What are your favourite sounds?
Keiko's journey, Jonathan Groff, losing sight, delightful words, sea gardening, Ocean's Eleven.
In the last podstack, I mentioned an episode of 10% Happier where Sam Sanders talked about his experiences with grief after losing both his parents. In that conversation, he mentioned how much he wishes he had saved some of his mother’s voicemails so he could listen to her voice. It got me thinking about a quote from Twenty Thousand Hertz host Dallas Taylor when he was interviewed for The Noise Gate.
One question we hear a lot as children is, “What's your favorite color?” But what about your favorite sound?
My favorite sound is the sound of the people I love. I love hearing my kids, the way that they speak in the world, the way they laugh, conversations with family and friends. I believe the best music genre that exists is the music that's being created by the people you care about.
You don't have to be an audiophile to become more conscious about your hearing and curate your sonic world or think more deeply about it—and become more human in the process.
Listening to so many podcasts has definitely increased this appreciation for me. The sounds of the voices of loved ones, no matter the recording quality, always resonate so strongly and feel so special. And I love this idea of thinking about your sonic world. Whether that’s the world around you or just the sounds you choose to listen to.
This week’s podstack
The Good Whale - Episode 1: Save The Whale
I was definitely a fan of the Free Willy movies when they came out. It made me love orcas and feel caring towards them. And that’s also what happened to the people who worked with Keiko, the orca whale from those movies. But even though they enjoyed Keiko’s company and often attributed positive emotions to him, he was not well when he was being kept in an amusement park in Mexico City. This series is the story of how Keiko went from Mexico City, to another facility in Seattle, and then to actual ocean water in Iceland to try to rehabilitate him so he could live in the wild. You hear from the people in Mexico City who cared for him like he was their own child, the scientists and activists who helped him become healthy again, and sometimes the skeptics who didn’t think it was going to be possible to take this golden retriever of a whale back to the wild. The amount of money, resources, and engineering that went into this is astounding. But hearing about the bonds people formed with this whale is heartwarming. I know the ending of this story has been known for years, but I didn’t know it and I’m enjoyed all the details they reveal as Keiko’s journey unfolded. And I need to give recognition to the creativity in this series. The musical episode was unexpected and worked way better than I ever thought it would. It was such a delight!! (transcript)
Arts Educators Save the World - Jonathan Groff & Linda Tough
If you need a reminder of the positive impact that arts and the people who teach it have on the world, you need to hit play on this episode now. As award winning actor Jonathan Groff speaks with the teacher who made him the performer he is today, you get to listen in on one of the most wholesome and endearing conversations I’ve heard in a while. There are so many thoughtful things his teacher Linda Tough does for her students to help them have the best experience they can and feel include with whatever skills they have. If you ever need some light when the world feels dark, this show will give you the hope you need.
Personally - Short Sighted: How to be a TV host when you can't see?
The thoughtful soundscape-like music that opens this episode immediately got me curious about what the production style was going to be like. Graham Isador narrates his own history as he went from auditioning for Breakfast Television, a Canadian morning show, to revealing that he was losing his vision because of a progressive eye disease. This audition is an important moment because it serves as a significant turning point for Graham’s abilities and his realization of how to handle his condition. It’s our first introduction from Graham of what it sounds and feels like to lose your vision. This audio series is an exploration of what it sounds like to experience the loss of vision and it feels like an excellent example of using podcasts effectively and creatively. “The challenge is - trying to explain vision loss is sort of like trying to describe a really great meal. We can discuss flavours and textures, salty, sweet, umami, whatever. But until you’ve actually tasted the thing, it’s hard to know what it’s like.” Words and pictures might not capture the experience, but what if sound can? I immediately hit play on the next episode about “resting blind face”.
Fifty Words For Snow - Ep. 1 Dutch Delights: Gezellig and Niksen
If you like shows like Lingthusiasm, A Way with Words, or The Allusionist, I think you’ll like this. When I saw gezellig in the title I was intrigued because it’s a Dutch word I learned from Ted Lasso. But it’s one of those words that is difficult to translate to English. It’s a kind of feeling and fully understanding and appreciating it is specific to Dutch culture. I love learning about words like this. Both gezellig and niksen are vibes that I want to experience and embrace. The art of doing nothing? Sounds healthy and lovely to me! Hosts Maggie and Emily then put the word lazy on trial, which is such a fun gamification of analyzing words and how we use them. One argues in defense of the word and the other argues against, to determine if we should keep using it or get rid of it. (h/t to Lauren for this gem!)
I think Adam and Mendel might have some of the most calming voices in podcasting. Pair that with the thoughtful sound design they do so excellently and I’m left constantly wanting to remind people that this show exists and you should listen. They always teach me about the way our planet works, has worked, and will work. In this episode, it’s about sea gardens, formally known as clam gardens, where rocky walls are arranged to help foster clams and other sea creatures that thrive in these spaces. They’re only exposed during certain times of year, based on the tides. It’s an ecological technology that was created and has been maintained by Indigenous cultures and people around the world for years. They modify and restore a beach so that it can provide more food than it did before. But it doesn’t have the invasive approach that modifications to areas for farming other foods has. It’s in sync with the existing systems, helping them reach their full potential not in an exploitative way. These rock walls are thousands of years old and can vary in many different ways, which teaches us even more about the way these gardens work. Why talk about it now? One reason is because of how it can provide food and resources, especially for communities that experience food scarcity and shortages. (transcript)
The Filmographers Podcast - Ocean’s Eleven
I love the Ocean’s movies and will watch them any time I see them while scrolling through cable. So obviously, when I’m introduced to a movie podcast, those movies are an easy starting point for me. In their first season, Mike and Keir are covering the work of Steven Soderbergh. I’m already an avid movie podcast listener, so I was intrigued to hear the perspectives they were sharing but what resonated first and foremost was a reminder that I needed to hear: “Movies aren’t logic puzzles to be solved. They’re stories to be experienced.” I definitely get caught up doing that while watching movies and this was a good reminder to sit back and enjoy the story, which is something that Ocean’s Eleven makes it pretty easy to do. They also taught me the motivation behind the many meals you see Brad Pitt’s character eating throughout the movie. He sure was dedicated…enough to eat 40 shrimps for one scene!
More sweet treats
This reaction to the 15 minute city is fascinating and frustrating to listen to.
If you’re overwhelmed by the work of making your passwords more secure, this is the most user-friendly explanation I’ve heard.
I can’t stop thinking about the trickery that is fashion trends and what makes so many clothing brands unsustainable.
Thank you for reading! If you listened to something this week that made your heart sing, your imagination wander, or your brain ponder, I’d love to hear about it!