Why you should give podcasts a chance
Amongst us young things, podcasts get a bad rep. When I asked my hip little brother about podcasts, his response was:
“Bit like a newspaper, innit,”
Don’t worry, he did expand more eloquently on this point. He is not a regular podcast listener and said he thought that podcasts are good for long journeys and not much else; comedy ones are “alright” but “Sciencey ones bore me”.
Much like him, if I was asked a year ago what I thought about podcasts, I would have answered in a similar way. They’re for proper adults, to entertain old people in retirement, or for real nerds about complicated topics. But during Lockdown 1 (the best one, in my opinion) I was recommended to try one, and I haven’t looked back since.
Flicking through different podcast options is like walking through a long corridor full of different doors. Pressing play feels like I’m stepping into a different world; immersing myself in a new conversation or topic; deciding on which friend to hang out with today. Shall I take a pew with Louis Theroux and delve into the mind of his fascinating guest? Do I relax in the charming company of David Tennant and his weekly visitor? Or do I walk further down this imaginary corridor to find some new and exciting companion?
My favourite world to step into is the magical restaurant created by comedians James Acaster and Ed Gamble in ‘Off Menu’. Their weekly guest is invited to sit at the imaginary table and order their dream meal, complete with starter, main course, side dish, dessert and drink. To spice up the meal, before the ordering begins, the hosts select one secret ingredient that, if unwittingly mentioned by the guest, they are thrown from the restaurant and denied any food.
I was surprised that a conversation starting with food could delve in to so many avenues of life; career, childhood, mental health — all of these are touched upon to the tune of light-hearted comments from the hosts. Everyone has their likes, their quirks, their guilty pleasures. Food is universal, whether you love it or you hate it.
There is so much I love about this podcast; the friendship between James and Ed really helps to make you feel relaxed and comfortable, like you’re hanging out with a couple of your best mates. You feel in on their jokes, becoming accustomed to James’ attempts to making the guest jump with his sudden exclamation of “POPODOMS OR BREAD?!”. You are laughing with them, involved in their fits of laughter, on their side as they ridicule the choices made by their celebrity guest.
Alongside the variety in podcasts available, I love that you can do whatever you want with a podcast; you can concentrate on the voices and consider the theme in depth. Equally, you can have it on in the background, zone in and out, pick and choose when you tune in. But by far my favourite method is to press play and completely ignore it; just let the words wash over you. For me it can just be background noise. Voices to surround me whilst I get on with work or reading or anything else. For me it is company.
And I think that’s an important element, especially right now. We have all been doing our bit and staying home for the best part of a year now, some of us completely by ourselves, and that is no easy task. There are many days that I have to battle my way out of bed, and many days that I lose. I found having the illusion of company or just a little bit of laughter helped me through many a day.
Podcasts also have something that TV shows and Films don’t. Watching a show or a movie, you are the audience. On a podcast, they aren’t these big faces on a stage. They are lowered from the podium, no make-up or lights, and placed by your side as you wash up, make dinner or go for a walk. They suddenly feel like real people, stripped of pretence or character. They are not so big and scary. As a result you begin not to feel so small. And to know that your favourite actor likes to eat hundreds-and-thousands out of the packet is just delicious.
So if you’re like my brother and aren’t quite convinced by podcasts, give Off Menu a try. And if you don’t like that, that’s fine. There’s a million other worlds for you to dip in to. Whatever you’re interested in, there will be someone talking about it on a podcast somewhere.
