What do you do while you listen?

sound in space, musical climate change, Geena Davis, Austin Powers, death doula, vibe checking food, scandal in dog sledding

I’m a firm believer that what you do while you’re listening to podcasts is almost as important as what you’re listening to. I save certain shows for certain times or activities because of how those activities will impact my listening experience. I’m very rarely just sitting and listening. I have shows that I play in the background during certain work tasks. I have shows that I play while I’m driving or grocery shopping. And I have shows that I play when I’m cleaning, cooking, or more recently crafting. That last type of show are the most carefully saved. They’re the ones I want to really get absorbed in, so I need tasks that allow me to do that.

Another reason I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately is because at Tink Media we just launched Adopt-a-Listener, a special initiative to welcome non-listeners into the world of podcasts. And something that’s important to help new listeners with is the listening experience. If someone sits down on their couch and hits play on a podcast, like the way they would a TV show, they might struggle to get into it. Not because of the show, but because it’s usually kinda difficult to just sit still and listen. So when you’re helping a new listener try out podcasts, I think it helps to recommend a show and an activity that would go well with it.

For example, I recently upcycled these mirrors I thrifted and crafting was the perfect compliment to Articles of Interest’s episode The Clueless Closet.

What’s your favourite thing to do while you listen?

This week’s podstack

Phantom power - Spacing Out with Dallas Taylor

When Aakshi told the Tink team about this show, she said the Hildegard Westerkamp episode was one of her favourite things she heard recently. And then she quickly followed up by mentioning there was an episode with Dallas Taylor of Twenty Thousand Hertz, which meant I was absolutely going to listen to both. Phantom Power is where scholars and creators talk about sound. They get technical, they get creative, and they get as nerdy about their love of sound as they want! In the episode with Dallas, host Mack Hagood had a great way of describing Twenty Thousand Hertz as “achieving Spielberg-levels of audience and production”, which I thought was a perfect description. Dallas shares how he was inspired to start the show by being a little disappointed in sound always being an after thought. Beyond that, he found himself so captivated by any sound-related episodes of 99% Invisible and thought ‘what if there was a show that was only episodes like that?’. So he made it! They discuss one of Dallas’ favourite episodes, Space, which I hadn’t heard before but it’s actually included after the interview and it will change the way you think about sound. I listened to this episode while cleaning the bathroom and it made me not want to stop! (transcript)

The Times - Can music make people care about climate change?

Speaking of sound, this musical discussion is a perfect follow-up. How do we go from data to action? It’s all about the emotional response and that’s one of the never ending problems of climate coverage. It’s easy to detach from data, but once a story evokes a feeling in you, you get invested. So can music help with that? Artist Lucy Jones shows us how. As part of her work, she demonstrates how associating specific notes with temperature changes, with notes getting higher as temperatures do, can reflect the data. One line that stuck out to me from that moment is when she said “I shouldn’t be able to hear the difference in the span of my life”. When people say ‘well the climate’s always changing’, the reality is that it’s never changed at this rate. And going back to the emotional response, it can’t just be about fear. The episode goes on to share some songs that are made to echo the hope that scientists want us to recognize. This episode is about music, climate, and how we process sound. And how they can all work together to make us feel something about the future of our planet. I actually had to stop listening to this in the background and save it for more attentive listening time, so I listened while cooking dinner. (article version)

On with Kara Swisher - Are You “Dying of Politeness”? Geena Davis Explains

After reading Kara Swisher’s feature in Vanity Fair, I was in the mood for an episode of her show and Geena Davis immediately caught my attention. Kara and Geena discuss her entire career in Hollywood, the good, the bad, and the changes throughout the years. I loved hearing about her creation of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, how older women in Hollywood are treated compared to men, and what made it impossible to ignore the gender imbalance. “So we’re training kids from minute one to have gender bias because we’re showing worlds that are dominated by male characters,” Geena noted as she described a realization while watching kids shows with her two year old. She then goes on to mention “there was this theory in Hollywood that men and boys won’t watch women and girls, but women and girls will watch anything, so we don’t have to worry about the female characters.” So many people Geena talked to thought this imbalance had been solved but it really hadn’t and people didn’t realize it until she showed them the data. It has improved since then but it’s something that made me pause, rewind, turn up the volume, and make sure I heard it right. Also, speak it into existence: Geena Davis wants to play a villain in a Marvel movie and I would watch the heck out of that. I listened to this while walking to pick up takeout for dinner and while eating. (transcript)

