The top two podcasts on the Apple charts right now are in flux. Joe Rogan (No. 1) announced he’s moving his marathon conversations to Spotify, and Barstool’s Call Her Daddy (No. 2) is swimming in drama. If you don’t want to listen to pods about the situation, Taylor Lorenz is on it.
This week’s counts: 48 notable guests, 15 new podcasts, five deep dives and one Bill Murray appearance.
Pod Take of the Week
“I’ve been watching old episodes of ‘The Lone Ranger.” I find it very helpful during these times of wearing masks to say, ‘I’m on the side of law and order.’”
Listen: Flying Coach with Steve Kerr and Pete Carroll (15:57)
- That’s “Space Jam” co-star and entertainment legend Bill Murray, cracking about how he’s been passing time during quarantine.
- Murray stepped away from the TV to chat with Kerr and Carroll about golfing with Michael Jordan and making “Ghostbusters,” among other things.
- My take: A more entertaining way to spend your time than bingeing “The Lone Ranger.”
Go Deep
1) The Origins of “Keep Calm and Carry On”
Listen: The Allusionist
- Helen Zaltzman dives deep into the origins and rhetorical power (and failings!) of the now ubiquitous and much-parodied slogan.
2) “The Empire Strikes Back”
Listen: Scriptnotes, Coffee With Kenobi, The Resistance Broadcast
- It’s the 40th anniversary of the most beloved “Star Wars” film among fans and critics, and podcasts are celebrating. Some highlights:
- Scriptnotes goes 52 minutes with the movie’s screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan.
- Coffee With Kenobi goes 55 minutes on “the mythology, history, and collectibles of the classic film, and share[s] some behind-the-scenes secrets.”
- The Resistance Broadcast goes 1 hour, 47 minutes with J.W. Rinzler, author of “The Making of The Empire Strikes Back” and a former Lucasfilm Executive Editor.
3) “Back to the Future”
Listen: The Rewatchables
- The Ringer takes a 1-hour, 28-minute dive into the adventures of Doc and Marty. This year marks the movie’s 35th anniversary.
4) The U.S.-Mexico Border
Listen: Latino USA
- The pod’s two-part investigation “delves into the increasing pressure put on refugees seeking safety in the United States via its southern border.”
5) Lynn Shelton
Listen: WTF with Marc Maron
- The director died last weekend, and her “creative collaborator and romantic partner” Maron paid tribute to Shelton before replaying his 2015 interview with her.
Guest Appearances By…
($L) = On Luminary, behind a paywall. (S) = A Spotify exclusive. 50 Cent Armchair Expert
Abrams, J.J. Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Barkley, Charles The Lowe Post
Barris, Kenya The Treatment
Carlock, Robert Bullseye
Chotiner, Isaac Longform Podcast
Chu, Jon Inside the Hive
Clinton, Chelsea In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt
Daltrey, Roger Kickass News
Danler, Stephanie Good Life Project
Danson, Ted ID10T
Dennings, Kat Good for You
Diggs, Daveed Keep It
Fey, Tina Bullseye
Franken, Al Thick Skin with Jeff Ross
Funches, Ron Self-Helpless
Hargrave, Sam Recode Media
- Stuntman-turned-director talks about making the most popular original Netflix movie so far, “Extraction.”
Hart, Kevin The Tim Ferriss Show
Hawk, Tony The Joe Rogan Experience
Hoult, Nicholas The Big Ticket
Howard, Ron Off Camera with Sam Jones
Isbell, Jason Broken Record
Jacobson, Abbi Life is Short with Justin Long
Kasdan, Lawrence Scriptnotes Podcast
Kerr, Miranda Second Life
Lapkus, Lauren Comedy Bang! Bang!
Malone, Jo How I Built This with Guy Raz
Mayer, John Eric Krasno Plus One
Nanjiani, Kumail In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt
Nielsen, Connie The Adam Carolla Show
Oswalt, Patton The Joe Rogan Experience, Good One, The Last Laugh, The Adam Carolla Show, Kickass News
Page, Steven The Hilarious World of Depression
Pearl Jam The Bill Simmons Podcast
- The pod ends with an archival performance of “Present Tense,” echoing its placement at the end of the Michael Jordan doc “The Last Dance.”
