MacDirectory 37
DEPARTMENT
The Curling Show
Unless you're Canadian,
you probably only
come across curling
during
that 30-minute
block of NBC's Winter
Olympic coverage.
Believe it or not,
though, there's a rich
culture and fierce
competition behind this sport, which is
dissected in well-produced episodes of The
Curling Show. Admittedly, this isn't a show
for novices looking to learn more about the
sport, but listen to just a few episodes and
you'll feel more informed than any
American when it comes to brooms and
ice. Host Dean Gemmell not only has a vast
knowledge of the sport, but his enthusiasm
and interviewing skills are on par with ESPN
anchors (if they were to report on curling).
This show proves there really is a podcast
for everything.
Savage Love Cast
Only Dan Savage could host a show
exploring the risks of cramming
marshmallows where the sun don't shine
and not seem like a total creep. He brings
his wit and sensibility from his newspaper
column to this weekly podcast,
demonstrating that he may very well be the
best advice columnist in the history of mass
media. Savage touches on politics without
becoming too preachy, and he often brings
guests into the studio, like porn expert
Violet Blue, in order to break the show up
for listeners. If you're an avid reader of his
column, it is a bit odd to hear the actual
voices of people asking questions, as
opposed to reading a two-sentence blurb
signed by a clever acronym. So whether you
have a fetish for centaurs and need some
reassurance or you're looking for the best
way to fool around with a cantaloupe, tune
in because there's nothing you can't ask on
the Savage Love Cast.
Friday Night Cranks
Prank calls are
the lost gem of
the '90s. The
ubiquity of
cellphones and
their damned
caller ID has killed the once reliable practical
joke. Thankfully, the handful of pranksters at
Friday Night Cranks have breathed some
life back into the forgotten art of dialing a
phone and disguising your voice. Nearly
every Friday, the three-man crew broadcast
a live show, which is then distilled into a
podcast of hilarity. Gags span the spectrum
from classic pizza delivery pranks to
torturing employees of NetFlix and Playboy.
While the podcast is strictly the highlights
of the live show, Friday Night Cranks is an
expansive brand, extending into YouTube
and other such social media sites.
Sometimes, though, the video aspect of the
podcast seems to takeaway from the
essence of the prank call.
Legal Lad's Quick and
Dirty Tips for a More
Lawful Life
There's a reason lawyers make tons of
money; law is incredibly complex. The
Legal Lad podcast won't deliver the same
results as shelling
out more than
$100,000 for a JD,
but it will lay a
basic foundation of
legal knowledge.
Obviously, many
aspects of law are tedious and dry, so host
Adam Freedman does a wonderful job of
succinctly explaining the gist of different
concepts in less than 10 minutes. The show
provides a nice mix of historical quirk,
relative information and provocative
subjects, including confidentiality with
clergy and ownership of home run balls.
One episode even explored the legalities of
public breastfeeding. Did you know
Missouri requires mothers to nurse as
"discreetly as possible" when doing so in a
public place? Download Legal Lad for
additional judiciary factoids.
PRI's The World:
Yes, it is just a
recap of the radio
show, but any news
junky will
appreciate having
an on-the-go
podcast version to
accommodate
their schedule. The World, which is a
collaborative project among Public Radio
International, the BBC and Boston's
WGBH, gives listeners a global rundown of
that day's news. Interviews with expert
sources bolster the show's fine reporting,
making for an informative and enjoyable
listening experience. Five days a week, 51
minutes and 50 seconds per episode, The
World rarely fails to deliver.
HOTTEST PODCASTS
MACDIRECTORY PRESENTS ITS PERIODIC LOOK AT THE HOTTEST PODCASTS ON THE WEB. THE WINTER OLYMPICS IN VANCOUVER ARE
APPROACHING, SO GET AN EARLY LESSON IN CURLING. SURPRISE YOUR FRIENDS WITH CRANK CALLS. AND EXPLORE THE WORLD.
WORDS BY CHRIS SWEENEY
