Where have you listened lately?
Underwater sounds, queer history, Winnie the Pooh, George Lucas Talk Show, capitalism music, the dress.
This week’s collection of podcasts were listened to while making dinner, going for a run, shopping at the mall, curled up in a comfy chair, working out, showering, making breakfast, and crafting… just to name a few. Sometimes counting the hours or episodes is fun, but counting the places that podcasts kept you company gives you those lovely location-based memories of listening. I love the way those stick in my brain. With the warm weather in full swing, I can’t wait to take lots of podcasts on long walks.
This week’s podstack
Twenty Thousand Hertz - Silent Sea
This episode begins as an almost poetic appreciation for the sounds of the sea. It’s romantic in the way it describes both the silence and the aquatic sounds that you hear. Even the way sound varies under water compared to above water. But in true 20k Hertz style, the story goes deeper. Because even though the ocean has some beautiful soundscapes, it is also in danger. The noise pollution in our oceans is higher than its ever been and it’s impacting the health and safety of the wildlife that live there. Thankfully, more and more countries have started putting strict policies in place to restrict the activities that are causing the biggest noise pollution. This will make you appreciate the ways ocean animals interact with sound and how we play a part in that. (transcript)
But We Loved - That One Night at Stonewall
Growing up in Conservative Texas, with a Catholic and Indian upbringing meant that Jordan Gonsalves only really saw one kind of relationship and thought that anything else was the worst thing you could be. Now, he’s seeking the queer elders he wished he knew and the stories he needed to hear. Through deeply personal conversations with people who lived through moments in queer history, Jordan is teaching us about that history and in turn, highlighting the hope that so many of these elders feel. In listening to the episodes you can go from heartbreak to hope-filled so many times. I’ve loved every episode of the show so far, so I don’t think you can go wrong with whichever one you start with. But I also really encourage you to listen to the intro episode, which features a conversation between Jordan and Eric Marcus, the host of Making Gay History. Hearing more about Jordan’s journey and reason for starting the show gets you so much more invested. The first official episode features an interview with Martin Boyce, who was at the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and his story, paired with his warm personality, is a perfect blend for Jordan’s mission.
Canadaland - (Canada Obscura) The Real Life Winnie-the-Pooh
Last podstack I mentioned a fun collab between podcasts and I’m doing it again! What do you get when you mix Atlas Obscura and Canadaland? Canada Obscura and a delightful story about Canada’s connection to Winnie the Pooh. It was so funny to hear Atlas Obscura host Dylan Thuras tease Jesse Brown about the ways Canada likes to always make sure you know their role in something, but also humbly leaving themselves out of it. Like the fact that Hawaiian pizza was invented in Ontario, but not named after anything Canadian! Clearly, Canada Obscura is a lot of fun. Anyways, the story of the real life bear that inspired Winnie the Pooh surprised me! The idea of someone buying a pet bear and bringing it along with them to the military seems so wild. But that bear charmed everyone it met and left a very strong impression once it ended up at a zoo in London. I’m not gonna lie, after listening to this episode I’ve been watching TikToks of black bears with a different perspective.
Imaginary Worlds - The George Lucas Talk Show
If you’ve been loving Connor Ratliff’s new series Tiny Dinos, you’ll love this story of his work. As a podcast listener, you might know Connor from his fantastic show Dead Eyes, inspired by him losing an acting role because Tom Hanks said he had dead eyes. Go listen if you haven’t already! But beyond that podcast, Connor also has a long running comedy show where he pretends to be George Lucas and has a talk show where he invites guests to speak with him. Host Eric Molinsky attended one of these shows, not knowing what he was in for, and it inspired this episode all about how that show came to be, how he’s kept it running so long, and what inspired him to start Tiny Dinos. It’s a perfect blend of a documentary-like recap of Connor’s work and an interview with this uniquely creative mind. (transcript)
Burnt Toast - Fat People Poop the Same Amount As You
I think I have a new favourite album and I have Burnt Toast to thank for it! An album about late stage capitalism is full of all the dark humour I need. Musicians Annie and Louisa spoke about why they decided to make a themed album like this and how it turned out. The songs span across many genres and that was part of the fun for them. I think this also speaks to the ways we tend to process stressful/overwhelming issues - we make art or jokes about it. I was laughing out loud at all the sound bites that Virginia included from the album, it immediately had me hooked on their conversation and seeking out the album for more. It’s both a serious conversation about all the issues the album covers and the response to when their song about fat pooping went viral, but they can’t help making it a fun conversation too. (transcript)
Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) - the dress
Do you remember where you were for the great dress debate of 2015? When a dress that was definitely black and blue became the biggest story of the internet. I vividly remember discussing it with my coworkers at Target. In this episode, Jamie Loftus uses the dress debacle as a way of remembering those days during the prime BuzzFeed-ification of the internet. When pumping out maximum amounts of content was the game and click bait was the fuel. This is a trip down memory for that time of the internet, that pop culture moment, and what those 16 minutes of fame did to us all. Spoiler alert, it might’ve been the beginning of the end for the internet being a helpful place because of the way content and algorithms took over after this. Jamie brings on so many smart guests to examine this downfall. And one final note: if you hear notification sounds during this episode, it’s likely not a message on your phone. It’s a transition sound used throughout the episode and it tricked me far too many times.
More sweet treats
What do all the ‘girl’ trends say about girl culture and the reality of being a girl right now?
Are you making shower mistakes?? Pobody’s nerfect, but this was an interesting mythbusting episode about getting clean.
I’m very intrigued by the shows that Hyperobject Industries has been putting out and that now includes Jockular because it’s keeping me in the know about women’s sports news and stories.
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!