Audio Entertainment: The BCG Podcast Collection

While writing may be the passion for which I hope to someday call my career, the simple fact is I’m not there yet, and likely won’t be for some time. So, like many aspiring creative professionals, I’ve got the get-them-bills-paid job that keeps me occupied 9-5, Monday through Friday. I’m fortunate, in a way, that my job is a pretty procedural office gig without a great deal of stress or sudden curve balls. It’s also pretty solitary, and doesn’t require a lot of face-to-fact human interaction on a daily basis.

As such, it’s the perfect environment to collect and digest the hundreds of thousands of podcasts that exist on the internet. I had once tried listening to books via Audible, but I would get too distracted with e-mails and phone calls to give my full attention to them; often I missed vital paragraphs, forcing me to backtrack for minutes on end. Podcasts, though, allow me the freedom to be distracted, since it’s typically easy enough to dip in and out without losing anything important.

I keep my podcast list semi-small (always under twenty subscribed at a time) since there aren’t usually enough working hours to accommodate much more than that. My current list, which I’ve been rolling with a while now, is cataloged below. The list is alphabetical, and is in no way indicative of how much I like one podcast over another. Give them a listen if any sound interesting! All are available on iTunes, but I’ve linked to each show’s direct website below.

Above & Beyond: Group Therapy (Music) – A once-a-week, two-hour long EDM (electronic dance music) podcast. Tends to focus more on trance than club hits and dubstep, and the last half hour is handed over to a guest mix. Definitely high on the good-vibes, socalling the show “therapy” is an apt title choice.

Clarkesworld Magazine (Fiction) – If you like Sci-Fi or Fantasy, you know Clarkesworld. This is the audio version of their mag, with a new story every week (and often two or three!). Usually under an hour-long and always fascinating. Some of the stories can be a little out there in terms of the content, but when they hit, they can be marvelous.

The Football Ramble (Sports) – Not a “hut, hut, HIKE” podcast, but a “GOOOOOOOOOOL” podcast. Basically, four funny guys sit around and do a weekly wrap up of all the results and news from the wide world of soccer, laced with a heavy helping of cheeky jokes and banter.

Giant Bombcast (Video games) – This one can run anywhere from 2 hours to 4, with reviews, news, and e-mails discussing just about anything video game related you can think of. Also, expect tangents about food, wrestling, and basically anything else the hosts may have on their minds.

Hardwell On Air (Music) – Another EDM show, hosted by 2014’s DJ of the Year (according to DJ Mag). His mixes kick it up a notch, with hard bass and some badass dupstep, making me want to jump on my desk and dance my face off. Alas, doing so would get me fired, so no dice.

Lightspeed Magazine (Fiction) – Sci-Fi and Fantasy short stories, typically only once a week. The stories tend to be a little more grounded than Clarkeworld’s. Also, Stefan Rudnicki, who narrates many of the stories, is just simply an amazing storyteller. He could read the ingredients on a bag of rice and make it sound awesome.

Morgan Page – In the Air (Music) – Another EDM podcast (actually, it’s what I’m listening to now as I write this). Plays club hits, intermixing some of his own stuff and more obscure selections than what would be found on Hardwell’s podcast.

The Nerdist (Interview) – Chris Hardwick interviews comedians, actors, filmmakers, musicians, authors–basically anyone and everyone. Hell, he even got to interview Bill Gates in a recent episode. What I love about this one is that the interviews are more like conversations than Q&A sessions, with the guests and hosts often riffing on random topics that have nothing to do with the guest or their work.

Radiolab (Science, History, etc.) – Every week brings a new topic and various stories and scientific studies about said topic. I love this show for it’s very unconventional storytelling style, with overlapping conversation, bombastic sound effect cues, and the free-flowing nature of the narrative. I’ve yet to listen to an episode that didn’t fascinate me. Hell, even the one they did a few weeks ago on Pro Wrestling (which I’ve never watched) was great.

StarTalk Radio (Science, Astronomy) – Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts this show all about science and pop-culture, with a particular focus on astronomy. As a writer and reader of science fiction, it shouldn’t be shocking that I love this so much. Also, NDT is the epitome of the rock-star scientist, with charisma and knowledge just oozing out of him.

Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project (Science, Discussion) – Most probably know Adam Savage from Mythbusters, the popular Discovery show. This podcast is him and two friends discussing everything from the myths themselves, to movies, science, and even miscellaneous topics like camping.

TED Radio Hour (Science) – TED Talks are some of the most viewed and loved videos on the internet, in which experts in their fields give presentations relating work they’ve done to science and society. The TED Radio Hour stitches some of those speeches with common themes together, supplementing them with interviews and deeper studies into the subjects discussed.

