Huge week for new podcasts, with nine of ‘em slipping into the iTunes top 70. Among the podcast makers: John Mulaney, Nick Kroll, Cheryl Strayed, Joe Biden, Jameela Jamil, Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Alex Wagner and Andy Slavitt. Some of the pods are coronavirus inspired, and some have been in the works for a while.
This week’s counts: 64 notable guests, 23 new podcasts, four deep dives and one tribute to Adam Schlesinger.
Keep hanging in there, everyone.
Pod Take of the Week
“Sit back, relax and pull up your legal council. It’s time to go to sleep.”
Listen: Ts&Zzz: Facebook Terms of Service (:33)
- That’s Scott Elchison, prefacing his new sleep podcast that consists of him reading the most boring text on the internet.
- The text in question: terms of service agreements, terms and conditions, and privacy policies.
- My take: Brilliant idea, should work! Worth a shot for those having trouble sleeping these days.
Go Deep
1) The Intersection of the Novel Coronavirus and Climate Change
Listen: Heated
- Emily Atkin hosts a six-episode, limited-run series that “shows how COVID-19 and the climate crisis cannot be separated.”
- Note: The series appears in the Drilled podcast feed.
2) “Big Ideas in Uncertain Times”
Listen: The Next Big Idea
- Susan Cain, author of “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can’t Stop Talking,” kicks off a miniseries about “the upside to solitude.”
3) Mike Love vs. Brian Wilson
Listen: Rivals
- A 1-hour, 5-minute deep dive into the conflict between the creative force behind The Beach Boys and the guy who just wanted to box the band into a formulaic corner.
- My take: #TeamBrian
4) “National Treasure”
Listen: The Bechdel Cast
- The pod goes 1 hour, 32 minutes on the Nic Cage so-bad-it’s-good masterpiece, searching “high and low for good representation of women” in the movie.
Guest Appearances By…
($L) = On Luminary, behind a paywall. (S) = A Spotify exclusive. Bennett, Beck Lovett or Leave It
Birbiglia, Mike Stay Tuned with Preet
Brown, Campbell Recode Media
Bryant, Joy Armchair Expert
Buck, Joe The Bill Simmons Podcast, Pardon My Take
- Sports announcer Buck makes the rounds in support of his new podcast.
Burns, Scott Z. Inside the Hive
- The writer of “Contagion” explains “how much of the research that went into the film is playing out in real time.”
Burr, Bill Relatively Sane with Jessica Kirson
Casal, Rafael Partners
Cenac, Wyatt FANTI
Chang, David Staying In with Emily & Kumail
Chieng, Ronny Good One
- The comedian breaks down his Amazon Prime Now joke.
Colicchio, Tom Bon Appetit Foodcast, Eater’s Digest
Coogan, Steve Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Couric, Katie Celeste & Her Best ($L)
Crutchfield, Katie Talkhouse
Cuban, Marc Worst Year Ever
Diggs, Daveed Partners
Dobrik, David Anna Faris is Unqualified
Donovan, Landon Planet Fútbol
Dubner, Stephen Armchair Expert
Dupri, Jermain expediTIously
Fauci, Anthony Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction, The Daily
Feldstein, Beanie I Weigh with Jameela Jamil
Ferguson, Jesse At Home with Linda & Scott Drew
Fitzsimmons, Greg The Joe Rogan Experience
Furlan, Brittany Your Mom’s House
Gates, Bill The TED Interview, Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction
Gilbert, Elizabeth Conversations, The TED Interview
Gilpin, Betty Keep It!
Gingrich, Newt Kickass News
Gunn, Tim Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!
Haddish, Tiffany The Margaret Cho
Hansard, Glen Broken Record
Harbour, David Life is Short with Justin Long
Hawk, Tony Hollywood Handbook
Henson, Taraji P. Watch Less
Hewitt, Jennifer Love NAKED with Catt Sadler
Hirway, Hrishikesh 10 Things That Scare Me
Kelly, Scott Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction
- The candidate for Senator in Arizona and former astronaut who spent a year in space shares his expertise on surviving “extreme isolation.”
Keys, Alicia On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations
Kornfield, Jack Broken Record
Kressley, Carson Nobody Told Me!
Jamil, Jameela Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig
Larson, Sarah Recode Media
Lee, Tommy Your Mom’s House
Lorenz, Taylor Recode Media
Merchant, Stephen Lovett or Leave It
Mulligan, Carey Off Camera with Sam Jones
Paul, Chris All the Smoke
Perel, Esther The Tim Ferriss Show
Redban, Brian The Joe Rogan Experience
Reichl, Ruth Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
Reyez, Jessie Creative Conversation
Sandberg, Sheryl Skimm’d From The Couch
Saunders, George Sugar Calling
- He’s the first guest on the new show from Cheryl Strayed.
Simien, Justin Touré Show
Simmons, Bill Daddy Issues
Sinclair, Ben WTF with Marc Maron
Tarantino, Quentin Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith
Tisdale, Ashley The Goodie Goodie with Sabrina Jalees
Vaynerchuk, Gary Recode Decode, Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People
Walsh Jennings, Kerri The Gabby Reece Show
Webb, Amy The Vergecast
Whitmer, Gretchen The Ticket
Yang, Alan Keep It!
