The counts: 54 notable guests, 23 new podcasts, six deep dives and one endangered letter of the alphabet.

Pod Take of the Week

“The alphabet should be reordered.”

Listen: The Hottest Take (:46)

• That’s Tyler Parker, with a scorching take during the debut week of the Ringer’s new opinion/comedy pod on Spotify.
• Parker just ain’t having R, S and T — “elite letters, superstar letters” — positioned behind Q. 
• Q, he says, can just be banished. K and W can do the work. 
• Says Parker: “If Q’s in the alphabet after this I’m gonna be furious.”
• Additional Reading: “The Mixed-Up Alphabet.” 

Go Deep

1) The World of Comedy 

Listen: The Gist

• The five-part, week-long series devotes an episode each to stand-up, improv, podcasts, film and late night. 
• Guests include Aparna Nancherla, Ron Funches and John August.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 1 minute.  

2) “Baby Shark”

Listen: Switched on Pop

• A 36-minute deep dive into the “dark magic” of the earworm, aka the parents’ “nightmare that will not end.”

3) Puerto Rico

Listen: Throughline

• A 1 hour, 6 minute dive into the relationship the territory has with the U.S. mainland.  

4) How to Make Meetings Less Terrible

Listen: Freakonomics Radio

• A 41-minute look at how to not waste time in conference rooms and on Zoom calls. 

5) “American Idiot”

Listen: Reminiscent

• The indie punk and emo music pod devotes 54 minutes to breaking down the landmark Green Day album on its 15th anniversary. 

6) U.S. Interstate System

Listen: Stuff You Should Know

• A 1 hour, 3 minute dive into the power — both positive and destructive — of America’s superhighways. 

Guest Appearances By…

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

Abrams, Stacey Lovett or Leave It

Ali, Laila Splitting Upward

Aukerman, Scott Off Camera with Sam Jones, Kickass News, Doughboys

• The co-creator of “Between Two Ferns” talks about the Netflix “Ferns” movie, Marie Callender’s.  

Baran, Madeline Inside Podcasting

Batiste, Jon The Open Ears Project

• The bandleader discusses his love for Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.”

Black Keys, The The Joe Rogan Experience

Black, Michael Ian Filling the Void

• The comic talks about poker. 

Braverman, Blair With Friends Like These

Carroll, E. Jean Death, Sex & Money

Carroll, Sean The Joe Rogan Experience, Science Weekly

Coates, Ta-Nehisi Longform Podcast

Cornwell, Patricia StarTalk Radio

Cummings, Whitney The Hilarious World of Depression

Day, Charlie Armchair Expert

Folds, Ben Conversations

Gadsby, Hannah Studio 360

Galifianakis, Zach Comedy Bang! Bang!

Gladwell, Malcolm Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations, The Bill Simmons Podcast, It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

• Gladwell makes the round of podcasts with long names to promote his new book about strangers. 

Glazier, Ilana The Thrive Global Podcast

Godin, Seth The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Gyllenhaal, Jake Talks at Google

Hale, Tony Life is Short with Justin Long, You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Hannah-Jones, Nikole The Ezra Klein Show

Howard, Britney The New Yorker Radio Hour

Jacobson, Abbi The Thrive Global Podcast

Jefferies, Jim Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

Kantor, Jodi Skimm’d From the Couch, Call Your Girlfriend, Recode Decode, The Daily

Kardashian West, Kim Foodgod:OMFG

Koenig, Ezra Keep It

Koepp, David Scriptnotes

Kramer, Julia Women Who Travel

• The editor of Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants in America list talks restaurants, rhubarb danishes.

Lake, Katrina How I Built This with Guy Raz

Lang Lang Here’s the Thing With Alec Baldwin

Lapkus, Lauren Comedy Bang! Bang!, Yo, Is This Racist?

Lorenz, Taylor Ringer Dish

Lynch, Jane The Three Questions with Andy Richter

McKenna, Aline Brosh Without Fail

Mendes, Sam The Open Ears Project

• The director talks about his affection for Carl Orff’s “Gassenhauer.”

Munroe, Randall The Ezra Klein Show

Newmark, Craig Recode Media

Nye, Bill Getting Curious with Johnathan Van Ness

Offerman, Nick The Poscast

Raphael, June Diane WTF with Marc Maron

Ray, Rachael Beyond the Plate

Ringwald, Molly UnStyled

Samuelsson, Marcus Off Menu

Sanders, Bernie Latino USA

Schine, Cathleen Bookworm

Snowden, Edward Fresh Air

Steinem, Gloria Work in Progress

Sturridge, Tom Talks at Google

T.I. Forked Up

Twohey, Megan Skimm’d From the Couch, Call Your Girlfriend, Recode Decode, The Daily

Zombie, Rob The Joe Rogan Experience, ID10T

Notable New Podcasts

1) Motive

• The murder-adjacent true crime podcast from WBEZ Chicago chronicles “a cruel sociological experiment. Lock up a 13-year-old boy for a murder that he swore he didn’t commit. Release him as a 30-year-old man. Then, give him $25 million.” The boy-turned-man is Thaddeus “T.J.” Jimenez. 
• Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main hosts. 

2) The Thing About Pam

• The true-crime pod from Keith Morrison and Dateline NBC focuses on a murder that sets off “a chain of events that would leave one man dead, another man implicated, and expose a diabolical scheme.”
• It’s the No. 1 podcast on iTunes.

3) Correct Opinions with Trey Kennedy

• Comic and video-maker Kennedy just wants us to “take a deep breath, make fun of some people and enjoy some remedy through roasting.”
• It’s the No. 10 podcast on iTunes.  

4) Passenger List

• Kelly Marie Tran and Patti LuPone star in the fictional pod about a flight that disappears while crossing the Atlantic.
• Tran plays a college student whose brother was in the flight, and she’s searching for answers. 

5) Finding Van Gogh 

• Another promising true crime pod about art theft, specifically Van Gogh’s “Portrait of Dr Gachet.”
• This one from the Stadel Museum “traces the painting’s eventful history – to get to the bottom of the question: where is the masterpiece now?

6) The Open Ears Project

• A non-news daily pod from WNYC “where people share the classical track that means the most to them.”
• Episodes run around 10 minutes each. 

7) Scared to Death 

• A podcast in which host Dan Cummins tries “to scare his wife Lynze to death with two tales of alleged-to-be-true horror.”

8) The Lead

• A daily pod about sports from The Athletic.

9) Campaign HQ with David Plouffe

• President Barack Obama’s campaign manager “digs into what the [Democratic presidential] candidates are trying to accomplish in their messaging.”

10) Working Daughter

• Host Liz O’Donnell focuses on “the millions of family caregivers juggling eldercare, career and life, telling their stories and answering their questions.”

11) Long May They Run

• LMTR goes for season-long deep dives into a band, its fans and “the journey that made them one of the most successful touring bands of all time.”
• Season one: Phish. 

12) Sports Criminals

• The focus is on “professional athletes who thought they could get away with anything, including blackmail, theft, prostitution and even murder.”

13) My Life of Crime

• 48 Hours’s Erin Moriarty launches a six-part true crime series that kicks off with a two-parter on the case of accused ax-murderer Lizzie Borden.

14) Three Big Points

• The management pod from MIT’s Sloan Management Review focuses on “one new idea from the world’s leading academics, researchers, and executives” and delivers it “with three takeaways.”

15) London, Actually (S)

• London Hughes’s Spotify-exclusive dating podcast finds the stand-up enlisting “various celebrity friends to help her find a man.” 

16) Foodgod: OMFG

• Reality show regular Jonathan Cheban talks” about his lifestyle, travels, food and more, often with his friends and celebrity guests.” 
• Like with his initial guest, Kim Kardashian West.  

17) She Makes Money Moves

• The pod from Glamour and iHeartRadio ”shares intimate, unscripted stories from women across the country along with advice from financial experts to help guide these women—and women everywhere—forward.” 

18) Work in Progress with Sophia Bush

• It’s about “frank, funny, personal, professional, and sometimes even political conversations with people who inspire Sophia.”

19) We Hear

• The podcast version of the New York Post’s Page Six column. Hard to believe this wasn’t already a podcast. 

20) Out Travel the System (S)

• Nisreene Atassi hosts Expedia’s Spotify-exclusive travel podcast.

21) Wide Open with Tony Gonzalez

• Former NFLer Tony Gonzalez has conversations “with the brightest minds in the worlds of business and entertainment to discuss health, wellness and mindset.”

22) The Hottest Take (S)

• The folks from the Ringer “will debate, defend, and parse a controversial opinion on a pressing topic of the day,” like fantasy football and indoor volleyball. 

23) Down to Date with Kendall Long

• Bachelor in Paradise’s Kendall Long hosts and listens in “to two complete strangers on a first date inside a recording studio.”

And One to Look Forward To: Frontier Tween (Sept. 24, $L)

• In the “coming-of-age scripted comedy series from Team Coco, the all-female writing staff takes you on a journey of 12-year-old poet Tilly Mulch’s life on the untamed prairie.”
• It’s a place “every day is full of adventure and the cows know all her secrets.”
• It’s from the team that created The Onion’s beloved A Very Fatal Murder.

Before I get to more on that, a shout out to Bello Collective’s 100 Outstanding Podcasts of 2018. I shared a few picks, and found a whole lot more to add to my listening queue. Check it out.

5 Pod Takes

1) “She’s always going to be remembered, and she’s going to be vindicated.”

Listen: The Teacher’s Pet: Arrest (41:49)

• That’s Julie Andrew, speaking about her late friend Lynette Dawson, whose 1982 disappearance is the subject of the true crime podcast.
• Andrew spoke an hour after news broke of the arrest of Chris Dawson, Lynette’s husband, on murder charges.
• The podcast sparked intense interest in the cold case. Police wouldn’t reveal the evidence that triggered the arrest, but they did tell host Hedley Thomas the podcast helped bring new evidence to light.

2) “I worry about humans…A human with an agenda, and with anger, is terrifying to me.”

Listen: 10 Things That Scare Me: Blair Braverman (5:40)

• That’s dog musher Braverman, revealing her No. 9 fear on this compelling new pod series from WNYC about people’s fears.
• Context: Braverman frames her fear of humans in relation to nature.
• She says: “A bear wants to eat, and a storm doesn’t give a shit about anything.”  

3) “It’s taking great, wonderful, imaginative people…and then crushing their souls by telling them what font size to use.”

Listen: TED Talks Daily: Confessions of a recovering micromanager I Chieh Huang (2:01)

• That’s Huang, nailing what it takes to kill happiness and morale at work.

4) “It’s like ‘Free Bird’ [and] ‘Hey Jude’ had a kid.”

Listen: Celebration Rock: Fantasy A&R: the Ultimate Mid-’90s Oasis Album(53:14)

• That’s Steven Hyden, who also throws the rocking parts of “Stairway to Heaven” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” into the mix when describing the alchemy of Oasis’s “Champagne Supernova.”
• It’s the closer on his excellent fantasy mid-90s Oasis album.

5) “The makers of these films have no idea what snow looks like.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Hallmark Holiday Movies (5:45)

• Stephen Thompson breaks down one of Hallmark’s most lovable contributions to cinema.

Tweet of the Week

Go Deep

1) China and the West

Listen: The Daily

• A two-parter from Apple’s most downloaded pod of 2018 focuses on bad assumptions made by Western countries regarding China’s economic decisions.
• Binge time: 44 minutes.

2) “The College Dropout”

Listen: Heat Rocks

• A 54-minute deep dive into Kanye’s classic, with G Yamazawa.

3) Ernesto de la Cruz

Listen: Villains

• Shea Serrano goes 48 minutes on the “Coco” baddie.

Guest Appearances By…

Abrams, Stacey TED Talks Daily

• The former candidate for governor of Georgia shares lessons from her campaign.

Abumrad, Jad Pod Save the People

Aiken, Clay The Adam Carolla Show

Albarn, Damon Ways to Change the World

Alexandro, Tex WTF with Marc Maron

Allen, Lily ID10T

Armisen, Fred You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Automator, Dan the The Trip

Black, Jack The Treatment, The H3 Podcast

Bloom, Rachel Good One

Briggs, Bishop Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Brown, Sen. Sherrod Pod Save America

Burr, Bill Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

Bush, Sophia Anna Faris is Unqualified

Carden, D’Arcy Off Book, The Good Place: The Podcast

• Janet!

Case, Neko Talkhouse

Cash, Rosanne The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Collazo, Julie Schwietert Without Fail

Cooper, Bradley Fresh Air

Copeland, Misty The Goop Podcast

Danson, Ted Off Camera with Sam Jones

• Michael!

Davis, Viola It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Dunham, Kelli My Best Break-Up

Eggers, Dave The New Yorker: Fiction

• He reads Sam Shepard’s story “ Indianapolis (Highway 74)”

Foer, Franklin Recode Decode

Galifianakis, Zach Doug Loves Movies

Gass, Kyle The Treatment, The H3 Podcast

Gebbia, Joe How I Built This with Guy Raz

Goggins, David The Joe Rogan Experience

Haidt, Jonathan Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Hamm, Jon Doug Loves Movies

Harbinger, Jordan Big Questions with Cal Fussman

Howroyd, Janice Bryant How I Built This with Guy Raz

Jeffries, Hakeem Pod Save America

Jenkins, Barry Monocle 24: The Big Interview

Kingsolver, Barbara Bookworm

Knievel, Robbie The Adam Carolla Show

Kurzweil, Ray The TED Interview, TED Talks Daily

Love, Darlene Ask Me Another

Luna, Diego Remote Controlled

Moore, Michael Scott Public Intellectual

Moretz, Chloe Grace Maltin on Movies

Nanjiani, Kumail Stay Tuned with Preet

Nelson, Tim Blake WTF with Marc Maron

Nepo, Mark Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations

• Two-part convo with the author and philosopher.

Noah, Trevor Kickass News

Nosrat, Samin Fresh Air, Eater Upsell

Puddicombe, Andy Hannahlyze This

• Convo with co-founder of Headspace.

Reitman, Jason The Bill Simmons Podcast

Romer, Paul Conversations with Tyler

Savage, Andrea Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Savage, Andrew This Song

Scheer, Paul I Am Rapaport: Stereo Podcast

Schmidle, Nicholas Longform Podcast

Silverman, Sarah Doug Loves Movies

Stewart, Martha Skimm’d From the Couch

Storr, Will The Ezra Klein Show

Swisher, Kara TBD with Tina Brown

Taylor, James Oprah’s Master Class

Traister, Rebecca On Being

Verducci, Tom Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Weil, Dr. Andrew The Tim Ferriss Show

Wray, John Otherppl with Brad Listi

Wurtz, Bill The H3 Podcast

Zucker, Jeff The Axe Files

Notable New Podcasts

1) Post Reports

• The Washington Post’s long-awaited daily news podcast debuts. Martine Powers hosts.

2) Broken Harts

• The Glamour/HowStuffWorks co-production centers on the murder-suicide of the Hart Family. Twitter tagline: “Two white moms. Six adopted black kids. One car found upside down at the bottom of a cliff. What went wrong?”

3) Aria Code

• Each episode of this WQXR/Metropolitan Opera co-production “dives into one aria — a feature for a single singer — and explores how and why these brief musical moments have imprinted themselves in our collective consciousness and what it takes to stand on the Met stage and sing them.”

4) The Corp

• ARod and Big Cat of Barstool Sports “interview industry leaders, sports legends, and entrepreneurs on what makes them successful in their specific profession.” All seven episodes dropped Thursday.

5) Better at Everything

• Each season of this “zero b******t” self-help show will feature “a new expert who will help you get unstuck in a single but meaningful way.”

6) 10 Things That Scare Me

• The WNYC Studios production focuses on one person’s fears. “It could be anyone. It could be you. It’s someone driven by fears that keep them up at night, that define their lives, and inform their choices.”

7) These Miracles Work: A Hold Steady Podcast

• It’s a five-part deep dive into The Hold Steady’s album “Stay Positive.” I’m so in.

8) Wealth of Knowledge

• Host Antonio Barbera of U.S. News & World Report offers “weekly tips and expert insight on all things money.”

9) Numbers Geek with Steve Ballmer

• The former Microsoft CEO, current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers and Internet-famous dancer uses “numbers and data to make sense of the world.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

Go Deep

1) Hallmark Christmas Movies

Listen: Deck the Hallmark

• Three guys, 37 Hallmark Christmas movies. They’re 11 movies into their binge and review of each of this year’s so-cheesy-they’re-good flicks.
• Binge time (so far): 6 hours, 19 minutes.

2) “Die Hard”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour

• PCHH goes deep on the unlikely holiday season movie fave. Yippee-ki-yay!

3) The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Heist

Listen: Last Seen

• The tenth and final episode of the investigation into the theft of 13 pieces of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston dropped this week. You’re now free to binge every episode without delay.
• Binge time: 6 hours, 27 minutes.

4) Regina George

Listen: Villains

• Shea Serrano goes 49 minutes on the meanest of the “Mean Girls.”

5) William Goldman

Listen: The Bill Simmons Podcast

• Mike Lupica, Wesley Morris and Brian Koppelman join Simmons for a 2-hour, 50-minute deep dive into the life and career of the late “creative legend.”

6) Radiohead

Listen: Political Beats

• Political correspondent Molly Ball goes 3 hours, 17 minutes talking about the band.
• My take: Doesn’t get better than “Let Down.”

Guest Appearances By…

Anderson, Paul Thomas The Director’s Cut

Baker, Julien All Songs Considered

• Musician guest DJs with her boygenius bandmates.

Benioff, Marc Recode Decode

• Salesforce CEO says “every company’s going to need to be able to have a structured conversation around humane use” of their technologies.

Birbiglia, Mike Good One

Black, Ashley Nicole Code Switch

Bowie, John Ross The Hilarious World of Depression

Bridgers, Phoebe All Songs Considered

• More guest DJing with her boygenius bandmates from the maker of this amazing song.

