As much as this website encourages people to disconnect, podcasts are one of those things that are an exception to that rule. They’re incredible. And they can make the mundane (doing laundry, riding the bus, ironing or shining shoes) nothing short of extraordinary. Each month our resident podcast connoisseur, Dave I., finds three podcasts worth your time and ears.
Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!
Ever wanted to learn about current news stories, but in a fun and humurous way? Wait Wait…Don’t Tell me is the podcast that manages to do just that. Produced by WBEZ and National Public Radio, Wait Wait..Don’t Tell Me is a weekly hour long radio program/podcast that quizzes a variety of panelists on current news stories and events. Hosted by Peter Sagal, the program is filled with quick one-liners, funny stories, and current events. Start out with the episode from February 22, 2020 “Best of Not My Job Feb 2020” to get a sense of what the show is like. From there check out the episode from November 9, 2019 “Wait Wait For Nov 9, 2019, With Not Job Guest Leslie Odom Jr.” before finishing the tour off with “Wait Wait for Oct. 5, 2019 With Not My Job Guest Danica Patrick” to hear what Danica’s comedy chops are like. If you’re a fan, add the show to your regular podcast rotation.
Lexicon Valley
Lexicon is defined as the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge. Lexicon Valley is a podcast hosted by John H. McWhorter, a linguistics, philosophy and music professor at Columbia University. John, through the Lexicon Valley podcast, examines the how and the why people read, speak, and write the way they do. While a podcast dedicated to language might sound like reliving a bad grade 9 English class, the reality is John McWhorter covers the topic of language in an interesting an informative manner. Give episode “S#!t, Hell and Darn” to find out just how much this podcast is NOT like grade 9 English. Then move on to the episode “Is Social Media Changing English?” to learn how ‘the socials’ are impacting day-to-day life. Finally, listen to “The Soft Power of Like” to find out why people are using the word ‘like’ so often when starting a conversation.
Ear Hustle
Ear Hustle is a non-fiction podcast about prison life in San Quentin State Prison. The podcast is raw and gives the listener an unblemished view into the lives of the inmates at the minimum to maximum state prison. The show is hosted by former inmates Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, featuring interviews with inmates on topics ranging from cellmates to gangs to family. Episodes range anywhere from 25 – 40 minutes in length and season five is just kicking off. Start at beginning with “Cellies” to learn what the podcast is all about and get a lay of land. “Getting a Date” focuses on what the parole system is like (hint, it’s nothing like Law and Order) lastly “Respect the Paper” is a refreshing listen about the power an old fashioned hand written letter still carries in this day and age of text messages and email.
About the author: Dave I. has been a Dappered reader for several years. His interest in fashion started with shoes and expanded to encompass watches, suits, and general men’s style. When not thinking about his next purchase he can be found enjoying a pint of locally brewed craft beer.