This American Life (Society?) – I don’t really know how to classify this show, to be honest. It’s much like Radiolab, but with a more traditional narrative structure and featuring stories that focus on the societal aspects of contemporary America. It’s always at the top of the iTunes podcasts charts, and rightly so.

Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! (News Trivia) – Put simply, it’s a current events quiz show. Every week features one special guest as well as three panelists (and call-ins from regular folks like you and me), trying to answer questions all about the previous week’s happenings. The show takes a heavy comedic slant with the news and is always good entertainment.

Writing Excuses (Writing) – All about writing! The tagline for the show is “15 minutes long: because you’re in a hurry and we’re not that smart!” Typically the episodes fall closer to the 20 minute mark, but the spirit of the tagline is kept intact with the speed and simplicity with which the conversation unfolds. Hosted by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler and Dan Wells, this is a must listen for any writer, as the four tackle various topics such as story structure, characters, etc. using their own experiences as the guideposts.

Jet-Setting Like A Semi-Pro

Been a bit quiet here recently, but only because I’ve been out of the country for a week and a half on a much needed vacation with my wife, and while I had initially planned to keep blogging during that time, those plans got scrapped as the trip progressed and the busy necessities of traveling took center stage.

We started our trip with 3 days in Amsterdam, and honestly I wish we had ended there instead, as it was by far my favorite city that we visited. In those 3 days I felt like I only really got to scrap the surface of it. Part of that might be down to the fact that I gave myself food poisoning right before leaving for the trip (because I’m one smart sack of stupid and ate week-old leftovers); thankfully the symptoms didn’t start showing up until right before we landed, so at least I wasn’t sick on the plane itself, but the first 24 hours or so were pretty rough. Eventually I recovered and was able to enjoy as much as Amsterdam as I could in the days remaining. We saw the Anne Frank House, went to Rijksmuseum (and saw Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, which was incredible), and got a taste for the laid back, friendly attitude that oozes out of Amsterdam’s walls. It’s been a long time since I fell so deeply in love with a city, but Amsterdam did it. If I’m ever present with the opportunity to live there sometime in the future, it’ll prove very hard to say no.

Next we made our way to Brussels. While not as pretty or lively as Amsterdam, there were certain aspects in which Brussels excelled, such as its architecture. Having really not even been a country until the 1830s, a lot of the governmental buildings arose during the peak of the Victorian era, leading to many gaudy and awe-inspiring buildings (The Palace Of Justice was particularly imposing, and not just because it’s name sounds straight out of a GRRM or Scott Lynch novel). Of course, no trip to Belgium would be complete without trying some beer, and we partook in some of the tastiest brews I’ve ever laid my tongue on. La Guillotine by brewery Brouwerij Huyghe was a particular favorite of mine, and as far as I can tell, this should be available in the US, but I’d have to go to pretty substantial liquor store to find it.

From there it was onward to England, specifically to Liverpool and London. We were only in Liverpool for a night, but spent that time touring Anfield, home of Liverpool FC, the soccer team my wife and I love and support. Initially we had planned to see a game there (hence the overnight stay) but alas, scheduling conflicts with other competitions forced the game to get rescheduled, so a tour of the stadium was the best we could do. Thankfully we hadn’t yet bought tickets, so at least we weren’t out money on that. Naturally, we instead spent that money in the gift shop, purchasing scarves and sweaters and even an iPhone case (because, you know, you can’t be a “real fan” without showing your team pride on your iPhone).

Three days in London followed our foray in Liverpool, which was far more relaxing than the rest of our trip with regards to our plans. This was partially because it was the one city in our itinerary that my wife and I had both previously been to, so we’d already seen a lot of the more popular tourist attractions on those previous excursions. As such, we explored the few things we had missed the first time around (notably the Globe Theatre for me and the Churchill War Rooms for her) and spent the rest of our time relaxing, trying out different pubs and going off the beaten path to visit Borough Market and have cocktails at the top of the Shard.

I suppose the downside to every vacation is returning to reality, but really I consider it more of a double-edged sword. While 10 days off really is wonderful, it’s also a long time to be away from your typical routine. With the amount of traveling we did (aside from our flights there and back, we took the train everywhere between the different cities), it feels nice to be back in Chicago doing the regular, everyday things. Still, going to different countries and experiencing different cultures is something I cherish, especially since it can help diversify and inspire my writing. If you ever have the chance to get out there and see a new place, even if just for a few days, take that opportunity by any means necessary. I know, I know–it’s a painfully obvious sentiment, but sometimes even the obvious needs reiterating.