Podcasts of the Week Ending November 30

More or Less :: The world’s busiest shipping lanes

Have you ever wondered about shipping lanes?  Me neither.  But it turns out the management that goes into making them work smoothly is quite fascinating.

Lost at the Smithsonian :: The Original Muppets

Jim Henson’s Muppets redefined puppetry and the possibilities of television entertainment.  The Smithsonian holds 30 early Muppets that help the story of Henson and his colleagues.  Includes an interview by Aasif Mandvi with Frank Oz!

Hit Parade :: Rolling in God’s Royal Uptown Road Edition

Chris Molanphy expertly and entertainingly breaks down the trends in hit songs that charted in the 2010s.  The episode made me oddly nostalgic for the decade that hasn’t even ended yet.  Although, after having it broken down, I think I liked the hit music from the first half of the decade better than the second half.

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Running tally of 2019 Podcast of the Week appearances:

• Afropop Worldwide – 1
• AirSpace – 1
• The Anthropocene Reviewed – 1
• BackStory – 6
• Best of the Left– 5
• Code Switch – 5
• Decoder Ring  – 4
• Dolly Parton’s America – 2
• Fresh Air – 8
• Futility Closet – 1
• Have You Heard? – 1
• Hidden Brain – 2
• Hit Parade – 6
• Household Name – 1
• Hub History – 7
• Lost at the Smithsonian – 3
• Lost Notes – 1
• Memory Palace – 6
• More or Less – 4
• More Perfect – 2
• The Moth – 1
• 99% Invisible – 13
• The New Yorker Radio Hour – 1
• Next Left – 1
• On the Media – 4
• Planet Money – 3
• Planet Money: The Indicator – 1
• Re:Sound – 1
• Radiolab  – 3
• Radio Boston – 3
• The Report – entire series
• Science Talk – 1
• 1619 Project – 4
• 60 Second Science – 1
• Smithsonian Sidedoor – 3
• Sound Opinions – 4
• StoryCorps – 2
• 30 for 30 Podcasts – 2
• This American Life – 4
• Tiny Desk Concert – 1
• Throughline – 8
• To the Best of Our Knowledge – 1
• Tomorrow Society – 1
• Travel with Rick Steves – 1
• The Truth – 3
• Twenty Thousand Hertz  – 5
• The War on Cars – 4
• WBUR News – 6
• We Need Some Milk – 1
• Wedway Radio – 1
• What Next – 1
• You Must Remember This – entire 6-part series on Song of the South

Podcasts of the Week Ending September 7

More or Less :: Amazon Forest Fires

Statistics cited regarding the Amazon forest fires are not accurate, but the true story is more alarming.

Hit Parade :: We Are Stardust, We Are Gold-Certified

Counting down the artists and bands that got a boost (and those that didn’t) after their performances at the Woodstock festival.

BackStory :: Labor Day Special: A History of Work and Labor Relations in the U.S.

Overlooked history of women, children, and Mexican-Americans in the American labor pool.

Radiolab / Memory Palace :: Memory Palace

I’ve been listening to podcasts for close to 15 years now, and Memory Palace and Radiolab have been longtime favorites.  This special episode of Radiolab features highlights from classic Memory Palace episodes and a new story about scrub bulls.

Hub History :: Mayor Curley’s Plan to Ban the Klan 

Back in the 1920s, white supremacists hoped to expand their operations into Boston, but faced fierce opposition from Boston mayor James Michael Curley.  If only Boston’s mayor in 2019 was not a coward who appeases white supremacists.

Throughline :: The Litter Myth

The history of the successful campaign in the 1960s and 1970s to shift responsibility for environmental destruction from big corporations to individuals, with the help of a fake Native American.

