Podcast recommendations!
Kia ora friends!
Now, I know no one asked for this, but I wanted to talk to y’all this week about some of my favourite podcasts, because it occurrs to me that I don’t typically talk about them on twitter a whole lot, and I haven’t talked about them here at all. I want to start by saying some of these are family-friendly, and some are not, but I’ll mark which is which so you know which ones you can listen to in front of yours or someone elses children - ones with any kind of non-kid-friendly language will have a 😎 emoji, while the ones without will have a 😀 emoji.
I want to point out that these are not in any particular order, I would never be so mean as to rank these folks against each other because I love them all so, so much. Most of these I have been listening to for years at this point and I wish nothing but the best for every one of these wonderful people. Alright now this is a long one, so let’s get into it!
The Vergecast 😎
I am relatively new to this one, but it has quickly shot to the top of my list. Intelligent, insightful, and very, very funny people talking about news in tech.
The main show, featuring Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce, comes out on Fridays in the US and Saturdays in Aotearoa New Zealand, and it’s my favourite thing to look forward to every single week. But that’s not all they do! They also have a Wednesday/Thursday episode that’s a little more structured and is usually just hosted by David Pierce, where they talk to experts and people in-the-know about all kinds of things - the one this past week talked to some really interesting folks who made the movie Missing, about a young woman searching for her missing mother, shot from the perspective of the devices she uses to search. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but it sounded suuuuper interesting to me, so I definitely plan to check it out soon.
Decoder 😎
This is another Nilay Patel joint, and another one I’m pretty new to. I feel both smarter and dumber at the same time when I listen to this show, but I love it because the people Nilay talks to are always super interesting, and sometimes a little weird. For the most part, he talks to CEOs from all kinds of companies - from Substack and Barnes & Noble, to Hasbro and the New York Times. Nilay is a fantastic journalist and intervewer, and if you like the sound of that then please check this show out.
Queens of the Drone Age 😀
Queens of the Drone Age is a twice-a-week cathcup with “Your friends in tech”, Rae Johnston, Angharad Yeo, Amanda Yeo, and Tegan Jones.
This is the only show on my list that isn’t from North America! These very funny and intelligent women discuss anything and everything tech-related, and they’re some of the best out there at breaking things down in a way that’s easy for anyone to understand. My only complaint with this show, and I’ve told them as much, is that the episodes are too short. But if you’re in the mood for a bite-sized tech talk, then Queens of the Drone Age might be for you!
If You’re Driving Close Your Eyes 😎
This one is a banger. A comedy podcast from the brains of LB Hunktears, Niki Grayson, and John Warren, and produced by Jordan Mallory.
Honestly, this is a tough one to describe because their style of jokes and bits is kind of singular - it’s hard to say who or what they’re like, because well, they aren’t like anybody else. I’ve been listening to these folks on a variety of shows over the past few years and I just adore them and their completely chaotic vibe so much. Fun fact: two out of the three hosts here are non-binary and use they/them pronouns (like meeeee)! LGBTQIA+ representation ftw! 💚
What The Folklore? 😎
It’s in the title! Hosted by storyteller Carman (who can also be found at ), Tyler and Gordy, this show is one of the funniest things I have ever encountered on the internet.
Since hearing an ad for it on an old old old episode of MBMBaM, and joining their adventure in the middle of a two-part episode, I have been listening to this show for several years now, and it’s my absolute favourite show to binge-listen to. You get to learn about folk tales you’ve maybe never heard before, and then together the hosts attempt to “fix” to, with always funny albeit unexpected mixed success. This show is a must for any kind of nerd. They have a Patreon which I encourage you all to check out if this show interests you at all.
The Sunday Scroll 😎
Another John Warren joint, with news by Andrea Shearon (who’s surname I am constantly forgetting how to spell 😅), The Sunday Scroll is a fortnightly news and culture show focussed on the gaming and entertainment industries, with interviews with some really interesting and influential folks in the space.
John has a Patreon which I encourage anyone to go check out, which helps fund this podcast and keep the lights on! The Sunday Scroll is a smart, funny, thoughtful look at the industries many of us engage with every day. This show is really a great companion podcast to The Vergecast which I mentioned at the top - if you like that show, I think you’ll like this too.
Materia Possessions 😎
Ostensibly an RPG podcast, Materia Possessions is very hard to google, so lucky for you all I have embedded the show here!
Hosted and run by Imran Khan, who’s Patreon helps keep the mana potions flowing, it often also features (one of my most favourite bullies on the internet - hi Natalieeee!!) Natalie Flores, Andrea Shearon (spelling!), Nerium Strom, John Warren (yup, that one!), Mike Williams (aka ), and Michael Higham.
Another fortnightly show, Materia Possessions covers some game industry news, new releases, what the hosts have been playing, and just generally whatever the heck they decide to talk about that week. I am still holding out hope for a Natalie / Andrea crossover episode, they’ll make it happen one of these days and it’ll be glorious.
Everything is Real, by Garbage Brain University 😎
This show is just bonkers.
While currently on a ‘free-episode hiatus’ (you can find new episodes via their Patreon right now), Everything is Real by is on its surface a research and discussion podcast, that delves into conspiracy theories, whether or not spontaneous human combustion exists, and the very nature of our reality - with a bunch of curse words thrown in for good measure. Truly the most interesting-while-also-completely-unhinged show I’ve ever come across and I love it. It's maybe not for everyone, I think you probably need to be of a certain inclination to particular thoughts and ideas, but I absolutely recommend it to absolutely everyone and you can decide for yourself.
Qwerpline, by LoadingReadyRun 😀
This one makes me sad.
The most recent episode was released in 2019, and it’s unclear if they will ever make more episodes, but it’s still absolutely worth your time. Qwerpline is a linear story about the people of a fictional town called ‘Nsburg’, from the perspective of two radio hosts, Graham and Alex, and the colourful cast of absurd characters who live in said town. I can’t tell you much more about this show except to go listen to it. If you like absurdist humour and improv, you’ll have a blast with this, and then be sad when its over. If some of you go listen to it, maybe we’ll convince the creators to return to it? Who knows, probably not, but Qwerpline is absolutely worth your time.
The K-Hole with merritt k 😎
This is one that I mourn every time I think about it. merritt k is one of my most favourite folks online. She's super funny, smart, effortlessly cool, and irreverent in pretty much everything she does.
The last episode of this show posted 21 July 2021, and I miss it every day. merritt interviews folks from around the internet - this show is how I heard of the previously mentioned Garbage Brain University, and Trevor Henderson of Siren Head fame. Another show produced by Jordan Mallory of Materia Possessions, I think The K-Hole is a show I will think about a lot for the rest of my life, and I will miss it dearly. Please bring it back somehow, merritt!
In the event that Fanbyte ever removes this show from the podcast storefronts, you can find every episode here, on the Internet Archive.
That’s it for this week, friends. Thanks so much for reading! Please, please do yourself a favour and go listen to at least one of these shows, I promise it will improve your life - or at least make your life a little weirder. Please consider sharing this post if you found it helpful or interesting! It’s 1:17am on Sunday as I’m writing this and I have to take a shower and go to bed 😅😅😅 but I really appreciate y’all reading. I do this for the fans hahaha.
Alright folks, I’m out. I’ll talk to you all again really soon. Ka kite anō au i a koe. 💚
- Rebecca