Categories
Newsletter

Sounds Like the Future Edition (#129)

Here come the TikTokers. Charli and Dixie D’Amelio hit the top 10 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify’s Trending Podcasts list. The No. 1 this week on Apple, though, goes to a show that’s not out yet: Sofia With an F, a solo pod from former Barstool Sports personality Sofia Franklyn.

The counts: 54 notable guests, 10 new podcasts, six deep dives and one comedian who launched a podcast because she believes it’s important “to get in on these things late.”

Pod Take of the Week

“Eddie Van Halen invented the future.” 

Listen: The Bill Simmons Podcast: A 12th L.A. Lakers Title and Remembering Eddie Van Halen with Ryen Russillo and Chuck Klosterman (2:05:53)

  • That’s Klosterman, invoking Marty McFly and “Back to the Future” to make his point about the late, great EVH.
  • Context: In the movie, when Marty pretends to be a space alien, he wakes up George McFly playing music from “Edward Van Halen” via his cassette player.
  • Imagine yourself in the 1980s, says Klosterman. If you could go back in time and share with someone what the future would sound like, in terms of hard rock music in the 1980s, Eddie Van Halen would be the best choice.
  • Klosterman, who famously ranked every Van Halen song, provides an excellent overview of EVH’s career and what made him such a revolutionary musician. RIP, Eddie.

Go Deep

 

1) “Are the World’s National Parks Failing Nature?”

Listen: Science Weekly

  • The Guardian podcast features The Age of Extinction project’s two-part exploration of the purpose and goals of national parks.

2) Princess Diana

Listen: You’re Wrong About

  • The pod reconsiders the life of Princess Diana over two parts.
  • Binge time: 2 hours, 56 minutes.

3) “A Nightmare on Elm Street” 

Listen: With Gourley And Rust

  • Matt Gourley and Paul Rust kick off a deep dive into every Freddy Kreuger movie.

4) “Portland, Prisons and White Supremacy”

Listen: The Documentary Podcast

  • The BBC podcast completes its two-part dive into Portland, Oregon’s struggle with white supremacists.

5) Marco Polo

Listen: The Explorers Podcast

  • The pod’s three episodes into a deep exploration of the 24-year journey of the 13th century Venetian merchant.

6) Bernard Sumner vs. Peter Hook

Listen: Rivals

  • Steven Hyden and Jordan Runtagh go 1 hour, 4 minutes on the squabbles between two forces in Joy Division/New Order.

Guest Appearances By…

 

($L) = Luminary, behind a paywall. (S) = Spotify exclusive. ($A) = Audible, behind a paywall.

Albom, Mitch Nobody Told Me!

Arellano, Gustavo The Dave Chang Show

  • The Los Angeles Times columnist talks Trump and tortillas.

Black, Lewis The Last Laugh

Bloom, Rachel Scriptnotes Podcast

Bon Jovi, Jon People Have the Power, Armchair Expert

Charlamagne Tha God All the Smoke

Cho, Margaret Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

Clinton, Hillary The Ticket

Consentino, Bethany Pass-Through Frequencies

Cusack, John WTF with Marc Maron

Foley, Mick Angry Americans

Frankel, Bethenny Pardon My Take, Keep It

Haddish, Tiffany Literally! With Rob Lowe

Hall, Carla Burnt Toast

Hardison, Kadeem Touré Show

Harrison, Jerry U Talkin’ Talking Heads 2 My Talking Head

  • The Talking Heads guitarist talks “Stop Making Sense.”

Hayes, Chris Full Release with Samantha Bee

Hilton, Paris Just B with Bethenny Frankel 

Hornsby, Bruce Questlove Supreme

Jennings, Ken People I (Mostly) Admire

Jepsen, Carly Rae Talkhouse

July, Miranda Monocle 24: The Monocle Culture Show

Kendi, Ibram X Black Frasier, I Weigh

  • The author of “How to Be an Antiracist” makes the pod rounds.

Kershaw, Clayton SmartLess

  • Go Dodgers!

