Welcome to The Listening Post, where each week we get an insight into the radio listening habits of a guest contributor. Once each person has made their picks, we ask them to nominate someone for the following week's Listening Post...
Last week, producer Alannah Chance provided her listening selections. Alannah is the lead producer on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction, and also works as a producer for BBC 6 Music and The Guardian. Her choices included The Invisible College on BBC Radio 4 and Andy Votel on NTS - you can view her full recommendations here
For this week's Listening Post Alannah has nominated Devon Taylor to provide her recommendations. Devon works on Millennial and The Allusionist and used to run the fantastic pod review site The Timbre.
Check out Devon's recommendations below...
Read moreSlice of life reporting by a radio legend
1. Home Of The Brave
"There is something almost child-like about Home of the Brave—both the soft, earnest quality of legendary radio producer Scott Carrier’s voice and the premise of the show: to ask simple questions about the world (What does it feel like to be a refugee? What draws so many voters to Donald Trump?). But of course the straightforward nature of the questions belie how very difficult they are to answer. For the most part, Carrier leaves the talking to the people he meets in his travels, whether he’s driving around the small towns surrounding burned black churches in the American South or stopping in to a campaign rally in Iowa. There are only a few podcasts that have the capacity to change your entire worldview—Home of the Brave is one of them."
Gateway episode: “On the Isle of Lesbos”
Writers on writing, and so much more...
2. Longform Podcast
"I like to say that the Longform Podcast is like church for writers but there is plenty to worship for non-writers here. Each week one of the three hosts sits down with a talented writer to discuss their work, their careers, their process, or whatever else happens to come up. But despite the freewheeling feel of the show, it’s tight, carefully edited, and never indulgent with listeners’ time. For a long time they stuck with longform nonfiction writers (hence the title, named after their fabulous website, longform.org), but in recent episodes the hosts have loosened the reins and taken on novelists, artists, and even fellow podcasters."
Gateway episode: toss-up between the two-part Rukmini Callamachi interview and any Ta-Nehisi Coates’ three appearances.
You'll fall in love with this show
3. Not By Accident
"Few podcasts come out of the gate as strong as Not By Accident. The show is a serialized, memoir-style show detailing Sophie Harper’s decision and journey to become a single mother. The writing is pristine and the sound design does just enough to make use of the medium without getting in the way of a story that needs no soundtrack to convey emotional gravity. This is a podcast about creating a life, and like life it’ll just as quickly make you laugh as it will break your heart."
Gateway episode: “Insemination Story”
Radiolab + Law - does it get more perfect than that?
4. More Perfect
"If you love podcasts—and I’m assuming you do—you probably already know about More Perfect, the new Radiolab spinoff. But you might not be listening, and that is a mistake. The show is devoted to examining the U.S. Supreme Court and the cases that pass before it. To say it’s a departure from the Radiolab-style would be a lie—it has Jad Abumrad’s fingerprints all over it. But that’s exactly what makes it great. Diehard podcast fans have a tendency to downplay how good Radiolab is in the way vinyl collectors reflexively dismiss the influence of the Beatles in favor of obscure psychedelic rock bands. For nearly a decade the radio mainstay has been blowing listeners’ minds with stories about science—here it turns its attention to the law, and the results are captivating."
A podcaster to root for
5. Tell Me I'm Funny
"Lest you think I only love serious podcasts about serious matters, I’ll sneak in this little gem. Tell Me I’m Funny is another personal diary podcast that chronicles 22-year-old’s Peter Bresnan’s attempt to become a standup comedian. From trying to write material to bombing onstage, we get a front row ticket—and backstage pass—to the painful, awkward, hilarious world of amateur comedy. It has a low budget, visible seams feeling that contributes to its fly-on-the-wall appeal. Bresnan is an amiable guide who’s got a long way to go to his Netflix special, but we’re in no hurry—failing never felt this fun."
Gateway episode: “Who’s Laughing Now?”
Next Week's Listening Post
"For next week, I’d like to nominate the incomparable American producer, Ann Heppermann. Ann’s work has appeared on some of the best U.S. podcasts, including This American Life and 99% Invisible. She currently runs The Sarah Awards, produces the fiction podcast, Serendipity, and teaches audio fiction and narrative journalism at Sarah Lawrence College. In short, Ann is very busy and very awesome."
Check back next Friday for Ann's selections...