Brooks, Garth Inside the Studio

Burnham, Bo Off Camera with Sam Jones

Coen, Ethan and Joel Fresh Air

Cousteau, Philippe Travel Genius

Cuarón, Alfonso The Director’s Cut

• Director talks to Alejandro G. Iñárritu about Cuarón’s new movie “Roma.”

Dacus, Lucy All Songs Considered

• Even more guest DJing with boygenius.

Daltrey, Roger Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

Ferrell, Will Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

• Ferrell talks SNL, obsessively dressing like Jerry Reed on O’Brien’s debut pod.

Gadsby, Hannah My Best Break-Up

Grace, Topher Maltin on Movies

Harris, Sam Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Iñárritu, Alejandro G. The Director’s Cut

• Convo with Alfonso Cuarón.

Jacobs, A.J. The Goop Podcast

Jenkins, Barry The Director’s Cut, Playback

John, Daymond Curious with Josh Peck

Johnson, Ron Without Fail

• Convo with the “retail genius” behind Apple stores.

Jordan, Michael B. The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Treatment

Lauren, Lauren Bush Skimm’d From the Couch

Lobo, Rebecca Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Lonergan, Kenneth WTF with Marc Maron

Lowe, Rob The West Wing Weekly

Maddow, Rachel Why is This Happening? with Chris Hayes

Martin, Demetri The History of Standup

Martin, Mae Queery

McChrystal, Gen. Stanley Kickass News

McGraw, Tim Oprah’s Master Class

Nelson, Tim Blake Bullseye

Obama, Barack The Axe Files

Obama, Michelle Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• Part two of former FLOTUS’s convo with Oprah.

O’Brien, Conan Comedy Bang! Bang!, How Did This Get Made?

Pharoah, Jay Anna Faris is Unqualified

Rather, Dan Kickass News

Rogers, Nile Broken Record

Ryan, Debby Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Sagal, Peter The Gist with Mike Pesca

Samuelsson, Marcus Code Switch

Schiff, Adam Pod Save America

• Incoming Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee talks about the future of the Mueller investigation of President Trump.

Schur, Michael The West Wing Weekly

• Co-creator of “Parks and Recreation” talks about how TWW influenced Parks.

Scott, Adam The West Wing Weekly

Shear, Emmett Recode Media with Peter Kafka

• Convo with the Twitch CEO.

Sotomayor, Sonia The Axe Files

Stamos, Alex If Then

• Convo with former security chief for Facebook.

Steinberg, Robin The TED Interview

• Convo with founder of The Bail Project.

Stewart, Martha Katie Couric

Stiller, Ben The Watch

Todd, Chuck Stay Tuned with Preet

Tosi, Christina Recode Decode

Tyson, Neil DeGrasse Bon Appetit Foodcast

Whitlock, Jason The Adam Carolla Show

Winkler, Henry ID10T

Notable New Podcasts

1) Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

• Talk show host O’Brien says he “has never made a real and lasting friendship with any of his celebrity guests. So, he started a podcast to do just that.”

2) Who Runs That?

• Slate’s pod promises “surprising conversations with the people in charge of some of America’s most interesting businesses.”

3) Cameron Knows Nothing

• Cameron Kasky, survivor of the tragic Parkland, Florida high school shooting who “got sort of weirdly famous,” starts his own podcast.

4) Impaulsive with Logan Paul

• He’s internet (in)famous and now he’s got a podcast.  

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

Note: Next week’s newsletter will be an abbreviated edition. Taking some Thanksgiving time with family and a Baltimore Bomb pie.

5 Pod Takes

1) “You’ve got to have hair and clothes that can transition from doing push-ups on the floor with Bishop Tutu…to meeting some First Lady.”

Listen: 2 Dope Queens: Karaoke with Michelle Obama

• That’s former First Lady Obama, with some insight into a little-considered side of being a First Lady.
• Spoiler: It’s a bittersweet 2 Dope Queens appearance: It’s the farewell pod for co-hosts Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams.  

2) “Greatness…is something gone wrong.”

Listen: The Bill Simmons Podcast: Conan O’Brien Plus KD Drama and Brees for MVP (27:13)

• So says O’Brien, about what leads to immortal greatness on late night television.
• Breaking: O’Brien’s launching his own podcast next week.

3) “There’s no such thing as garbage. Everything is a precious resource.”

Listen: SciShow Tangents: Science Hoaxes (33:59)

• That’s Hank Green, co-host of the new “lightly competitive knowledge showcase,” aka a podcast/game show of sorts about science.

4) “Let’s all accept that something’s gone wrong.”

Listen: Serial: Some Time When Everything Has Changed (46:09)

• That’s Sarah Koenig, concluding the season finale of season three — a season spent examining goings on at one courthouse in Cleveland — with the one suggestion she’d make to start fixing the court system.
• She spends 1 minute, 23 seconds rapid firing other suggestions for fixing the system, too, including: not overcharging to force a guilty plea, admitting that police officers lie under oath, paying assigned attorneys double, slowing down and not taping anyone’s mouth shut in court.
• My take: Another outstanding, enlightening, heartbreaking season.

5) “This is their Upton Sinclair moment.”

Listen: The Daily: What Facebook Knew and Tried to Hide (25:31)

• That’s Nicholas Confessore, following up on the blockbuster NYT storyabout Facebook’s actions regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election on its platform.
• Context from Confessore: “In every era there is some new big industry that grows faster than it should. It was true with the food industry and the meatpacking plants, it was true with Standard Oil and the oil industry. And what happens is, there is always a moment when journalists and the public begin to understand what is behind the product they are consuming.”
• My take: If thought you couldn’t feel worse about Facebook, this will make you re-evaluate those feelings.

Guest Appearances By…

Addario, Lynsey How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black

Addison, Bill Eater Upsell

• Food critic talks about his list of the 38 best restaurants in the U.S.

Albini, Steve Talkhouse

• In conversation with Devo’s Jerry Casale.

Aravena, Alejandro Monocle on Design

• Convo with the Pritzker prize-winning architect.

Arquette, Patricia Remote Controlled

Becker, Alison Off Book

Birbiglia, Mike The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Bloom, Molly The Jordan Harbinger Show

Brown, Samantha Travel Genius

Cameron, Suzy Amis The Tim Ferriss Show

Cameron, James The Tim Ferriss Show

Casale, Jerry Talkhouse

• In conversation with Steve Albini.

Cheese, Kenyatta Function with Anil Dash

Conway, George T. III Skullduggery

• Says the Trump administration is a “shit show in a dumpster fire.”

Corcoran, Barbara Skimm’d From the Couch

Dafoe, Willem Kickass News

Damon, Matt Off Camera with Sam Jones

Del Toro, Benicio Remote Controlled

Douglas, Michael WTF with Marc Maron

Duvall, Robert Oprah’s Master Class

Edgley, Ross The Joe Rogan Experience

Gillum, Andrew Pod Save America

Gladwell, Malcolm The Bill Simmons Podcast

Glass, Ira Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Graham, Ashley The Goop Podcast

Hari, Johann Waking Up with Sam Harris

Horan, Kelly Studio 360

• Convo with co-host of Last Seen podcast.

Howroyd, Janice Bryant Without Fail

Hughley, D.L. WTF with Marc Maron

• Fact: I worked with Hughley…as an extra on “The Hughleys.”

Jackson, Chris Employee of the Month

• “It must be nice, it must be niiice, to have Washington on your pod.”

Jacobs, A.J. Ted Talks Daily

Kemper, Ellie Big Questions

Khosrowshahi, Dara WSJ’s The Future of Everything

Kiesling, Lydia Otherppl with Brad Listi

Klores, Dan The Gist

Kristol, Bill The Jamie Weinstein Show

Kugel, Seth This Week in Travel

• Convo with the former New York Times Frugal Travel columnist about his new book.

Lansbury, Angela Maltin on Movies

Longworth, Karina Fresh Air, The Bechdel Cast, I Think You’re Interesting

• You Must Remember This host makes the pod rounds in support of her new book.

Mayfield, Baker Pardon My Take

Obama, Michelle Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Paulson, Hank The New Yorker Radio Hour

Pegg, Simon The Adam Buxton Podcast

Perry, Steve Katie Couric

Phillips, Brian Bookworm

Phillips, Whitney The Ezra Klein Show

Pinker, Steven The Ted Interview

Polgreen, Lydia Queery

• Convo with the HuffPost EIC.

Popper, John The Adam Carolla Show

Ratajkowski, Emily Anna Faris is Unqualified

Reece, Gabrielle The Goop Podcast

Rosenthal, Phil Curious with Josh Peck

Shaffir, Ari Deviate with Rolf Potts

Spanberger, Abigail The Daily

• Convo with the new congresswoman from Virginia.

Stein, Jen Hope The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Stiller, Ben Where Ya From?, Remote Controlled

Systrom, Kevin WSJ’s The Future of Everything

• Convo with the co-founder of Instagram.

Thiessen, Tiffani Forked Up

Thompson, Emma My Dad Wrote a Porno

Thompson, Kenan Good One

Tierney, Maura Bullseye

Wacek, Dawn Ted Talks Daily

• Librarian stands up against book fines.

Whitmer, Gretchen Run Like a Girl

• Convo with the governor-elect of Michigan.

Xu, Tony How I Built This with Guy Raz

Yates, Sally Recode Decode

Yeun, Steven It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, Fresh Air

Go Deep

1) A Year Inside a U.S. Courthouse

Listen: Serial

• Season three is in the books. You’re now free to binge all nine episodes without delay.
• Binge time: 8 hours, 55 minutes.  

2) “The White Album”

Listen: All Songs Considered, Celebration Rock

• The NPR pod dives deep into the 50th anniversary edition of the Beatles’ masterpiece, with the producer of the new project, Giles Martin.
• Celebration Rock asks: Could “The White Album” be improved by reducing it to 12 songs?
• My take: Best song: “Dear Prudence.”
• Binge time: 1 hour, 39 minutes.

3) Mimi Sheraton

Listen: The Sporkful

• The pod’s four-part series with the noted food critic concludes with Sheraton weighing in on ballpark eating, ice cream and free food samples.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 41 minutes.

4) The Last Episode of “The Office”

Listen: Finale

• The pod analyzes the final episode of the original UK version of “The Office.”

Notable New Podcasts

1) Villains

• Shea Serrano’s eight-part series explores “the most interesting, most intimidating, most undeniable movie villains in history.”

2) Broken Record

• Malcolm Gladwell’s new pod features “digressions, arguments, backstories, and random things to disagree with about music.”

3) Headlong: Surviving Y2K

• Six-part series from the creator of “Missing Richard Simmons.” Dan Taberski “takes you back to the turn of the millennium to meet the people for whom it was anything but a joke … as they each face their own version of the apocalypse.”

4) Cold

• The current iTunes No. 2 pod is a true-crime pod that dives deep into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell in Utah. Dave Cawley hosts.

5) SciShow Tangents

• The “lightly competitive knowledge showcase,” aka a science game show of sorts, features Hank Green, Ceri Riley, Stefan Chin and Sam Schulz.

6) Where Ya From?

• Sara Benincasa “talks to fascinating people about their origin stories – literal, metaphorical, and beyond.”

7) Talking Points

• Brian Kelly, aka The Points Guy, talks “with CEOs, CMOs and executives in the points-and-miles world who are changing the way we travel.”

8) Origins: Sex and the City

• Season five of the pod focuses on the early days of the “groundbreaking” HBO series.

9) No Man’s Land

• New pod from The Wing is “about women who were too bad for your textbooks.” Alexis Coe hosts.

10) People Like Us: Inside Philadelphia

• A look at the making of the movie “Philadelphia,” with all proceeds going to charity.

11) Drilled

• It’s billed as “the first true-crime style pod that investigates the crime of the century: the creation of climate denial.”

12) Travel Genius

• Nikki Ekstein and Mark Ellwood “quiz the world’s most experienced globetrotters for their tried-and-true travel hacks.”

13) Scandal

• Alan Duke’s podcast focuses on “Hollywood power struggles of money, betrayal and influence peddling.” It kicks off with a focus on the late Stan Lee.

14) Behind the Scenes

• Jeremy and Audrey Roloff have left “Little People, Big World.” On their pod, they “discuss family, business, faith, and life.”

15) American Hysteria

• Chelsey Weber-Smith explores “moral panics, urban legends, and conspiracy theories, how they shape our psychology and culture.”

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

Made some more tweaks this week based on your feedback, with small expansions to the guest and new podcast sections. And I scaled back the Pod Takes. I’m trying to keep the length from getting out of control.

As always, I’m grateful for any and all feedback. Thanks for reading!

5 Pod Takes

1) “Algorithms don’t decide what’s fair. People have to do that.”

Listen: Undiscovered: Party Lines (25:17)

• That’s Annie Minoff, explaining why having a ”neutral” computer algorithm draw fair political districts isn’t possible.

• The pod dives deep into North Carolina’s partisan gerrymander and the math-based challenge to it that’s in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court.

• My take: A fantastic explanation of the problems created by the precision gerrymanders data and computing power make possible.

• Also: Vote!

2) “Earth rings like a bell. But the moon rings more like a gong.”

Listen: On a Mission: Music of the Spheres (12:43)

• So says host Leslie Mullen, summing up the POV of NASA colleague Bruce Banerdt.

• That revelation comes during the debut of a new pod from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory focused on the InSight robotic explorer of Mars. Banerdt’s the lead scientist on the project.

• Banerdt and his team, among other awesome things, will place a seismometer on Mars to hear what the red planet sounds like.

• Spoiler: The bell of which Banerdt speaks rings during earthquakes, for instance, but humans don’t hear the sound, which travels through earth at a frequency below what humans can hear.

• My take: Hope Mars sounds like this.

3) “I suspect I will never be anything but utterly confounded and just in awe of such a strange, impactful human being as Richard Simmons.”

Listen: Missing Richard Simmons: 18 Months Later (18:23)

• That’s the expert opinion of host Dan Taberski, in this short update, aka “Missing Missing Richard Simmons,” on Simmons’s status as well as others’ featured during last year’s podcast phenomenon.

• Spoiler: Simmons is still (mostly) missing from the public eye. He did write a Facebook post about someone close to him who passed away.

4) “The wonderful part about the internet is that loners and geeks and people who think that there’s no one else like them in the world can turn on the computer and find out there’s millions of other people out there like them in the world. Well, the racists are finding out the same thing.”

Listen: The Press Box: CNN and the Bomb, the Francesa Controversies, and Megyn Kelly (6:53)

• That’s co-host David Shoemaker, with a gut-punch of a kicker.

5) “It’s like going under the knife in a hospital where there’s really no doctors.”

Listen: Everything is Alive: Annie, Jack o’ Lantern (5:17)

• That’s Annie, with something to think about for next Halloween.

• She adds: “It’s just some amateurs kinda working at your face.”

• My take: Ouch. Sorry, Annie.

Go Deep

1) “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”

Listen: Heat Rocks, Dissect

• Author Joan Morgan joins Heat Rocks for a 50-minute examination of Hill’s classic album to mark its 20th anniversary.
• Dissect kicks off an eight-part deep dive, exclusively on Spotify.

2) Rudy in the Former Soviet Union

Listen: Trump, Inc.

• The Trump-focused pod goes deep on Trump acolyte Rudy Giuliani.

3) The Making of “Homecoming”

Listen: StartUp

• Gimlet goes meta with a four-part series focused on how the TV version of its pod got made.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Albom, Mitch Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Attell, Dave Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith

Axelrod, David Off Message, Political Gabfest

Brill, Steven The Axe Files

Caine, Michael Kickass News

Chehadé, Fadi Ted Talks Daily

• Technology architect talks ways for society to benefit from technology.

Clinton, Hillary Recode Decode

Costello, Elvis Freakonomics Radio

Cruz, Wilson The West Wing Weekly

Daltrey, Roger WTF with Marc Maron

Daschle, Tom The West Wing Weekly

Diaz, Joey The Joe Rogan Experience

Dubus III, Andre Otherppl with Brad Listi

Dunham, Lena Armchair Expert

Ellis, Jason Curious with Josh Peck

Fountain, Ben Bookworm

Glaser, Nikki Good One

Godin, Seth The Tim Ferriss Show

Gray, John Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Hagan, Joe Longform Podcast

• Author of the “Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine” talks about researching and writing his excellent book.

Harris, Sam The Ted Interview, The Tim Ferriss Show

Hill, Jonah Fresh Air

Jenkins, Brad Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

• Funny or Die DC’s exec producer talks politics, comedy.

Kass, Sam The Sporkful

• Chef talks about cooking Barack Obama’s lucky pasta.

Kazan, Zoe WTF with Marc Maron

Keisling, Mara Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

• Convo with the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Kelly, Michael Remote Controlled

Kinnear, Greg Remote Controlled

Koy, Jo The Adam Carolla Show

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. The Children’s Book Podcast

• Have you read the Lunch Lady books a million times with your kids? I’ve read the Lunch Lady books a million times with my kids.

Lee, Bobby Anna Faris is Unqualified

Malek, Rami Playback

McChrystal, Stanley Gen. The Moment with Brian Koppelman

McGrath, Amy Pod Save America

Minhaj, Hasan Off Camera with Sam Jones

Monáe, Janelle The New Yorker Radio Hour

Moore, CeCe Nobody Told Me!

• Convo with the investigative genetic genealogist.

Musk, Elon Recode Decode

Neyfakh, Leon I Have to Ask

Neville, Morgan Studio 360

Perry, Steve Inside the Studio

• Welcome back, Steve Perry!

Palmieri, Jennifer Skimm’d From the Couch

Pollak, Kevin Doughboys

Pollan, Michael Endless Thread

Redzepi, René Bon Appetit Foodcast

Reitman, Jason Recode Media with Peter Kafka

Richie, Lionel Oprah’s Master Class

Ringwald, Molly The a24 Podcast

Roberts, Julia The Goop Podcast, StartUp

Sanford, Mark The Ezra Klein Show

Sasse, Ben Kickass News

Scaramucci, Anthony Inside the Hive

Schmidt, Steve The Axe Files

Smith, Tracy K. On Being

• Convo with the U.S. poet laureate.

