Podcast Recommendations

If you enjoy being entertained by your ears only, welcome! I do too! At my current job, I'm able to listen to music or podcasts between phone calls. I almost never listen to music. For some reason, music is more distracting than podcasts. I'm probably a newbie when it comes to Podcasts, but I thought that I would share what podcasts I've listened to and continue to listen to that I think are worth sharing.

//Pop Culture Happy Hour
This was the podcast that started it all. My sister mentioned it a few years back and I would listen to it on my drives to and from Wangsgards. One time it was what kept me awake on the long drive to Ephraim.

This podcast is just what it sounds like. Each hour long episode features some pop culture related subject. Nobody is drinking, but they might as well be as Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, and Glen Weldon and their ever-changing guests talk about a little bit of everything and anything. If you are looking for a well-organized and professionally produced podcast that talks about a broad range of pop culture subjects, this is the podcast you are looking for. They review the most up-to-date films in theaters, they attend film and music festivals. Stephen Thompson will tell you about anything old-school video games or Simpsons related. Linda Holmes will make up games for her fellow hosts to play which Glen is allows very good at.

Linda, Stephen and Glen at a live show.

If you start from the beginning, you will also be introduced to a previous host Trey Graham who was an expert on operas and rather unknown, foreign and unappreciated films. He has now moved on to another phase in his life, but we love him still the same.

//Welcome to Nightvale
I've known about this podcast for a long a time, but I didn't get into it until my best friend Ky, told me to listen to it.

Twice a month, tune your radio to the small town of Nightvale's community radio station with their infamous host Cecil Palmer. His voice is unforgettably present as he updates you on all of the strange happenings in Nightvale. Become acquainted with The Sheriff's Secret Police, expendable interns, dark hooded figures, the faceless Old Woman and the beautiful scientist Carlos and his perfect hair. Become involved in cultural events like Street Cleaning Day and The Summer Reading Program and find out who survives, and who doesn't. And of course, enjoy the weather report which is really just a musical number by an undiscovered musical artist.

This podcast is dark, humorous, and sometimes a bit eerie, but it is thoroughly entertaining and grips you both in the heart and the mind. It can be suspenseful, it can be hilarious and it can be tender. I've found myself laughing aloud when Cecil breaks away from the news to interject a personal opinion and then suddenly gripping my steering wheel wondering what is going to happen next (Just wait until you get to the Sandstorm). There is a reason why this podcast has been on air since 2012, it's a timeless and one-of-a-kind tale.

Cecil Baldwin playing Cecil Gershwin Palmer

I've been to a live show of this podcast and it was one of the best things I've ever seen live. Cecil in real life was incredible. Totally unregrettable.

In case you didn't realize, this podcast is totally real.

//Lore
Listen to the calming voice of Aaron Mahnke as he weaves a tale of frightening bits of our History. Learn about different vampires that have supposedly existed in world history, about haunted cemeteries, demons that roam the land and unnatural phenomenons that have occurred in the U.S. and beyond. This is a mixture of history and the supernatural. One episode you can learn about survivors of freezing conditions in Maine and then suddenly the next episode you'll learn about the evil trickster fairies that live on Greenland. If you can't handle the murky and dark bits of stories, this podcast is not for you. But if you enjoy the idea of "what if this were real?" and the thrill of hearing such dark tales, then please, give this podcast a try.

The face of the gentle voice of Aaron Mahnke

I actually sometimes listen to this story when I go to bed. Aaron's voice is so gentle and soft, I fall asleep easily to it. Thankfully, I haven't had any nightmares because of it yet.

Is this podcast fiction or non-fiction? No one really knows...

//Plumbing the Deathstar
Warning: this podcast is explicit. Imagine three immature adult New Zealander Men - Joel, Joel and Jackson - talking about various bits of pop culture; mainly comic books, Star Wars, and Video Games. They ask important questions like Why is Hyrule so Easy to Conquer?, Why Hasn't Hogwarts been Shut Down?, Is Everyone Okay with the Truman Show? and Are Muppets Second Class Citizens?

This podcast is rowdy, irreverent, crude, but so hilariously zany. I can't stop myself from playing the next episode even though I feel a rush of guilt for listening to something so crude and terrible. I probably love this podcast more than a good Mormon girl like myself should.

If you don't mind the language and the eye-rolling man's sense of humor. Give this podcast a try.

//Spilled Milk
If you like food, this podcast is literally just about food. Hosts Matthew Amster-Burton and Molly Wizenberg talk begin each podcast with a food-related subject and then they just run with it. Subject like Winter Squash, Romantic Food, Scary Food and Muffins. Sometimes they'll make food, sometimes they'll eat food.

Molly and Matthew

It's another one-of-a-kind podcast that has easily become one of my favourites. It's light, it's funny, and it's about food. What's not to like?

//My Favorite Murder
Warning: This podcast is explicit. Two women talk about their favorite obsession: murder. Every week, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark talk about their favorite solved or unsolved murders that have happened throughout history. It's chillingly dark, and it makes you as paranoid as snot, but it's incredibly entertaining at the same time. It's a comedy podcast thanks to Karen and Georgia's quips and remarks (which unfortunately include some sort of expletive), but it's also very informing and intriguing. If you like true crime or the suspense of unsolved murders, if you wonder to yourself, "Who could do this?" or "whodunnit?" this podcast is totally what you are looking for. It boggles my mind that there are so many stories of murders and while it is heart wrenching to face the harsh reality of what that means, I think it makes the questions all the more urgent to ask: how and why did this happen? And what would drive someone to commit such a crime?

Georgia and Karen

There are so many unsolved mysteries in the world and they intrigue me so much. Who knew murder could be so fascinating?

//You Must Remember This
Karina Longworth gives a weekly story about the secret or forgotten tales of 20th Century Hollywood. They can be methodical, they can be informative, they can be dark or disheartening. They can be all of they above. If you love the Golden Age of Hollywood and learning about obscure bits about that era, listen to this podcast. You'll learn about the most unappreciated record of Frank Sinatra, the tragic tale of Judy Garland and controversy revolved around Charlie Chaplin's most successful film.

Karina Longworth

This is a richly informative, professionally produced and heavily researched podcast and is mighty in its rich storytelling.