It's time again that I feel I want to recommend some more podcasts. When I wrote about podcasts the first time, I had over 1100 "new" episodes on my iPod. I'm down to under 550 - but trying to catch up has seriously cut into my reading time. Anyway - just like last time, I'm going to steer clear of the podcasts that Angela and Jen play on Anomaly, and hopefully introduce you to some 'casts you haven't heard of before. So, off the the races... Brace yourselves, this one is gonna be link-heavy.
Coverville, my new obsession. This is a music podcast, released a few times a week, usually an about an hour long, about... covers! There are a few different types of shows. The most common is the "Cover Story" in which the host chooses one artist and plays covers of that artist's songs and/or songs that artist has covered. There are also request shows, theme shows (one song mentioning each day of the week, for example), and "Who did it Better?" I've always loved genre-inappropriate covers, and this podcast fuels the fire. Hardly and episode goes by that I don't stop what I'm doing and head to iTunes to buy a song or two.
Memories of the FutureCast and Radio Free Burrito. Two words: Wil Wheaton. More words: In case you haven't heard, Mr. Wheaton is working on a new book series called "Memories of the Future" with recaps and his memories from his time working on ST:TNG. It's not a tell-all, and it's not a companion. He describes it thusly: "It's more like you're flipping through your high school yearbook with your friends. It's like, 'Hey! I remember this, and I remember that, and did you know that this funny thing happened there, and ... oh God ... I can't believe I thought that was cool...'" Anyway, just before Vol. I was released (covering "Encounter at Farpoint" through "Datalore"), Wil released a weekly podcast where he read excerpts from one chapter each week. Thus, Memories of the FutureCast. Both the book and the podcast are hi-larious. There are no new episodes currently being released, but the old ones are worth a listen. And, I believe the plan is that more episodes will be released into the feed for Vol. II. Anyway, after the book release, Wil got the urge to continue podcasting, and is doing so weekly in Radio Free Burrito. It can be music, stories, questions and answers, random talking... but it's always amusing. But be warned: just like his blog, the book and both podcasts carry "explicit" tags.
Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. We have a lot of writers in the audience, non? This is a short, weekly podcast with writing and grammar tips. Usually one topic per episode. Such as the serial comma, or the implied difference between similar words, or when to use "you and me" instead of "you and I." Grammar Girl, or Mignon Fogarty, also has several grammar and usage books - basically the podcast in book form for quick reference. And, I recently discovered, she's friends with my brother! (Small world.)
Okay, last one. The 5th Race - about Stargate. I don't typically tend to like a lot of podcasts that only cover one show. Personally, I don't need to delve into the deeper meaning of the color a character is wearing, or whatever. If you do, that's cool, too - to each her own. But, this podcast - at least in my experience - is a different. It's hosted by Justin, who is a huge Stargate fan, and Tim, who has never seen Stargate before, and they're (re)watching the series together. Each podcast episode covers one Stargate episode - including an episode synopsis, so you don't have to rewatch - with opinions from the novice and the diehard fan, as well as Tim's predictions on what will happen next. And he's correct surprisingly often. Weekly and about an hour long, there are some sound quality issues with the first few episodes, but if you can press onward (or skip those), it does eventually get better.
As a reminder, or in case you missed it, the podcasts recommended in the last round were: EscapePod, PseudoPod, PodCastle, IndieFeed, and the Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast.
Happy Listening!
Sue
Anomaly Staff Writer
3 comments:
Awesome blog and i will be checking these podcasts out, especially the one by Mr Wheaton. thanks Sue.
The last two on my subscribe list already but I keep forgetting to check Wil Wheatons. I'll try and remember this time!
Thanks so much for your recommedations! I knew about "Radio Free Burrito" but did not realize that he was reading parts of his books as a stand alone podcast. Thanks for the info!
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