Strong, AshLee Skimm’d From the Couch

• Convo with the press secretary for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

Taffer, Jon The Adam Carolla Show

Talamon, Bruce It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

• The photographer talks capturing images of black musicians.

Tenacious D You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Traister, Rebecca Recode Decode

Turner, Julia Women in Charge

Varda, Agnès Monocle 24: The Big Interview

Wahlberg, Mark Pardon My Take

Wojnarowski, Adrian The Lowe Post

• NBA media heavyweights talk Jimmy Butler, Washington’s awful team.

Notable New Podcasts

1) On a Mission

If you love: Mars, NASA, Robots, Science, Space

• Eight-part series from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory focuses on the InSight robotic explorer of Mars.

2) Front Burner

If you love: Canada, News

• CBC News debuts a daily new podcast.

3) Bag Man

If you love: Money-stuffed Envelopes, Politics, Serials, True Crime

• Rachel Maddow’s pod dives deep into the crimes of Richard Nixon’s disgraced vice president Spiro Agnew.

4) Shedunnit

If you love: Agatha Christie, Detectives, Mysteries

• The new pod from Caroline Crampton “unravels the mysteries behind classic detective stories.”

5) Proof

If you love: Deep-Fried Oreos, Food, Mysteries

• The America’s Test Kitchen pod “goes beyond recipes and cooking to solve food mysteries big and small.”

6) Kingpins

If you love: Gangsters, Money, Power, True Crime

• The pod focuses on “the leaders of organized crime rings, and how money and power corrupted and changed their communities.”

7) Chapo: Kingpin on Trial

If you love: Drug Wars, Gangsters, Money, Power, Trials, True Crime

• VICE’s Spotify exclusive goes eight-episodes deep into El Chapo’s “high-stakes case through the stories of people caught up in the drug war in the U.S. and Mexico.”

8) Standoff

If you love: Paranoia, Power, Remote Cabins, Serials, Sieges, The Feds

• Slate’s narrative pod asks what really happened during the standoff at Ruby Ridge. Ruth Graham hosts. ‏

9) The Rewind with Guy Raz

If you love: Behind the Scenes, Exclusivity, Music, Origin Stories

• Raz “digs into the stories behind some of the world’s most famous artists and musicians,” exclusively on Spotify.

10) Function with Anil Dash

If you love: Cultural Criticism, Games, Tech

• Dash’s pod asks, “What goes into the technical choices that change our culture?”

11) Lethal Lit

If you love: Crime, Detectives, Fiction, Murder

• Join “teen detective Tig Torres as she investigates the twisted mystery of the infamous Lit Killer murders.” It’s a six-part series.

7 Pod Takes

1) “I believe the scholarly term is ‘hot mess.’”

Listen: Code Switch: The Cost to Cast a Ballot (21:11)

• That’s Carol Anderson, historian and a professor of African-American studies at Emory University, describing the 2000 election fiasco in Florida.
• This great ep takes a deep dive into the history of voter suppression and explores one of the most pressing topics in the U.S.: “Why people don’t vote and why more and more people can’t vote.”
• My take: It’s been awful. We must fight to do better.

2) “By the time you’re out of college your body is just done. Man, you are Brett Favre doing infomercials.”

Listen: Believed: The Good Guy (9:23)

• That’s host Kate Wells, outlining the crazy toll gymnastics takes on one’s body and highlighting the significance of doctors at the sport’s elite level.
• Wells and the Believed pod are focused on Larry Nassar, the once-beloved doctor now known as “one of the worst serial pedophiles in U.S. sports history.”
• The first episode of the series details how Nassar gained the trust of the gymnasts and their families.
• My take: Horrible story, masterful storytelling.

3) “President Trump is, more or less, a wedge issue generating machine.”

Listen: The Daily: How 1994 Gave Us Today’s Politics (3:21)

• That’s NYT opinion columnist Jennifer Senior, touting Trump’s unfortunate superpower, but also putting it in context.
• Senior tracks the genesis and evolution of the Republicans using wedge issues to gain political leverage against Democrats back to 1994. The costs are enormous.

4) “When you’re doing stuff that sucks you have a lot of time to think your way out of your present situation.”

Listen: The Gender Knot: Slow Burn’s Leon Neyfakh on gender in US politics(6:07)

• So says co-host Daniel Carroll, introducing himself in this insightful pod about the intersection of politics and gender.
• Neyfakh brings a POV influenced by his exploration of the Bill Clinton impeachment scandal on the excellent latest season of Slow Burn.

5) “I’ve had so many interviews about death…I think that’s probably improved my life in some ways.”

Listen: Outside Podcast: Dispatches: Alex Honnold on “Free Solo” (10:13)

• That’s climbing legend Honnold, in an interview about how his life has changed in the wake of his no-ropes ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan and the movie about his achievement.
• Outside calls “Free Solo” the best climbing movie ever made.
• Honnold also goes 1 hour, 51 minutes with Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience.

6) “What really matters is the microphone technique.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Halloween (20:35)

• That’s host Linda Holmes, with a playful shot at herself and the PCHH crew for their digression about the awful practices used by the podcasters who play a key role in the latest “Halloween” movie.
• Spoiler: While they were in agreement about podcast horrors, they split on the quality of the actual movie.
• My take: Gotta love the passion of podcasters defending their craft.

7) “It’s still an armpit in a lot of ways, but it’s a loveable armpit.”

Listen: The Bill Simmons Podcast: World Series Thoughts Plus Hasan Minhaj(12:43)

• That’s Simmons, with a not-so-hot take on the oldest MLB ballpark. Simmons broke down his experience at Fenway Park during Game One of the World Series pitting his beloved Boston Red Sox vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• My take: I’ll be happy if the series returns to that armpit.
• Go Dodgers!

Go Deep

1) Standup Comedy

Listen: The History of Standup

• Six-part series concludes with a look at the current (booming) state of standup.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 39 minutes

2) “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

Listen: Binge Mode

• Book six is in the books. Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion continue their Harry Potter immersion with a 10-part deep dive into the penultimate book in J.K. Rowling’s series, including the movie.
• Binge time: 17 hours, 9 minutes

3) The Politics of Population

Listen: Outside/In

• The pod “about the natural world and how we use it” goes two parts on population and the politics and impact surrounding it.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 18 minutes.

4) Consent in the #MeToo Era

Listen: Radiolab

• The celebrated pod takes a three-part deep dive into sexual consent.
• In “In the No,” they “wander into rooms full of college students, hear from academics and activists, and sit in on classes about BDSM.”
• Binge time: 2 hours, 1 minute.

5) “Halloween” the Movie Series

Listen: Halloween Unmasked

• The Ringer’s eight-part series on the horror flicks winds up with a look at the latest sequel.
• Binge time: 5 hours, 23 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Acevedo, Stacey Skimm’d From the Couch

• Convo with Girls Scouts’ CEO.

Abrams, Stacey It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Bareilles, Sara The Dan Wootton Interview

Barinholtz, Ike The Treatment

Bateman, Justine The Adam Carolla Show

Bee, Samantha Stay Tuned with Preet

Brown, Karamo Keep It

Bryant, Aidy Origins SNL

Carden, D’Arcy You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

• Janet!

Carlson, Tucker The Adam Carolla Show

Condon, Zach All Songs Considered

Cowell, Simon Oprah’s Master Class

Dano, Paul The Big Picture, Fresh Air

Duplass, Mark Anna Faris is Unqualified

Esmail, Sam Remote Controlled

Gethard, Chris Good One, The Adam Carolla Show

Gillum, Andrew Pod Save America

Goldberg, Danny Sounds & Vision

Goodwin, Doris Kearns The Ezra Klein Show, Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

Hayes, Sean Recode Decode

Idle, Eric Bullseye, WTF with Marc Maron

Jacinto, Manny The Good Place: The Podcast

• Jason!

King, Elle Bobbycast

Kolbert, Elizabeth Longform Podcast

Lear, Norman Maltin on Movies

Lee, Spike Playback

Lin, Jeremy Freakonomics Radio

McCarthy, Melissa Fresh Air

McElhenney, Rob Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Merchant, Stephen Inside of You

Middleditch, Thomas Comedy Bang! Bang!

Minhaj, Hasan The Bill Simmons Podcast

Orlean, Susan Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin, Bookworm

Oz, Dr. The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

Philipps, Busy Katie Couric

Plaza, Aubrey Talkhouse

• In conversation with Craig Robinson

Quavo The Bill Simmons Podcast

Redzepi, René House of Carbs

Roberts, Julia Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations, Remote Controlled

• The Hollywood legend goes two parts with Oprah, one part with Remote Controlled about the TV adaptation of “Homecoming.”

Robinson, Craig Talkhouse

• In conversation with Aubrey Plaza

Rogen, Seth How Did This Get Made?

Schiff, Richard The West Wing Weekly

Serrano, Shea The Bill Simmons Podcast

Silver, Nate The Ezra Klein Show

Singh, Lilly Pretty Big Deal

Slater, Kelly The Joe Rogan Experience

Thompson, Ben Conversations With Tyler

Ullman,Tracey Creative Conversation

Wain, David Comedy Bang! Bang!

Wojcicki, Anne Recode Decode

Yates, Sally The New Yorker Radio Hour

Notable New Podcasts

1) Believed

• NPR and Michigan Radio team for an investigative pod series that explores the question: “How did Larry Nassar, an Olympic gymnastics doctor, get away with abusing hundreds of women and girls for two decades?”

2) It Seemed Smart

• SB Nation debuts a seven-episode series about “the amusing, diabolical, and entertaining world of sports trickery and mayhem.” Spencer Hall hosts.

3) FWD: Thinking

• Quartz’s new pod covers “bold professionals who have challenged the status quo to recreate their careers.” Khe Hy hosts.

4) Dreamboy

• Night Vale Presents’ latest “is a story of creatures, human and otherwise, caught in the eternal pornography of the cosmos, told in the blockbuster cinematic style of Spielberg classics.” Listen for the murderous zebra.

5) My Best Break-Up

• The pod from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine features different break-up stories each week. Guests describe how their break-ups transformed their lives. Maeve Higgins hosts.

6) Instant Message

• Wall Street Journal technology columnists David Pierce, Joanna Stern and Christopher Mims “talk about the most important tech trends.”

7) Tai Asks Why

• 11-year-old Tai Poole “is trying to find answers to life’s biggest questions.”

8) Blackwood

• The audio drama focuses on “the local legend of a monster called The Blackwood Bugman.” Turns out the local legends are true.

7 Pod Takes

1) “Spoiler alert: Everything’s about to get worse.”

Listen: Trump, Inc.: Pump and Trump (23:23)

• That’s Trump, Inc.’s Andrea Bernstein, in the middle of dissecting shady real estate deals involving President Trump and the Trump family business.
• Spoiler: She’s not just talking about shady real estate deals.

2) “Just because an audience laughs doesn’t mean it’s funny.”

Listen: Inside the Hive w/Nick Bilton: Monica Lewinsky and Hannah Gadsby Talk Trauma (14:11)

• So says Gadsby in a riveting conversation with Lewinsky, recorded at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit.
• Lewinsky, who says she bawled her eyes out seeing Gadsby’s show “Nanette,” talks to Gadsby about trauma and why laughter may not equal funny.
• When comedians punch down and get laughs, Gadsby says “what you’re hearing is not that your joke is funny. But that those people who agree with you feel their inhumanity is justified.”
• My take: Compelling pod with two people who’ve been through a lot and have distinct perspectives on the world.

3) “People should be weirder in their conversations.”

Listen: The Indicator from Planet Money: Overrated/Underrated: Nobel Prizes, Conversations, And Our Descendants (4:49)

• So says Tyler Cowen, arguing that being obsessive and weird in conversation is an underrated trait.
• More underrated things, says Cowen: Blogs, future ancestors, compound returns, and policies that pursue economic growth.
• Overrated: Nobel prizes, the damage from President Trump’s tariffs, the yield curve, and economic anxiety as a driver of populist sentiment.
• Overrated and underrated: Academia as a career.
• My take: One of my fave recurring podcast features.

4) “There are few positive images a bone saw conjures.”

Listen: The Gist with Mike Pesca: Myth Management (1:16)

• That’s Pesca, introducing a segment on the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi allegedly carried out by agents of Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

5) “There’s never been as strong a coupling between economic growth and democratic freedoms as we’d all like.”

Listen: The Ezra Klein Show: Why Bill Gates is Worried (45:11)

• That’s Gates on the tension between authoritarian and democratic governance during a compelling, wide-ranging conversation.
• Klein talks to Gates about politics, AI, poverty, the difficulty in feeding the world and, no biggie, the future of humanity.

6) “Luxury tends to infantilize us a little bit.”

Listen: The Happier Hour: The Road Less Travelled With Santayana and David Farley (21:51)

• That’s travel writer Farley, noting there’s nothing wrong with luxury, but there’s something that happens to a person when they only stay in five-star hotels.
• Farley talks to host Monica McCarthy about how and why we travel.
• Farley adds: “By putting ourselves out there and talking to people and going to places where other people don’t go…you’re opening yourself up.”

7) “We’re going to look back at people who had to stand in front of a charbroiler and inhale smoke and grease-laden vapors for their entire life the way we look back at people who worked in mines.”

Listen: WSJ’s The Future of Everything: Robot Restaurants: Good or Gimmicky? (10:41)

• That’s Alex Vardakostas, creator of a burger-making robot, talking about the potential of robot takeovers of restaurants.
• My take: Robot burgers? I’ll try ‘em.

Go Deep

1) Murder and Football

Listen: Gladiator, Carruth, Steve McNair: Fall of a Titan

• Three pods dive deep into the tragedies involving former NFL players, and as of this afternoon they’re all ranking well on the iTunes chart.
• In Gladiator (iTunes #1), the Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team investigates the life of former New England Patriot and murderer Aaron Hernandez.
• Sports Illustrated produces Steve McNair: Fall of a Titan (iTunes #57), about the murder of the former NFL quarterback.
• The Charlotte Observer dropped all seven of its Carruth (iTunes #79) episodes about former pro Rae Carruth and his efforts to murder his pregnant girlfriend.
• Carruth binge time: 4 hours, 46 minutes.

2) “So Afraid”

Listen: Song Exploder

• Janelle Monáe breaks down her song in 19 minutes.

3) Camper Van Beethoven/Cracker

Listen: Political Beats

• Musician and artists rights activist David Lowery goes deep on his music catalog and artists rights.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 28 minutes.

4) Missouri Politics

Listen: The Daily

• The New York Times pod devotes a two-parter about the politics surrounding abortion in Missouri.
• Binge time: 40 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Addario, Lynsey I Have to Ask

Avenatti, Michael Inside the Hive w/Nick Bilton

Baez, Joan The New Yorker Radio Hour

Barinholtz, Ike The Dave Chang Show

Bon Jovi, Jon Oprah’s Master Class

Brennan-Jobs, Lisa Longform Podcast

Burch, Tory Skimm’d From the Couch

Burr, Bill Pardon My Take

Carden, D’Arcy The Good Place: The Podcast

• Janet!

Carlson, Tucker The Jamie Weinstein Show

Carmichael, Jerrod You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Carville, James The Adam Carolla Show

Chazelle, Damien The Bill Simmons Podcast

Costello, Elvis This Song

Coulter, Kristi Otherppl with Brad Listi

Couric, Katie Skimm’d From the Couch

Dreeke, Robin Nobody Told Me!

• Former head of the FBI’s Behavior Analysis Program talks making connections, communication styles.

Dworman, Noam The Daily, The Gist

• The owner of the Comedy Cellar talks to Barbaro and Pesca about letting Louis C.K. perform on his stage again.

Ferrera, America Katie Couric

Fillion, Nathan Remote Controlled

Garcetti, Eric Recode Decode

Gilbert, Elizabeth The TED Interview

Goodwin, Doris Kearns Kickass News

Grant, Richard E. WTF with Marc Maron

Gugino, Carla The Watch

Hamilton, Laird Curious with Josh Peck

Hill, Jonah The Big Picture, Playback, The Bill Simmons Podcast

• The actor makes the pod rounds in support of hit new movie, “Mid90s”

Hyman, Jennifer How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with the founder of Rent the Runway.

Jackson, Larry The Thrive Global Podcast with Arianna Huffington

• Convo with Apple Music’s head of content.

Kerry, John HBR Ideacast

Khan, Khizr The Axe Files

Kimes, Mina Sports? with Katie Nolan

Kokonas, Nick The Tim Ferriss Show

Kramer, Larry But That’s Another Story

Kreischer, Bert Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

Landauer, Julia Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

McCartney, Paul Inside the Studio

McCartney, Stella The Goop Podcast

Michael, Drew You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Orange, Tommy Bookworm

Orlean, Susan Bullseye

Philipps, Busy WTF with Marc Maron

Redd, Chris Origins SNL

Robinson, Phoebe Fresh Air, Keep It, Good One

Rooney, Wayne Men in Blazers

• How amazing was this shot?

Rosen, Jay The Ezra Klein Show

Scalise, Steve Off Message

Schumer, Amy Armchair Expert

Sheraton, Mimi The Sporkful

Smith, Yeardley I Think You’re Interesting

Taibbi, Matt Waking Up with Sam Harris

Tagouri, Noor Pretty Big Deal

Thompson, Scott The Hilarious World of Depression

Turner, Tina Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• Music legend goes two parts with Oprah.

Warner, Mark If Then

West, Nadja Women in Charge

• Army Surgeon General speaks about being born into a military family, choosing a career in medicine.

Notable New Podcasts

1) The TED Interview

• TED head Chris Anderson “speaks with some of the world’s most interesting people to dig into the provocative and powerful ideas of our time.”

