💥Sonic Boom!
Too soon for Halloween, Talking on Trains, & Just Added + Top 5
Hey Poddy People,
The heat is exhausting me. I can’t imagine what’s going on with the rest of the world with climate. Pakistan still needs an assist.
Updates:
Rewatch Pod: I do like my rewatch podcasts. The first production from the Morbid and Wondery partnership is launching in October, The Rewatcher: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Check out the post here. Should I have watched Buffy?
Live to Podcast: AMP (Amazon live radio app) is doing more live radio with big names and turning those shows into podcasts. Will Arnett (Smartless) hosts a post-F1 racing live show that gets turned into a podcast with the assistance of Wondery. It’s a very postgame type of radio you’d hear on ESPN Radio. The second F1 show because of Instagram ads served to me, is for Mero (Bodega Boys) and Michelle Beadle’s (ESPN) F1 racing show. Back in my day…(This is where I tell you a story about my days at TuneIn Radio, but I’ll spare you the long story for another time.)
Speaking of Mero, his former podcast buddy Desus Nice was on an episode of Peloton’s podcast back in May. I just listened to it and there’s no mention of a potential breakup with Mero, which happened back in July. Anyway, Desus is a Peloton user and the topic was making sure we all take that break from work. Taking a break eh?
Fiction Influencer?: Fiction pods should be getting a much-needed PR boost with influencer Inanna Sirkas. She’s gone from Vine to Instagram to Tik Tok to fitness influencer entrepreneur. Add fiction podcast creator on the resume with an upcoming thriller, Zaya, distributed by Realm. Listen to the trailer and read my post here.
Fundraising Update: In other fiction podcast news, Walzon Prime is currently fundraising. Donate here.
To The Queen Update: Queen Elizabeth passed away this morning. You can listen to updates on BBC Global News.
Analytics Update: Click-throughs for “Read Full Reviews” on podcast pages went up to 20%. We usually average 15% and on viral days like Reddit, 10%. Meghan got everyone interested in reading again!
“The Markle Effect”
On to my picks this week…
Podcast: Björk: Sonic Symbolism
Genre: Music
Publisher: Mailchimp
You are a strange one Björk. It turns out she’s just one damn creative person learning from influences like other artists. In her podcast, sponsored by Mailkimp, errr Mailchimp, she was talking about how 80s synth music influenced her while she lived in London. It’s so Björk. I don’t need to say much because Rich Juzwiak articulates it better than I would have.
Rich Juzwiak • Jezebel
“Flair or no flair, the Björk on Sonic Symbolism is for the most part subdued, clear, and adept at articulating the rationale behind her most alien of sounds...the podcast is the perfect medium for Björk’s brand of public speaking—here she isn’t edited down to just the funny parts, and in fact those funny parts (while often hilarious) seem less outlandish in the greater context in which they’re used to illustrate more grounded points.”
If there is something strange I would comment on, it’s the branding. I didn’t hear or recall any mention of Mailchimp from the first episode. There is something great about it and I appreciate it.
Podcast: Someone Dies In This Elevator
Genre: Anthology, Thriller
Publisher: Realm, Tal Minear
Pumpkin Spice season is here and so that means it’s Halloween candy season. Why not? As I peruse the web for critic reviews, I was excited to see a short article from podcast critic Lucy White of the Irish Independent that dropped in Great Pods friend, Tal Minear’s podcast, Someone Dies In This Elevator.
Lucy White • Independent.ie
“The name may be a spoiler but the writers take a Memento approach by starting each episode with who died, before backtracking to how, why, when and where.”
In the episode, Hot Wheels, I teared up. We know the premise is that people die in the elevator. The storytelling of those stuck in the elevator and the character development had me tear up. Like, NO, there has to be a way out of this elevator!
Podcast: Alexei Sayle's Strangers On A Train
Genre: Conversation
Publisher: BBC
On a more pleasant note, there is the Strangers On A Train podcast. I don’t know much about Alexei stateside, but he’s a well-known classic 80s comedian from Britain. Like all the podcasts I listen to, the reviews were good enough to garner a listen. You can imagine it’s way less comedy chaos, wholesome, and a PG version of Podcast But Outside. I listened to a few episodes and the conversations did get better. It peaked for me when Alexei and the passenger were able to find some common interests, like taking Tai Chi lessons. The group from Jakarta and the Railway Journalist were standout passengers in my book.
Miranda Sawyer • The Guardian
“what a timely reminder that ordinary people are more quirky and inspiring than the household names. A delight”
I am not sponsored by BBC Sounds, but it might be worth it to download the app for some of the exclusive podcasts they produce. This includes this podcast which is not widely available yet.
Side Note: If you pay attention to social media, there was a viral sensation of Gen Z’er Francis Bourgeois, “The Train Guy". There needs to be an episode between the two.
Just Added
f*cking sober: the first 90 days
Greetings from Somewhere | A Travel Show
Top 5 most visited podcast pages from August 2022:
Archetypes
Smartless
Will Be Wild
Trojan Horse Affair
Who Killed Daphne?
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Stay safe, be empathetic, save electricity, and be kind!
Listening with you,
Captain Ron
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