The POD
By Devin Johnson
The evocative neologism ―pod‖ might find its best expression in the term ―podcast.‖ Like the self-containing shell of a bean, podcasts deliver unique drops of exactly whatever it is you want to hear, whenever you want to hear it. Despite this decidedly new-media prefix, you‘re better off re-sisting the urge to dismiss the phe-nomenon of podcasting a ―newfangled.‖ Podcasting is after all, just a re-imagined form of an old and dear technology: the Radio. So if you, like me, belong to that alternative breed of people who find smug satisfaction in their ignorance of technology, fear not! Your stylish indifference shan‘t be compromised; many podcasts are in fact simply recorded radio programs. And like radio, the listener is free to put hands and eyes to other uses. Podcasts settle nicely into the folds of PCV life, as you are at liberty to light the imbabura, peel spuds, wash your clothes, or even take a run while you listen. Unlike other fruits of modernity, which hijack all of the faculties (e.g., Gossip Girl, the Internet, and plastic bindles of Waragi), pod-casts offer a kind of compromise: your imagination can roam while you continue to engage in the life around you. And the world of podcasting indeed spans the breadth of the imagination- like blogging, or CB radio, podcasting numbers among the most democratic forms of media; anyone can pod-cast about anything they want, and they do! So, I‘d like to share with you a few of my favorite (and some of the more famous) podcasts out there. Let‘s save the weird ones for next time.
This American Life-
This iconic weekly program holds a special place in the history of radio broadcasting as the benchmark for human-interest radio. It was this show which lured me into podcasting. Discarding traditional news reporting morays (but not necessarily traditional news topics), the show focuses on the art of storytelling. Even current events are dissected so as to reveal the narrative and the life behind the headlines. Host Ira Glass‘ idiosyncratic voice (nasally with the ghost of a childhood lisp) in itself seems to suggest a divergence from conventional radio program-ming. An equally unusual voice fre-quently featured on the show is that of satirist David Sedaris, who initially rose to fame as a contributor on This American Life.
If the voices of the show imply idio-syncrasy, the range of topics confirms it, thus making it difficult to ex-plain exactly what the show is about. It‘s arranged thematically, often with oblique premises such as ―gift giving,‖ that can deliver a startling variety of stories only vaguely reminiscent of the stated theme. Regardless of the cohesion of the stories with the titular topic, the tales themselves always manage to linger in your life, as though they were personal experiences, or intimate stories from a friend‘s past. From patent law, to a prison theater troop‘s production of Hamlet; from the economy in laymen‘s terms, to deliberations on the American Father, This American Life covers the heart-warming, heart-breaking, fasci-nating and comical array of experiences in the American context.
Groks Science Radio Show-
In brief, it‘s ―a weekly look at science, tech-nology and their effects on our daily lives.‖ This half-hour show is perfect for the casually curious science-buff. Hosts Frank Ling (of Chi-cago, Illinois) and Charles Lee (of Hanoi, Japan), discuss developments in science and technology that go deeper than the latest i-whatever, but not so deep as to befuddle the humanities majors and finger counters. While the language of their guests often seems like scientific brail, our astute hosts ask just the questions that make the stories interesting and accessible to listeners from out-side the field. It‘s a radio conversation version of Discover magazine.
The show expresses a charming nerdiness not only in the premise, but in the conversational style of the hosts. The nerdiness is compounded by the ―Grokatron 5000‖ shtick performed at the end of each show. Their alleged supercomputer Deep Blue generates a question to ask their guest, often merging pop culture and the day‘s topic of discussion. Recently, after discussing the ―wonders of the beginning of the universe,‖ their guest was asked in succession to determine whether public figures Simon Cowell, Brian May, Richard Dawkins, David Beckham, and David Cameron are themselves ―wonders of the un-verse.‖ Witty, overly-intellectual banter ensues.
The Ricky Gervais Podcast-
The rising comic luminary Ricky Gervais can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow. First climbing to fame as the wit behind the original The Office and the actor who portrayed the greasy, self-deluded main-character David Brent, Gervais specializes in characterizing mildly repulsive middle-aged men. If you‘re not warned about Gervais‘ desiccated humor, you might mis-take David Brent for a real person, on a real reality show.
On screen, Gervais has the gift of causing people to recoil in embarrassment. His voice, however, doesn‘t carry quite as visceral a punch; the podcast focuses on poking fun at the vaguely depressing ―everyman‖ figure of his friend, Karl Pilkington. Through the conduit of Karl, Gervais and his partner in crime, Steven Merchant, shed light on the banal indecencies of modern man. Highlighting Karl‘s triviality, they make us all laugh, then compare ourselves to Karl. Sounds hilarious, right? But it‘s not all existential shame; the show is also peppered with genius and gut-busting reflections on things like the daily lives of slugs.
