This American Life celebrated its 25th anniversary by dropping several classic episodes into its feed. Great timing, because it’s been a relatively quiet week in Podcastland. Few new podcasts, few ambitious deep dives. Ample coverage of U.S. Thanksgiving, though.
The counts: 59 notable guests, 12 new podcasts, four deep dives and one re-evaluation of “Lolita.”
Pod Take of the Week
“[He] strutted brilliantly, a spectacularly squat, impudent, omnipotent part urchin, part prince.”
Listen: Men in Blazers: Diego Maradona Emergency Pod (4:03)
- That’s Roger Bennett, recalling the contradictory pinnacle of the life and career of the late Diego Maradona.
- MIB and other sports pods paid tribute to the Argentine footballer, a global firestarter who passed away this week at age 60.
- Adds Bennett: “He was a footballing wonder. He was also a human cautionary tale.”
- Here’s a taste of the remembrances from top English-language sports pods:
- Football Weekly’s tribute includes an interview with Asif Kapadia, director of the documentary “Diego Maradona,” and Marcela Mora y Araujo highlights the reaction in Argentina.
- Ringer FC interviews Ian Wright and discusses Maradona’s greatest goals.
Go Deep
1) Thanksgiving
Listen: All My Relations, Code Switch, Everything Everywhere, A Hot Dog Is a Sandwich, We Got This!, This American Life
- U.S. Thanksgiving got solid play in Podcastland this week, including these thoughtful takes:
- All My Relations investigates “the real story of Thanksgiving and the complex history undergirding this event in relation to Indigenous people.”
- Code Switch revisits a previous episode about Thanksgiving, asking, “How do you deal with family members who have really, really different political beliefs than you?”
- A Hot Dog Is a Sandwich asks: “Does turkey kinda suck?”
- Everything Everywhere provides a quick overview of the history of the holiday.
- We Got This! debates the best potato food.
- And Ira Glass picked seven more This American Life episodes from the archive for Thanksgiving weekend listening.
2) Cabbage Patch Kids
Listen: Decoder Ring
- Willa Paskin goes deep on the “soft bodied, plastic headed dolls with eyes that are just a little bit too close together.”
- Context: During a two-year period in the ‘80s, “Americans would buy 20 million of them, worth one point two billion dollars, and the dolls would become known as a quintessential American toy craze, a well chronicled moment when we lost our minds over something we should not have.”
3) Racing Video Games
Listen: Past Gas
- The pod wraps up a three-episode series on the history and influence of racing video games.
- Total listen time: 2 hours, 50 minutes.
4) Garth Brooks
Listen: Hit Parade
- Chris Molanphy goes deep into the hitmaker’s country and pop careers over two episodes.
Guest Appearances By…
($L) = Luminary, behind a paywall. (S) = Spotify exclusive. ($A) = Audible, behind a paywall.
Adejuyigbe, Demi Punch Up the Jam
- The comedian returns to the pod he once co-hosted to take on Weezer’s “Beverly Hills.”
Andres, Jose You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton
Armisen, Fred The A24 Podcast
Bridgers, Phoebe Talkhouse
Brie, Alison The Playlist Podcast Network
Buress, Hannibal Good One
Campbell, Mike WTF with Marc Maron
Cenac, Wyatt Wheels Off
Cross, David Bullseye
Cyrus, Miley The Zane Lowe Interview Series
David, Susan Armchair Expert
- The Harvard Medical School psychologist addresses “the dangerous narrative that success equals happiness.”
DeFazio, Rocco You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton
Densmore, John The Rhino Podcast
Flynn, Johnny WTF with Marc Maron
Friedlander, Judah Fake the Nation
Gadsby, Hannah You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes
Goodall, Jane Sway
Grant, Hugh The Watch
Hart, Kevin Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Hirway, Hrishikesh Servant of Pod
Holland, Mary The Three Questions with Andy Richter, The Last Laugh
Jewel Armchair Expert
Judge, Mike The Joe Rogan Experience
Kelly, Scott Kickass News
Koch, Charles The Jordan Harbinger Show
Koy, Jo Literally! With Rob Lowe
Knox, Amanda Tig and Cheryl: True Story
Lapkus, Lauren Green Eggs and Dan
LaVette, Bettye Talkhouse
Lin, Jeremy ESPN Daily
- The basketball player who bequeathed us Linsanity talks about his efforts to return to the NBA.