2) Gladiator

• The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team ”takes a hard look at the crisis facing football through the lens of Aaron Hernandez’s life and terrible crimes.”

3) The Cut on Tuesdays

• New York Magazine and Gimlet Media team for a pod highlighting “women’s voices on culture, style, sex, politics, and people.” Molly Fischer hosts.

4) 30 for 30 Podcast

• Season four of the 30 for 30 pod kicks off with a chronicle of Jose Canseco’s memoir that called out his fellow players for steroid use, triggering a congressional hearing. The season promises stories on the 2003 World Series of Poker and the New York City marathon.

5) Carruth

• The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy drop a seven-part podcast about former Carolina Panther Rae Carruth. He masterminded the attempted murder of his pregnant girlfriend, and will soon be released from prison.

6) The Brights

• It’s a reality show pod starring Lydia Bright and her sisters, brother, and parents.

7) The Horror of Dolores Roach

• Gimlet’s scripted horror pod features Daphne Rubin-Vega and Bobby Cannavale in a “macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.”

8) Steve McNair: Fall of a Titan

• Sports Illustrated’s first narrative true-crime podcast looks at the murder-suicide of former NFL QB McNair. The pod asks: Or was it murder-suicide?

9) Hell and Gone

• The true-crime pod focuses on the murder of Rebekah Gould in a small town in Arkansas, and the efforts of Catherine Townsend “to bring her killer to justice.”

10) Maculate Conception

• The pod documents a couple’s struggles with infertility and in vitro fertilization treatment.

11) 2038

• New York Magazine’s new pod asks, What will life look like in 20 years? Max Read and David Wallace-Wells host.

12) Future Perfect

• Dylan Matthews hosts Vox’s new pod that “tackles big questions about the most effective ways to save lives, fight global warming, and end world poverty.”

13) Long Distance

• Paola Mardo hosts a new pod focused on “life in the Filipino diaspora.”

14) Unspookable

• The pod’s “a family friendly look at the histories and mysteries behind your favorite scary stories, myths and urban legends.”

15) Hostage

• The new pod from Parcast “tells electrifying crime stories culminating in intense, life-or-death negotiations.”

16) What Next

• Slate debuts a daily news round-up show.

7 Pod Takes

1) “I feel like there’s an America out there that isn’t as crazy as we are.”

Listen: The Argument: Is The Supreme Court Broken? Should Democrats Run on #MeToo? (9:01)

• That’s Ross Douthat, one of the crazy “we” in question, along with his co-hosts on a new podcast from The New York Times opinion page, Michelle Goldberg and David Leonhardt.

• Says Douthat: “I’m not completely sure how much of this toxic mood is pervasive in the country, versus being sort of pervasive and constantly whipped up by those of us cursed to write about it for a living and argue about it on social media.”

• Fact check: True.

2) “We’re not afraid enough of water.”

Listen: Weather Geeks: Hurricane Hype & Hurdles (11:38)

• That’s Dr. Rick Knabb, former director of the National Hurricane Center, emphasizing the power of surges and flooding when it comes to hurricanes.

• Knabb and host Dr. Marshall Shepherd discuss whether the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is the most effective way to communicate the power of storms.

• Knabb says it’s a legitimate question whether the popular focus on wind speed is helping or hurting our responses.

3) “We’ve all been trained to posture. We have to learn something different if what we want is to understand each other.”

Listen: On Being: Living the Questions: Can conversation make any difference at a moment like this? (10:55)

• That’s Krista Tippett, who devotes a 22-minute pod to articulating the awfulness of the Kavanaugh hearings and why we need to strive for better conversation.

• Tippett took to her pod to explain and elaborate her polarizing late-September tweet.

• My take: Another reason podcasts are better than Twitter. The complexity and nuance of Tippett’s explanation on her pod is better and more enriching than any tweet.

4) “You need to start from a mindset that shutting down curiosity leads to problems.”

Listen: HBR IdeaCast: The Power of Curiosity (4:51)

• That’s Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino, whose research shows how creativity in the workplace can reduce conflicts and lead to better outcomes.

• She adds: Creativity doesn’t lead to inefficiency or unproductivity.

• My take: Excellent. We need more curiosity in the world.

5) “Think of an apology as an investment.”

Listen: Freakonomics Radio: How to Optimize Your Apology (8:29)

• That’s Ben Ho, associate professor of economics at Vassar College, who has developed a model of apologies.

• One prediction: Apologies are more likely in longer relationships.

• The most important prediction in his model: “For an apology to be effective it has to be costly.”

6) “The league’s more fun if the Knicks are good.”

Listen: The Bill Simmons Podcast: Guessing 1018-19 NBA Over/Unders With Joe House (16:16)

• That’s Simmons, wishing the best to New York’s awful NBA squad.

• Simmons discusses the rumor Kevin Durant wants to join the Knicks next year.

• My take: That would be fun. Welcome back, NBA.

7) “Just Google the Queen of England and paint that face onto your face, and you’ll be good.”

Listen: Dear Hank & John: President Alligator (13:18)

• That’s John Green’s rec for dealing with awkwardness of people staring at you when they’re singing “Happy Birthday” to you.

• He adds: “She always has people looking at her so she is incredibly good at making a face that says, ‘I acknowledge you, thank you acknowledging me, and let the festivities continue.’”

• My take: Worth a shot.

Go Deep

1) The Murder of Laquan McDonald

Listen: 16 Shots, The Daily

• The WBEZ Chicago/Chicago Tribune production that, over the course of 25 episodes, followed the trial of Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who shot and killed McDonald, finished this week.
• Binge time: 8 hours, 18 minutes.
• Chaser: The Daily debriefs its Chicago bureau chief on the case for 22 minutes.

2) The Impeachment of Bill Clinton

Listen: Slow Burn

• The celebrated, eight-part deep dive into President Clinton’s impeachment and the surrounding events concluded this week.
• Binge time: 5 hours, 59 minutes.

3) Long-Distance Cons

Listen: The New Yorker Radio Hour

• The two-part pod about a businessman who “lost his fortune in what seems to have been a scam; years later, his daughter goes to confront the man behind the scheme.”
• Binge time: 1 hour, 4 minutes.

4) “Kokomo”

Listen: Punch Up the Jam

• A 1 hour, 35 minute deep dive into the Beach Boys’ polarizing last big hit.
• Says co-host Miel Bredouw: “This would be the whitest man in the world’s favorite song to strip dance to.”

5) Cops and Computers

Listen: Reply All

• The two-part pod focuses on New York City police officers who “are in a fight against their own police department.” A broken computer system stands at the center of it all.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Agg, Jen Women in Charge

• Restaurateur talks about her restaurant empire.

Aina, Jackie Creative Conversation

Albom, Mitch Kickass News, Nobody Told Me!

Barinholtz, Ike Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Lowe Post, The Big Picture, The Adam Carolla Show

• Actor/comedian makes the pod rounds to talk about his new movie, “The Oath.”

Barr, Roseanne The Joe Rogan Experience

Baty, Chris Write-minded Podcast

• Convo with the founder of NaNoWriMo.

Bell, Kristen Modern Love

• She reads an essay by Lori Jakiela, “The Plain, Unmarked Box Arrived.”

Big Freedia Keep It

Boot, Max Stay Tuned with Preet

Brown, Yvette Nicole Anna Faris is Unqualified

Chalamet, Timothée Playback

Chazelle, Damien Fresh Air

Che, Michael Origins SNL

Dikkers, Scott Kickass News

• Convo with founder of The Onion.

Erickson, Erick On Being

Gad, Josh Curious with Josh Peck

Gethard, Chris The Hilarious World of Depression

Gibbard, Ben Talkhouse

Griffiths, Megan Talkhouse

Gyllenhaal, Maggie Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

Henson, Taraji P. Skimm’d From the Couch

Herzog, Werner Maltin on Movies

Honnold, Alex Ted Talks Daily, Pardon My Take

• Climber talks free solo climb of Yosemite’s El Capitan.

Jenkins, Tamara The FilmStruck Podcast

Jost, Colin Origins SNL

Kerry, John Off Message

Khosrowshahi, Dara Inside the Hive with Nick Bilton

• Uber’s CEO talks autonomous vehicles, Uber’s culture.

Kohn, Sally On Being

Kroll, Nick The Joe Rogan Experience

Krugman, Paul Conversations with Tyler

Lenker, Adrianne All Songs Considered

• Convo with the songwriter and lead singer of Big Thief.

Longoria, Eva Tilted

McCarthy, Andrew Deviate with Rolf Potts

Meyers, Seth Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Mitchell, Billy Dueling Decades

• Gaming legend on Donkey Kong, shenanigans in Iowa.

Monáe, Janelle This Song

Nowitzki, Dirk The J.J. Redick Podcast

Orange, Tommy Forked Up

Orman, Suze Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• The two-parter with the finance expert goes 2+ hours.

Ovitz, Michael The Adam Carolla Show

Reilly, John C. The Bill Simmons Podcast

Sarandon, Susan Oprah’s Master Class

Shteyngart, Gary Bookworm

Schur, Mike The Gist

Sedaris, David Monocle: The Big Interview, The Adam Buxton Podcast

Soloway, Jill Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

Spacek, Sissy Off Camera with Sam Jones

Thompson, Keenan Origins SNL

Trevorrow, Colin Talkhouse

Union, Gabrielle Pretty Big Deal

Vargas, Jose Antonio The Ezra Klein Show

Vile, Kurt WTF with Marc Maron

Villaseñor, Melissa Origins SNL

Wambach, Abby How It Is

Winkler, Henry Inside of You

Yellowtail, Bethany The Mash-Up Americans

Notable New Podcasts

1) One to Grow On

• Hallie Casey launches a pod that “tries to understand the impacts of food production.”

2) Legal Wars

• Wondery’s new pod recounts “the most famous court cases in American history,” with host Hill Harper.

3) The Argument

• The New York Times Opinion page goes pod, explaining “arguments from across the political spectrum” once a week.

4) Sold in America

• Noor Tagouri hosts “an eight-episode journey into the world of selling sex in the United States.”

5) Tilted: A Lean In Podcast

• The pod focuses on the “gender bias that lurks in unexpected places, the impact it has on our everyday lives, and what happens when women lean in and start driving change.” It kicks off with a visit to Reese Witherspoon’s production company.

6) Underdog

• Texas Monthly and Pineapple Street Media team to cover “the most expensive, most talked-about political race of 2018: the U.S. Senate contest between Congressman Beto O’Rourke and Senator Ted Cruz.”

Also, apologies to Dame Judi Dench for misspelling her name last week.

7 Pod Takes

1) “She had me at the word hippocampus.”

Listen: Political Gabfest: The “One Hundred Percent Certain” Edition (3:41)

• That’s Emily Bazelon, crystallizing her reaction to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday.
• Bazelon noted Dr. Ford’s ability to “both bear witness and then also analyze as a psychologist the kinds of trauma she was feeling.” Dr. Ford says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982.
• Bazelon’s response was echoed across many political podcasts that came out Thursday evening and into today with their analyses of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.

2) “Sometimes it takes a news article to turn whispered injustices into public outrage.”

Listen: Hidden Brain: Why Now? (17:15)

• That’s Shankar Vedantam in an incredible pod that, given the rise of #MeToo, asks, “What has changed in our minds and in our culture so that allegations of sexual harassment and assault are being taken more seriously than they were in prior decades?”
• Vedantam looks at the question through the lens of a group of women who accused a prominent playwright of sexual misconduct.

3) “The constitutional crisis would be an inconvenience, but the Tweetstorm, that would be deplorable.”

Listen: Pod Save America: “A little hiccup.” (43:44)

• That’s Jon Favreau, on the now-almost-forgotten report that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said he would agree to quit if President Trump wouldn’t disparage him.

4) “Stillness can be an adventure.”

Listen: Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations: Pico Iyer: The Art of Stillness (3:52)

• So says Iyer, the great author and travel writer in conversation with Oprah.
• Iyer, who’s written about travel with elegance and insight, turned to a life of relative stillness after years of jetting around the globe.

5) “Drugs are a lot of work.”

Listen: The Hilarious World of Depression: Neko Case Leaves Bad Places, Goes to Better Places (11:24)

• That’s Case, sharing a reason she turned away from illegal drugs.
• She chronicles that step and many others in her journey to musical success and in her fight to maintain mental health.

6) “Fashion is just another word for the constant inevitable shifts in popular taste.”

Listen: 99% Invisible: Kids’ Clothes: Articles of Interest #1 (6:20)

• So says Avery Trufelman, setting up the kick-off episode of 99% Invisible’s six-part detour into examining the clothes we wear.

7) “The early internet was deeply groovy.”

Listen: Crazy/Genius: Tech Was Supposed to Be Society’s Great Equalizer. What Happened? (4:55)

• That’s Meredith Broussard, talking about early vision for the internet.
• “There was a lot of hippie idealism,” says Broussard. The internet was “going to be better than everything that had come before.”
• My take: Ha.

Go Deep

1) The Democratic Party

Listen: The Wilderness

• Crooked Media’s 15-part series on the Democrats’ “journey through the wilderness after the most crushing defeat in history” concludes with a conversation with President Barack Obama.
• Binge time: 11 hours, 44 minutes.

2) “The Good Place”

Listen: Armchair Expert, The Good Place: The Podcast

• Synergies! In honor of season 3 of “The Good Place,” it’s “The Good Place” week on Dax Shepard’s pod, with guests Ted Danson (Michael!), D’Arcy Carden (Janet!), Kristen Bell (Eleanor!), and creator Mike Schur.
• Jameela Jamil (Tahani!) and writer Jen Statsky appear on the show’s own promo pod.
• Binge time: 8 hours, 48 minutes.

3) Southwest vs. American

Listen: Business Wars

• The six-part series on the battle between two U.S. airlines comes to an end.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 26 minutes.

4) Frank Ocean

Listen: Dissect

• The serialized music pod concludes its deep immersion into Ocean’s music.
• Season 3 took on “Channel Orange” and “Blonde.”
• Binge time: 13 hours, 46 minutes.

5) “Exile on Main Street”

Listen: Heat Rocks

• A 52-minute deep dive into The Rolling Stones’ classic album, with The Ringer’s Chris Ryan.

Guest Appearances By…

Anderson, Carol The Ezra Klein Show

Bateman, Justine The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Bautista, Dave Inside of You

Burns, Ken Kickass News

Burton, LeVar The Nod

Carfrae, Mirinda Another Mother Runner

• Three-time Ironman champ talks nutrition, stroller runs.

Cassidy, Sukhinder Singh Women in Charge

Chong, Tommy Curious with Josh Peck

Coppola, Roman Creative Conversation

Dyer, Christopher Tides of History

Fukuyama, Francis The Ezra Klein Show

Haberman, Maggie Recode Decode

Haddish, Tiffany The Bill Simmons Podcast

Hayward, Gordon Pardon My Take

Higgins, Steve Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

Hill, Jonah Maltin on Movies

Holofcener, Nicole The Gist with Mike Pesca

Idle, Eric Off Camera with Sam Jones

Jett, Joan WTF with Marc Maron

Killam, Taran Comedy Bang! Bang!

Kissling, Frances On Being

Klinenberg, Eric Why Is This Happening? with Chris Hayes

Lynch, Jane Recode Decode

Lynne, Jeff Required Listening

Miller, Geoffrey The Joe Rogan Experience

Munn, Olivia Modern Love

• She reads Marina Shifrin’s essay “A Life Plan for Two, Followed by One.”

Ovitz, Michael HBR Ideacast

Paz, Vinnie The Joe Rogan Experience

Polgreen, Lydia Recode Decode

Povitsky, Esther Forked Up

Rothwell, Natasha It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, Keep It

Ruggirello, Jen Queery with Cameron Esposito

Saban, Haim How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with producer of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Sagal, Peter The Axe Files

Saltz, Jerry Longform Podcast

Savage, Dan The Gender Knot

Shepard, Dax You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes

Suthana, Dr. Nanthia Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

• The neuroscientist talks about how virtual reality can be used in therapy.

Starr, Ken Off Message

Teigen, Chrissy The Goop Podcast

Tosi, Christina Skimm’d From the Couch

Zimmer, Constance Anna Faris Is Unqualified

Notable New Podcasts

1) Adventures in New America

• It’s a “sci-fi, political satire, Afrofuturistic buddy comedy” the New York Times called the “best new social thriller.”

2) The Shadows

• The first audio fiction from the CBC. In six parts, Kaitlin Prest tells the story “about the anatomy of a relationship: a crush, a choice, a resentment and an end.”

3) The Dream

• Jane Marie takes a deep dive into the “pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing, and all the other businesses that require their members to recruit their nearest and dearest in hopes of a commission.”

4) The City

• USA Today launches a longform pod that “tells true stories of how power works in urban America.” Season one begins in 1990 Chicago.

5) Time to Parent

• Julie Morgenstern’s pod focuses on “stories from real parents, advice from experts, and knowledge culled from her almost 30 year career as a consultant and a mom.”

6) Articles of Interest

• The six-part pod from 99% Invisible is “a show about what we wear,” produced by Avery Trufelman.

7) Happy Face

• Melissa Moore’s father is a serial killer. She “investigates her father’s crimes, reckons with the past, and wades through her darkest fears as she hunts for a better future.”

8) Pivot

• New Vox pod features Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway on “how technology is shaping business and culture across media, marketing, politics, and more.”

9) Start to Sale

• Erin Patinkin and Natasha Case talk to entrepreneurs and business about “the journey to succeed in business.”

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

The intruder: The Joe Rogan Experience (No. 5). Though his three-hour episodes qualify as binges, amirite?

7 Pod Takes

1) “When I’m feeling optimistic, I appreciate that an elevator car in a government building is one of the few places left in our country where different kinds of people are forced into proximity.”