Killer Mike Sway

Kim Booster, Joel It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Koechner, David The Adam Carolla Show

Koontz, Dean Otherppl with Brad Listi

Letterman, David Busy Philipps is Doing Her Best

Lipa, Dua Song Exploder

  • The Grammy winner breaks down her song “Levitating.”

Longoria, Eva Anna Faris is Unqualified

Mars, Roman Kickass News, Servant of Pod

Marsalis, Wynton WTF with Marc Maron

Mel C Three Little Words

Moss, Elisabeth David Tennant Does a Podcast With…

Newmark, Craig Thirty Minute Mentors

Nye, Bill America Dissected: Coronavirus

Okatsuka, Atsuko I Said No Gifts!

Patel, Ravi Self-Helpless

Philipps, Busy The Three Questions with Andy Richter

Quinn, Colin Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, The Joe Rogan Experience 

Richie, Nicole Good One

Ripken Jr., Cal Meditative Story

Robbins, Tim Kickass News

Robinson, Marilynne The New Yorker Radio Hour

Seymour, Jane ID10T

Shires, Amanda The Moment

Steinem, Gloria You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton 

Strzok, Peter The Gist

Sudeikis, Jason Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

Taymor, Julie The Treatment

Tucker, Tanya Biscuits & Jam

Wilson, Rebel Celeste & Her Best ($L)

Woodward, Bob Armchair Expert

  • The legendary investigative journalist fields the question: Who portrayed him better, Robert Redford or Will Ferrell?

Yang, Bowen Everyday Decisions with Jo Firestone

Notable New Podcasts

 

Reminder: I’ve contracted and expanded coverage of new podcasts. The newsletter includes a curated list of the most notable and best new podcasts of the previous seven days.

Broader coverage now resides at weekinpodcasts.com, where I’ll show my work with an evolving list of new and upcoming podcasts. Know of any podcasts that should be included? Reply and let me know.

1) Charli and Dixie: 2 Chix (Oct. 8)

  • Ramble produces the pod from TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D’Amelio.
  • The crux: “Through in depth conversations with each other and the people closest to them, Charli & Dixie will dive into the trends that are lighting up their social channels, talk about what excites them, what inspires them and whatever else is on their minds.”
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 4.
  • Spotify Trending Podcasts rank: No. 7.

2) The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamo (Oct. 6)

  • The “grizzled gay ghouls” explore “the culture boundaries of modern beauty through interviews with gorgeous guests who inhabit various facets of the beauty industry.”
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 21.
  • Spotify Trending Podcasts rank: No. 4.

3) “See, the Thing Is…” (Oct. 6)

  • Bridget Kelly, Mandi B and Olivia Dope host the first new podcast from the Joe Budden Network.
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 31.

4) Kamala: Next in Line (Oct. 5)

  • Joy Reid hosts the Wondery pod that traces the VP candidate’s bio.
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 33.

5) Louder Than a Riot (Oct. 8)

  • The NPR pod “reveals the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration.”
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 42.

6) The Sarah Silverman Podcast (Oct. 8)

  • She says: “I decided to start a podcast because I believe it’s important to get in on these things late.”
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 65.

7) Because Mom Said So (Oct. 8)

  • Four “Dance Moms” stars — Melissa Gisoni, Holly Hatcher-Frazier, Kelly Hyland and Jill Vertes — share their “opinions, stories, laughs and advice related to motherhood, womanhood, and anything else they encounter in life.”
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 67.

8) The Edge (Oct. 7)

  • Ben Reiter and Slow Burn co-creators Leon Neyfakh and Andrew Parsons are behind this look at the Houston Astros cheating scandal.

9) Go For Broke (Oct. 8)

  • The Vox pod “examines historical moments of irrational confidence — when large groups of people get caught up in a moment that, because of their enthusiasm, expands into a bubble that eventually pops.”

10) One by Willie (Oct. 9)

  • Texas Monthly’s John Spong hosts “intimate conversations with a range of prominent guests about the Willie Nelson songs that mean the most to them.”

For 15 more podcasts that launched this week, plus upcoming debuts, visit the This Week in Podcasts website.