- can be a little dry but is informative- fall of the roman empire

The Fall of Rome Podcast

 

[Orang Utan]

I presume many people are already aware of the Acast app - makes it much easier to track and listen to your favourite ones and find new ones.
The Say Why To Drugs podcast is one I've discovered that way

 

[Lord Camomile]

I presume many people are already aware of the Acast app - makes it much easier to track and listen to your favourite ones and find new ones.
The Say Why To Drugs podcast is one I've discovered that way

I'm aware of it but have never used it, as I don't think it's available on the Kindle store. Is it markedly better than the various other podcast apps? I currently use DoggCatcher at the moment and it does what I need it to, or at least I think it does

 

[Orang Utan]

I'm aware of it but have never used it, as I don't think it's available on the Kindle store. Is it markedly better than the various other podcast apps? I currently use DoggCatcher at the moment and it does what I need it to, or at least I think it does

I haven't used any other podcast apps.
I am puzzled at you complaint about it not being available on Kindle - it's an app, not a kindle book, so you get it from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store

 

[Lord Camomile]

it's an app, not a kindle book, so you get it from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store

The Kindle Fire is a tablet, not just an e-book reader. Trouble is, Amazon have their own 'special' version of the Play Store which doesn't have everything the Google one has. Including Acast*.





*last time I checked, anyway.

 

[Orang Utan]

Get it for your phone then

 

[Lord Camomile]

 

[Crispy]

I've tried lots of podcast apps on android and found Pocket Casts to be the best one.

Pocket Casts – Android Apps on Google Play

 

[Orang Utan]

That costs money though. I refuse to pay for apps.
What's good about acast is the links and images that come up as people speak. So if a person or thing is mentioned their pic appears or a link to more info pops up.

 

[Lord Camomile]

I've tried lots of podcast apps on android and found Pocket Casts to be the best one.

Pocket Casts – Android Apps on Google Play

Used to have that, until my (since defunct) became so out of date it stopped updating

 

[Artaxerxes]

I used to use Beyond Pod but of course its since been updated to the level that its fucking unusable and hides information you want to access and charges you for things.


I'm using Player FM currently, its slightly better but for some reasons assumes you want to stream things more than just download them into a playlist.

 

[Dom Traynor]

Outcast is the best quality app but has a fairly limited range of podcasts sadly. Though I still subscribe to about 20 which is difficult now I've gone from a job which involved driving around 2 hours a day to one that involves half an hour a day, often with someone else in the vehicle.

 

[CrabbedOne]

Talking Politics wonky British politics chats
SpyCast spooky US interviews
Monster Talk skatty skeptical cryptozoological

 

[Idris2002]

Any good ones to recommend? Can be on anything

Found this pinterest page with links to lots of academic podcasts:

Academic Podcasts

 

[trashpony]

I highly recommend subscribing to Seriously... on Radio 4: Seriously... - Seriously... - BBC Radio 4

It's an eclectic documentary series about interesting things. Arthur Russell, reindeer racing and the sigh are some recent ones I've enjoyed