Ear- Worms

I’m currently living in what I can only describe as a podcast moment. If I have my headphones in, whether I’m on the bus, falling asleep in bed, or on the way home from work, I will be listening to a podcast. To illustrate, as I type these very words I’m listening to a podcast while my soup is cooking.

Here are some of the podcasts that have turned into ear-worms and which I highly recommend to keep you company when you don’t want to talk to the humans in your immediate vicinity.

First up, The Memory Palace is a piece of magic I discovered over a year ago and have been working my way through at snails pace, even though it’s intense, detailed snippets of forgotten history are something I could devour in a day. To anyone who doesn’t yet love history, one episode of this will change your mind. I learnt a Swedish word recently; hyggae, which translates to feelings of cosiness and comfort, is what this podcast will induce.

A more recent addition to my little collection of podcasts is The Washington Post’s The Presidential, which I am so obsessed with I want every quiet moment to be filled with it. In every episode, Lillian Cunningham introduces and analyses an American President, beginning with George Washington, and will soon end with Barack Obama. Some of the episodes I surprise myself with how much I know, and others are completely new to me. It’s another history lesson, but it’s made very current, particularly by Cunningham’s recurring question she asks of each President , “What would have been like on a first date?” Much lols. So if you’ve ever wondered even for a split second what it would have been like to date Thomas Jefferson, this is your chance ladies.

Next on my list of obsessively listening to total strangers talk at length about things that don’t affect me is The Run Up. Created by the New York Times specifically in honour of the run up (aahh I see whatcha did there) to November’s Presidential election, it explores the deeper meaning behind the week’s events and election coverage. It’s so refreshing to hear academics talk in depth about the current election, allowing you to cut through some of the absolute crap and dwell on some of the more important issues rearing their heads during this election. But heads up, feminist analysis of the patriarchy and the role of gender roles/bias in the election this is not. *eyeroll* 

Another favourite of mine to have in the background to make a super boring activity more interesting is Monocycle, the creation of Man Repeller’s Leandre Medine. If you love hearing people’s meandering thoughts spoken aloud like me, this one is for you. It’s what I imagine my stream of consciousness would sound like if I were a high heeled fashion writer running around Manhattan all day and Brooklyn all night. (Excuse me while I day dream about that for a fair few minutes).

Finally, an oldie but a goldie. Serial, from the makers of This American Life, is essentially a murder mystery. The genius behind both podcasts is Sarah Koenig ad we follow her as she investigates the sketchy conviction of Adnan Sayed for the killing of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. It’s the original Making of a Murderer if you like. Did I mention it’s a true story, and the case is still developing?