The new podcast release schedule seems back up to speed, including an iHeartRadio production about insurrections. Yeah, the events of last week are still the talk of Podland.
Covering that and much more this week. Let’s get to it.
The counts: 47 notable guests, 10 new podcasts, seven deep dives and one actor with some thoughts about “Gossip Girl.”
Pod Take of the Week
“The definition of mental health — and if we could leave the pandemic with this intact I would be so grateful — it’s that you have the right feeling at the right time, and the capacity to weather it.”
Listen: Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction: What Kids Want and Need Right Now (13:06)
- That’s psychologist and author Lisa Damour, attempting to reclaim the definition of mental health from the wellness industry as the Covid-19 pandemic rages.
- She says: “We came into the pandemic…with the wrong definition of mental health. And this was a definition that was handed to us by the wellness industry. And that definition was, ‘You know you’re mentally healthy if you feel calm and relaxed all the time.’ Okay, this is total nonsense. That’s not a human possibility.”
Go Deep
1) The U.S. Capitol Insurrection and President Trump, Continued
Listen: Trump, Inc., Common Sense with Dan Carlin, Reply All
- We’re learning more about the insurrection every day, and more thoughtful voices are weighing in about the events of Jan. 6 and the aftermath. Here are a few:
- The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold and 1100 Pennsylvania’s Zach Everson look at the state of Trump’s businesses and what the future might bring for them.
- Common Sense’s Dan Carlin “examines the damage caused by the iceberg we recently hit when Americans stormed the U.S. Capitol and tries to suggest how we might avoid hitting another one.”
- Reply All explains Twitter’s ban of Trump.
2) Sleep
Listen: What I’ve Learned, with Arianna Huffington
- The HuffPost founder launches a four-part series with celebs talking about getting a good night’s sleep.
- Those celebs: Lisa Kudrow, Melinda Gates, Lindsey Stirling and Charli XCX.
3) SpaceX vs. Blue Origin
Listen: Business Wars
- The Wondery pod begins a series on the rivalry between the two space travel pioneers.
4) The O.J. Simpson Trial
Listen: You’re Wrong About
- The pod continues its sporadic ongoing series on the trial of the ‘90s.
- They’re now 12 episodes deep into their O.J. coverage.
5) The Birth of Disney World
Listen: Business Movers
- Another Wondery pod launches with a four-part series on Walt Disney’s vision and development of Disney World.
6) The James Harden Trade
Listen: All the Smoke, No Dunks, The Bill Simmons Podcast
- A few deep dives into the deal that shook up the NBA, shipping the superstar out of Houston to Brooklyn.
7) “The Royal Tenenbaums”
Listen: The Rewatchables
- The Ringer pod goes 1 hour, 40 minutes on the Wes Anderson classic.
Guest Appearances By…
Ahmed, Riz Keep It, Grounded with Louis Theroux
Armisen, Fred Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Bell, Kristen Here’s the Thing
Berninger, Matt People Have the Power
Bloom, Rachel Why Mommy Drinks, Mike Birbiglia’s Working it Out
Brie, Alison Too Long; Didn’t Watch
Carey, Mariah Questlove Supreme
- The two-part conversation goes 3 hours, 11 minutes.
Chuck D Hip Hop Raised Me
Cook, Dane You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes
Corcoran, Barbara The GaryVee Audio Experience
Corddry, Rob Life is Short with Justin Long
Cranston, Bryan SmartLess
Flannery, Kate Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig
Gadsby, Hannah Sue Perkins: An hour or so with…
Grant, Hugh The Envelope
Hamm, Jon Too Long; Didn’t Watch
- The actor watches the first and last episode of “Gossip Girl.”
Jackson, Randy Armchair Expert
Khosrowshahi, Dara Sway
- The Uber exec talks about restaurants, the “menace economy.”
Kidman, Nicole WTF with Marc Maron
Knox, Amanda Good For You
- Part one of a two-parter. Knox’s current Twitter bio says she’s an exoneree and a journalist.
Krakauer, Jon The Press Box
- The author of “Into the Wild” reflects on the book on its 25th anniversary.
Kudrow, Lisa Literally! With Rob Lowe
Mann, Aimee I Said No Gifts!
McConaughey, Matthew The Jordan Harbinger Show, The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, Danica Patrick Pretty Intense
Morgan, Alex TRAINED
Moynihan, Bobby Good One
Ninja Your Fave’s Faves
O’Brien, Conan Why Don’t You Date Me?
Olsen, Elizabeth Table Manners with Jessie Ware
Parker, Candace The School of Greatness
Partridge, Andy The Vinyl Guide
Quinn, Colin The Last Laugh
Rae, Corinne Bailey Toure Show
Reichl, Ruth Green Eggs and Dan
Robinson, Lisa Broken Record
Rowe, Mike Kickass News
Rush, Bobby Joe Bonamassa’s Live from Nerdville
Saunders, George The Maris Review
Sharapova, Maria Just B with Bethenny Frankel
Stefani, Gwen And the Writer Is…
Tweedy, Jeff Wheels Off
Warren, Diane Rolling Stone Music Now
will.i.am The Zane Lowe Interview Series
Winslet, Kate WTF with Marc Maron
Winter, Alex I’m So Obsessed
Yusuf Song Exploder
- The artist formerly known as Cat Stevens breaks down a new recording his song “Father and Son.”
Zappa, Ahmet I’m So Obsessed
Notable New Podcasts
1) Power: The Maxwells (Jan. 11)
- The pitch: “Everyone’s heard of Ghislaine Maxwell (Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged partner in crime). But there’s a shadowy figure who hangs above her who you likely don’t know: her father, media tycoon Robert Maxwell.”
- Apple Podcasts rank: No. 3.
2) RELAX! with Colleen Ballinger & Erik Stocklin (Jan. 13)
- Colleen Ballinger and Erik Stocklin spend “an hour each week discussing anything, everything and sometimes nothing at all.”
- Apple Podcasts rank: No. 10.
3) Norco ’80 (Jan. 11)
- LAist Studios and Antonia Cereijido tell “the unbelievable true story about God, guns, survivalism and the bank robbery that changed policing in America forever.”
- Apple Podcasts rank: No. 88.
4) How To Be a Better Human (Jan. 11)
- In the TED podcast, comedian Chris Duffy talks with guests and past TED speakers “as they uncover sharp insights and give clear takeaways on how YOU can be a better human.”
5) Bialik’s Breakdown (Jan. 12)
- Mayim Bialik’s upcoming pod will take “a holistic approach in discussing mental health.”
6) Too Long; Didn’t Watch (Jan. 12)
- TV critic Alan Sepinwall talks with “a celebrity guest who has never seen an extremely popular and groundbreaking television series. Together Alan and his guest watch the pilot and the finale episodes of a series- and nothing in between.”
7) Anything for Selena (Jan. 12)
- WBUR and Futuro Media launch a pod to explore “what the legacy of slain Mexican American pop star Selena Quintanilla shows us about identity and belonging.”
8) Hip Hop Raised Me (Jan. 13)
- DJ Semtex launches “a celebration of the culture that continues to shake the room, move the needle, and change the world.”
9) Business Movers (Jan. 14)
- Lindsay Graham hosts the new Wondery show “that brings you the true stories of the brilliant but all-too-human businesspeople who risked it all.”
10) Behind the Insurrections (Jan. 14)
- “In the wake of the January 6th insurrection in D.C., Robert Evans and co-host Propaganda take a look at fascist insurrections throughout history.”
For 11 more podcasts that launched this week, plus upcoming debuts, visit the This Week in Podcasts website.