Listen: Serial: A Bar Fight Walks into the Justice Center (1:59)

• A taste of Sarah Koenig’s opening thoughts during the first episode of the much-anticipated third season of Serial.

• Koenig and her colleagues spent a year riding elevators in a Cleveland courthouse, during a deep dive into the U.S. criminal justice system.

• The first ep focuses on a bar fight that offers a window into some of the system’s intricacies and warped ways.

• Says defense attorney Russ Bensing: “In this county, innocence is a misdemeanor.”

• My take: So far, so great.

2) “These are works of the civilization that are so important, to remove them is to remove a piece of our civilization.”

Listen: Last Seen: Episode 1: ‘81 Minutes’ (30:19)

• That’s Anne Hawley, former director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, talking about the 13 pieces of art still missing in the wake of the world’s greatest unsolved art theft.

• That theft is the subject of this new pod that not only probes the crime, but explores the anguish among those who saw five Degas works, two Rembrandts, a Vermeer and other artworks disappear from their care.

• My take: Refreshing to have a great true-crime pod without a corpse.

3) “The first bite of that apple, I guess revealed the truth / That’s when Eve got smart, and that’s why Adam don’t like fruit.”

Listen: More Perfect: The Most Perfect Album: ”19th Amendment” by Dolly Parton

• That’s Parton, in her song about the constitutional amendment that gave women in the U.S. the right to vote.

• Parton’s song’s part of an ambitious and very fun project from the More Perfect pod: It features stories about the 27 amendments, accompanied by 27 original songs, including Parton’s jaunty, Schoolhouse Rock-y tune.

4) “There’s this American neurosis, this fear that the human body is being outstripped by our technology.”

Listen: Stay Tuned With Preet: Fair Play (with Sally Jenkins) (45:01)

• That’s Jenkins, adding that, because of this, Americans “get a little funny about our sports.”

• Jenkins and host Preet Bharara probe some of the fault lines of American society brought to the surface by sports, including the controversial penalization of Serena Williams at the U.S. Open and the ongoing issues surrounding protests and the NFL.

5) “I felt like he would hear that I didn’t have pants on.”

Listen: Origins: SNL / To Trump or Not to Trump (:12)

• That’s cast member Chris Redd, recalling his fear upon talking to SNL honcho Lorne Michaels when he learned he’d be joining the show.

• Redd and many other cast members, as well as Michaels, talk to Origins’ pod maker James Andrew Miller in this kickoff ep of the show’s fourth season, which takes a deep dive into SNL as it heads into its 44th season.

6) “The Pizza Hut lunch buffet is the most concentrated, fully realized manifestation of the free market.”

Listen: The Sporkful: Life Lessons From The Pizza Hut Lunch Buffet (25:24)

• That’s host Dan Pashman, distilling the POV of comedian Tim Dillon on the free-for-all experience that is the Pizza Hut lunch buffet.

• Another hot take, this one from Dillon: “Rich people don’t care about food.”

7) “Would you ever wipe Dame Judy Dench’s butt?”

Listen: Anna Faris is Unqualified: Adam Rippon (9:09)

• That how Faris breaks the ice with Olympic figure skater Rippon.

• Spoiler: He would.

Go Deep

1) National Parks

Listen: American History Tellers

• A six-part deep dive into the creation and preservation of the U.S. national parks.
• Binge time: 4 hours, 8 minutes.

2) Perfect Pop Songs

Listen: Rockin’ the Suburbs

• The RTS guys go deep with a five-part series that covers seven pop songs, including tunes from the killer Bs: Bowie, Badfinger, and the English Beat.
• My take: “Save It for Later” is a correct pick.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.

3) The Trans-Siberian Train Experience

Listen: Deviate with Rolf Potts

• Potts and guest Jonathan Arlan talk over a two-part pod about the iconic train trip.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 17 minutes.

4) King Crimson

Listen: Political Beats

• Prog rock nerdiness abounds in this convo with Dave Weigel, political reporter and author of “The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock.”
• Binge time: 2 hours, 21 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Alley, Kirstie The Dan Wootton Interview

Andrés, José Pod Save America

Attenborough, David The New Yorker Radio Hour

Barinholtz, Ike Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Batiste, Jon I Think You’re Interesting

Bell, Kristen The Good Place: The Podcast, WTF with Marc Maron

• Eleanor!

Bergen, Candice Remote Controlled

Biskind, Peter Public Intellectual

• The author of “The Sky is Falling: How Vampires, Zombies, Androids, and Superheroes Made America Great for Extremism” talks about Americans’ love of disaster and revenge.

Branson, Sir Richard Kickass News

Brown, Bobbi How I Built This with Guy Raz

Carden, D’Arcy Comedy Bang! Bang!

Coyne, Wayne This Must Be the Gig

Dessa Sound Opinions

English, Diane Remote Controlled

Fogelman, Dan Curious with Josh Peck, The Bill Simmons Podcast

Fonda, Jane Death, Sex + Money, Oprah’s Master Class

Godin, Seth On Being

Gyllenhaal, Maggie Fresh Air

Haidt, Jonathan I Have to Ask

• An interview with the author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” by host Isaac Chotiner. Chotiner got some Twitter love this week for his “masterclass” interviews.

Harari, Yuval Noah Waking Up With Sam Harris

Hawke, Ethan The Gist with Mike Pesca, The Big Picture

• He’s still making the pod rounds this week to promote his new movie, “Blaze.”

Henderson, Lacey Forked Up

• Talking food with the paralympian.

Hirono, Mazie Off Message

Holofcener, Nicole The Moment with Brian Koppelman, Bullseye, Recode Media with Peter Kafka

Kerry, John Pod Save America, Pod Save the World

Killam, Taran Off Book

• He helps improvise a musical called “Poetry: 1959.”

Klein, Linda Kay Fresh Air

• Convo with the author of “Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free.”

Koy, Jo The Adam Carolla Show

Kreischer, Bert The Gist with Mike Pesca

Lauren, Ralph Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• Two-part pod with the design icon.

Lyne, Susan Skimm’d From the Couch

Mantzoukas, Jason Comedy Bang! Bang!

Nash, Steve The Bill Simmons Podcast

Nussbaum, Martha C. The Ezra Klein Show

Nye, Naomi Shihab On Being

O’Donnell, Lawrence The West Wing Weekly

Olsen, Angel Talkhouse

Patrick, Deval The Axe Files

Saslow, Eli Longform Podcast

Schatz, Brian Lovett or Leave It

• Convo with “the best senator on Twitter.”

Schur, Michael The Good Place: The Podcast, The Bill Simmons Podcast

Shaffir, Ari Lost in America

Shrum, Bob The Axe Files

Slash WTF With Marc Maron

Stevenson, Bryan The Goop Podcast

Tosi, Christina The Dave Chang Show

• A two-parter with the Milk Bar founder.

Witherspoon, Reese Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness

Notable New Podcasts

1) Serial

• The pod’s much anticipated season 3 goes to Cleveland for a deep dive into the U.S. justice system.

2) Last Seen

• The pod probes the 1990 theft of 13 pieces of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

3) The History of Standup

• Wayne Federman and Andrew Steven dissect the evolution of standup comedy, “from Vaudeville to Netflix.”

4) American Scandal

• New pod from Wondery dives “into the heart of America’s dark side to look at what drives someone to break the rules and what happens when they’re caught.” First up: BALCO.

5) No Feeling is Final

• The pod tells Honor Eastly’s “story of difference, identity, and why we should stay alive.”

6) More Perfect

• Season 3 of Radiolab’s series about the supreme court turns to the amendments to the U.S. constitution, and it does so with music.

7) Countdown to Capture

• The Newport Beach Police Department in California is getting into podcasts with a six-part series about an unsolved murder. They’re hoping the pod can turn up leads.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

I also listened to Slow Burn. I don’t think getting infuriated by Linda Tripp helped my recovery any.

7 Pod Takes

1) “It’s the most crushing non-important thing that can happen to you in life.”

Listen: The Rewatchables: ‘Rounders’ with Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey(28:15)

• That’s Fennessey, during a 1 hour, 33 minute deep dive on “Rounders,” on the whiplash of losing at poker in a particular way.
• The moment defined: “[Y]ou hit a big hand and you’re so deluded with euphoria about hitting the hand you don’t realize there’s a better hand out there.”
• My take: Find someone who talks about you the way Fennessey and Simmons talk about “Rounders.” Or maybe run away from that person? Your call on how comfortable you are with obsession.

2) “Central casting couldn’t have cast a better villain.”

Listen: Slow Burn: Tell-All (5:12)

• That’s Linda Tripp, acknowledging the perception of her backstabbing role in the grand saga of Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
• My take: It’s an excellent, layered ep of the multi-part chronicle, with a meta subplot that hinges on host Leon Neyfakh’s own surreptitious recording of Tripp.
• Says Neyfakh: “I had thought that taping Linda Tripp without her knowledge was a violation of her trust. She seemed to think that it has brought us closer together.”

3) “That was my lowest point of my life, to have to eat a Thousand Island sandwich.”

Listen: Ear Hustle: Birdbaths and a Lockbox (12:54)

• So says San Quentin inmate Michael Williams, on what he had to do to get through a lockdown.
• Recipe for a Thousand Island sandwich, for the uninitiated: Thousand Island salad dressing, bread.
• Williams’s admission comes in the Season 3 opener, a deep dive into prison lockdowns.

4) “It’s amazing how [sports] provide a kind of structure of meaning in people’s lives.”

Listen: Freakonomics Radio: How Sports Became Us (9:51)

• That’s Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist with no innate interest in sports, talking about … sports. She came to her interest through one of her children.
• Egan’s one of an eclectic, interesting bunch of people talking to host Stephen J. Dubner for a Freakonomics series “The Hidden Side of Sports,” which will ask what pushes athletes to excel, among other topics.
• Other sources on tap include: Mark Cuban, Mikaela Shiffrin, Kim Ng, Daryl Morey, Kerri Walsh Jennings, and a busload of economists, of course.
• My take: Extremely relevant to many of my interests. High hopes for the series.

5) “I ate goulash before every race … I ate Spam on Christmas Eve. I’m not an elite athlete.”

Listen: Another Mother Runner: #329: In-Person Conversation with Two-Time Olympian Kara Goucher (9:02)

• That’s Goucher, who is indeed an elite runner (evidence: two Olympics appearances), with a funny and poignant articulation of her gnawing self-doubt.
• Controlling that doubt has been “so important in my career,” she says.
• AMR co-host Dimity McDowell gives Goucher props for her openness and emotionalism.
• My take: Goucher’s elite, but a relatable elite.

6) “That’s like an elevator, but sideways.”

Listen: Everything is Alive: Ana, Elevator (11:35)

• That’s Ana the Elevator, with her elevator-centric view of the world, talking about a bus.
• If you’re wondering what an elevator thinks of stairs, this pod’s for you.
• Spoiler: Upon seeing stairs for the first time, Ana says, “Wow. These are beautiful.”

7) “My dream is that I’m in bed by 8:30 every night.”

Listen: Queery: Tig Notaro (46:34)

• That’s Notaro, on life with kids and why it’s hard for her to do standup.
• She says of her current lifestyle: “There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.”
• My take: Right on, Tig.

Go Deep

1) Hurricane Harvey

Listen: The Daily

• A two-parter tells the story of how Houston’s emergency systems failed during last year’s hurricane, and how that affected one family.
• Binge time: 51 minutes

2) “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”

Listen: Binge Mode

• Another book, another binge epic. Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion continue their Harry Potter immersion with a 10-part deep dive into the fifth book in J.K. Rowling’s series, including the movie.
• Binge time: 14 hours, 45 minutes

3) “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy

Listen: The Bechdel Cast

• The two-part “epicsode” breaks down the three “LOTR” films.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 4 minutes

Guest Appearances By…

Apatow, Judd Anna Faris is Unqualified

Arguello, Marcella The Mash-Up Americans

Banks, Patrice Raising the Bar

• Convo with founder of Girls Auto Clinic.

Belsky, Scott The Tim Ferriss Show

Burr, Bill The H3 Podcast

Byer, Nicole Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

• Convos with the “Nailed It” host.

Carden, D’Arcy I Think You’re Interesting

• Janet!

Christensen, Erika Inside of You

Clapper, James The Josh Marshall Podcast

Cohen, Joshua Bookworm

• Author talks about his book “ATTENTION: Dispatches from a Land of Distraction.”

Cole, Kat Skimm’d From the Couch

• Convo with President of FOCUS brands.

Dorsey, Jack Recode Media

• Twitter’s CEO on Twitter’s problems, plans.

Eichner, Billy WTF with Marc Maron

Fallon, Morgan The Joe Rogan Experience

• Convo with a producer and director of “Parts Unknown.”

Fonda, Jane Remote Controlled

Formichetti, Nicola Creative Conversation

• The artistic director talks business, working with Lady Gaga.

French, David The Ezra Klein Show

Gabbard, Tulsi The Joe Rogan Experience

Galifianakis, Zach Comedy Bang! Bang!

Griffin, Kathy The Breakfast Club

Hahn, Kathryn Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

• 2 hours, 47 minutes with the actress about monogamy, the Amish.

Haidt, Jonathan Waking Up with Sam Harris

• Convo with the author of “The Coddling of the American Mind.”

Han, Jenny Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!

Hawke, Ethan Modern Love

• Actor reads Pauls Toutonghi’s story “Learning Humanity From Dogs.”

Holder, Eric Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

Holofcener, Nicole The Big Picture

Isbell, Jason Pod Save America

Jefferson, Cord Invisibilia

Landgraf, John Strictly Business

Jacinto, Manny The Good Place: The Podcast

• Jason!

Jealous, Ben Off Message

Jordan, Kim How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with a founder of New Belgium Brewing Company.

Key, Keegan-Michael The Bill Simmons Podcast

LaBelle, Patti Oprah’s Master Class

Leibovich, Mark Recode Decode

Lessin, Jessica The Substack Podcast

Lethem, Jonathan Filmstruck

Lorre, Chuck Maltin on Movies

Lovett, Jon The Axe Files

McGarry, Flynn Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

McKenna, Aline Brosh Scriptnotes

Minhaj, Hasan The JJ Redick Podcast

Miller, Amy The Soft Spot

• The comedian talks about all things Pee-Wee Herman.

Nolan, Katie The Bill Simmons Podcast

Olson, Martha Rossini House of Carbs

• Founder of Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar, which sells 1 million cookies a day at the Minnesota State Fair.

Rascoff, Spencer Inside the Hive with Nick Bilton

• CEO of Zillow shares why poor and middle class Americans are being priced out of the housing market.

Rhodes, Ben Pod Save the World

Rogen, Lauren Miller It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Ronan, Saoirse Feminists Don’t Wear Pink

Rothwell, Natasha I Think You’re Interesting

Saget, Bob Curious with Josh Peck

Stelter, Brian The Jamie Weinstein Show

Teigen, Chrissy Bon Appetit Foodcast

• She promotes her new book, makes pad Thai carbonara.

Thiel, Peter The Rubin Report

Tyson, Neil deGrasse Kickass News

Walsh, Jennifer Rudolph The Goop Podcast

• Literary agent talks storytelling, Together Live.

Whyte, David On Being

Winkler, Henry You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Wood, Anthony Recode Media with Peter Kafka

• Roku CEO talks streaming.

Wong, Nicole Recode Decode

• Convo with former deputy CTO of the U.S.

Yang, Jenny How It Is

Yarris, Nick The Joe Rogan Experience

• Writer talks about being wrongly convicted of murder and spending 22 years on death row.

Zeng, Ming HBR Ideacast

• Convo with Alibaba’s chief strategy officer.

Notable New Podcasts

1) Ellen on the Go

• A behind-the-scenes companion pod for “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” hosted by the show’s exec producers.

2) Southwest vs. American

• Business Wars kicks off a series on the battle between two U.S. airlines.

3) The Oval Office Tapes

• A dramatic podcast from R.J. Cutler asks, “What if that soccer ball Vladimir Putin gave to President Trump was covered in microscopic transmitters?”

4) Queerly Beloved

• From Vice, Sarah Burke and Fran Tirado host “a multifaceted portrait of LGBTQ chosen family — the people who help us figure out who we are and inspire us to live as our most authentic selves.”

5) Feminists Don’t Wear Pink

• Scarlett Curtis “interviews inspiring women about what feminism means to them.”

6) Wolverine: The Long Night

• Marvel’s first scripted podcast, which was previously available only to paid subscribers, is now free.

7) Directionally Challenged

• New pod from Candice King and Kayla Ewell about “30-something women asking life’s questions and learning from the people who just might have the answers.

And a couple I missed last week:

8) Uncover: Escaping NXIVM

• An investigative pod series about the cult.

9) The Secret History of the Future

• Tom Standage and Seth Stevenson “examine the ancient ingenuity that our modern digital technology can learn from.”

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

7 Pod Takes

1) “There’s an argument to be made that we’re born with the raw elements of Beatles songs in our heads.”

Listen: WTF with Marc Maron: Episode 948 – Sir Paul McCartney (4:11)

• That’s Maron, prefacing his conversation with a pretty freakin’ great podcast guest, Sir Paul McCartney. Maron charmingly frets about what he’s gonna ask the Beatles legend that hasn’t been asked before.
• Maron invokes Chris Farley, but thankfully doesn’t “do a Chris Farley.”
• McCartney talks the Rolling Stones, Little Richard, recording in Nigeria, and how the communal experience of leading sing-alongs to “Hey Jude” and “Let it Be” during his concerts still gives him thrills.
• My take: Maron loses his way a couple times, but mostly earns props for an engaging interview.

2) “Punk is a free space.”

Listen: Deviate with Rolf Potts: Punk Icon Ian MacKaye on why we should question the official history of rock music (12:15)

• That’s punk legend MacKaye, defining what punk means to him.
• It’s not a sound or a style or a look or an attitude. He adds: “It’s the place new ideas can be presented without having to hew to profit motives only.”
• My take: If anyone would know, it’s MacKaye.

