The best podcasts you should listen to this week
By Jaclyn Schiff and Simon Owens
Do you love listening to podcasts but are overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices out there? Have you subscribed to way more podcasts than you could ever listen to and don’t want to miss the best episodes? AudioTeller is a weekly newsletter that tells you the can’t-miss episodes you absolutely need to download. To have this newsletter delivered to your inbox, sign up here.
Welcome! In this week’s issue you’ll learn how a journalist paid off his debt in two years, why Trump’s departure from the Paris agreement doesn’t spell the end of the world, and how 15 years of SNL prepared Al Franken for the Senate. Stay tuned…
From Jaclyn Schiff, AudioTeller co-editor:
A journalist describes how he paid off $100k of debt in two years [link]
Podcast: So Money with Farnoosh Torabi — Episode: John Kapetaneas, Journalist who paid off $100K of debt in 2yrs
If you’re in it for the money, you’re probably not heading for the newsroom. With first-hand knowledge of the paltry salaries that are typical in journalism, I was especially interested in ABC News producer John Kapetaneas’s story of paying off six figures of debt while working in New York City. More than 10 years after I graduated, I still have student loan debt, so I’m always looking for ways to tighten my finances and knock away that debt. If you’re well-versed in stories about debt reduction, you probably won’t gain a whole lot from this interview, but John has a good story and was clearly very serious (and willing to sacrifice) about eliminating his debt.
From Renan Borelli, director of audience growth and engagement at MTV News:
A business advice podcast that actually gives actionable advice [link]
Podcast: Radical Candor
This week, I’d like to recommend the Radical Candor podcast, hosted by Kim Scott and Russ Laraway. A few months ago, I picked up Scott’s book by the same name for my wife from the local library, and she really enjoyed it; unlike many other similar books about business and management, Radical Candor is filled with practical advice on how to handle different situations in the workplace. The podcast explores many of the same topics as the book, often with special guests (like former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo), questions from listeners, and lots of examples and anecdotes from Scott’s time with Apple and Google and Laraway’s time in the Marine Corps, Google, and Twitter. It’s a good podcast for people who like listening to or reading about business and management, as well as for those who don’t, as Scott and Laraway’s advice is far more specific and actionable than most of the other books and podcasts in the space.
From Sriram Gopal, a DC-based writer and musician:
A glimmer of hope in the wake of Trump pulling out of the Paris accord [link]
Podcast: With Friends Like These — Episode:You can’t build things with pitchforks and torches
Those of us still reeling from the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement are looking for glimmers of hope that all is not lost in the effort to combat climate change. This episode of With Friends Like These offers just that in one of two segments about discussions in which progressives often struggle. Ana Marie Cox’s first guest is Bob Inglis of RepublicEN.org. Inglis is a conservative former congressman and climate change skeptic who is now a climate change activist. He is often confronted with climate denial in his circles and shares his lessons learned on how to engage people who hold that view. This is a conversation in which progressives will have to participate in coming years to ensure that Trump’s decision will not create lasting environmental damage.
The second segment deals with religion, another arena where many progressives have difficulty. Cox interviews Washington Post journalist Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig, a devout Catholic who relied on her faith to get through a difficult time in her life. Bruenig discusses the role of prayer in her life, and Cox joins in to reveal how prayer played an important role in her recovery from substance abuse. I’m not particularly religious, but I often find myself in situations where people in my orbit dismiss religion. I view religion as a tool that is available to those seeking comfort. Cox and Bruenig affirm that view by describing the inner peace that religion gave them.
How 15 years at SNL prepared Al Franken for the Senate [link]
Podcast: WTF with Marc Maron — Episode: Senator Al Franken
There have been times in recent months where my Twitter and Facebook feeds have been peppered with videos of Al Franken grilling various administration officials. Part of this conversation with Marc Maron focuses on his effort as a Senator in the minority party to combat a chaotic White House and a dismissive GOP leadership. However, the more interesting portions of the interview cover Franken’s colorful backstory, which includes 15 years at SNL and how he leveraged that career to pursue a life in politics. The discussion reveals a highly intelligent and thoughtful public servant who is an important progressive voice in the national political debate.
From Adam Peri, a marketing consultant in Chicago:
How a word or phrase becomes a slang [link]
Podcast: Lexicon Valley — Episode: Mining Graffiti for Slang
Slate’s Lexicon Valley covers all things language. This week host John McWhorter interviews Ben Zimmer, linguist and language columnist for The Wall Street Journal, about the first appearances of everyday English slang. Before tackling specific words, McWhorter and Zimmer cover the bases for any discussion of slang by asking and answering: What actually makes something a slang word? The main point of departure being its use or disuse among the mainstream masses and media. The two linguists highlight interesting slang cases from recent history. You won’t want to miss the I Love Lucy clip where she tries bolstering her elocution and ends up in an Abbott and Costello inspired slang nightmare. Sticking with pop-culture, the two wonder if Elvis really did say “chill-ax” in 1968, if the Bosco cartoon character dropped an F-bomb in the 30s ,and conclude on George and Weezy Jefferson’s definition of the concept brunch.
From Rachael Zur, a shoe designer in Brooklyn:
Is Bitcoin just a fad? [link]
Podcast: On Point — Episode: The Bitcoin Bubble: Deciphering Digital Currency
Is Bitcoin a currency, a commodity, a dark-web tool, the future, a fad? There are skeptics and believers for Bitcoin and all seem to make sense. In this podcast, they map out the many uses of Bitcoin and conjecture on its future, surmising whether Bitcoin will have its “Napster moment.” Felix Salmon, senior editor of Fusion, is dubious of Bitcoin’s longevity, stating that Bitcoin is “based on mistrust, and currency is based on trust.” As I listen to this podcast on the world of Bitcoin, I am left thinking more on the world we accept as commonplace in banking and credit. The future will tell whether we will work outside the confines of national banking systems to embrace Bitcoin or some other future amalgamation.
From Simon Owens, AudioTeller co-editor:
Radiolab turns 15 [link]
Podcast: Radiolab — Episode: The Radio Lab
As I’ve said in this newsletter before, I think Radiolab is the best podcast in existence. No other show combines storytelling, sound design, and editing in quite the same way, and listening to an episode evokes a pleasure that is, in some ways, more analogous to the feeling one gets while listening to a particularly moving piece of music.
But how did Radiolab get to where it is today? It didn’t spring forth from WNYC as this perfectly formed audio vessel, but rather it started as a (rather bad) three-hour Sunday radio show that nobody listened to. On its 15-year anniversary, the show returned to its roots, and we learn why Radiolab creator Jad Abumrad first teamed up with co-host Robert Krulwich and how the show developed its distinctive voice.
As a companion piece, you should also check out this interview with Abumrad on the new Audible Channels show The Genius Dialogues. Hosted by On the Media’s Bob Garfield, the show features interviews with recipients of the MacArthur “genius” scholarship, and the Abumrad interview dives deep into his sound design philosophy and how his music composition background underpins the entire show.
Thanks for reading (and hopefully listening to our recommendations). Think we missed a great episode? Email us at audioteller@gmail.com. Want to have this list delivered to your inbox every week? Go here.
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