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Running tally of 2019 Podcast of the Week appearances:

• • Afropop Worldwide – 1
  • AirSpace – 1
  • The Anthropocene Reviewed – 1
  • BackStory – 5
  • Best of the Left– 3
  • Code Switch – 4
  • Decoder Ring  – 3
  • Fresh Air – 8
  • Futility Closet – 1
  • Have You Heard? – 1
  • Hidden Brain – 2
  • Hit Parade – 4
  • Household Name – 1
  • Hub History – 5
  • Lost Notes – 1
  • Memory Palace – 4
  • More or Less – 3
  • More Perfect – 2
  • The Moth – 1
  • 99% Invisible – 10
  • The New Yorker Radio Hour – 1
  • Next Left – 1
  • On the Media – 4
  • Planet Money – 2
  • Planet Money: The Indicator – 1
  • Re:Sound – 1
  • Radiolab  – 2
  • Radio Boston – 2
  • Science Talk – 1
  • 60 Second Science – 1
  • Smithsonian Sidedoor – 3
  • Sound Opinions – 3
  • StoryCorps – 2
  • 30 for 30 Podcasts – 2
  • This American Life – 2
  • Tiny Desk Concert – 1
  • Throughline – 6
  • To the Best of Our Knowledge – 1
  • Tomorrow Society – 1
  • Travel with Rick Steves – 1
  • The Truth – 2
  • Twenty Thousand Hertz  – 3
  • The War on Cars – 2
  • WBUR News – 5
  • We Need Some Milk – 1
  • What Next – 1

Podcasts of the Week Ending May 11

More or Less :: Avengers: Should We Reverse the Snap?

The economic impact of losing half the earth’s population, and possible negative impact of restoring 4 billion lost souls.

Memory Palace :: This Story Climbed Mount Washington

The history of Mt. Washington’s Cog Railway and early tourism potential.

Radiolab :: Dinopacolypse Redux

How did the dinosaurs die, and more to the point, how quickly did the dinosaurs die after the earth was hit by an asteroid?  Newly discovered evidence is updating the theory of what happened and when in surprising ways.

30 for 30 Podcasts :: Back Pass

Building on the US Women’s National Team’s success at drawing crowds to the 1999 Women’s World Cup, a new professional soccer league was born.  WUSA folded after three seasons, but this documentary shows that the league was far more sucessful than we’ve been lead to believe.

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Running tally of Podcast of the Week appearances:

• Afropop Worldwide – 1
• The Anthropocene Reviewed – 1
• BackStory – 2
• Best of the Left– 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Decoder Ring  – 1
• Fresh Air – 4
• Hidden Brain – 2
• Hit Parade – 1
• Household Name – 1
• Hub History – 1
• Memory Palace – 3
• More or Less – 2
• More Perfect – 2
• 99% Invisible – 8
• The New Yorker Radio Hour – 1
• On the Media – 2
• Planet Money – 1
• Planet Money: The Indicator – 1
• Re:Sound – 1
• Radiolab  – 2
• Radio Boston – 2
• 60 Second Science – 1
• Smithsonian Sidedoor – 2
• 30 for 30 Podcasts – 2
• This American Life – 1
• Throughline – 4
• To the Best of Our Knowledge – 1
• Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 2
• Twenty Thousand Hertz  – 2
• The War on Cars – 1
• WBUR News – 4
• We Need Some Milk – 1
• What Next – 1

Podcasts of the Week Ending April 27

Fresh Air :: Actor Glenda Jackson Is King Lear

Glenda Jackson is an experienced actor who talks about her long career.  She’s also a former Member of Parliament who spoke the truth about Margaret Thatcher after the latter’s death.  She’s now portraying King Lear on Broadway and I want to go see that now.

99% Invisible :: Play Mountain

Isamu Noguchi was a sculptor and designer with an interesting life story.  He designed an abstract playground structure for New York City but was rejected by Robert Moses, who became a lifelong enemy (and this makes me love Noguchi more).  During World War II, he volunteered for internment in order to design a humane camp for the Japanese-American internees, and then found himself both unable to influence the design and unable to leave.  Today, his legacy lives on in unique, abstract playgrounds.

More or Less :: The economic impact of mega sporting events

Proponents of the Olympic Games claim the event can bring great economic benefits to host cities, but the numbers show otherwise.

