Written Thoughts About The Audio World

So I feel like I need to leave my absurd love of Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard out of this...you should know it’s a little obsessive. Like, I loooove them. You would think my journey to this podcast comes from my love of Kristen/Dax, but you would be wrong!

So the original “celebrity interview” podcast I listened to was The Nerdist (Now ID10T) with Chris Hardwick. I really enjoyed the intimate talk with different celebrities that goes beyond that “press juncet.” As most people know, Hardwick dropped out of the public eye for awhile because of his ex-girlfriend revealing less than savory details of his treatment of her during their relationship. It was about that time that I went searching to fill my “Nerdist” void.

My love of Kristen and my need for a good celebrity talk podcast led me to Armchair Expert with her husband Dax and their close family friend (and family manager?) Monica. I fell in love immediately! Dax is 100% transparent about his life, his shortcomings and all the dirty details of how he struggles to be himself in this world. Aside from the charming relationship between the ever-steady Monica and the introspective Dax, they have amazing celebrity guests. Dax’s need for transparency draws it out in his guests, which makes for an amazing interview. There is one more awesome thing about this cast: They also interview actual experts. People who are top of their field, and have a wealth of knowledge that Dax always excitedly drinks in.

Choose any episode you want to, there isn’t a set order, but may I recommend an “Experts on Expert” episode (that’s what they call it when they are interviewing a real life expert). EXPERTS ON EXPERT: Yuval Noah Harari. It is deliciously deep and will really have you thinking!

Podcast highlight! There isn’t one particular episode that that I would recommend here. Check this podcast out! Our technological world changes by the moment and this podcast tries to contend what our lives should look like with all this new tech out there. It asks the philosophical questions we all should be asking about our relationship with all this technology. Instead of asking, “Can we?” Note To Self really looks at the question, “Should we?” Manoush Zomorodi has a comforting voice, so that even when she is talking about heavier topics, she never makes the future look hopeless. I love her voice guys.

It’s always a fun time for learning over at NPR. One of my favorites is Hidden Brain. It’s general premise is a look at what makes people do the things we do, and think the things we think, scientifically speaking.

This episode was a fun one. Should it be legal to sell your organs? Everyone generally agrees you own your body, and should have agency over what happens to it, but for some reason you don’t have a say over selling what you own.

Most countries have made selling your organs illegally. One country in the Middle East allows you to sell, at least Kidneys. Is it a good idea? In the Middle East those on the donor list get kidneys a lot sooner than in other countries where selling organs is illegal. But will more of us end up on ice in our bathtubs if selling is legal?

The best correlation the episode makes is between the idea that we can buy a womb to carry a baby, we can buy the egg, the sperm, and the womb. Why is buying an organ any different?

Over the past...I’d say 3 years, I have voraciously consumed *hundreds* of podcast episodes. I have learned, grown, expanded my horizons, developed more of my principles and generally have become a more well-rounded human.

One small problem with all this new found lease on life and tons of interesting facts to talk about...no one cares. I have become a little bit of a joke around the office. Anytime I tell a story or spit out a fact, I ultimately end up saying “I heard it on a Podcast.” Eye-tolling and dismissing soon follows that statement. Even though many of the podcasts I listen to are credible journalistic casts, they just don’t hold legitimacy with the average person.

I considered starting a podcast about podcasts, but that seemed a little meta. Instead I’ve decided to choose some podcasts from my lists with episodes that intrigue me, have new perspectives...or just ones I highly recommend for their entertainment factor.