Podcasts of the Week Ending December 11

Decoder Ring – Truly Tasteless Jokes

This episode discusses a series of joke books that were inordinately popular in the 1980s.  By extension, it explores the shift of how transgressive language was initially used by the Left as part of the movement to advance free speech.  But these books made offensive jokes so ubiquitous that they became old hat.  Eventually only people on the right were interested in sharing offensive jokes.

99% Invisible – The Epic of Collier Heights

The story of the creation of a Black Mecca, a prosperous African American neighborhood in suburban Atlanta which was created by aggressively acquiring property around segregated white areas.

This Day in Esoteric Political History – The Coup in Wilmington (1898)

Wilmington, NC was governed by democratically-elected white and Black leaders until white supremacists staged a violent insurrection in 1898.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• • Afropop Worldwide – 2
  • AirSpace – 1
  • Best of the Left – 2
  • The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
  • Code Switch – 2
  • Consider This – 4
  • Decoder Ring – 4
  • Disney History Institute – 1
  • Fresh Air – 2
  • Futility Closet – 1
  • Have You Heard? – 2
  • A History of Rock in 500 Songs – Entire series
  • Hit Parade  – 2
  • Hub History – 3
  • Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
  • The Last Archive – 3
  • LeVar Burton Reads – 1
  • Lost Massachusetts – 3
  • The Moth – 1
  • The Memory Palace – 2
  • 99% Invisible – 8
  • One Year – 2
  • Politically Re-Active – 2
  • Planet Money – 2
  • Radio Boston – 6
  • Radiolab – 14
  • Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
  • Scientific American – 4
  • Seizing Freedom – 2
  • Sidedoor – 2
  • Slow Burn – 1
  • The Story Collider – 1
  • Strong Songs – 1
  • Stuff the British Stole – entire series
  • The Thirty20Eight – 1
  • This American Life  – 4
  • This Day in Esoteric Political History – 16
  • Throughline – 10
  • The Tomorrow Society – 1
  • The Truth – 1
  • Twenty Thousand Hertz – 7
  • Unf*cking the Republic – 2
  • Unspooled – 1
  • Up First – 1
  • The War on Cars – 1
  • What Next – 7

Podcasts of the Week Ending November 26

99% Invisible – Cute Little Monstrosities of Nature

How dog breeds came to be and how breeding is harming our best friends.

Twenty Thousand Hertz – It’s Not TV. It’s HBO

I apparently am not alone in remembering the awe I felt at the introductory theme song that preceded feature presentations on HBO in the 1990s.  Here is how it was made.

A History of Rock in 500 Songs

I just discovered this podcast although it started back in 2018.  Like the title says, each episode breaks down an important song in the history of rock music going back to the genre’s roots in the 1930s.

 

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• • Afropop Worldwide – 2
  • AirSpace – 1
  • Best of the Left – 2
  • The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
  • Code Switch – 2
  • Consider This – 4
  • Decoder Ring – 3
  • Disney History Institute – 1
  • Fresh Air – 2
  • Futility Closet – 1
  • Have You Heard? – 2
  • A History of Rock in 500 Songs – Entire series
  • Hit Parade  – 2
  • Hub History – 3
  • Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
  • The Last Archive – 3
  • LeVar Burton Reads – 1
  • Lost Massachusetts – 3
  • The Moth – 1
  • The Memory Palace – 2
  • 99% Invisible – 7
  • One Year – 2
  • Politically Re-Active – 2
  • Planet Money – 2
  • Radio Boston – 6
  • Radiolab – 14
  • Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
  • Scientific American – 4
  • Seizing Freedom – 2
  • Sidedoor – 2
  • Slow Burn – 1
  • The Story Collider – 1
  • Strong Songs – 1
  • Stuff the British Stole – entire series
  • The Thirty20Eight – 1
  • This American Life  – 4
  • This Day in Esoteric Political History – 15
  • Throughline – 10
  • The Tomorrow Society – 1
  • The Truth – 1
  • Twenty Thousand Hertz – 7
  • Unf*cking the Republic – 2
  • Unspooled – 1
  • Up First – 1
  • The War on Cars – 1
  • What Next – 7

Podcasts of the Week Ending October 23

99% Invisible – I Can’t Believe It’s Pink Margarine!

This controversial history of margarine you never knew you needed to know!

Radiolab – Of Bombs and Butterflies

How an artillery range may help an endangered species prosper.