3) “[Money] is the sole barometer of someone’s worth in this country.”

Listen: The Gist with Mike Pesca: Hedging Your Bets With Lake Success(12:36)

• So says guest Gary Shteyngart, talking to Pesca about his new book and this country’s deep obsession with cash.

4) “I don’t think we’ve ever been so busy while accomplishing so little.”

Listen: The Ezra Klein Show: Your attention is being hijacked. Chris Bailey can help. (9:27)

• That’s Bailey, nailing a paradox of modern American life.
• Says Klein: “There’s a war on for our attention, and we’re often losing it.”
• My take: Thank you for your attention to this newsletter.

5) “I think anybody who’s going to read this is not going to come away feeling that this ship is on a steady path.”

Listen: The Daily: Anonymous Senior Administration Official (15:09)

• That’s James Dao, Op-Ed Editor of the New York Times, discussing the anonymous account of a Trump administration senior official on his or her resistance within the White House.
• Dao offers a great behind the scenes look at how the op-ed that rocked Trump and Twitter came to be.

6) “The NFL is like a drug lord and we’re like addicts.”

Listen: Radio Atlantic: How Much Longer Can Football Last? (4:11)

• That indictment comes from guest Mark Leibovich, author of the book “Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times.”
• Leibovich says despite big issues (concussions, Kaepernick) and the smaller reality-show drama of the NFL, people still love football.
• More Leibovich: He appears this week on the Kickass News pod.

7) “This is a little bit more like an adrenaline shot directly into the heart. It kinda goes from zero to Azz Everywhere in record time.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Serotonin and What’s Making Us Happy(4:06)

• So says Stephen Thompson, touting the work of Big Freedia as something that boosts his and his family’s moods.

• Need a mood boost? Other recs from the PCHH crew include Ariana Grande’s “Sweetener” and news bloopers.

Go Deep

1) Women in Politics

Listen: Run Like a Girl, Women Belong in the House

• Women are running in record numbers for political office in the United States, with 323 women still contending for Congress. At least two pods are dedicated to chronicling the “pink tsunami.”
• The non-partisan pod Run Like a Girl launched August 23 and has released four episodes so far, including embedded reports from the campaign of Gretchen Whitmer, candidate for Governor of Michigan. Binge time: 2 hours, 48 minutes.
• Women Belong in the House, which debuted yesterday, aims to tell the stories of female candidates.

2) Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassination

Listen: The RFK Tapes

• The 10-part examination of the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy concluded this week with a bonus live ep. The whole series is now bingeable.
• Binge time: 9 hours, 46 minutes.

3) Coke vs. Pepsi

Listen: Business Wars

• The seven-part series chronicles the battle between the two sugary-drink purveyors.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 9 minutes.

4) Drake’s Summer Bangers

Listen: Switched on Pop

• A 43-minute deep dive into “In My Feelings” and “Nice For What.”

5) R.E.M.

Listen: R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: Me

• Adam Scott Aukerman finished their exhaustive and occasionally exhausting survey of R.E.M.’s entire music catalog.
• Binge time: 49 hours, 39 minutes (!!!)

Guest Appearances By…

Addison, Bill Eater Upsell

• Eater’s national food critic on fall’s most anticipated new restaurants.

Al-Adeimi, Shireen Why is This Happening? with Chris Hayes

• Michigan State professor talks Yemen.

Burr, Bill The Bill Simmons Podcast

• Comedian talks Tom Brady with the Sports Guy.

B-Real This Must Be the Gig

• Cypress Hill legend talks crowd surfing, new record.

Brennan, Margaret Skimm’d From the Couch

Bryant, Kobe The Adam Carolla Show

Carmichael, Jerrod Anna Faris is Unqualified

Carter, Jimmy Pod Save America

Chieng, Ronny Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

Close, Glenn Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

Danson, Ted The Good Place: The Podcast

• Michael!

Elder, Larry The Adam Carolla Show

Epshteyn, Boris The Jamie Weinstein Show

Feig, Paul Off Camera with Sam Jones

Goldberg, Danny The Bob Lefsetz Podcast

• Music industry legend talks the future of the biz, the day Cobain died.

Gondry, Michel The Big Picture

Goodwin, Doris Kearns The Tim Ferriss Show

Goolsbee, Austan The Axe Files

Graham, Rev. Franklin The New Yorker Radio Hour

Hawke, Ethan Filmspotting

Higgins, Maeve Bullseye

Kidman, Nicole Playback with Kris Tapley

Kravitz, Lenny Oprah’s Master Class

Legend, John The Dan Wootton Interview

Levi, Zachary Inside of You

Lillard, Matthew Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Lowe, Rob Pardon My Take

Mantzoukas, Jason The Good Place: The Podcast

• Derek!

McKelvey, Miguel How I Built This with Guy Raz

McMillan, Tracy Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Morris, Wesley The Bill Simmons Podcast

• New York Times culture critic talks Burt Reynolds. RIP Burt.

Morrison, Keith Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Musk, Elon The Joe Rogan Experience

• CNET’s tweet about the pod sums it up: “Elon Musk smokes weed, talks flamethrowers.”

Nixon, Cynthia Pod Save America

Retta Curious with Josh Peck

Salzberg, Sharon You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Scaggs, Boz Bullseye

Sherman, Wendy Kickass News

• Convo with lead negotiator of the Iran Nuclear Agreement.

Simon, Paul All Songs Considered

Sittenfeld, Curtis The New Yorker Radio Hour

• Best-selling author talks about her love for the Midwestern supermarket chain Schnucks.

Snider, Dee The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Tchen, Tina M. How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black

Turner, David If Then

• Convo with the Penny Fractions newsletter maker.

Underwood, April Recode Decode

• Slack’s chief product officer talks about the future of work, Slack.

Weiner, Jeff Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• Convo with the CEO of LinkedIn.

Welch, Florence Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Wolf, Michelle Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Notable New Podcasts

1) Dr. Death

• It’s the debut of a six-part series about a Dallas surgeon who intentionally harmed people. Hosted by Laura Bell.

2) Drunk Women Solving Crime

• Taylor Glenn, Catherine Wilkins and Hannah George promise a “[t}rue crime podcast with a twist… of lime.”

3) Animal Sound Safari

• The new kids’ podcast is “an aural safari around the world to hear amazing stories about animals.”

4) The Pat McAfee Show 2.0

• The former NFL all-pro is back with another sports pod.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

The new season of Slow Burn started this week and, yeah, it’s great. It’s now at the top of my pod queue for my upcoming vacation.

Reminder: While I’m away, I’ll be taking a break from the newsletter. The next full edition comes out August 31. Thanks again for reading.

7 Pod Takes

1) “It’s got a bigoted attitude, but you can dance to it.”

Listen: Popcast: Can Guns N’ Roses, or Any Artist, Erase an Unflattering Moment (6:17)

• That’s host Jon Caramanica on “One in a Million,” the GNR song that “includes offensive and bigoted language” — and that has been disappeared from the band’s new box set.
• Caramanica and his guests address the question: “What happens when artists take control of their legacy and say, ‘Nah, we didn’t do that’?”
• My take: Fascinating look at the impermanence of art and culture in the digital age.

2) “There’s definitely a thing in American culture where if it looks like you’re putting in effort, gross.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Punching Bags and What’s Making Us Happy This Week (2:15)

• Audie Cornish puts her finger on the pulse of an unfortunate strain of American culture in explaining her solidarity with cultural “punching bag” Anne Hathaway.
• Adds Cornish, of that popular perception of Hathaway: “It had that feel of she’s raising her hand in the front of the class all the time and everyone hates that kid. Guess what? We get the last laugh.”
• Also defended by the PCHHers: Jennifer Aniston, pumpkin spice, Guy Fieri.

3) “‘No justice, no peace’ is a statement of fact.”

Listen: Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations: Mitch Landrieu, Part 2: A White Southerner Confronts History (18:17)

• That’s former New Orleans’ mayor Landrieu in a two-part conversation about race in the United States.
• Adds Landrieu: “If there is no justice. If I don’t feel like I’m being fairly treated. If I’m not given the same opportunity. If I’m not afforded the same responsibility. If I don’t have the same kind of hope. I feel alienated from you. And when we’re alienated we can’t be together. There can be no sense of peace.”
• Start with part one.

4) “Newt Gingrich is a Typhoid Mary of the divisiveness that exists in our politics.”

Listen: Stay Tuned with Preet: Why I Quit the GOP (with Steve Schmidt)(21:50)

• So says Schmidt, explaining his decision to leave the Republican party.
• Schmidt’s timeline for the GOPs evolution into a cult of personality begins with Gingrich’s rise in 1994 and runs through the party’s change from being strong in the North and West to becoming a “Southern, Evangelical Christian party fueled by resentment.”

5) “YouTube was that friend that always out-edges you.”

Listen: The Ezra Klein Show: Why online politics gets so extreme so fast (5:47)

• That’s Zeynep Tufekci, pointing out how YouTube’s “Up Next” algorithm forces extreme views into its users’ media diets.
• Her theory: “Slightly edgier content is interesting. It’s novel. It’s not the same old, same old.” And that edginess is attractive, especially to young people.

6) “There is no place more alone at a party than the dishwashing station.”

Listen: Dear Hank and John: Let’s Be Mermaids (17:14)

• That’s a good thing, says John Green, best-selling novelist and guy who apparently spends 45 minutes avoiding people and listening to podcasts while the party winds down.
• Says Green: “It is a slightly selfless act, but mostly selfish.”

7) “The Hope Diamond’s curse can smell fear.”

Listen: Sidedoor: The Curse of the Hope Diamond (3:24)

• So says half-joking — but maybe half-serious! — host Tony Cohn, who illuminates the stories and the truth behind the infamous gem’s dark side.
• My take: Play it safe, friends. Don’t get all National Treasure-y with the Hope Diamond.

Go Deep

1) Startup Churches

Listen: StartUp

• Gimlet’s five-part series on “planting” new churches like they’re tech companies concludes.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 9 minutes.

2) eBay vs. PayPal

Listen: Business Wars

• The six-part series dissects the rivalry between the two pioneering internet powerhouses.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 33 minutes.

3) “The Dark Knight”

Listen: Filmspotting

• The pod marks the 10th anniversary of the landmark superhero movie with a deep dive.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.

4) Depression and Creativity

Listen: The Great God of Depression

• The five-part series on depression as it relates to creativity dropped all of its episodes last Friday. I missed it before sending last week’s newsletter.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 56 minutes.

5) “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”

Listen: Binge Mode

• Premature with this last week, too. Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion continue their summer of Harry Potter immersion with an eight-part deep dive into the fourth book in J.K. Rowling’s series, plus the movie.
• Binge time: 12 hours, 21 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Almond, Steve The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Armstrong, Jesse The Watch

• Convo with the showrunner of “Succession.”

Blacc, Aloe Required Listening

Black, Michael Ian The Sporkful

Brady, Wayne Curious with Josh Peck

Byrne, Rose Off Camera With Sam Jones

Chu, Jon M. Playback

Clapper, James R. Trumpcast

Couric, Katie Stay Tuned with Preet

Culkin, Macaulay The Joe Rogan Experience

D’Onofrio, Vincent Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Falco, Edie Remote Controlled

Finnegan, William The New Yorker Radio Hour

• Remnick goes surfing with the Pulitzer winner.

Fogel, Susanna The Treatment

• Convo with director of “The Spy Who Dumped Me.”

Gill, Vince Walking the Floor

Huang, Eddie The Bill Simmons Podcast

Kaling, Mindy Scriptnotes

Kemper, Ellie Modern Love

• The actress reads Susan Perabo’s essay about the emotions of parenting.

Kroll, Nick The Dave Chang Show

Landgraf, John I Think You’re Interesting

• President and CEO of FX Networks on the future of TV, the problems with bingeing.

Lennon, Thomas The Adam Carolla Show

Leno, Jay WTF with Marc Maron

Lessin, Jessica The Digiday Podcast

• The Information founder on building a subscription-based media business.

Matlock, Glen Geoff Lloyd’s Hometown Glory

• Former Sex Pistols bassist talks about London.

Moynihan, Bobby Comedy Bang! Bang!

Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria Pod Save America

O’Dowd, Chris WTF With Marc Maron

O’Neal, Shaquille Oprah’s Master Class

O’Rourke, Beto Pod Save the People

Promaulayko, Michele Skimm’d From the Couch

• Convo with the EIC of Cosmo.

Pryce, Jonathan I Think You’re Interesting

Rich, Nathaniel Longform Podcast

Rollins, Henry The Joe Rogan Podcast

• Punk legend goes almost 3 hours, promotes his new Showtime show.

Samuelsson, Marcus Eater Upsell

Schur, Mike The Good Place: The Podcast

Simmons, Bill Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

Talev, Margaret NPC Update-1

• Bloomberg News White House correspondent on covering the Trump administration.

Watts, Shannon Off Message

• Convo with founder of Moms Demand Action about gun regulation, knowing where to find the closest hospital.

Woodruff, Judy The Axe Files

Notable New Podcasts

1) Slow Burn: The Impeachment of Bill Clinton

• The second season of the hit pod takes on the saga of the president’s impeachment. Leon Neyfakh hosts.

2) Kalki Presents: My Indian Life

• Kalki Kanmani hosts the pod about “life for young Indian adults in the 21st century.”

3) Words Matter

• Elise Jordan and Steve Schmidt talk to “journalists, elected officials, policy-makers and thought-leaders” to “analyze the week’s news and get at the real truth behind all the distracting headlines.”

4) The Great God of Depression

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

Glad you made it out, Michael.

Schedule note: I’m taking a vacation soon, so I won’t be sending newsletters Aug. 17 and Aug. 24. I will have something else to share, though. Details to come.

7 Pod Takes

1) “It’s always better to have company when you’re a captive.”

Listen: The Joe Rogan Experience: Michael Scott Moore (25:59)

• So says Moore, sharing some bittersweet wisdom learned during the more than two-and-a-half years Somali pirates held him hostage.
• Moore’s making the pod rounds, talking about his horrific experience and his book about it, “The Desert and the Sea.”
• The pod’s currently the No. 1 on iTunes. Fresh Air’s interview with Moore ranks in the top 50.

2) “If you find yourself inexplicably weeping over a plate of huevos rancheros, you’re in the midst of a reckoning.”

Listen: Dear Sugars: Dear Sugars Live: The Great Reckoning (5:47)

• That’s Steve Almond, recounting a time he faced a reckoning in a pod devoted to examining “that long difficult stare back at your mistakes, your transgressions, your delusions.”
• In the reckoning-themed pod, co-host Cheryl Strayed shares her own reckoning, which you may already be familiar with. Heard of “Wild”?
• My take: Great pod about a difficult subject, approached with humility and humor.

3) “Who knew a debate about soil could get so heated?”

Listen: The Thin Layer: Regrowth (1:21)

• That’s Dan Crane, host of a compelling pod about…dirt.
• Crane outlines a struggle around people’s deep connections to land: Why should people who have been managing their land for generations listen to outsiders?
• And from another perspective: “When does convincing someone about science become forcing them against their will?”
• Crane sets the scene by recounting the words of Thomas Sankara, former president of Burkina Faso: “The struggle to defend the trees and forests is above all a struggle against imperialism. Because imperialism is the arsonist setting fire to our forests and savannas.”

4) “Is this a fight for the soul of the Republican Party?”

“No, because the Republican Party has no soul.”

Listen: Pod Save America: “Kochs, votes, and ostrich coats.” (20:49)

• That’s Jon Lovett (question) and Dan Pfeiffer (response), analyzing President Trump’s tweet spat with the Koch Brothers.
• Wired’s Nick Thompson and Jason Kander guest on a typically hilarious and sobering PSA.

5) “You have committed a sin against culture.”

Listen: The Watch: 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century and Mailbag Questions (43:01)

• Sean Fennessey reveals the criticism he and The Ringer received for ranking the pilot episode of “The O.C.” No. 9, one slot above the “Ozymandias” episode of “Breaking Bad.”
• Spoiler: The “Lost” episode “The Constant” ranked No. 1. “The Suitcase” episode of “Mad Men” ranked No. 2.

6) “It’s tattoos or get out.”

Listen: The Sporkful: Confessions of a Ballpark Food Vendor (27:39)

• That’s Ted Berg, the former ballpark food vendor in question, on his Cracker Jack prize preference.
• Berg and host Dan Pashman take a deep dive into the classic ballpark food, aka the food with the greatest product placement in American history via “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
• My take: Cracker Jack is awful.

7) “It’s somehow the right combination of pretty colors and Minecraft and shooting strangers.”

Listen: Culture Gabfest: Fortnite Kegel Storm Edition (26:40)

• So says Dawnthea Price, summarizing the appeal of the game-of-the-summer, Fortnite.

• My take: She’s on the money. Except she forgot the emotes.

Go Deep

1) The American Revolution

Listen: American History Tellers

• Best-selling author Russell Shorto wrote this six-part series on the American Revolution, as told through the eyes of six individuals.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 59 minutes

2) Financial Corruption in the Trump Administration

Listen: The Ezra Klein Show, Trump, Inc.

• Take two excellent deep dives into the financial shenanigans of President Trump and Paul Manafort.
• Klein goes 1 hour, 2 minutes with The New Yorker’s Adam Davidson about the latter’s investigative work surrounding the Trump Organization.
• Trump, Inc. dissects the Manafort trial.

3) “Die Hard”

Listen: The Rewatchables

• The Ringer goes deep into the Nakatomi Tower with John McClane and Hans Gruber.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

4) “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”

Listen: Binge Mode

• Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion continue their summer of Harry Potter immersion with a five-part deep dive into the fourth book in J.K. Rowling’s series.
• Binge time: 6 hours, 59 minutes

Guest Appearances By…

Barnett, Courtney Celebration Rock, All Songs Considered

• Witty musician talks about life on the road, her new album.

