My 2006 Blogjangles Podcast Picks

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Way back in 2006, my buddy Charlie Love ran a site named Blogjangles, the name of which I can claim as one of my greatest puns. It was a simple site promising music ‘n biscuits. In the course of updating this site, I came across an old post that linked out to an article I’d written for Charlie.

As it goes, the page on Charlie’s site no longer exists (the Internet never forgets?). In an effort to preserve what is undoubtedly gold, I present the original article I wrote for Blogjangles more-or-less as it appeared in 2006.


Today we have a special guest post from Jason who has kindly provided a list of some podcasts he would recommend. It’s nice to have some write something for this blog who can write. So here we go:

When Blogjangles Management asked me to put together a list of my favorite podcasts for all y'all, I said, “Sure, yeah, that’d be great.” What I didn’t think about at the time was how difficult it would be to write that article. So here it is, my best attempt at introducing you, the Blogjangles fandom, to the wonderful world of podcasts. Bear in mind that these selections reflect my tastes and my tastes alone.

Audio Podcasts

In an effort to keep this simple, I’ll break things up into two categories: audio and video podcasts. I don’t spend a lot of time viewing video podcasts, but I have a few that I think you’ll enjoy. More on those later. First up, the audio (presented in not particular order).

News & Commentary

  • Slate Magazine Podcasts: Face it, you love Slate. You were reading it back when MSN ran the show. Slate senior editor Andy Bowers hosts this daily podcast, reading a hand-picked story from the online edition of Slate. More recently, Slate has added the Friday Political Gabfest, a roundtable comprised of several news writers hashing out the latest goings-on inside the Beltway.
  • NPR: Story of the Day: One story deemed most important as picked by the editors of NPR. Usually around ten minutes, this podcast is great for those who like NPR, but don’t have time to listen to all of their programming looking for that one interesting story.
  • NEWSWEEK On Air Podcast: Running at around 50 minutes, this weekly show runs down all of the major news stories from around the world. The reporting is top-notch and the podcast is very well-produced. If the running time is intimidating, you can also try NEWSWEEK.com’s State of the Nation.

Music & Creativity

  • iTunes New Music Tuesday: I don’t listen to 90% of the music they play on this weekly iTMS update, but it’s always good to hear what’s new at the store.
  • KCRW’s Music Exchange: KCRW’s Nic Harcourt hosts British DJ Steve Lamacq in this sometimes-weekly podcast where Steve introduces the American artist to an up-and-coming band from the United Kingdom. This is where I first heard Arctic Monkeys. One thing I’ve learned about the British music scene: it’s very different than ours.
  • PRI’s Studio360: Public Radio International’s weekly foray into creativity and the arts, as hosted by Kurt Anderson. This one’s always intriguing and has some interviews and stories on great musicians and artists. Right now, Anderson is interviewing Elvis Costello. Rad.
  • NPR: All Songs Considered: Bob Boilen hosts this weekly broadcast featuring music from all across the independent spectrum. The content leans heavily toward the indie rock set, often broadcasting shows from the 9:30 Club and other DC-area venues. Recent highlights include clips from the Sigur Ros show at the Birchmere and James Brown’s set at the 9:30 Club.

Comedy

  • The Onion Radio News: Hosted by “Doyle Redland,” Onion Radio News is a daily, minute-long story from the writers at The Onion. Always funny.
  • The Ricky Gervais Show: This was absolutely the funniest thing I’ve ever listened to. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the geniuses behind The Office and Extras, hosted a 12-episode podcast featuring random chat, Monkey News, and The Diary of Karl Pilkington (the man with the roundest head on the Earth). I would not recommend listening to this while working, driving, or operating other heavy machinery. You won’t be able to control the laughter. Sadly, the run is over, so get these episodes while you can.

Technology

  • this WEEK in TECH: Hosted by Leo Laporte and a rotating cast of former TechTV personalities, this WEEK in TECH is enjoyable mostly to fans of the old TechTV (before Comcast bought it and fired everyone). The show has a tendency to sometimes run off the tracks due to its loose structure, but as a fan of the folks involved, more often than not I enjoy the show. Typically runs a long 70 minutes.
  • Inside the Net: Hosted by Amber MacArthur, with support from Leo Laporte, Inside the Net features interviews with the movers and shakers in the world of Web 2.0 and new media. In its short existence, Inside the Net has hosted interviews with Jason Fried of 37signals, Merlin Mann of 43 Folders, and Mike Davidson of Newsvine. Highly recommended if you’re in the new media business.

Video Podcasts

  • Tiki Bar TV: Dr. Tiki and crew bring you a weekly drink recipe in bizarre fashion. Either you get it or you don’t, so check it out. Since I don’t drink, the recipes aren’t of much use, but I’ll be damned if Lala isn’t gorgeous.
  • Strong Bad Emails: Just plain awesome.
  • CommandN: A weekly technology video podcast hosted by Mike Lazazzera, Jeff MacArthur, and Amber MacArthur. Honestly, I’ve downloaded a bunch of these and haven’t watched them yet. I’ve heard good things, though.

More content than you can shake an iPod at

In the course of my research for this post, I came across a dozen or more podcasts on the iTunes Music Store alone that caught my attention. That said, I would encourage you all to browse through the iTMS’ podcast directory. There’s a lot of content out there, you just have to find the ones that appeal to you. Feel free to leave comments below with some of your favorite podcasts!