This Day in Esoteric Political History – The Textbook Wars Spiral Out of Control (1974)

Shockingly violent opposition to school textbook and curriculum changes in the West Virginia in the past seem to a harbinger of things to come in our present day.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Disney History Institute – 1
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 2
• Hub History – 3
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 3
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 2
• 99% Invisible – 6
• One Year – 2
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 9
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 4
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• The Thirty20Eight – 1
• This American Life  – 3
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 14
• Throughline – 8
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 6
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 6

Podcast of the Week Ending October 2

99% Invisible – Corpse, Corps, Horse, and Worse

The irregularities of English language pronunciation and spelling are endlessly frustrating but also fun.   An interview with Arika Okrent, author of Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don’t Rhyme and Other Oddities of the English Language.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Decoder Ring – 3
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hit Parade  – 2
• Hub History – 3
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 3
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 3
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 2
• 99% Invisible – 5
• One Year – 2
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 6
• Radiolab – 8
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 3
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Slow Burn – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• Stuff the British Stole – entire series
• The Thirty20Eight – 1
• This American Life  – 3
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 12
• Throughline – 7
• The Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 6
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 5

Podcasts of the Week Ending May 15

Consider This ::  How One LA Neighborhood Reveals The Racist Architecture Of American Homeownership

The story of a vibrant Black neighborhood destroyed to build a highway is an all too familiar story in the US.

99% Invisible :: Tanz Tanz Revolution

How the Berlin Wall, and its fall, lead to Berlin becoming a center of Techno dance music.

Radio Boston :: New Data On Chelsea’s Guaranteed Basic Income Program

To help struggling people in Chelsea, MA, the city gave them direct cash payments as relief.  Good things happened.

What Next :: The Palestinian Perspective

A rarely heard perspective on the continuing crisis between Israel and Palestine.

What Next :: I Was a Teenager in a Syrian Prison

Omar Alshogre tells his story of being imprisoned for protesting the Syrian regime and eventually becoming a student at Georgetown University.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 2
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 2
• Fresh Air – 2
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hub History – 2
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• The Last Archive – 1
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 1
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 3
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 4
• Radiolab – 2
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 1
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• This American Life  – 2
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 2
• Throughline – 6
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 2
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Unspooled – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 3

Podcasts of the Week Ending April 17

Best of the Left :: Our Democracy is Filibusted, Time to Kill the Filibuster

The filibuster is a tool of white supremacy and it must be eliminated to allow the United States to pursue freedom and equality for all.

99% Invisible ::  Welcome to Jurassic Art Redux

The best way most people have to understand how extinct animals like the dinosaurs lived is through art.  Over the years, paleoart has transitioned from maintaining outdated ideas, to illustrating new understandings of dinosaurs, to entirely speculative art of different possibilities of how dinosaurs looked and acted.

Throughline :: The Real Black Panthers

If your understanding of the Black Panther Party is informed by depictions like Forrest Gump of a group of radical Blacks who hate white people, it’s worth listening to this podcast to learn what they actually understood.  In reality, the Black Panthers were seen as a threat by the FBI, and others, due to their radical vision of cross-racial activism.

The Story Collider :: Stories of COVID-19: Teachers

Teachers have dealt with a lot during the pandemic, from the brunt of redesigning education for remote learning on a moment’s notice to being the target of anger from parents and politicians.  Here are some of their stories.

Unf*cking the Republic :: AOC & the Lying Men Hydra

New York congressional representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the target of rage from Republicans, establishment Democrats, and Leftists alike.  This podcast explains what they have in common.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 1
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 2
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 1
• Fresh Air – 1
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hub History – 2
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 1
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 3
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 2
• Radiolab – 2
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 1
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• The Story Collider – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• This American Life  – 2
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 1
• Throughline – 6
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 2
• Unf*cking the Republic – 2
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 1

Podcasts of the Week Ending April 10

99% Invisible :: The Real Book

How a book of pirated sheet music became a must have for students in jazz music programs.

Throughline :: Policing in America

A history of police in America and how it has served the purposes of white supremacy.

Unf*cking the Republic :: Mass Incarceration: The War on Drugs

A  profanity-laden summary of the work Michelle Alexander and others have done to detail how increased policing and imprisonment is being used to infringe the rights of Black Americans.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 1
• AirSpace – 1
• Best of the Left – 1
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Consider This – 1
• Fresh Air – 1
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 2
• Hub History – 2
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 1
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 3
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Planet Money – 2
• Radio Boston – 2
• Radiolab – 2
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 1
• Seizing Freedom – 2
• Sidedoor – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• This American Life  – 2
• This Day in Esoteric Political History – 1
• Throughline – 6
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 2
• Unf*cking the Republic – 1
• Up First – 1
• The War on Cars – 1
• What Next – 1

Podcast of the Week Ending March 13

Afropop Worldwide :: The Black History of the Banjo

Many people associate the banjo with white music from the rural Southern United States, but the instrument has its origins in Africa and is heard hear in a variety music styles of African and the African diaspora.

