As a self-interested podcaster, I’m obviously interested in getting more people to listen to more podcasts. For those who may be interested in getting into podcasts but wondering where to begin I thought I’d thought I’d make a list of what I’m currently listening to (perhaps to be updated as I acquire new ones). In no particular order:
Hello Internet - YouTubers Brady Haran and CGP Grey basically just talk, often for an hour to an hour and a half. The conversation is always entertaining. The topics are wide ranging and a bit difficult to classify. Brady Haran pretty much makes this podcast.
The Talk Show With John Gruber - A tech podcast by John Gruber of Daring Fireball, Gruber talks to a rotating series of regular guests on each episode. Topics center around Apple-related stuff and other current tech topics. If you’re the kind of person who is fussy about how they make their coffee in the morning, this is the podcast for you.
Scriptnotes - One of my favorite podcasts and a podcast that I’ve used as a model for my own podcasts. John August and Craig Mazin are Hollywood screenwriters and each episode talks about the craft and business of writing movies. I don’t have anything to do with movies, but I’ve learned a lot from this podcast.
Upgrade - Hosts Jason Snell (of Macworld fame) and Myke Hurley talk about the latest Apple news (notice a pattern). They occasionally discuss other tech topics. This podcast is part of the massive Relay FM podcasting network, which puts out a lot of good podcasts.
Out of the Blocks - This Baltimore-based podcast by Aaron Henkin covers a single city block in Baltimore each episode. Even though I’ve lived in Baltimore for 14 years, I learned a lot from this podcast. If you want to learn more about the immediate neighborhood where I work, you can listen to the episode on 2100 East Monument Street.
Accidental Tech Podcast - Also known as “ATP”, Marco Arment, Casey Liss, and John Siracusa talk about tech. Usually Apple-related stuff, but often touching on other tech and occasionally cars.
Rocket - Self-styled “ATP with chicks”, Christina Warren, Brianna Wu, and Simone de Rochefort talk about, wait for it, technology. Common topics include virtual reality, gaming, Apple-related stuff, much more Microsoft stuff now that Warren works at Microsoft, and the occasional celebrity discussion.
Exponent - A podcast about technology, business, and society by Ben Thompson and James Allworth. Ben Thompson runs the incredible Stratechery newsletter and many of the topics discussed on the podcast are deeper discussions of topics covered in the newsletter. Thompson and Allworth always have good analysis of the tech business and tech business strategy.
Laidback Luke Mixmash Radio - This is basically a radio show by DJ Laidback Luke but featuring music from his label Mixmash Records. I’m not even the biggest Laidback Luke fan, but I appreciate what he’s doing with vlogging and podcasting so I always listen (and I usually pick up a song or two from each episode).
Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air - Larry Wilmore, comedian, writer for The Daily Show, creater of The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, and producer of Black-ish, just started this podcast but I enjoy it a lot. The format so far is basically a short monologue where Wilmore comments on current events and then an extended interview with someone famous.
Bombshell - Wonky national security podcast with Erin Simpson, Loren DeJonge Schulman, and Radha Iyengar Plumb. Much of the discussion goes behind the scenes to talk about what’s actually happening in the White House, National Security Council, etc.
Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast - Conductor Joshua Weilerstein gives a brief tour of a major classical (usually orchestral) work, in a kind of Music 101 style. Although I’m pretty familiar with the music he covers, I’ve learned something in every episode. His episode on living composers was a really good.
Corner of the Sky - A podcast buy Quinn Rose about musicals. Because musicals. This podcast comes from Jason Snell’s Incomparable podcast network.
Cortex - Myke Hurley and CGP Grey talk about being independent content creators. Imagine two guys talking over lunch.