Podcasts

As a relatively old man, I'm continually struck by how many things in the world are better now (for all concerned) than they were during my formative years.  You mean that anyone can put together and distribute the equivalent of a radio show, that anyone else can access and then listen to while driving or walking?  There's no need for corporate sponsorship or for some powers-that-be to consent to the show's content or format? 

And there's a whole world's worth of free content waiting to be grabbed?  I don't have to pay anyone for it?  Brave new world.

I've got about 20 podcasts in my gpodder feed.  These are the ones that I like best, and heartily recommend :

WTF - Marc Maron is a literate and sensitive human being, if an egocentric one.  His show reminds me of what Howard Stern's could be if Howard were a bit more gentle and open-minded; like Stern, Maron has a gift for making his own life and inner demons into interesting entertainment (and a compulsion to do so).  He tends to interview comedians, though he's opened the show out into a number of other directions as well through the years.  The interviews are casual, funny, very open, and pretty much the best in the world.  (Kind of like Stern's if you could remove the salaciousness).  This guy found his niche and is pumping out 3 hours of interesting material every week.

Star Talk Radio - Neil deGrasse Tyson, aka the guy who hosts "Cosmos", has been putting this podcast out for a few years, with alternating co-hosts.  It's science talk with a sense of humor and with the occasional celebrity interview.  Totally works for me.

The Bugle - Andy Zaltzman and Jon Oliver started putting this podcast out in 2007 as a means to keep working together, after Oliver moved to New York to work on "The Daily Show".  Oliver is at his best here in condensed form working with a partner - direct and funny.  Zaltzman is a master of long-form absurdism, really a funny guy and a pleasure to listen to.  They discuss world politics in a manner that is smart and funny and uncompromising.