Futility Closet :: Eugene Bullard

The fascinating life of Eugene Bullard, a Black American who became an expatriate in France where he was a prizefighter, combat pilot in WWI, a nightclub owner who jammed with the great jazz artists of the day, and a spy in WWII. Someone make a biopic about this man, quick!

99% Invisible :: Artistic License

” I guess those are the two extremes in thought. It would seem to me that somewhere in between ‘Live free or die’ and ‘Famous potatoes’ the truth lies probably it’s a little closer to famous potatoes.” – George Carlin.

An episode about license plate design that touches on its promotional uses and issues of free speech.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• Afropop Worldwide – 1
• AirSpace – 1
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 1
• Consider This – 1
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 1
• Hub History – 1
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 1
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 2
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Radio Boston – 1
• Radiolab – 1
• Reparations: The Big Payback – 1
• Scientific American – 1
• Seizing Freedom – 1
• Sidedoor – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• This American Life  – 1
• Throughline – 3
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 1
• Up First – 1

Podcasts of the Week Ending February 26

AirSpace :: Nicotine Stain

How flight attendants lead the fight against public smoking and raising awareness of the danger of second-hand smoke

Consider This :: Optimism About Case Rates, Vaccines, And Future Of The Pandemic

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Judas and the Black Messiah

This podcast series ties into the new film about Fred Hampton and explores the Black Panther leader’s life with interviews with people who knew him, as well as behind the scenes of making the movie.

99% Invisible : The Batman and the Bridge Builder

The story of how the design of a bridge in Austin, Texas lead to it becoming a center of bat conservation (featuring bat scientist Merlin Tuttle).

Throughline :: Remembering Bayard Rustin: The Man Behind the March on Washington

The life of Bayard Rustin, a pioneering activist of nonviolence in the American Civil Rights and labor movements.

Up First :: Christian Nationalism & Disinformation

How white evangelical churches perpetuate the ideology that led to the Capitol Insurrection.

Running Tally of Podcast of the Week Awards for 2021

• AirSpace – 1
• The Brattle Film Podcast – 1
• Code Switch – 1
• Consider This – 1
• Have You Heard? – 1
• Hub History – 1
• Judas and the Black Messiah – Entire series
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Lost Massachusetts – 1
• The Moth – 1
• The Memory Palace – 1
• 99% Invisible – 1
• Politically Re-Active – 2
• Radio Boston – 1
• Radiolab – 1
• Scientific American – 1
• Sidedoor – 1
• Strong Songs – 1
• This American Life  – 1
• Throughline – 3
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 1
• Up First – 1

Podcasts of the Week Ending December 26

Welcome to the final Podcasts of the Week post for 2020.  Stay tuned for the Podcasts of the Year post on December 29!

Radiolab :: A Terrible Covid Christmas Special

Is Santa an essential worker? This and other questions are answered about Christmas in Covid Times.

99% Invisible :: Mini-Stories: Volume 9

Some short pieces on topics such as the process of novelizing a hit movie, Switzerland’s strange defensive measures, and ABBA’s outlandish outfits.

 

RUNNING TALLY OF PODCAST OF THE WEEK APPEARANCES

• AirSpace – 2
• Afropop Worldwide – 3
• All Songs Considered – 3
• And Nothing Less – Entire series
• The Anthropocene Reviewed – 1
• BackStory – 4
• Brattle Film Podcast – 2
• Ben Franklin’s World – 1
• Best of the Left – 3
• Coronavirus Daily/Consider This – 5
• Code Switch – 5
• Decoder Ring – 6
• Fresh Air – 9
• Futility Closet – 5
• Have You Heard – 3
• Here & Now – 1
• Hidden Brain – 3
• Hit Parade – 4
• Hub History – 2
• The Last Archive – 4
• LeVar Burton Reads – 1
• Memory Palace – 4
• More Than Enough – 4
• Mortified – 1
• The Moth – 1
• Nice White Parents – entire series
• 99% Invisible – 14
• 60-Second Science – 7
• Planet Money – 10
• The Politics of Everything – 2
• Radio Boston – 3
• Radiolab – 9
• Retro Disney World – 1
• The Rewatchables – 1
• Risk! – 1
• Science Talk – 2
• Smithsonian Sidedoor – 5
• Snap Judgment – 2
• Sound Opinions – 1
• The Story Collider – 2
• The Thirty20Eight – 2
• This American Life – 2
• This Day in Esoteric Public History – 3
• Throughline – 14
• The Tomorrow Society – 2
• The Truth – 1
• Twenty Thousand Hertz – 8
• The War on Cars – 1
• Wedway Radio – 1
• What Next – 13