Highly-Focused Oddball Entertainment: Podcast Recommendations

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Curated by...

Ed Cunard (he/him), host of The Greatest Song Ever Sung (Poorly)

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PODCAST PICKS:Click on the podcast art to listen 👂

Tom Waits/How Stella Got Her Groove BackTwo self-described "queer millennials with ADHD" approach and interrogate the canon of entertainment, whether it's books, movies, or music.

Beer'd Al Podcast Very Special Episode: "Weird Al" Yankovic ft. Nathan RabinThere are plenty of two-best-friends-talking shows out there, but two siblings? Hosts Lauren and John Carey have put out tons of great content focusing on two of the things that bring them joy: beer and the career of "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Every Rom Com

Dirty Dancing

Per host Jennifer Howell,

Every Rom Com

is a podcast "where we have fun taking romantic comedies seriously." These episodes are thoroughly researched and cited, and full of humor, thoughtfulness, and charm. As

Dirty Dancing

is a movie that never fails to make EarBuds curator Ed cry (the lift!), he highly recommends checking out this episode.

A Strange ArrangementKim Chin-Gibbons Stretches Time and SoundMusic theory is tough to get into for the average person who just really likes music. Host Rob McCarthy's show is quick, informative, and to the point — no episode has been longer than 20 minutes — and each takes a well-known standard ("Auld Lang Syne" is used for the first season) and does interpretations on it with different musical ideas. In this episode, Kim Chin-Gibbons takes Jimi Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner" as inspiration to bend the focus of the song into a brand new shape that still is recognizable.

Songs My Ex RuinedJesse Sparks on Disclosure and Sam Smith's "Omen"This is a music podcast with a very specific — but highly relatable — thesis. Hosts Courtney and Melissa talk to people about a song their ex ruined for them, but the conversation heads in more directions than just that one. 

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Leaving CorvatAn audio drama podcast about Sleeper, who leaves his home town for the first time, and goes on a bizarre adventure. Sleeper lived in the same town all his life, and worked the same brain-dead job at the same fast food place. Until today. Today, he leaves Corvat. But the farther he travels, the more bizarre the world around him becomes.

COMMUNITY:

🎙️Podcasters of London! MIC's Podcast Club and Captivate are hooking up for an in-person podcaster meetup on Wednesday, May 24th in London. It's at 6 pm BST after the first day of The Podcast Show, so expect a fine array of podcasters and industry types! RSVP here.

🎧The Last Generation podcast hosts unscripted conversations we should all be having with our grandparents. The first two seasons featured Holocaust survivors' stories, and future seasons will focus on conversations between grandparents and their grandchildren through different and important historical moments.🏆Submit your podcast to the second annual Signal Awards! This year’s new categories include Gaming & Actual Play; Activism, Public Service & Social Impact; Arts, Culture & Lifestyle; Pop Culture; Paranormal & Horror; Best Emerging Podcast; Best Indie Podcast; and Best Trailer. We have also expanded our honors this year across Sports, Scripted Fiction, Best Writing, Best Host, and Best Co-Hosting Team. Submit nominations here. 🖥️Where The Internet Lives is a Webby Award-winning podcast from Google that explores how data centers change the world around us. This season: stories about prairie restoration, the solar energy boom, and more. 

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PODCAST NEWS from Podnews:

• The US podcast ad market is now worth $1.8bn, according to new data from the IAB and PWC. Revenue grew 26% last year, twice as fast as total internet ad revenue: however, the company saw a significant slowdown in Q4/22.

• UCL is offering 10 scholarships to students with links to East London who want to study for a Master’s degree in audio storytelling. The scholarships cover tuition fees and a living allowance.

• Podcast ad spending in the US was up 43.7% year-over-year, according to SMI, a media analysis company. “There has not been any sort of pullback in advertising on podcasts due to economic pressures,” the company says. Podcasting has 26% of all digital audio spend, however: the majority goes to streaming audio.

SPOTLIGHT:

Is My Child A Monster? A Parenting Therapy Podcast

In this brand new parenting therapy podcast, listeners get to be a fly on the wall in host Leslie Cohen-Rubury’s office. Listen in as she sits with parents who share their stories in therapy sessions recorded live. 

WISE INTERN RECOMMENDATION:EarBuds founder Arielle Nissenblatt is mentoring four high school seniors from The Leffell School this semester. They recently launched a Substack and podcast called Slapstick Sports. For the next few weeks, they'll each recommend a podcast they're enjoying.

"I highly recommend listening to Smartless. Not only is the show hosted by comedians and actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, but each episode includes a surprise celebrity guest. Both the co-hosts and listeners learn new information or concepts simultaneously in a comedic fashion. This was the first podcast I listened to where with each episode I laughed more than once. The episode with Bill Hader covered random topics from nut allergies to a hat on a hat. Anyone interested in a podcast that dives into a rabbit hole of topics in an organic and sometimes hilarious way, Smartless is a great choice for you!"

- Ben Wanderman

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