Phetasy, Bridget The Joe Rogan Experience
Rae, Issa Staying In with Emily & Kumail
Riggle, Rob The Adam Carolla Show
Rippon, Adam Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!
Rodgers, Nile The Adam Buxton Podcast
Scott, Drew and Linda Anna Faris is Unqualified
Shapiro, Dani Good Life Project
Simien, Justin Culture Kings
Siriano, Christian Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness
Spade, David Comedy Bang! Bang!
Steenburgen, Mary ID10T
Watts, Reggie Off Menu
Willink, Jocko The Moment with Brian Koppelman
Yamaguchi, Kristi Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People
Yang, Jimmy O.The Adam Carolla Show
Notable New Podcasts
- The Freakonomics spinoff addresses questions with “conversations that pull in surprising references to research, literature, philosophy, and history. You never know where their talks will go. More often than not, they lead to more questions, like Russian nesting dolls.”
- It’s No. 21 on Apple Podcasts.
- Debra Messing and Mandana Dayani “scour the earth to discover and introduce you to…incredible people who just made the decision one day to chase their purpose and do extraordinary things.”
- It’s No. 29 on Apple Podcasts.
- Legendary sportswriter Jack McCallum tells the “real story of the greatest team in NBA history, the 1992 Dream Team that won Olympic gold in Barcelona.”
- So it’s more Michael Jordan content, and we can’t get enough, apparently. It’s No. 31 on Apple Podcasts.
- Matt King talks to “internet friends, musicians, actors, you name it.”
- It’s No. 35 on Apple Podcasts.
- Alyssa Bereznak hosts “an exploration of the spectacular rise and fall of the massively popular app.”
- It’s No. 38 on Apple Podcasts.
- The weekday morning pod “takes you on a journey into goodness, gives you all the feels, and will leave you with a smile on your face.”
- Nikki Boyer hosts. It’s No. 51 on Apple Podcasts.
- Jon Walczak hosts an investigation into the disappearance of two congressmen in Alaska in 1972.
8) In Recovery
- Nzinga Harrison hosts a “weekly go-to for any and all questions about addiction, treatment, mental health, recovery, and everything in between.”
- Gina Martin and Stevie Martin “delve into the social media timelines of interesting people they know,” asking “What do they regret posting? What was their first ever post? And how has social media helped or hindered them?”
10) Thrilling Tales of Modern Capitalism
- Seth Stevenson “takes a company in the news, and looks at its history to figure out why it finds itself in its present circumstances.”
11) TEDx SHORTS
- These “short, eye-opening ideas from some of the world’s greatest TEDx speakers” run less than 10 minutes per episode. Atossa Leoni hosts.
12) Dire Desires
- Matthew Amster-Burton, Molly Wizenberg and team “to scour Hollywood’s sexiest—and usually stupidest—movies for lessons in how to live, love, and get laid as much as Michael Douglas did in the 90s.”
- The soccer journalist formerly with Sports Illustrated “shares his thoughts on the sport and interviews the biggest names and the most fascinating figures in the game.”
14) Stay Human
- Musician and activist Michael Franti “continues his mission of empowering a vast audience of like-minded activists and world-changers to create positive change.”
- Jingle Punks founder Jared Gutstadt interviews people who have “made it” in their respective careers, and “tries to figure out his next big move.”
- Interviewees include Fred Savage and Poo Bear.
And One to Look Forward to: It Was Simple: The Betty Broderick Murders (May 26)
- The four-part pod examines a double murder of a man and his new wife — by the man’s first wife.
Also, apologies to Avery Trufelman and Jill Lepore for making a mess of your names last week.
Thanks for reading! Please forward it to a podcast-loving friend. If someone forwarded it to you, sign up for your own free subscription.