 

Running tally of Podcast of the Week appearances:

• Afropop Worldwide – 1
• The Anthropocene Reviewed – 1
• BackStory – 1
• Best of the Left– 1
• Code Switch – 2
• Decoder Ring  – 1
• Fresh Air – 4
• Hidden Brain – 2
• Hit Parade – 1
• Household Name – 1
• Hub History – 1
• Memory Palace – 2
• More or Less – 1
• More Perfect – 2
• 99% Invisible – 7
• The New Yorker Radio Hour – 1
• On the Media – 2
• Planet Money – 1
• Planet Money: The Indicator – 1
• Re:Sound – 1
• Radiolab  – 1
• Radio Boston – 2
• 60 Second Science – 1
• Smithsonian Sidedoor – 2
• This American Life – 1
• Throughline – 4
• To the Best of Our Knowledge – 1
• Tomorrow Society – 1
• The Truth – 2
• Twenty Thousand Hertz  – 2
• The War on Cars – 1
• WBUR News – 2
• We Need Some Milk – 1
• What Next – 1

Podcasts of the Week Ending September 22

Last Seen :: 81 Minutes

The first part of this special series on the Isabella Gardner Museum art heist focuses on what the thieves did during the incredible amount of time they had to roam about the museum.

This American Life :: Let Me Count the Ways

From the Muslim Ban to Family Separation, we are all very aware of the means the current administration is crushing immigration to the U.S., but this episode uncovers many other ways that the fascist regime is using to force their agenda into the American norms.

99% Invisible :: Billboard Boys

A contest involving men camping out on a billboard to promote a local radio station in Allentown, PA turns into a dystopian display of the deleterious effects of Reagan Era capitalism on everyday Americans.

Risk! :: The Mayor of Mitchell Gardens

A rabbi and stand-up comedian, Danny Lobell, tells stories of the people he got to know – the good and the bad – while working in a senior home.

More or Less :: DNA – Are You More Chimp or Neanderthal?

Unravelling DNA and what it tells us about our ancient ancestors and modern cousins.

Podcasts of the Week Ending June 9

RadioLab :: Poison Control

Ever wonder why there’s a number to call with questions about poisoning, who answers those calls, and what the experience is like on their end?  Here’s that story.

99% Invisible :: 77 Steps

99pi breaks down the history and design of the Emeco 10-06 Navy chair and its many impostors.

Decoder Ring :: The Johnlock Conspiracy

Investigating the role of shipping in the consumption of popular culture through the story of the controversy among fans regarding a possible romantic relationship between the lead characters on BBC’s Sherlock.

HUB History :: Wicked Proud

LGBTQ history in Boston and the local origins of pride.

More Or Less: Behind the Stats :: How Many Wizards & Witches are Britain and Ireland?

Statistical analysis determines the number of witches & wizards in Britain & Ireland based on the Harry Potter books.  Spoiler: J.K Rowling greatly lowballs the actual number!

Twenty Thousand Hertz :: Amen Break

A history of the most famous drum solo and it’s many sampled appearances across music.

Sound Opinions :: Give the Drummer Some

Speaking of drummers, here’s an entire episode of appreciation of great rock and roll drummers with some great analysis from Joe Wong.

Disney History Institute :: An Unusual History of Disney Audio-animatronics

How a 1934 World’s Fair exhibit inspired Walt Disney and what Gene Kelly thought of seeing his audio-animatronic double.

Podcasts of the Week for Two Weeks Ending May 19

I’m not doing well at getting these podcast recommendations up every week, but here’s a good crop of podcast for your listening pleasure.

HUB History :: The Battle of Jamaica Plain

There was a gang shootout right here in my own neighborhood over a 100 years ago that had international implications and ended up involving Winston Churchill, and I’d never heard of it?!?

Hidden Brain :: Baby Talk: Decoding the Secret Language of Babies

It’s been a long while since I’ve had a nice chat with a baby.

Planet Money :: The Land of Duty Free

The mass quantities of liquor, cigarettes, chocolate, and perfume sold in airports has always fascinated/perplexed me.  Here’s the story of how the duty free shop got started at Shannon Airport in Ireland.  It also confirms my suspicions that duty free shop purchases aren’t really bargains.

LeVar Burton Reads :: “As Good as New” by Charlie Jane Anders

A live performance of LeVar Burton reading a hillarious/poignant story about a worldwide apocalypse, a genie in a bottle, theater criticism,  and the nature of wishes, complete with an interview with the author

BackStory :: Shock of the New

The history of World’s Fairs fascinates me and this episode commemorates the 125th anniversary of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, with special focus on women’s and African American perspectives on the fair.

Smithsonian Sidedoor :: Cherokee Story Slam

The stories and life of the talented Robert Lewis.

More or Less: Behind the Stats :: Tulipmania mythology

The Dutch tulip bubble always makes a good story about economics and finance, but the truth of the story is not as dramatic as the myths, albeit more interesting in many ways.