What makes you play and stay
beauty standards, trail log, running a food company, sentimental sounds, fortunetelling, crap apps, brave poetry
I find it so fascinating to note the reasons I hit play and the reasons I stay. The play and stay reasons are different, but definitely connected. I hit play because of an alluring title or topic, a recommendation from someone else, or because an episode is about something I always enjoy hearing about. I stay and keep listening to an episode because of how it hooks me in the first few minutes, how well it delivers on my expectations based on the title and description, and how much I’m enjoying it or feel myself not zoning out.
This is something I love hearing about from other people. Whether you’re a super listener who rarely takes their headphones off, or you’re a casual listener who enjoys their reliable favourites, there is always something to be learned about why we play and stay. And even more so for non-listeners or really new listeners. What’s the most important factor that makes a non-listener choose a podcast to check out and what makes them want to keep listening? If you have thoughts on this, I’d love to hear from you!
Ologies - Kalology (BEAUTY STANDARDS) with Renee Engeln
I fully laughed out loud and paused the episode to write down this quote. It happens right near the beginning, as Alie Ward is debating the overwhelming concern we have with our appearances and why we spend so much time worrying about it. It’s the driving question of this episode about kalology, the study of human attractiveness and the ways in which beauty influences society. She really puts it into perspective when she says “how you look should be as important as if our earlobes taste like raspberries, which is not important at all”. Would you only date someone if their earlobes tasted like raspberries? Or spend copious amounts of money on products that would make your earlobes taste like raspberries? All in the name of appealing to other people? Seems silly when you say it that way! This is a really detailed look at how beauty standards came to be, how they differ across genders, race, and sexuality, and the impact they have. Is it better to recognize everyone’s beauty equally or to just put less emphasis on our appearances? (transcript)
As soon as I started Thru, I kicked myself for not listening to it sooner. A show that opens with intriguing raw tape from the wild that captures the adventure that’s ahead? Gets me every time! To do a Thru-hike is to walk the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada and Cody Hofmockel is taking us along as he attempts it. In the introduction, we hear from the community of hikers he meets along the way and you get the impression that this hiking life really appeals to people facing a transition in their life. They’re making sense of that journey on the trail. They seem to find themselves as they battle the blisters and soak up the views. Cody mixes in his own monologue as he’s hiking with moments talking to his parents and fellow hikers. It’s an audio travel log, full of the satisfying sounds of walking on a dirt trail, birds chirping, guitar music, and humorously human moments, all in very short episodes.
The Stephen Satterfield Show - The Social Media Persona with Sana Javeri Kadri
Stephen Satterfield kicked off his new show with the perfect guest - Sana Javeri Kadri from Diaspora Co. Sana started a company that is dedicated to building a better spice trade that is more equitable for farmers and delicious. The reason this episode is such a great start to Stephen’s show is the chemistry between these two. They have a dynamic that they describe as very younger sister/older brother, but it’s really just a strong friendship. They talk about going through similar experiences with starting their companies around the same time, dealing with tokenism in the food industry, and how they as individuals fit into the bigger picture of the companies they run. Even if you don’t listen to a lot of food shows, I think this episode touches on a lot of important mindsets and practices for how sustainable and inclusive companies can operate. I’m a big fan of fun segments and this one features two; a drink to start and a favourite food of the week to close things out. I’ve loved every show that Whetstone Radio has produced so far, and they’ve nailed it again with Stephen’s show.
Object Of Sound - The Sound of Where You Come From (feat. Angélica Negrón)
When you stop to think about sounds that defined your childhood, what comes to mind? Whether it’s songs, sounds of a neighbourhood, or noises that once annoyed you, they all connect us to these places and times. That’s what Hanif Abdurraqib explores in this episode. He asks friends and listeners about meaningful sounds throughout their lives, and they reflect on how feelings towards those sounds and places change as we grow further away from them. He’s also joined by Angélica Negrón, a multi-instrumentalist and composer whose work focuses on thinking about sound in this way. It makes you realize the powerful effect that sound can have on us and what we can learn from it. In what might be the most Canadian thing I could admit here, this episode made me think of the sounds of Saturday night hockey games on TV. As a kid, if we were at either of my grandparents’ houses on Saturday nights the hockey game would come on at 7pm. The sounds of sticks fighting for pucks, players hustling around the ice, and commentators covering their every move will always bring me comfort and make me think of being a kid at my grandparents’ house.
It’s always an intriguing experience when the host of a show leads with curiosity to uncover a story they never expected to be telling. Foretold is a documentary series about the secret life of fortunetellers. This community has historically kept themselves out of any spotlights and away from any attention because of how it could disrupt their practices. But now, Faith E. Pinho has been brought in by Paulina Stevens, a woman who was raised in a family of fortunetellers, but has decided to leave the community and share her experiences. Faith feels like the perfect guide through the story, as we hear her grapple with the fact that she never expected this story to escalate as much as it has and the first episode helps you and her catch up on the long history of this way of life. After being a fortune teller since the age of twelve, Paulina is coming to terms with the messages, manipulation, and misconceptions of fortunetelling. (transcript)
What Next: TBD - "Crap Apps": Why Weather Apps Suck
Is your weather app giving you trust issues? We’ve got 10,000 options for weather apps, but there’s a reason that almost none of them seem reliable enough. Ever since we’ve moved away from getting our weather from actual meteorologists on the morning news, we’ve lost an important piece of the weather report. These apps lack context and context is really helpful for actually understanding weather predictions. So without the human touch of a meteorologist and with apps not sourcing data from enough different places, we’re left wondering if our picnics really will get rained out. (transcript)
The Slowdown - 854: To be brave, I look to the daffodil
April was Poetry month and as much as I like to feature podcasts written by poets, I don’t often share podcasts that feature and focus on poetry. So I decided to ask my sister, who has listened to more poetry podcasts than me, what one of her favourite episodes of The Slowdown is and what she likes about the show. If you’re curious about poetry podcasts, this one might be great entry point. The episodes are pretty short and feature a different poem every time. To help introduce listeners, they give a little antidote about the poem that sets up just enough understanding to enjoy it. It’s a soothing mix of writing and meditative relaxation. She listed this episode as a favourite and I’m so glad she did. I love the way bravery is introduced through the ways we see it practiced and how poetry is an act of bravery. The poem goes on to discuss the idea of bravery through osmosis and I think it’s a concept many of us can relate to. If you’re looking for another poetry podcast for your queue, she also loves Poetry Unbound. Thank you Kylie for sharing this recommendation! (transcript)
More sweet treats
Do you know someone who thinks podcasts cost money? Or that podcasts are just two people talking to each other in their basement? It’s time to bust those podcast myths!
As part of introducing non-listeners to podcasts, I want to help them better understand what podcasts are. Sometimes that means giving them the perfect podcast recommendation. The one that gets them hooked!
That’s the mission of Adopt-a-Listener month and I’d love for you to join the fun!
I like closet podcast studios.
There are some very cool shows selected for Tribeca Festival and I can’t wait to listen.
21 Bookish podcasts if you like books too.
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!
Since you asked....this week I listened to the Canadian Game Developers podcast that I found out about on Discord. I went to the XP Game Developers conference, which has returned from the pandemic shut-down and remembered how much I enjoyed the whole indie game scene in Toronto.