As part of my mid-year review, I was thinking of the podcasts I’ve listened to up to this point. Some have been enlightening, others interesting, some heart strings tugging and some just down right funny. Here’s my list of the best podcasts for the first half of 2019:
Blockbuster — The story of Steven Spielberg & George Lucas as they become friends and go through the ups and downs of making Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, American Graffiti & Star Wars. Brilliantly produced!
Inside Star Wars — Last summer’s Inside Jaws was incredible but this year’s Inside Star Wars has been just as good. One episode left!
School of Greatness — Jason Silva: Break the Cycle of Fear and Doubt — This had me going from “yes, that’s right!” to “really?” the whole 2 hours. It brought me back to college Hanibal and all the things that I’ve thought about through out the years about my existence.
The Ken Coleman Show — How They Got There: Lewis Howes — This was just great insight into two of my favorite people right now, especially Lewis’ story of his “over night”, ten years in the making.
Blackout — A thrilling radio drama starring the brilliant Rami Malek. Can’t wait for season 2!
The Ross Tucker Podcast: Ryan Harris — Ryan Harris’ story about his NFL days, racism and financial responsibility was eye opening and inspiring.
Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 120: featuring Jordin Tootoo — Jordin played for the Devils but is a beloved Nashville Predator for life. His story of growing up on the Rankin Inlet to being drafted, playing in Nashville and subsequently dealing with his addiction is just an incredible story.
How I Built This — Toms: Blake Mycoskie — This guy built four companies before the age of 30. Checkout how he did it!
Stuff You Should Know — The Tylenol Murders Parts 1 & 2 — I remember hearing about this as a kid. Bizarre and sad story that lead to the changes in packaging for OTC medication.
The Dana Gould Hour — The Apes from the Black Lagoon & It’s Your Thang! — Tough to pick which one I enjoyed the most. In The Apes from the Black Lagoon, Dana talks to Mallory O’Meara, author of The Lady from The Black Lagoon, the story of Millicent Patrick who designed the iconic Creature of the Black Lagoon but credit was taken away by a chauvinistic Hollywood jerk. Also, Dana covers the new documentary Making Apes with makeup legend Thom Burman.
In It’s Your Thang!, Dana talks to John and Bjo Trimble and how they saved the original Star Trek and helped the show get a third season, all without the internet or smart phones.
He also talks to Paul Myers, Mike’s brother, about his new book Kids In The Hall: One Dumb Guy. This is near and dear to me because, for those of you who know me intimately, when I came to NJ from Puerto Rico for good, I used to tape Kids in the Hall on Comedy Central and memorize their skits. Not only did it help improve my English, it helped shape my sense of humor.
Nocturne — On the Air — For insomniacs or recovering insomniacs like myself, Nocturne is a great cast about things that happen in the night. In this episode, show host Vanessa Lowe talks to Australian overnight radio host Rod Quinn. Rod hosts a show where people get to call in and muse about what’s going on while most of the country is asleep.
I had a few more shows but when it came down to it, these were the ones that made the most impact on me this year. Please listen, comment and suggest any podcast you have enjoyed this year.
*Apologies to Android users, all my links are from iTunes, but Stitcher is a great app for Android podcasts listeners and should have all of these shows.