5 Thought Provoking & Entertaining Podcasts To Start Streaming
Indulge in these captivating discussions, interviews and stories.
Written by Jake Levyns
Out of all the art and communicative forms that have made a comeback in the last decade or so, podcasts often get less praise than they should. I used to be someone who thought of them as an extension of the drab talk radio stations that plagued AM radio. In fact, if several people I follow hadn’t started their own, I’d have no idea how successful they are in advancing important discussions around the world. Granted, not all podcasts serve the same purpose, but if you know which ones to search for, you’ll be on your way to engaging yourself in the things you’re passionate about in an entirely new way. Here are a few brand new and long-running titles to covet that do the most in sparking curiosity and getting you out of your head when you need it, all available on Apple Podcasts.
Early August saw the return of New York Magazine and Vox Media Network’s weekly podcast The Cut. Hosted by award-winning web host Avery Trufelman, she and a slew of expert conversationalists engage in everything vital to our current socio-political moment with the selectiveness and objectivity we crave from prime time newscasts. Last week’s episode was an unnerving but necessary talk with author Rebecca Traister on the recent Supreme Court confirmation and the fate of reproductive rights. Subscribe today for new episodes like this every Wednesday.
I promise you the perspective you have on your favorite music is completely different from the artists’. Internet radio host Zach Sang has made waves among younger audiences on YouTube for years now with his looser approach to artist interviews, and thanks to Westwood One Network, they can be listened to offline without missing a minute. From the new exclusive with Ariana Grande on her new record “Positions” and a slew of rising stars in pop music, new episodes go live more than twice a week.
The Art of Asking Everything by Amanda Palmer
I would argue that no other independent artist working today has the repertoire Amanda Palmer has, recently adding podcast host to her years as a musician, bestselling author, community advocate, and mother. Roughly a year in the making, The Art of Asking Everything is just another way she is using her entirely crowd-funded platform for good, inviting artists across mediums to answer our big questions on living in uncertainty and how to find contentment where none exists. There’s too much happening right now to do these things alone, so join her every Tuesday to help you release a little of that weight.
To count all the times we’ve had the dumbest thoughts occur to us without a way to answer them is a mathematical impossibility. Host Flora Lichtman has taken this subtly genius idea and created an entire podcast out of it, inviting experts in every field you can imagine to quell our curiosities, no matter how stupid they appear in our head. If you ever wanted to know how long frozen food really remains edible for, or literally anything else, tune in to Every Little Thing and call into their helpline to be featured: 833-RING-ELT.
Who are we if we don’t allow ourselves time to indulge in utterly mindless banter? Enter the dynamic duo of drag queens Trixie Mattel & Katya Zamo, who are making their already accessible web content even more so with their podcast The Bald and the Beautiful. Each Tuesday afternoon, The New York Times-bestselling authors bring along their friends and colleagues in the beauty industry to dish on trends and dismantle stereotypical perceptions of what is deemed beautiful. It’s best to leave expectations at the door for this one: they don’t take themselves too seriously, and neither should we.
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