Branum, Guy The Gist with Mike Pesca

Bridgers, Phoebe Sound Opinions

Butterfield, Stewart How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with the founder of Slack and Flickr.

Case, Neko Song Exploder

• Singer/songwriter breaks down her tune “Last Lion of Albion.”

Clarkson, Patricia I Think You’re Interesting

de Botton, Alain On Being

Favreau, Jon Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Francesa, Mike The Bill Simmons Podcast

Friedlander, Judah Fake the Nation

Gilligan, Vince Remote Controlled

• Convo with the executive producer of “Better Call Saul.”

Green, Seth Inside of You

Harbour, David Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Hill, Jemele The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Hirway, Hrishikesh Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

• Convo with Song Exploder host about songcraft, Solange.

Holmes, Dave R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: Me?

Hughley, D.L. It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Kilgariff, Karen The Soft Spot

• Co-host of My Favorite Murder talks Champagne, old timey music.

Kunis, Mila WTF with Marc Maron

Lee, Spike Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

Lords, Traci The Adam Carolla Show

Marr, Johnny This Must Be the Gig

• Convo with the guitar legend about superstitions, his new album.

Milonakis, Andy Curious with Josh Peck

Nance, Terence Fast Company’s Creative Conversation

Newman, Randy Bullseye

Odenkirk, Bob Remote Controlled

Riggle, Rob The Adam Carolla Show

Sepinwall, Alan The PosCast

• TV critic guests to talk about “the best minor television characters of all time.”

Shlesinger, Iliza WTF with Marc Maron

Timberlake, Justin Oprah’s Master Class

Ventimiglia, Milo Remote Controlled

Waka Flocka Men in Blazers

Whelan, Melanie Skimm’d From the Couch

• SoulCycle’s CEO talks community, branding.

Wilson, Casey Comedy Bang! Bang!

Youssef, Bassem Pod Save the World

Notable New Podcasts

1) I, Survivor

• Jenna Brister and Wagatwe Wanjuk tell the stories of “men and women who fought back, who won, and who live rising above the trauma of their experiences.”

2) The Alice Fraser Trilogy

• The Australian comic delivers a comedy pod “about things that are actually sad.” She says, “They’re expecting a comedy show, and what I have to offer is maybe not that.”

3) The Girls: Find Sadie

• The fictional true crime podcast about a missing girl in the style of Serial that doubles as promotion for the YA novel “Sadie.”

4) Offended: The Musical

• Barstool Sports adds a new pod, with Rone and Francis improvising “songs, stories, and scenes delivered straight from their imagination.”

5) The Substack Podcast

• New pod from the writer-friendly newsletter publishing service features “conversations with writers who have earned their independence.”

6) Election 2000: Over/Time

• The pod takes a neat angle on the over-dissected 2000 presidential chaos. “Photographers Callie Shell and David Hume Kennerly reveal exclusive behind the scenes moments and the stories behind their photographs” during the 37-day recount.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

7 Pod Takes

1) “It’s hard to untangle luck from choice.”

Listen: Ministry of Ideas: Shifting Blame (23:53)

• That’s host Zachary Davis, on a lesson learned during this smart, insightful pod about how “luck shapes our judgment, and whether we should let it.”
• Davis explores our evolving ideas about where responsibility lies for crimes.
• He says: “We don’t fully control our genes, our bodies or our environments, and so we can’t control all the factors that impact our choices, our behavior or the consequences of our behavior.”

2) “Talk to the enemy.”

Listen: Longform Podcast: Rukmini Callimachi (1:31:41)

• That’s Callimachi, creator of The New York Times pod Caliphate, on her “major takeaway” from the work she’s done talking to ISIS.
• She adds: “I have learned so much by seeking out their documents, reading their propaganda very carefully….I’ll talk to anyone. I’ll literally talk to anyone.”

3) “Alleged? Do we have to say alleged?”

Listen: The Gist with Mike Pesca: Lights, Camera, Sexism (:17)

• That’s Pesca, discussing the recording of then-candidate Donald Trump’s efforts to pay off his alleged former mistress Karen McDougal.
• My take: Pesca could say “Alleged? Do we have to say alleged?” to so many more things these days and not have to worry.

4) “The superhero power is that of compassion.”

Listen: This Movie Changed Me: Wonder Woman (7:19)

• So says Jacki Zehner, on how Wonder Woman’s efforts to use her powers to help and serve others inspired her.
• The pod recounts Zehner’s campaign to help the movie get made, and the impact the compassion shown in the film has had on her and so many more moviegoers.

5) “Stans aren’t going anywhere… Stans may age out of Stanning, but there will always be other Stans.”

Listen: Popcast: When Superfans Attack (25:56)

• That’s Jon Caramanica on the staying power of superfans, aka Stans.
• Primer: Eminem’s “Stan”
• The pod’s about the motivations of superfandom and the raw power Stans can unleash, hooked to Nicki Minaj’s fans and their response to a writer who critiqued Minaj.

6) “I used to say that whatever happened at a U2 show, however shite we ever got, when we played ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ God would walk through the room. So taking that out, are we in deep trouble? We are. So now we’re doing podcasts.”

Listen: U Talkin’ U2 to Me? eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour Pt. 2 with U2(45:23)

• So says Bono, slumming it on the pods and discussing not playing the beloved “Streets” during the band’s latest tour.
• Pod hosts Adam Scott and Scott Aukerman score interviews with Bono and The Edge, and a backstage tour during the band’s New York City stop.
• My take: Don’t @ me with your U2 vitriol. “Streets” is magnificent and the band still brings it live.

7) “They put Cher in a pantsuit. What am I gonna do, not love it?”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2:41)

• That’s Glen Weldon, satisfied viewer of the “Mamma Mia!” sequel.

Go Deep

1) Roe v. Wade

Listen: The Daily

• A two-part deep dive into the history and legacy of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that established a woman’s right to get an abortion.
• Binge time: 1 hour.

2) “Bust a Move”

Listen: Punch Up the Jam

• Hrishikesh Hirway of the amazing pod Song Exploder joins and the musical podcast heavies unite to break down and build back up Young MC’s “stone cold rhymer” from 1989.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 34 minutes.

3) Dining in Las Vegas

Listen: The Dave Chang Show

• The chef/media mogul leads an in-depth conversation about the rise of Vegas as a culinary destination.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 1 minute.

4) Jonathan Gold

Listen: Eater Upsell, The Press Box, Bite, Press Play, Good Food on the Road

• The great Los Angeles food writer and Pulitzer Prize winner passed away this week, and food and media podcasts paid tribute.
• Press Box co-host David Shoemaker says: “There a sort of punk rock aspect to his career.”
• My take: I loved the L.A. Weekly, and I loved reading his work in it. RIP Jonathan Gold.

Guest Appearances By…

Aduba, Uzo It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders
Armstrong, Lance Freakonomics Radio
Arquette, Patricia The Adam Carolla Show

Berk, Bobby Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness
Black Thought Talkhouse

• In conversation with Daveed Diggs.

Booker, Cory On Being

• Convo with the Democratic U.S. Senator from New Jersey.

Burnham, Bo WTF with Marc Maron, Recode Media with Peter Kafka

• Director of “Eighth Grade” still making the pod rounds.

Casal, Rafael The Treatment

• “Blindspotting” co-star on his new movie, with Daveed Diggs.

Comey, James Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!

Diggs, Daveed The Treatment, Talkhouse

• “Hamilton” star on his new movie “Blindspotting,” with Rafael Casal. Also, in conversation with Black Thought on Talkhouse.

Durant, Kevin Pull Up with CJ McCollum

• The two-part pod immortalized in the Twitter retort from KD, “I just did your fuckin podcast.”

Edge, The U Talkin’ U2 to Me?

Fisher, Adam Recode Decode

• Convo with the author of “Valley of Genius,” an oral history of Silicon Valley.

Flahive, Liz The Watch

• Convo with the co-showrunner of GLOW, with Carly Mensch.

Fried, Jason The Tim Ferriss Show

• The CEO of Basecamp on life, business and philosophy.

Garlin, Jeff The Joe Rogan Experience

Godin, Seth The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Hughley, D.L. Late Night Whenever with Michelle Buteau

Jacobs, A.J. Passions in America

Keys, Alicia Oprah’s Master Class

Kunis, Mila Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Lake, Katrina Skimm’d From the Couch

• Founder of Stitch Fix talks business school, her dad’s advice.

McFaul, Michael Pod Save the World

McQuarrie, Christopher The Big Picture, Playback

Mensch, Carly The Watch

• Convo with the co-showrunner of GLOW, with Liz Flahive.

Miller, Dennis The Adam Carolla Show

Miller, Rhett Walking the Floor

Mullenweg, Matt Recode Decode

• Convo with the co-founder of WordPress.

Notaro, Tig Death, Sex & Money

• The comic on babysitting Xena’s daughter, visiting Mississippi.

Parker, Sarah Jessica The Goop Podcast

• In case you need more Goop than this in your life.

Riley, Boots Pod Save the People, I Think You’re Interesting

Ripa, Kelly Anna Faris is Unqualified

Sedaris, David Bookworm, WTF with Marc Maron

Tolle, Eckhart Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Webb, Alli How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Drybar founder on being the best at just one thing.

Notable New Podcasts

1) Footnote: Castle Rock

• The companion pod to Hulu’s show features “behind the scenes interviews with actors, writers and directors.”

2) Household Name

• Host Dan Bobkoff tells “tales of tragedy, love, strange histories, unintended consequences, and accidental success” about name brands.

3) Pro Rata

• New Axios pod hosted by Dan Primack promises 10-minute episodes on the “collision of tech, business, and politics.”

4) Raising the Bar with Alli and Michael

• Siblings Alli Webb of Drybar and Michael Landau launch a pod “for entrepreneurs, for anyone who wants to know about business, or how to have a life while having a business.”

5) Fatal Voyage: The Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood

• The 12-part pod takes on “Hollywood’s most enduring murder mystery.” The first two parts dropped Friday, and I didn’t see them until after I sent last week’s newsletter.

6) The Bosscast

• John Murray is nuts about Bruce Springsteen. His pod’s a free-form conversation about The Boss.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

Podcasts broke news. Podcasts soothed (me, at least). Podcasts put things into perspective. Podcasts featured A-listers. Podcasts interviewed inanimate objects. And people are still listening to Serial! As of this afternoon, it’s No. 13 on the iTunes chart.

Lastly, shouts to all who sent podcast recommendations about Achilles, tales of your own Achilles woes and well wishes. Thank you, and thanks for reading.

7 Pod Takes

1) “I don’t think joy is a privilege. I think freedom can be a privilege; I think luxury and comfort can be a privilege. But joy is a piece of basic human resilience. It’s a human birthright.”

Listen: On Being: Living the Questions with Krista Tippett (7:58)

• So says Tippett in just a snippet of her wise and beautiful response to the question: “How can we stay present to what’s happening in the world without giving in to despair and hopelessness?”
• She adds: “[H]owever seriously we must take what’s happening in the world and what the headlines are reflecting, it is never the full story of our time. It’s not the last word on what we’re capable of. It’s not the whole story of us.”
• My take: Tippett’s the guide we need for these extraordinary times. A highly recommended pod.

2) “I’m Jewish, and there’s a set of people who deny that the Holocaust happened. I find that deeply offensive. But at the end of the day, I don’t believe that our platform should take that down because I think there are things that different people get wrong. I don’t think that they’re intentionally getting it wrong.”

Listen: Recode Decode: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: The Kara Swisher interview (20:25)

• That’s Facebook’s Zuckerberg, with the horrifically bad take that triggered countless hot takes and baffled millions.
• My take: See Jaron Lanier’s take from last week, arguing that we should delete our social media accounts.

3) “He might be another Alexander Hamilton in American history.”

Listen: Trumpcast: The Pieces of the Mueller Puzzle (5:35)

• That’s host Virginia Heffernan, on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s importance and potential place in history books.
• She adds: He’s a non-president who “has moral authority who wears it well and acts on it with integrity.”
• Heffernan talks to Garrett Graff, Mueller’s biographer and a critical voice chronicling the day-to-day of the Special Counsel’s investigation. Graff believes Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is the investigation’s linchpin.
• Graff says: “In a world of foxes and hedgehogs, Rod Rosenstein is the ultimate hedgehog. He knows how Donald Trump’s presidency ends.”

4) “Can you count to 27?”

Listen: The Bill Simmons Podcast: Denzel Washington on ‘He Got Game,’ the Yankees, and LeBron (4:48)

• That’s Denzel, in a disappointing performance as a cliched New York Yankees fan taunting Boston Red Sox fan Simmons with the number of championships won by the guys in pinstripes.
• My take: Overall a strong pod, recommended for sports fans or Denzel fans. Or both.

5) “It’s cost us ‘Take your hand off my leg, you creepy boss’ money.”

Listen: The Indicator from Planet Money: Saving Women (2:36)

• That’s Sallie Krawcheck, highlighting the damage of the gender investing gap.
• The numbers: Women save 74 percent of their income as cash. Men save 61 percent, and invest the rest.
• Says Krawcheck, who’s spent her career in Wall Street power positions: The costs of that gap are substantial, from having to stay in awful jobs to losing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime.

6) “[Red pepper flakes are] the Meryl Streep of the table toppings.”

Listen: Bon Appetit Foodcast: Pizza, Pizza! (8:35)

• So says Alex Delany, touting red pepper flakes as the go-to topping during his effort to eat 30 slices of New York cheese pizza in 36 hours.

7) “I thank God every day of my life that I was not born a can of minestrone soup.”

Listen: Everything is Alive: Louis, Can of Cola (16:02)

• So says Louis, a can of cola and the star of Ian Chillag’s new interview show where all the guests are inanimate objects.
• My take: Brilliant and weird. Mostly brilliant.

Go Deep

1) “Nanette”

Listen: Srsly, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Original Content

• Hannah Gadsby’s stand-up special that somewhere in the middle turns into “something else entirely,” according to PCHH’s Stephen Thompson, has become a cultural phenomenon.
• It’s been talked about, written about and fawned over for weeks, but it seems to have hit a critical mass among the pods this week — the “backlash to the backlash,” says PCHH’s Glen Weldon.
• Why? The “something else entirely” of Gadsby’s show has created space and urgency to discuss gender, trauma, art history, abuse, anger, storytelling and the limits of stand-up comedy.
• Guest Kumail Nanjiani shares the perspective of a stand-up on PCHH.
• SRSLY says Gadsby shows how comedy works in a way that isn’t boring or technical.

2) Bo Burnham

Listen: Bullseye, Fresh Air, Late Night Whenever with Michelle Buteau, The Big Picture, Filmspotting, Mortified, The H3 Podcast

• Peak Burnham? The YouTuber, comedian and director of “Eighth Grade” makes the pod rounds in support of his much-loved movie about a 13-year-old girl’s last week of eighth grade and the videos she makes.
• Why a girl? Burnham researched videos of kids talking online. He says on Late Night Whenever: “The boys tended to talk about Minecraft. The girls tended to talk about their souls. So it was like, obviously I’m going to write about the girls.”
• He adds: “The story about the boy would be just like 90 minutes of Fortnite references.”
• Fact check from a father of an almost middle grader: True.

3) Nuclear Energy

Listen: American Innovations

• Wondery’s six-part series hosted by Steven Johnson chronicles the rise and future of nuclear energy.
• Binge time: 4 hours, 7 minutes

4) The Avett Brothers

Listen: You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

• A 3-hour, 54-minute pod with the brothers Avett, perfect for those who are sad because they have to miss them on tour this summer (read: me).

Guest Appearances By…

Bharara, Preet Remade in America with Bassem Youssef

Brooks, Arthur The Ezra Klein Show

Case, Neko I Think You’re Interesting

• The singer-songwriter of one the best songs ever featuring a killer whale talks about her process, women in the music industry.

Charli XCX And the Writer is…

Couric, Katie The Dan Wootton Interview

Danson, Ted The Good Place: The Podcast

Diggs, Daveed WTF With Marc Maron, The Deadline Podcast

• “Hamilton” star on Oakland, his new movie “Blindspotting.”

D’onofrio, Vincent Curious with Josh Peck

Duritz, Adam This Must Be the Gig

Esposito, Cameron Modern Love

• Comic and actress reads an essay about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

Gaffigan, Jim The Adam Carolla Show

Gillan, Karen Inside of You

Ginsburg, Josh Recode Decode

• Zignal Labs CEO on the rise of bots in social media.

Greenwell, Megan Longform Podcast

• Convo with Deadspin’s EIC, the first external hire to lead the site.

Grossman, Mindy Skimm’d From the Couch

Hannah, Liz Scriptnotes

• The screenwriter of “The Post” talks storytelling.

Jay-Z Oprah’s Master Class

Johnson, Dwayne Oprah’s Master Class

Koppelman, Brian Recode Media with Peter Kafka

• Convo about poker, restaurants and “Billions” with the show’s co-creator.

Kroll, Nick Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Madden, Steve How I Built This with Guy Raz

Manson, Shirley Dear Sugars

• Garbage singer on being an outsider.

Macdonald, Kelly Maltin on Movies

Nancherla‏, Aparna Late Night Whenever with Michelle Buteau

Newhart, Bob WTF With Marc Maron

Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria Pod Save the People

Pfeiffer, Dan The Axe Files

Roker, Al It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Rooney, Wayne Pardon My Take

Smith, Jeron Strictly Business

• Steph Curry’s media partner talks expanding into entertainment.

Souza, Pete Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

• Convo with the presidential photographer for Obama and Reagan.

Stanhope, Doug The Joe Rogan Experience

Totenberg, Nina Stay Tuned with Preet

Tyler, Aisha The Tim Ferriss Show

Van Sant, Gus WTF with Marc Maron, The Treatment

Waithe, Lena The Dave Chang Show

Whitehouse, Sheldon Important Not Important

• U.S. Senator on speaking about climate change in Congress 200 (!) times.