Notable New Podcasts
- Zach Braff and Donald Faison team to rewatch the TV show they starred in — “Scrubs” — one episode at a time.
- It’s No. 4 on iTunes.
- Nick Kroll and John Mulaney bring Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland to podcastland.
- Vulture says, “For those of you who haven’t watched their segments on the Kroll Show or seen their superb Broadway show on Netflix, Gil and George are a couple of ornery, tuna-lovin’ New Yorkers who could never understand the concept of ‘social distancing’ because they are the human embodiment of coughing in a stranger’s mouth.”
- It’s No. 8 on iTunes.
3) Somebody
- The true crime pod focuses on the murder of Courtney Wells in Chicago and his mom’s efforts to find out what really happened.
- It “explores the racial disparities and turbulent relationship between law enforcement and citizens in one of America’s largest cities.”
- It’s No. 28 on iTunes.
4) In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt
- The “health care leader, turnaround expert and #stayhome architect” aims to “give Americans critical information in real-time but also hope for a path forward.”
- It’s No. 45 on iTunes.
- Host Alex Wagner opens “a window into the hidden worlds of this pandemic: the chaos and fear, the resilience and innovation — all of which have been necessary parts of survival in this extraordinary moment.”
- It’s No. 49 on iTunes.
- It’s billed as a Broadway-scale musical in the world of podcasts.
- It tells the story of “a group of friends – recent college graduates – who bring a broken-down summer theater back to life in 1976,” with 22 original songs.
- It’s No. 58 on iTunes.
7) Daddy Issues with Joe Buck and Oliver Hudson
- The working fathers and long-time friends take an honest, unfiltered look at what it’s like to be a father, a son and a brother navigating the world today.
- It’s No. 63 on iTunes.
- Eleven science fiction writers tell eleven stories that take place on “a non-stop flight from Tokyo to San Francisco that passes through a wrinkle in spacetime and lands in the year 2040.”
- Among the stars involved: Reid Scott, Danny Trejo, Dan Stevens and Calista Flockhart.
- It’s No. 65 on iTunes
- Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has “conversations about pressing issues with some of the nation’s top experts.”
- It’s No. 68 on iTunes.
10) This Day in Esoteric Political History
- Jody Avirgan, Nicole Hemmer and guests “rescue moments from the entirety of U.S. history to map our journey through a tumultuous year.”
11) Sugar Calling
- Cheryl Strayed revives her Sugar persona, but sets “aside advice-giving in favor of wisdom-seeking and turning to the writers who have long inspired her for courage and insight.”
- The first guest on this New York Times pod: George Saunders.
12) Token CEO
- In this every-weekday pod, Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini shares how she “navigates running a company through a pandemic from her living room.”
13) It’s the Pictures that Got Small
- Nate DiMeo and Karina Longworth “reach out from their quarantines to a guest who’ll pick a movie they’ve heard is great but never found the time to watch. They’ll watch it, break it down, even play a game or two.”
- First movie and guest: “Cast Away” and Rian Johnson.
14) Ts&Zzz
- Fall asleep to readings of “the most boring text on the internet.
15) Confronting Demons with Megan Stalter
- The comedian “vanquishes the horrible devils in her life, all played by her funny friends.”
16) Checking In with Susan David
- The Harvard Medical School psychologist offers strategies for coping “with our heightened emotions during this global pandemic.”
17) Strange Arrivals
- Host Toby Ball will “unravel one of history’s most famous cases of alien abduction.”
- The case: “On a September night in 1961, in the mountains of New Hampshire, Betty and Barney Hill encountered something they could not explain. What really happened that autumn night?”
- The NBA analyst gives “passionate NBA Draft fans a deeper look into what makes the NBA Draft one of the most exciting and puzzling events in pro sports.”
- Barron’s columnist Jack Hough speaks with “business leaders and trendspotters” and offers “insights and absurdities” about Wall Street.
- Pro BMX rider Matthias Dandois interviews “a bunch of top action sports athletes from all around the world to find out What Does It Take to become a successful world class athlete.”
- Steven Johnson, author of “The Ghost Map” about cholera, hosts Wondery’s coronavirus podcast.
22) At a Distance
- Colorado Public Radio reporters Sam Brasch and May Ortega “talk with guests and share ideas on how to cope with life during the pandemic, whether you live in Colorado or not.”
23) I Weigh with Jameela Jamil
- “The Good Place” star “challenges society’s definition of worth through weight by asking different thought-leaders, performers, activists, influencers, and friends about how they are working through their past shames to find where their value truly lies.”
One to Look Forward to: Double Threat (April 6)
- Julie Klausner and Tom Scharpling “join forces for a weekly journey through the worst of everything.”
And a Tribute to Adam Schlesinger
Marc Maron re-released his 2012 interview with Adam Schlesinger, who died this week of COVID-19. Fresh Air did the same for Terry Gross’s 1999 interview.
Schlesinger’s songs were brilliant — catchy and tender and funny, sometimes simultaneously. He brought me so much musical joy. RIP Adam.