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Though they've been around since the dawn of the Internet, but podcasts didn't gain a significant name nor a wide audience until the early 2000s. Like those storied old pirate radio stations, these digital talk shows allowed hosts to sidestep the FCC and talk directly to listeners. The format grew so popular, in fact, that some radio networks began offering their shows as downloadable podcasts.
Now, thanks to streaming services like iTunes, SoundCloud, and Spotify, it's pretty easy for anyone to jump on board the podcast wagon. And, it's even easier for everyone to listen in and explore topics that run the gamut: sports, news, politics, music, comedy and so many more. Some podcasts have become bonafied pop culture phenomenon. In its first season, Serial, produced by the public radio station WBEZ out of Chicago, held the country captive as it explored the alleged guilt or innocence of Adnan Syed, who was accused of killing his girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999 under mysterious circumstances. Others, like Pod Save America, have found success by offering a cynical look at current politics from the point of view of former Obama administration staffers. No topic is too niche to match those mainstream hits, though. It's hard to imagine any interest or subculture that hasn't at least been touched upon by a few talking heads with a microphone.
We've pared down the endless sea of offerings that are readily available and downloadable online to a handful the best podcasts to listen to right now. If you've been looking for a new show to rock with on your daily commute, something to check in on at the gym, or a way to take occupy your mind anytime, you can do worse than checking out some of these compelling titles. Log in, turn on, and tune out.
Stuff You Should Know
Did you know the website HowStuffWorks had podcasts and shows? Neither did we, until we stumbled upon Stuff You Should Know a few years back, a podcast that details the minutia of random topics that will help you start and maintain a conversation wherever you are. Episodes like “How Lion Taming Works,” "Are Election Laws Designed to Suppress Voting?," and “How Commercial Jingles Work” are just some of the topics discussed and dissected. It all may sound like stuff you read in those books you placed by your toilet in college, but remember how fun those were? This is like that. But you don’t have to actually read anything. #Win.
The Nerdist
What does it mean to be a nerd? Listen to The Nerdist to find out. The brainchild of Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick, the weekly podcast interviews famous nerds (and people you wouldn’t consider nerds) like Drew Carey, Kevin Smith, William Dafoe, Andy Samberg, Bill Maher, Donald Glover, and Rob Zombie shooting the shit about a wide-range of topics. Don’t worry, it’s actually more funny than it is nerdy.
Call Your Girlfriend
Call Your Girlfriend is the podcast equivalent of the chillest hang movie ever. Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow are long-distance best friends who chat bi-weekly about what's going on with ladies in the news, pop culture, and their personal passions like caftans, the Notorious RBG, and shine theory (crafted by the pair themselves).
If you think drinking a bottle of wine with your best friend, laughing until you can't stand it anymore, and receiving much needed #realtalk is something you need on the regular—Call Your Girlfriend is the perfect audio fix.
How Did This Get Made?
We’ve all been there: Sitting in a dark theater after paying somewhere north of $15 for a ticket, you find yourself watching a movie so bad, that you start to wonder how the hell anyone thought it wise to fork over millions of dollars to create such a mess. We feel your pain. So do comedian/actor Paul Scheer, his wife June Diane Raphael, and comedian Jason Mantzoukas. The trio, along with a guest each week, picks a new movie to tear apart in an attempt to figure out, well, how the hell did it get made. Give it a try. It’s hilarious, because it’s true.
The /Filmcast
It makes sense that one of the best film websites has one of the best film podcasts. If you consider yourself a true cinephile, you probably already listen to this The /Filmcast. If you don’t, you should start. Each week, hosts David Chen, Devindra Hardawar, and Jeff Cannata give their take on the latest TV and film releases and news. The trio usually give voice to exactly what you’re thinking about a certain show or film. Expect a lot of debate, cool guests, and the usual takedown of a shitty film.
Freakonomics Radio
By now you’ve either read the book, watched the documentary, or, at the very least, had one of your friends recommend that you do so. For those that haven’t, Freakonomics was a book written by award-winning journalist Stephen J. Dubner and award-winning economist Steven D. Levitt that, as the authors say, examined the true meaning behind things like “cheating teachers, bizarre baby names, self-dealing Realtors, and crack-selling mama’s boys.” The podcast brings more of the same; it's a deep look into what really makes the world go ‘round.
WTF with Marc Maron
After Marc Maron’s Air America radio show Breakroom Live with Maron & Sedar was cancelled in ’09, legend has it he kept his keycard and snuck back into the company’s studios to record episodes of a brand new show he would later call What The Fuck with Marc Maron. A stand-up comedian that’s worked with some of the industry's biggest names, Maron’s podcast features interviews with all of your favorite comedians. Seriously. Dude’s guests have included Chris Rock, Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Judd Apatow, Bob Sagat, Aziz Ansari, Louis CK, Conan O’Brien, and Zach Galifianakis. We could keep going, but we’ll just tell you to go ahead and listen instead.
The Read
Do you have trouble keeping up with the fuckery that goes down weekly in the world of pop culture, and want one hub to dissect it all? Want that place to also give you hard-hitting, honest opinions on matters of race, sexuality, and all other topics that populate our timelines on the regular? Welcome to The Read.
Hosted by Kid Fury and Crissle, The Read doesn't pull punches, no matter how hilarious...or real. And nine times out of ten, their views are not only spot-on, but will sound like the voices inside of your own head when some bullshit goes down and your immediate reaction is to drag the hell out of whomever is spewing racist bile or on some overall nonsense in the public light.
Whether it's their weekly dragging of the hot topics in the world of celebrities, answering the numerous emails being sent about real life insanity, or reading the hell out of everyone from the parents of annoying kids on planes to police officers who are quick to pull a trigger and murder civilians, there's a reason why Kid Fury and Crissle's podcast shot up the iTunes "New and Noteworthy" section early on, and stayed there ever since.