Williamson, Marianne The Goop Podcast

Youssef, Bassem Forked Up

Notable New Podcasts

1) The Wilderness

• Jon Favreau and Crooked Media launched a 15-chapter pod that chronicles the history and future of the Democratic Party “through conversations with strategists, historians, policy experts, organizers, and voters.”

2) Oprah’s Master Class

• The Queen of All Media spins off another pod, this one not-so-surprisingly about big achievers’ personal stories and lessons learned.

3) Everything is Alive

• It’s “an interview show in which all the guests are inanimate objects.” Ian Chillag hosts.

4) Race Chaser

• Alaska and Willam break down every episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

5) Business Wars Daily

• The binge-worthy show about business rivalries spins off a daily pod focusing on current biz issues.

6) Passions in America

• A simple but compelling premise: Joe Posnanski speaks with guests about their biggest passions.

7) Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone

• The comedian pitches her pod as “a comedy field guide to life.”

8) The Realness

• The pod “goes behind Prodigy’s music to reveal his lifelong struggle against his own body, and how that struggle informed his lyrics and fueled his success.” Prodigy suffered from sickle cell disease. He died in 2017.

9) Wrong Skin

• A new true crime pod about “a relationship banned under traditional law. An investigation into an unsolved suspicious death and a missing person in the Australian outback.”

The rest of this week’s newsletter? Trump free.

Thanks to everyone who sent feedback during the last few weeks. I tightened things a bit, and I’ll continue to calibrate. Send more suggestions my way and, as always, thanks for subscribing!

7 Pod Takes: Provocative Thoughts From This Week’s Podcasts

1) “Computers don’t understand brains. Brains don’t understand computers.”

Listen: WSJ The Future of Everything: Hacking the Brain’s Code (6:07)

• That’s Justin Sanchez, director of the biological technologies office at DARPA, setting the playing field for a discussion about hacking human brains.

• Sanchez adds: “We’ve got to figure out what the dialog is going to be there.”

• Scientists are already connecting computers to paraplegics.

• My take: Fascinating pod. Humans can be amazing.

2) “There’s no cost to cruelty.”

Listen: Crazy/Genius: Is Online Dating Destroying Romance? (10:25)

• Host Derek Thompson sums up the position of his guest, sociologist Eric Klinenberg, who argues online dating is destroying romance.

• Spoiler: When dating outside of our traditional communities, he says, there’s less incentive to be polite.

• Adds Klinenberg on the rise in cruel behavior: “It can be a little titillating. People get off on it.”

• My take: Fascinating pod. Humans can be awful.

3) “You don’t have to be a natural to get really, really good at something.”

Listen: Hidden Brain: When Everything Clicks (41:49)

• That’s Shankar Vedantam, stating the position of his guest, Martin Levy, who uses a clicker — you know, the kind used to train dolphins and animals — to teach skills to humans without verbal feedback.

• Spoiler: It works. Removing emotions from learning can improve it.

• Levy adds: “Everyone isn’t going to be a wizard. We just want you to be really, really good.”

• My take: Another terrific, enlightening Hidden Brain ep.

4) “If you look at moon rocks, most of ‘em are kind of boring to look at. They have a bit of an image problem.”

Listen: Houston We Have a Podcast: Moon Rocks (2:31)

• So says planetary scientist Ryan Zeigler, who does his part to rehabilitate that image. The NASA pod goes 34 minutes on rocks from the moon.

• My take: It’s 34 riveting minutes.

5) “Imagine having that much power that people just want to applaud you for existing.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Ocean’s 8 and What’s Making Us Happy (4:11)

• That’s Bim Adewunmi on the power of Rihanna, as evidenced by audiences’ responses to her on-screen appearance in early screenings of “Ocean’s 8.”

• My take: I love heist movies. Can’t wait to see this.

6) “All the stat nerds are like, ‘Momentum doesn’t matter. Momentum’s a myth. There’s no statistical proof for momentum.’ Momentum exists.”

Listen: The Bill Simmons Podcast: Curry’s Electric Game 2, Plus Andy Samberg and Desus and Mero (40:14)

• Simmons gonna Simmons. His Exhibit A: Overtime of game one of the Warriors/Cavaliers NBA Finals, in the wake of J.R. Smith’s boneheaded play that extended the action.

• He and Samberg talk basketball and the parallels between NBA teams and “Saturday Night Live” casts.

7) “If you’re not punchable in your twenties for a while you’re doing something wrong.”

Listen: Inbox: Snickers Bar Mysteries with Rembert Browne (1:13)

• That’s co-host Matt Stroup, highlighting a pitfall of youth.

Go Deep

1) Stories of the World Cup

Listen: Men in Blazers, Ringer FC, American Fiasco, We Came to Win, Planet Futbol with Grant Wahl

• Soccer pods are acing Cup coverage before the games even start. Previews are table stakes. Deeper coverage abounds. Binge-worthy highlights:

• American Fiasco dropped the first five episodes of its series about how not to win a World Cup, aka the story of the U.S. men’s soccer team’s failure at the 1998 World Cup.

• We Came to Win has so far dropped nine episodes chronicling the Cup’s most memorable historical moments.

• Ringer FC covers the USMNT’s failure to qualify for 2018.

• On Planet Futbol, Wahl poses a question to Russian chess master Garry Kasparov: “Should we feel conflicted about being excited to watch a World Cup from Russia?”

• MIB goes the preview route, but host Roger Bennett deserves shouts. He recently became a U.S. citizen. Welcome, Rog!

• My not-so-hot World Cup take: Go Iceland!

2) What’s Happening in “Charm City”

Listen: The Daily

• The daily news pod goes long with a five-part series “about the life and death of a Baltimore teenager known as Nook, who was fatally shot by a police officer a year after the killing of Freddie Gray.”

• Binge time: 3 hours, 54 minutes.

3) “The Dynamo of DNA”

Listen: American Innovations

• The pod wraps up its seven-part series on the revolution spurred by our knowledge of DNA.

• Binge time: 5 hours, 1 minute.

4) An Outsider in Silicon Valley

Listen: StartUp

• StartUp completes its six-part series on Silicon Valley outsider Arlan Hamilton.

• Hamilton’s “a venture capitalist like no other — black, female, gay — and she’s out to prove that investors in the Valley are overlooking big returns they could tap into by investing in more outsiders.”

• Binge time: 3 hours, 3 minutes.

5) “Blue”

Listen: Sound Opinions

• A 59-minute dissection of Joni Mitchell’s classic album by hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot.

Guest Appearances By…

Aster, Ari The Big Picture

• Convo with the filmmaker behind “Hereditary.”

Auletta, Ken The Moment With Brian Koppelman

• Author and The New Yorker writer talks curiosity.

Baker, Simon Talkhouse

• Actor-turned-director in conversation with actor-turned-director Griffin Dunne.

Batuman, Elif Longform Podcast

• Convo with the novelist and writer of “Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry” for The New Yorker.

Brand, Russell The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

Brewster, Paget Curious with Josh Peck

Brooker, Charlie The Watch

Brooks, David Conversations with Tyler

• Writer and New York Times columnist on Springsteen, “religious bisexuality” and why failure is overrated.

Burke, Doris The Lowe Post

Byrne, David This Must Be The Gig, The New Yorker Radio Hour

Chang, Dave Eater Upsell

• Convo with the chef recorded at the Code Conference.

Chastain, Brandi Upon Further Review with Mike Pesca

• Soccer star on “the mixed legacy of women’s soccer in the U.S.,” with Julie Foudy.

Christensen, Erika Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Clapper, James The Gist with Mike Pesca

Cusack, John This Song

• Actor talks about the influence of The Clash on his life and politics.

Dunne, Griffin Talkhouse

• Actor-turned-director In conversation with actor-turned-director Simon Baker.

Farrow, Ronan The Axe Files

Fitzgerald, Pat Stay Tuned with Preet

• Convo with the former federal prosecutor, current attorney for former FBI director James Comey.

Foudy, Julie Upon Further Review with Mike Pesca

• Soccer star on “the mixed legacy of women’s soccer in the U.S.,” with Brandi Chastain.

Fuzz, Fakkah Lost in America

• Convo with the Singaporean comedy star.

Gaitskill, Mary Bookworm

Griffin, Kathy Keep It

Guthrie, Savannah The Axe Files

Harbour, David WTF with Marc Maron

Hardwick, Chris Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum

Hart, Hannah Forked Up

• YouTuber talks pasta, food texture.

Hayden, Gen. Michael The Josh Marshall Podcast

Hernandez, Keith Fresh Air, Pardon My Take

• Convo with baseball player arguably best known for his guest appearance on “Seinfeld.”

Khosrowshahi, Dara Recode Decode

• Convo with Uber’s CEO, recorded at the Code conference.

Kim, Chloe The Dave Chang Show

• Gold medal-winning snowboarder talks Pyeongchang Olympics, growing up Korean American.

Klein, Naomi If Then

• Writer/activist on how corporations and politicians are approaching Puerto Rico’s rebuild.

Jae, Lady Ear Hustle

• On being transgender in San Quentin State Prison.

Long, Brock Weather Geeks

• Convo with the head of FEMA.

Mandel, Howie ID10T

Mayer, Jane The Ezra Klein Show

• One of the investigative reporting greats talks breaking stories, right-wing politics.

Mendelsohn, Spike Beyond the Plate

• Convo with the chef who made his name on Top Chef.

Murdoch, James Recode Media with Peter Kafka

• Media mogul talks about the media biz.

Oakley, Charles The Bill Simmons Podcast

• Simmons calls him “the toughest guy in NBA history.”

Peace, Metta World Bullseye

• The man formerly known as Ron Artest talks about his new book, “No Malice: My Life in Basketball.”

Prine, John Death, Sex & Money

• One of Bob Dylan’s fave songwriters talks about his elevated, late-career profile.

Reynolds, Dan Pardon My Take

• Imagine Dragons singer (and musical invader of my house, whenever I give my 10 year old DJ power) talks songwriting, show riders.

Rose, Jalen The Bill Simmons Podcast

Scovell, Nell Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

Spiegel, Evan Recode Decode

• Convo with Snap’s CEO, recorded at the Code conference.

Thurston, Baratunde Remade in America with Bassem Youssef

• Writer/comedian/activist on being black in America.

Taitz, Hope Skimm’d From the Couch

will.i.am Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Notable New Podcasts

1) The RFK Tapes

• The creators of the excellent Crimetown are back with a 10-part series on the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.

2) American Fiasco

3) Great Women of Business

• The pod “spotlights inspiring careers, savvy decisions, and catastrophic failures.”

4) Obscure with Michael Ian Black

• In reading “Jude the Obscure” out loud and commenting along the way, Black does some “light caressing” of the classic. Also, “a lot of complaining.”

5) Smashed

• Ali Bloom and Olly Robinson “get smashed and talk SMASH, episode by episode.”

6) Committed

• Jo Piazza promises to chronicle “the hilarious, heartbreaking and inspiring stories of couples of all kinds who’ve soldiered through unimaginable circumstances”

RIP Anthony Bourdain

I’m devastated by Anthony Bourdain’s death. He was such a lively, intelligent and important voice. We once published one of his stories on World Hum. It’s a highlight of my career as an editor.

Of course, Bourdain once went long with Marc Maron, who re-posted their 2011 interview yesterday. It’s a snapshot of the man’s depth and brilliance. The New Yorker, where Bourdain got his big writing break, also re-posted an interview.

RIP Anthony Bourdain.

8 Pod Takes: Provocative Thoughts From This Week’s Podcasts

1) “Memes are people too.”

Listen: Endless Thread: I, Ken Bone (23:50)

• Ben Brock Johnson advocates for humanity on the internet, specifically regarding those who’ve been memed. Like Ken Bone.
• Bone guests on the pod, sharing what it was like being a meme and lessons learned from the experience.
• Refresher: Bone and his red sweater became a meme at a 2016 U.S. presidential debate. You may also know his “Make America Bone Again” leisurewear.
• My take: The pod takes something most of us gave two seconds of thought and gives it a lot of thought, recontextualizing it and making us see that thing a different way. One of my favorite kinds of pods.

2) “You can say a lot of things about pineapple pizza, but you can’t call it boring.”

Listen: Episode 5: The Anthropocene Reviewed: Hawaiian Pizza and Viral Meningitis (9:40)

• That’s John Green, near the end of a winding and highly entertaining review of Hawaiian pizza.
• Stops along the way: The Islamic calendar, the agricultural revolution, the Columbian Exchange, King Ferdinand’s first taste of pineapple, lead poisoning, Canada and Australia’s affinity for pineapple as a pizza topping.
• Spoiler: Green awards Hawaiian pizza two stars.
• My take: Too many stars, John Green.

3) “He wasn’t changing lanes. He was being sucked into the inflow of the tornado.”

Listen: Weather Geeks: El Reno – Storm Chasing’s Deadliest Tornado (13:21)

• That horrifying observation comes from Mike Bettes, who was on the scene during the 2013 El Reno tornado, the largest tornado ever measured.
• The pod marks El Reno’s 5-year anniversary with a difficult yet enlightening look at the storm’s impact and those who chased it.

4) “I’m talking to you about what the spirit can do, and it’s not measurable.”

Listen: Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations: Diana Nyad, Part 1: The Swim of Her Life (2:53)

• That’s Nyad, legendary swimmer. New and not-so-legendary swimmer Oprah says Nyad has “transcended her humanness” in pursuit of physical feats. Like swimming for 53 hours straight.
• Adds Nyad: “There is something beyond what the body is capable of.”

5) “You don’t need to be in a different country to have problems given to you by parents.”

Listen: Remade in America with Bassem Youssef: Don’t Play a Terrorist and Other Lessons from Maz Jobrani (8:01)

• That’s Youssef, aka “the Jon Stewart of Egypt,” during the debut of his new pod. It’s about being an outsider in America.
• Youssef moved to the U.S. recently after living in Egypt for more than 40 years.

6) “I’m a hispanic woman and you’re a black woman, and yet we both related to this blonde white lady.”

Listen: This Movie Changed Me: Bridget Jones’s Diary (16:44)

• That’s Lily Percy, talking with Samantha Powell about the significance to their lives of Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of Bridget Jones.
• Percy adds: “It says something about the writing.”

7) “Somebody’s entire body of work and their fate in history, at least for some period of time, can depend upon the actions of a single human being.”

Listen: Otherppl with Brad Listi: Michelle Dean (21:40)

• That’s Listi, talking to Dean about the fickleness of artistic legacy and her book, “Sharp: The Women Who Make an Art of Having an Opinion.”

8) “It took a year of marriage to love my husband more than cheese.”

Listen: Modern Love: Love Stories in 13 Words (1:53)

• That’s one of 9,000 people who responded to Modern Love’s call for 13-word love stories. This bonus pod highlights dozens of them, in the tellers’ own words. Some standouts:
• “He said ‘I love you.’ I whispered ‘I love you,’ to his dog.” (4:55)
• “Both widowed young. Never going to try again. Married 31 years.” (8:51)
• “I was sad. He sent me dinosaur erotica. I knew it was love.” (11:05)

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Go Deep

1) “The Americans” Finale

Listen: Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air, I Think You’re Interesting, The Americans Podcast

• The pods go deep on Wednesday’s series finale of “The Americans,” with analysis and guests ranging from the show runners, to stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, to the guy who played the other FBI agent.
• Spoiler: Paige got off the train.
• If you’re looking for answers about why Paige got off the train, good luck finding them here.
• My take: WTF Paige? You shouldn’t have got off the train.

2) Video Game Wars

Listen: Business Wars: Nintendo vs. Sony

• The six-part series chronicles the ongoing battle between two tech giants.
• Spoiler: Sony’s PlayStation almost didn’t come out.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 54 minutes

3) “The Wizard of Oz”

Listen: Unspooled

• A 1 hour, 1 minute deep dive into the No. 10 movie on the AFI top 100 list.

4) “Training Day”

Listen: The Rewatchables

• A 1 hour, 26 minute reassessment of the Denzel Washington/Ethan Hawke crime thriller.

Guest Appearances By…

Apatow, Judd The Treatment

Aronoff, Kenny The Bob Lefsetz Podcast

• Convo with drummer who’s played with everyone.

Avenatti, Michael Trumpcast

• Stormy’s lawyer takes time away from promoting himself to promote himself.

Barnes, Julian Men in Blazers

• Man Booker Prize-winning author talks novels, Leicester City.

Brosnahan, Rachel WTF with Marc Maron

• Convo with “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star.

Clapper, James The Axe Files

• Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence talks security challenges.

Coppola, Sofia A24 Podcast

• In conversation with Paul Schrader.

Davidson, Adam The Josh Marshall Podcast

• The New Yorker writer talks Trump.

Emmerich, Amy The Limit Does Not Exist

• Convo with Refinery29’s content chief.

Enten, Harry I Have to Ask

Feig, Paul Late Night Whenever with Michelle Buteau

Friedberger, Eleanor This Must Be the Gig

• Still love this song.

Gethard, Chris The Gist with Mike Pesca

Hader, Bill Sooo Many White Guys

Hefner, Christie Skimm’d From the Couch

Jacobs, Gillian Comedy Bang! Bang!

Jordan, Lindsey Celebration Rock

• Convo with the “wisest teenage indie rocker,” according to Pitchfork.

Jurvetson, Steve The Tim Ferriss Show

• An almost 3-hour convo with the venture capitalist.

Klepper, Jordan It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Knoxville, Johnny Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Krasinski, John The Director’s Cut

Lawson, Nigella The Sporkful

Legend, John Pod Save America

• Singer talks about elections for local prosecutors.

Mars, Roman Recode Media with Peter Kafka

• The 99% Invisible host talks about the state of podcasting.

Neyfakh, Leon Longform Podcast

• Convo with the host of Slow Burn.

Pollan, Michael Waking Up with Sam Harris, How to Be Amazing With Michael Ian Black

• He’s baaaack!

Rankin, Molly Celebration Rock