How To:
If you‘ve never downloaded podcasts before, the biggest challenge is simply finding a hearty internet connection. Once you‘ve managed that, using the iTunes application on your com-puter, you can access the iTunes store. At the top of the screen, click on the tab labeled ―podcasts.‖ From there you can browse podcasts by topic. If you‘re looking for something specific, you can al-ways type it into the search field in the top right hand corner. Most are free, so once you‘ve found one you like you can simply click ―subscribe,‖ and from then on, your iTunes will automatically download the new episodes every time you go online. For more comprehensive browsing, you can always put a topic into Google. Most podcasts have their own websites from which you can find a link that will connect to iTunes on your computer and directly subscribe you to the podcast.
This American Life-
This iconic weekly program holds a special place in the history of radio broadcasting as the benchmark for human-interest radio. It was this show which lured me into podcasting. Discarding traditional news reporting morays (but not necessarily traditional news topics), the show focuses on the art of storytelling. Even current events are dissected so as to reveal the narrative and the life behind the headlines. Host Ira Glass‘ idiosyncratic voice (nasally with the ghost of a childhood lisp) in itself seems to suggest a divergence from conventional radio program-ming. An equally unusual voice fre-quently featured on the show is that of satirist David Sedaris, who initially rose to fame as a contributor on This American Life.
If the voices of the show imply idio-syncrasy, the range of topics confirms it, thus making it difficult to ex-plain exactly what the show is about. It‘s arranged thematically, often with oblique premises such as ―gift giving,‖ that can deliver a startling variety of stories only vaguely reminiscent of the stated theme. Regardless of the cohesion of the stories with the titular topic, the tales themselves always manage to linger in your life, as though they were personal experiences, or intimate stories from a friend‘s past. From patent law, to a prison theater troop‘s production of Hamlet; from the economy in laymen‘s terms, to deliberations on the American Father, This American Life covers the heart-warming, heart-breaking, fasci-nating and comical array of experiences in the American context.
Groks Science Radio Show-
In brief, it‘s ―a weekly look at science, tech-nology and their effects on our daily lives.‖ This half-hour show is perfect for the casually curious science-buff. Hosts Frank Ling (of Chi-cago, Illinois) and Charles Lee (of Hanoi, Japan), discuss developments in science and technology that go deeper than the latest i-whatever, but not so deep as to befuddle the humanities majors and finger counters. While the language of their guests often seems like scientific brail, our astute hosts ask just the questions that make the stories interesting and accessible to listeners from out-side the field. It‘s a radio conversation version of Discover magazine.
The show expresses a charming nerdiness not only in the premise, but in the conversational style of the hosts. The nerdiness is compounded by the ―Grokatron 5000‖ shtick performed at the end of each show. Their alleged supercomputer Deep Blue generates a question to ask their guest, often merging pop culture and the day‘s topic of discussion. Recently, after discussing the ―wonders of the beginning of the universe,‖ their guest was asked in succession to determine whether public figures Simon Cowell, Brian May, Richard Dawkins, David Beckham, and David Cameron are themselves ―wonders of the un-verse.‖ Witty, overly-intellectual banter ensues.
The Ricky Gervais Podcast-
The rising comic luminary Ricky Gervais can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow. First climbing to fame as the wit behind the original The Office and the actor who portrayed the greasy, self-deluded main-character David Brent, Gervais specializes in characterizing mildly repulsive middle-aged men. If you‘re not warned about Gervais‘ desiccated humor, you might mis-take David Brent for a real person, on a real reality show.
On screen, Gervais has the gift of causing people to recoil in embarrassment. His voice, however, doesn‘t carry quite as visceral a punch; the podcast focuses on poking fun at the vaguely depressing ―everyman‖ figure of his friend, Karl Pilkington. Through the conduit of Karl, Gervais and his partner in crime, Steven Merchant, shed light on the banal indecencies of modern man. Highlighting Karl‘s triviality, they make us all laugh, then compare ourselves to Karl. Sounds hilarious, right? But it‘s not all existential shame; the show is also peppered with genius and gut-busting reflections on things like the daily lives of slugs.
How To:
If you‘ve never downloaded podcasts before, the biggest challenge is simply finding a hearty internet connection. Once you‘ve managed that, using the iTunes application on your com-puter, you can access the iTunes store. At the top of the screen, click on the tab labeled ―podcasts.‖ From there you can browse podcasts by topic. If you‘re looking for something specific, you can al-ways type it into the search field in the top right hand corner. Most are free, so once you‘ve found one you like you can simply click ―subscribe,‖ and from then on, your iTunes will automatically download the new episodes every time you go online. For more comprehensive browsing, you can always put a topic into Google. Most podcasts have their own websites from which you can find a link that will connect to iTunes on your computer and directly subscribe you to the podcast.