Been Trump-free for a while, but Mueller made an appearance so politics is front-and-center in podcastland this week. The counts: 49 notable guests, six new podcasts, four deep dives and one galaxy far, far away.
Oh, and a quick refresher on the notations below: ($L) = On Luminary, behind a paywall. (S) = A Spotify exclusive.
Pod Take of the Week
“A person is a better messenger than a PDF.”
Listen: Pod Save America: “A dirty, filthy, disgusting word” (16:21)
- That’s Dan Pfeiffer, on former special counsel Bob Mueller’s emergence from his special counsel cave after two years to speak about his investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
- Pfeiffer suggests an in-person appearance before Congress by Mueller will move the needle more than his 400+ page tome.
Go Deep
1) “Star Wars”
Listen: Inside Star Wars
- Wondery kicks off a multi-part “immersive audio biopic” about Luke, Leia and the gang.
2) The Tylenol Murders
Listen: Stuff You Should Know
- A multi-part look at the murder-via-poisoned-Tylenol in Chicago in 1982.
3) Mitch McConnell
Listen: Embedded
- A multi-part deep dive into the life and career of “one of the least popular – and most polarizing – politicians in the” United States.
4) “My Sharona”
Listen: Punch Up the Jam
- A 1-hour, 18-minute deep dive and reworking of The Knack’s classic pop hit.
Guest Appearances By…
Braun, Scooter Recode Decode
Brooks, David The TED Interview
Carr, Erin Lee Armchair Expert
Case, Steve Recode Decode
Chabon, Michael Wheels Off
Coates, Ta-Nehisi The New Yorker: Politics and More
Cuban, Mark Recode Decode
DuVernay, Ava The New Yorker Radio Hour
Eggers, Dave Bookworm
Gaiman, Neil Kickass News, TV Take
Gilbert, Elizabeth Jordan, Jesse GO!
Gillibrand, Kirsten Off Message
Hale, Tony Minor Adventures
Handler, Daniel Talkhouse
Hanks, Colin ID10T
Jackson, Glenda Pod Save the People
Jobs, Laurene Powell a16z
John, Sir Elton Fresh Air, Icons
Khalifa, Wiz The Joe Rogan Experience
Klobuchar, Amy Pod Save America
Letterman, David WTF with Marc Maron
Mandvi, Aasif Persistence 360°
McCabe, Andrew Trump, Inc.
McCarthy, Kevin The Axe Files ($L)
McShane, Ian Off Camera
Merritt, Stephin Talkhouse
Moby Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin
Morgan, Alex Men in Blazers
Nanjiani, Kumail Armchair Expert
Nardini, Erika Skimm’d From the Couch
Nealon, Kevin Inside of You
Neistat, Casey Curious with Josh Peck
Newhart, Bob Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Nosrat, Samin Code Switch
Payne, Alexander Maltin on Movies
Rice, Condoleezza Oprah’s Master Class
Robinson, Phoebe Getting Curious
Rubin, Gretchen Nobody Told Me!
Schrager, Ian TBD with Tina Brown
Scott, Adam Sooo Many White Guys
Silverman, Sarah The Al Franken Podcast, Never Not Funny
Simons, Timothy Bullseye
Smirnoff, Yakov Never Not Funny
Sow, Aminatou Airplane Mode
Vargas, Jose Antonio LGBTQ&A ($L)
Waithe, Lena It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders
Woodward, Bob The Axe Files ($L)
Yang, Andrew Stay Tuned with Preet
Yuan, Jada The Dave Chang Show
Notable New Podcasts
1) Nice Try!
- Host Avery Trufelman and Curbed tell “the hidden stories behind how we design the world we live in, and what we can learn when those designs fail.”
2) Factually! with Adam Conover
- Conover hosts “an investigative comedy podcast for curious people who never stop asking questions.”
- Maggie Dent “talks to parenting experts from around the world to find practical solutions to the challenges every parent is facing today.”
4) Wildfire
- The REI-produced pod “investigates the causes and repercussions” of an Oregon wildfire that trapped 150 hikers “behind a wall of flames.”
- Each episode of the Pink Floyd guitarist’s pod “focuses on a different one of the remarkable instruments from this collection.” Gilmour is auctioning off 120+ of his guitars.