The Virginia Gentlemen Endorse: Podcasts

I may have had the whitest conversation ever three weeks ago.  And for me, that's saying something.  I was sitting in a Starbucks in Shadyside with the Dreamboat, my copy of the Sunday New York Times in tow, discussing public radio and podcasts.  So in our never-ending quest to chronicle things that dorky white people like here at the Virginia Gentlemen's Club, the time has come for the podcast primer.

For those that are unfamiliar with the medium, a podcast is nothing more than a talk radio show that may or may not be on radio itself (think of it as radio on demand).  Some are (namely the entire NPR catalog), others aren't (such as The BS Report or The Adam Carolla Show).  They're great for killing time during your commute, while you're doing chores around the house, or running errands around town.  So here's my podcast recommendations for news, stories, and interviews -- the three things that talk radio is great at.

Stories: This American Life

This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass, is the acclaimed weekly public radio show where each episode contains a handful of non-fiction stories relating to a certain theme.  The themes range from memories of summer camp to being switched at birth to discovering the original recipe of Coca Cola to life at America's top party school (it should be noted that there's more than a grain of truth to the famous The Onion article about TAL).  Although there are contributors that appear fairly regularly, a number of famous folks have told stories on TAL, including: "PC" from the Mac & PC ads John Hodgman, uproariously funny essayist David Sedaris, Moneyball and The Blind Side  author Michael Lewis, and even Virginia Gentlemen favorites Chuck Klosterman and Phil Collins.  Basically the stories are like mini-movies for the radio, which makes sense, as there were two seasons of a TAL television show on Showtime (which you can stream on Netflix).  The podcast shows up on iTunes around 8 on Sunday evenings and the show's website has the entire back catalog of fifteen years' worth of shows, including a handy primer to the best of TAL.  There's a reason why this is on the short list of the most popular podcasts out there.

News: Marketplace

This daily half-hour public radio show is, as you might guess from the title, primarily focused on business and economics.  However, it features enough current events and domestic and international politics that you don't feel like you're totally oblivious to other developments (if you want a more politics-based podcast, NPR's It's All Politics is for you).  In addition to great reporting, Marketplace's other big virtue is that it plays snippets of good music between stories, which goes a long way in distinguishing itself from the (generally correct) perception that public radio is boring and stodgy.  In the last few days, it has included Prince, T.I., and Jay-Z.  Additionally, every other week they have a segment from Freakonomics Radio, which is also a program worthy of one's time.

Interviews: The Sound of Young America

Jesse Thorn's The Sound of Young America simply and quite accurately describes itself as "a public radio show about things that are awesome" and like "'Fresh Air,' but more fun."  The Sound primarily does in-depth interviews with more under the radar type folks from entertainment and the arts, like SNL's Bill Hader, Community's Donald Glover, Matt Berninger of The National, or Michael Cera.  Jesse is such a great interviewer that I often find myself interested in guests I knew nothing about beforehand.  He also runs a phenomenal and practical men's style blog called Put This On co-hosts the Judge John Hodgman podcasts, both of which I wholeheartedly endorse.  He may not have the gravitas of Fresh Air or the guests of WTF with Marc Maron (which has an unbelievable roster of comedy folks), both of which I listen to and enjoy, but he's essentially the public radio version of The Most Interesting Man in the World and a real go-getter, and for that, he is to be saluted.

So there's a handful of podcasts that carry the Virginia Gentlemen seal of approval.  If you have any feedback about these shows or have any podcasts that you'd like to recommend to your fellow gentlemen, feel free to do so in the comments.

--J.J. Gittes