You may not have managed to get to a book shop, library or second hand bookstore before the COVID-19 self-distancing shut in, and have probably read everything in the house already to be honest. If you want to move away from fiction and non-fiction audio books, why not try listening to some great content on a podcast instead? Here are some bazaarite faves.
It seems like an odd topic, but this podcast with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark is a comedy podcast that covers all sorts of murders and cold cases. There are also ‘minisodes’ where listeners write in with their own connections to their home-town murders, or with things they’ve found in walls, and even first responder stories. As the Wikipedia and Murderpedia researched narration can often get dark, the original living room based podcast would end with Georgia asking, “Elvis, do you want a cookie?” and the Siamese cat would respond with a hearty “meow”. Along with cats Mimi and Dot, Elvis now has Instagram. Since its inception in 2016 this podcast has grown into so much more. With catchphrases like, “Stay sexy, don’t get murdered” (sometimes shortened to SSDGM), “You’re in a cult, call your Dad” or “Stay out of the forest” sometimes you will laugh out loud or giggle along to the conversations on MFM. You can read out of context funny quotes on fan Twitter account @MFMoutofcontext and check out @MFM_animated on Instagram too! Fans called “murderinos,” are everywhere, so My Favorite Murder tours are global, and you can listen to these live performances, with Karen and Georgia mispronouncing location names – “spell it like you say it!” on this podcast as live episodes as well. Murderinos are super creative and you can find great products on Etsy or go to myfavoritemurder.com to find merchandise. Join the Fan Cult for a small annual fee and get access to even more delicious details and offers! Karen’s agreement statement to Georgia, “that’s exactly right” inspired the Exactly Right Podcast Network name, and on this network you can discover The Murder Squad,This Podcast Will Kill You, Do you Need A Ride, I Said No Gifts, The Fall Line, The Purrrcast and of course, My Favorite Murder.
My Favorite Murder is available on Applepodcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Follow @myfavmurder on Twitter, @myfavoritemurder on Instagram and @MFMpodcast on Facebook.
If you love and appreciate museums and have always wished you could get your own sneak peek or behind the scenes visit to one, Sidedoor is your new BFF. The Smithsonian Institute is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex. Podcast host Lizzie Peabody has the key to the side door and loves letting us in and weaving magical stories about some of the most unexpected things. The podcast’s fifth season has just started, so you have four seasons of back catalogue to binge-listen. From the world’s worst video game ever to finding Cleopatra, Lizzie tells intriguing stories while her guests add more layers of knowledge and interest. Every episode will leave you feeling smarter, wiser and more worldly as if you had just visited a museum.
Sidedoor is available on Applepodcasts, GooglePlay and as an RSS feed so you can use your favorite app to listen to it.
Host, Eric Molinsky is a public radio host and producer, Imaginary Worlds is his pet project and on the show he shares stories about the sci-fi and fantasy genre. All of his episodes are really well researched and very well produced. He discusses different things from specific books and movies to larger overarching concepts. Every once in a while he will do a deep dive like Harry Potter or Sidekicks. If you are into sci-fi or fantasy you will love this different take on some of your favorite make believe places. And if you want to fly your nerd flag you can grab the coolest merchandise from his store.
You can listen to Imaginary Worlds on Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Sititcher, Spotify and your chosen podcast app.
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last decade you should be familiar with the website LifeHacker. What used to be a small blog, has grown into a huge conglomerate of our favorite online communities like Kotaku, Gizmodo and The Onion. They also have a long-running podcast that brings you the same great life hacks but in audio form. The weekly podcast is full of tips and tricks and hacks. Every week editor in chief Melissa Kirsch and Alice Bradley bring in all-star guests to tackle the stuff that matters like how to prevent your mind from being hacked or how to get better sleep.
Listen to The Upgrade on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, NPR One or your favorite app.
Under the Skin by Russell Brand
People can be very split on Russell Brand, they’re either still too fed up with the type of celebrity he used to be, or they’re totally obsessed with the person he is today, like I am. If there is one thing that speaks true to his character, it is transformation. I followed his career from the very beginning, devouring the latest gossip every time I picked up a Metro on the train when I used to live in the UK. Putting his antics aside, I always loved that almost every time he spoke publicly, his thoughts were intelligent and witty- notoriously embarrassing rants aside. Today, the award-winning actor, comedian, and public thought leader is an avid advocate of mental health. More importantly, he touches on his own experiences and struggles with drug addiction to reach a massive audience. The latest Coronavirus outbreak abruptly halted his worldwide The Recovery Tour, a series of public speaking engagements where he unabashedly speaks on his experiences to help others avoid the path of self-destruction and discover self-healing. Under the Skin puts Russell’s wit and way with words front, right and center, creating a meeting of the minds and meaningful conversations with various personalities from scientists, actors, and activists to authors.
Listen to Under the Skin on Luminary, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and catch a few episodes directly on his website.
An awesome podcast that gives a look behind the scenes of making the HBO five part miniseries Chernobyl. Be aware though, if you still haven’t seen the TV miniseries (what were you waiting for?!) then please refrain from listening to this podcast until you do, as it is full of spoilers. The Chernobyl Podcast is hosted by Peter Sagal who interviews the series creator Craig Mazin as they talk about the production of the show, why they had to make changes on some parts of the story, and what really happened in the real disaster. Essentially, it is only five episodes, just like the show, but it also includes a bonus episode! A podcast that is both extremely informative and definitely worth a listen.
You can listen to The Chernobyl Podcast on HBO Go, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Unlike Vox’s Netflix show which is also called Explained, this podcast by Vox is a daily explainer that is filled with different stories. Hosted by Sean Rameswaram, and features different reporters/guests within each episode, Today, Explained includes several daily news outtakes, plus stories like “Why the wrong movies win Oscars?”, “Song of the Year”, and many more topics to go through. All you have to do is choose the one you’d like to listen to today!
You can listen to the podcast Today, Explained on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Megaphone, and Stitcher.
While itself not a podcast, Scene Arabia has published a comprehensive list, “12 podcasts making waves across the Middle East” that you can explore by clicking on this link.
Feature image Creator: spaxiax Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