Hollywood Gold - AUSTIN POWERS: How Mike Myers’ Gamble Went From Failed Test Screening to Successful Franchise

I’m still picking my jaw up off the floor from learning how low the rating was after the first test viewing of the first Austin Powers movie. Even after edits, it was barely reaching the minimum for movies that get released! It was a bit of a gamble and everyone, including Mike Myers, was nervous about it. For it to go on to achieve the home-video success and multiple movies afterwards that it did was truly unexpected! Hearing about all of this from Jennifer Todd, who was a producer on the movie and also very early in her career, was absolutely fascinating. She recapped so many of the conversations and changes that lead to the movie we know today. This show is another perfect one for feeding my love of behind-the-scenes stories. I listened to it while driving to my friend’s house on the weekend.

All The Wiser - How To Live Well So That You Can Die Well

In true All The Wiser style, Kimi Culp captivated my heart and mind with the story of a woman who, through extraordinary experiences with loss, death, and illness, became a Death Doula. Diane Button’s job is to help people at the end of their life, not so much from a logistical point of view, but more the emotional preparation. Whether it’s saying the things that have been left unsaid or making peace with regrets, she supports them through these stages to help them and their family prepare for the end of life. Because of the nature of her work and the things she experienced in her own life, she has such a thoughtful understanding of what it means to live well so you can die well. It can be hard to think about and listen to stories like these, but I think they serve as a needed reminder sometimes and All The Wiser is so great at bringing the stories that help give you perspective on life. I listened to this while turning my closet into a mini-recording booth.

The Sporkful - Are You Eating Chipotle Bowls Wrong?

When I saw Dan Pashman tweet that this episode was coming, I was checking the feed every week for it. Not only do I love when they do episodes debating food questions and problems (like the one with Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings), I knew an episode with the Vibe Check crew would be a blast. And it was! Sam, Saeed, and Zach bring their perfect banter to the show and talk about meal prep, ice cream, and tailgating. I learned something new about the process that is actually responsible for the different ‘mouth feel’ of different store bought ice creams (the fancy vs the store brands). And now I feel like I need to order some Chipotle to test the right way to eat it. I listened to this while on a run and yes, I was very hungry by the end! (transcript)

Outside/In - The Underdogs Ep1: Honey & Vinegar

Outside/In just wrapped a special three episode series that is “one dead body away from Tiger King”, except it’s about the world of dog sledding. This is going to sound so simple compared to the whole premise but I genuinely never realized how impressive huskies are in the way they’re built for the conditions they go through. From their coat to their paws, they’re so uniquely equipped for the cold and snowy terrain they live and race through. It’s so cool! But as the series progresses, I think what captures the story most is the line “you sell your soul for the Iditarod”. These races take a lot of resources and money and this is the story of the lengths people will go to for this sport. The last ten minutes had me so locked in! (transcript)

More sweet treats

Do you know someone who says ‘podcasts aren’t my thing’? Let’s help welcome them into the wonderful world of podcasts by finding a podcast they’ll love. That’s the mission of Adopt-a-Listener month and I’d love for you to join the fun!

• If you started the new season of You Must Remember This, Karina’s interview on WTF and her interview in Inside Podcasting will make you even more invested in the show!

• Normal Gossip is not messing around for the first episode of their new season… Samin Nosrat is one of my FAVOURITE food people!!!

• Please, please, please credit the people who work on your show!

• This poem about before the big bang.

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!