Since becoming a stay at home dog/human mom, I’ve had more time on my hands (it’s been amazing). I love to run, but Kermit hates it. Unless it’s an organized race he prefers to sniff and mark everything while I drag him along walk. So we’ve been taking daily long walks which is good for both of us. He’s much better behaved when he’s tired, and I like to get at least 10,000 steps in each day. I’ve gotten really into podcasts to pass the time as we walk, and I can focus more on podcasts while walking instead of running. Here are my top 5 favorite in no particular order that I’ve been into recently:
This is a popular one, but it’s popular for a reason-it’s good! Serial is hosted by Sarah Koening. She dives into cases or issues and tells that story throughout a whole season. Season one (my favorite and the most popular) followed the case of Adnan Syed, who is in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. Koening interviews Adnan and others involved in the case and investigates how his case was handled, and questions his guilt. If you haven’t listened to season one of Serial yet, it’s totally worth it. I don’t want to give too much away and there is a lot of info online about this so I won’t go on, but it hooked me big time. Season two follows the story of Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier in Afghanistan who deserted his post and was then captured by the Taliban. I didn’t like this one nearly as much as season one and ended up giving up on it halfway through. Season three takes a look inside the justice system in Cleveland, Ohio. Koening tells the stories of several people and their involvement with the police and how the justice system is set up. This was both interesting and infuriating to me. Koening does a good job of remaining impartial and telling the story as she sees it.
Up and Vanished is similar to Serial and also hooked me big time. This podcast is hosted by Payne Lindsey. It’s a true crime podcast that seeks to find out what happened to people who have seemingly vanished out of thin air. The first season takes us to Georgia, where Lindsey looks for information on the cold case of Tara Grinstead. She is a former beauty queen and teacher who went missing in 2005. Lindsey interviews people who knew Tara and who were involved in the case. In season two, Lindsey travels to Colorado to investigate the disappearance of Kristal Reisinger. Kristal is a mother who moved to a small, isolated town in Colorado to seek enlightenment, and one day disappeared. Both of these seasons kept me interested and I like how Lindsey has a questions day where he answers listeners questions about the podcast. However, there is some controversy about this podcast. Each season covers one story. Lindsey starts out by airing episodes that he has already recorded and investigated. As the season goes on, the listeners catch up to the episodes so you end up listening to interviews and insight that Lindsey has in real time. While this makes (in my opinion) for a more interesting and real podcast, some have pointed out that this type of reporting can cast suspicion on innocent people who are trying to move on with their lives. Lindsey does a good job just laying out the facts, giving fake names when necessary, and trying not to speculate, but it’s impossible (especially for those locals close to the case) to not know who is being described and some view it as an invasion of privacy.
I found this podcast in October when I was looking for “spooky, Halloweeny” podcasts to listen to, and I was not disappointed! Voodoo City is hosted by Mike Scott, a New Orleans native, who discusses this history of the city. Each episode is a stand alone episode on a different topic, and they are each about 20 minutes long. Scott discusses a wide range of topics from the Axman, Marie Laveau, to the Superdome Curse. I liked that the episodes were individual so I could choose which ones I wanted to listen to when, I didn’t have to go in order. They’re also very short and sweet so it’s not a long commitment to listen to an episode. We went to New Orleans last September and I’d heard some legends and seen some of the sights described in this podcast, so it was really cool to get a more in-depth view.
I haven’t listened to all of these episodes, but the ones I have I really enjoy. Michael Ian Black interviews different people: authors, actors, singers, and other celebrities and non celebrites, and discusses how to be amazing. I really like the questions that Black asks and how he is able to draw out his guests. Episodes range from 30-60 minutes and ends with “The Amazing Five” where Black asks for a recommendation from the guest on five different categories: food, books, music, and tv/film. I love getting more into the minds of people/celebrities that I admire. I enjoyed the interview with Andy Cohen (Bravo King) and the interview with Tara Westover, who wrote the book Educated: A Memoir. There are so many interviews and this podcast is both insightful and funny.
This is truly a gem and by far my favorite podcast ever guuuurrrrrl. I’m a huge Bravo fan and watch allllll the crappy reality shows from Real Housewives to Below Deck. This podcast covers them all. Watch What Crappens is hosted by Ben Mandelker and Ronnie Karam, a hilarious duo who do the best impersonations I’ve ever heard. Ben and Ronnie recap episodes from Bravo shows while giving their insight to the shenanigans and drama. While they have their favorite characters, Ben and Ronnie can still be (mostly) impartial when discussing behavior and I love hearing their take each week. They are fair and smart, while not taking themselves too seriously. I laugh out loud literally every single episode. Each episode comes out generally the day after the show airs. Ben and Ronnie are currently on tour, and the live recaps are the b.e.s.t. They have so much energy and love for what they do that you can really feel it come through. You can buy tickets for their live shows here and while I’ve yet to see them live, you can bet I’ll be jumping on tickets as soon as I’m able. Since discovering them, I’ve downloaded and listened to old seasons of RHONY, RHOD, and Southern Charm. I listen to them so much that even my husband (definitely not a Bravo fan) sings along to their intro song. If you like Bravo, you need this podcast in your life. If you don’t watch Bravo, (*blink, blink*) get some compassionate and give them a chance, you’ll probably laugh anyway.
What are your favorite podcasts? I’m always on the lookout for new stuff!
Must Love Dogs and Wine 