Even the most productive, outgoing and self-assured of us have those peculiarly grey moments when no activity seems enticing. These are the times in which the thought of sitting down and finishing homework fills us with bile and the proposition of pure idleness with self-loathing. It’s a difficult mood to break and can go on for days if left un-diagnosed; I believe, however, that I have found a remedy. Listening to podcasts serves as a perfect transitional ritual, one that is intellectually challenging but nevertheless enjoyable. Few realize how cathartic it is to be exposed to such enlightened discourse; when the podcast is over it seems much easier to face the tasks at hand, armed, of course, with newfound cerebral superiority. Entrance into the world of consoling chatter may seem daunting, but here are five of the best examples that never fail to disappoint.
#1 Slate’s Culture Gabfest
Slate’s Podcast about culture is a delightful blend of the frivolous and profound. These segments review all sorts of books, movies, shows, and artwork, as well as their influence and indication on deeper cultural trends. The spectrum of opinions and analysis allows for new and interesting points about well-known cultural juggernauts. The podcast also has the feeling of transporting you out of apathy and into Brooklyn, where its members live. It’s descant well worth tuning in to. http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/culturegabfest.html
#2 Grantland’s Girls in Hoodies
The Girls in Hoodies Podcast is a kick-ass auditory show that involves three cool young women and their no nonsense outlook on pop culture. It’s gratifying to hear these dames’ view on topics ranging from Kimye to American Horror Story.
http://www.grantland.com/search?query=girls+in+hoodies+podcast
#3 Slate’s DoubleX Gabfest
The DoubleX Gabfest is another fave. The shrewd ladies on its cast are infallibly on point in their breaking-down of social trends and symbols. Listening to the DoubleX podcast was a formative experience for me; I will always remember how extraordinarily validating it was to hear well articulated, feminist arguments in such a casual environment.
http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/doublex_gabfest.html
#4 The New Yorker’s The Fiction Podcast
This monthly show features current writers reading aloud their favorite works from the extensive New Yorker archives. To hear the great novelists of today recounting their muses and influences is a uniquely life-affirming pursuit.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/podcast
#5 Commonplace Books’ Welcome to Night Vale
I couldn’t write a story about Podcasts without referencing the one most downloaded from itunes, Welcome to Nightvale. These thirty minute episodes are a little different from any of the aforementioned as they are fictional and in some ways narrative. The podcast features a radio host, Cecil, alerting the fictional town of Night Vale about the daily news. In Night Vale, every conspiracy theory is true and every horror imaginable, real. The podcast is very off-beat, a little spooky, and deeply addictive. You have been warned.
