Poddy Training

Hey, Meh writer @JasonToon here. Last time we ran these A-Audio earbuds (which are decent earbuds, not bad, adequately OK, etc.), I posted a poll asking what you listened to while you were doing other stuff, be it housework or yardwork or work-work. And because you’re basically the best people on the Internet, you answered in droves, hipping us to your favorite flavors of ear-filler. Weirdly, although “Music” easily won the poll, the vast majority of recommendations were for podcasts.

Because so much ass was kicked podcast-recommendations-wise, and because Sundays are boring, and because what else can you say about these earbuds, we thought it would be cool to share some of those podcast recommendations here. I’ll also throw in a few picks of my own that I was too shy to post in the forum. Cram these into your bored ears and live again, dammit!

The Meh Community’s Favorite Podcasts

99% Invisible
It started as a “design podcast”, but they’ve stretched that description so far into every possible related field that it’s almost meaningless. More than 200 episodes of fascinating radio about things you didn’t realize you were curious about.
recommended by @jeffyoungstrom and @linnry

Ask Me Another
Famous people play trivia on NPR, with geek songsmith Jonathan Coulton leading the house band.
recommended by @joelmw and @tagbiker

Welcome to Night Vale
Radio news from an imaginary town where every creepy suspicion you’ve ever had is true. Population unknown, but with hundreds of thousands of listeners.
recommended by @tagbiker and @wshunter05

WTF with Marc Maron
Agitated comic shoots the shit with other comics and famous people, and sometimes they fight. Personal confession: Maron’s particular charisma has never done much for me. But thousands disagree, so what do I know?
recommended by @KDemo and @ronnyd

Doug Loves Movies
The original “put funny people around a microphone and roll the tape” podcast. But, like, genuinely funny people: Doug Benson’s first three guests in 2006 were Brian Posehn, Patton Oswalt, and Maria Bamford. And Doug’s no slouch himself.
recommended by @nickiwhite

You Made It Weird
Another long-running comedian-interviews-comedians (and others) podcast, where heavy conversations can run for hours, punctuated by host Pete Holmes’s blaring laugh.
recommended by @nickiwhite

Car Talk
Speaking of distinctive laughs… Tom Magliozzi may be gone, but there are hundreds upon hundreds of hours of him and his brother Ray cackling about transmissions just waiting for you. It gets at least two Mehtizens through the long workday.
recommended by @dannybeans and @smyle

The Adventure Zone
All I know about this one is that it’s basically listening to a D&D campaign, but if a Meh member recommends it this strongly, do you really want to miss it?
recommended by @krobb1290

Recommendations That Deserve Commendation
Three Mehtizens deserve shouts-out for posting extensive lists of their favorites. If all of the above are old hat, try:

• this list by @jeffyoungstrom
• this list by @joelmw
• this list by @djslack

Recommended by @JasonToon
I get a whole section to myself because I’m so important around here.

Hardcore History
Blood and thunder abound in truly epic explorations of historical conflicts from Sparta to Stalingrad. Grab the free ones now and spring for the older paid episodes, especially the Roman saga Death Throes of the Republic.

The Urbanist
Urban issues from a variety of angles, without getting too into the weeds about zoning codes and waste management.

Rewind from CBC Radio
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation plunders its 80+ years of archives for themed shows on everything from advertising to birdsongs. If there were a radio station devoted to this, I’d listen all the time. Speaking of old-time radio…

Escape and Suspense
I used to assume old radio shows were dusty and boring because I was an idiot. These two anthologies of two-fisted white-knuckle storytelling showed me what an idiot I was. If you like these two shows - and you should, you should - there’s so, so much more to love.

But What About the Music?
Amid this wealth of podcast talk, we only got a few music recommendations. I know we can do better. Go back to that “what do you listen to?” discussion and pump out some jams. Turn us on to something new. Give us something to write about next time we sell these.

Whew! After all that, don’t come crying to us if you can’t find anything good to listen to while you’re working, driving, mowing the lawn, or riding the bus. But do come crying to us if you need some earbuds to listen to it with.