Mackey, John The Joe Rogan Experience
Mara, Kate Anna Faris is Unqualified
Mars, Roman Extra Spicy
McBride, James It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders
McCartney, Paul SmartLess
McConaughey, Matthew Good Life Project
- The man continues his incredible guesting presence. He’s been out there for five of the last six weeks.
Mochrie, Colin Bald Talk
Moore, Demi Red Table Talk
Morris, Errol The Big Picture
Nosrat, Samin You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton, Servant of Pod
Obama, Barack Inside the Hive
Odom Jr., Leslie Broken Record, Talks at Google
Parker, Priya Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
Paulson, Sarah Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!
Reilly, John C. The A24 Podcast
Rinella, Steven The Tim Ferriss Show
Robinson, Smokey Rolling Stone Music Now
Rowland, Kelly Pretty Big Deal
Ruffin, Amber Las Culturistas
Smart, Elizabeth Nobody Told Me!
Spencer, Phil Decoder
- The guy in charge of Xbox talks about how gaming has become a dominant part of mainstream culture.
Trainor, Meghan Table Manners with Jessie Ware
Vardalos, Nia Busy Philipps is Doing Her Best
Wade, Dwyane Road Trippin’
Willie D The Joe Rogan Experience
Wilson, John The Last Laugh
Wilson, Mara Night Call
Winter, Alex The Treatment
Youssef, Ramy Mike Birbiglia’s Working it Out
Notable New Podcasts
1) Tenfold More Wicked (Nov. 23)
- The true crimer offers “a gruesome trip through history with chilling campfire stories of true crime.”
- Apple Podcasts rank: No. 27.
- Spotify Trending Podcasts rank: No. 16.
2) Lolita Podcast (Nov. 23)
- Jamie Loftus “traces Lolita — the person, Dolores Haze — from her literary origin to current status as a doomed icon.”
- Apple Podcasts rank: No. 96.
- Spotify Trending Podcasts rank: No. 23.
3) The Ringer Music Show (Nov. 22)
- Charles Holmes “digs deep into the stories that are driving the conversation in the music world, drawing on reporting, expert discussions, and his own sharp analysis.”
- Spotify Trending Podcasts rank: No. 9.
4) Big Man on Basketball (Nov. 23)
- It’s Barstool Sports’s “all encompassing basketball betting podcast.”
- Apple Podcasts rank: No. 93.
5) Uprising: A Guide From Portland (Nov. 23)
- The iHeartRadio pod offers “[b]ackground and breakdown on 100 days of Portland insurrection” in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis.
- Spotify Trending Podcasts rank: No. 24.
6) Oral Sessions with Renée Paquette (Nov. 24)
- “Uncensored, unscripted, in-depth conversations” from the WWE personality.
- Apple Podcasts rank: No. 20.
7) The Shattered Window (Nov. 22)
- An “investigative true crime series” that “dissects a case that has polarized and puzzled the minds of those who know it”: The disappearance of 7-year-old Jaclyn Dowaliby from her bedroom in the middle of the night.
8) Ghost Gate Road (Nov. 23)
- A true crimer about Australian serial killer Vince O’Dempsey.
9) I’m Not a Monster (Nov. 23)
- The FRONTLINE and BBC Panorama production attempts “to uncover the truth about an American family’s journey from Indiana to the Islamic State group’s caliphate and back.”
10) Temporary (Nov. 25)
- The Guardian’s eight-part series “showcases stories from those seeking asylum in Australia.”
11) Surviving Life with Les Stroud (Nov. 26)
- The “Survivorman” aims to “pull deep and inspiring life stories from artists and motivated individuals who continue to forge new pathways while surviving life itself.”
12) Shaking Out the Numb (Nov. 22)
- The experimental pod from Sylvan Esso “weaves together found sounds from nature, conversations, memories, and songs” from the band’s new album.
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.