About two years ago, I switched from listening to music at work to listening to podcasts. There are enough quality podcasts now to fill a week easily, and some of those first podcasts I listened to are no longer updating or have fallen out of rotation, and I won’t bother to link you to those, but this is how I fill up my work hours now:
From the ACE Broadcasting Network:
The Adam Carolla Show | Website | iTunes
I used to turn my radio on, down way low, in the middle of the night to listen to Loveline. Teenagers would call in, Adam would laugh at them, and Dr. Drew would mother them and reassure them that, no, you can’t get pregnant via anal sex. Adam left the show in the mid 00’s to take over Howard Stern’s slot on the radio, but we didn’t get that morning show here, so it wasn’t until his radio show ended and his podcast began that our love affair picked up again. He gets good guests, he asks tough questions, he goes off on wild rants, and he puts out at least an hour every weekday.
From Maximum Fun:
Jordan, Jesse, Go! | Website | iTunes
Jordan Morris and Jesse Thorn bring in a guest every week–comedians, filmmakers, friends, and in one notable case, webcomic artists–but they don’t exactly interview them. Instead this show is free-flowing and conversational, following any tangent. It’s a weekly, and one of the first podcasts I listen to on a Monday. This is a priority listen for me, and I don’t think I’ve ever had two episodes waiting to be listened to at the same time.
My Brother, My Brother and Me | Website | iTunes
Three brothers get together once a week and give advice that their disclaimer warns ‘should never be followed.’ When questions aren’t forthcoming, they pay it even further forward and answer interesting Yahoo! Answers questions. This isn’t the only advice show I listen to, but in this case, it isn’t really about the advice, it’s about the interaction between the hosts and the colorful turns of phrase they employ. If you heard me say something “wasn’t really my jam” in the last six months, or talk about “rearranging some guts,” you were hearing MBMBaM second hand. I bought the app, guys.
Judge John Hodgman | Website | iTunes
The shortest podcast in my regular rotation. John Hodgman (who you probably know as “a PC”, but maybe if you’re awesome as the author of “The Areas of My Expertise” etc.) acts as a Judge to settle skype disputes between roommates, lovers, families and friends. His judgments may not be binding, but they’re pretty fun.
From the Hot Dog Network:
Advice Hot Dog | Website | iTunes
Zack and Roy answer questions. This one is probably going to be a hard sell, but if you like the web game Kingdom of Loathing and its attendant radio shows, you should definitely check this one out.
Video Games Hot Dog | Website | iTunes
The makers of Kingdom of Loathing broke off half of their Thursday radio show and converted it into discussion of other video games. They play old classics together, discuss game development, and have a good time.
120 Minutes of Kingdom of Loathing | Website | iTunes
The creators of the web game Kingdom of Loathing did two two-hour internet radio shows a week, talking about the game and life in general. The Monday show is Jick and Mr. Skullhead, the Thursday show is Jick, Hotstuff, and Riff. This podcast is the archive of those shows. It isn’t strictly a part of the Hot Dog network, but this is probably the best place to stick this.
From the Nerdist network:
The Indoor Kids | Website | iTunes
The Indoor Kids is a videogame podcast hosted by husband-and-wife team Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V Gordon. They’ve had some great guests and some great conversations, and are a recent favorite. I’m listening to the most recent episode now, and that makes me all caught up.
Podcasts about Movies:
Doug Loves Movies | Website | iTunes
Doug Benson and his comedian friends play movie trivia in front of a live audience. Either you like Doug Benson or you don’t, but this is a solid listen.
Overthinking It Podcast | Website | iTunes
The guys at Overthinking it tackle a lot of things, not just movies, but movies are often the centerpiece of each episode. They do, as promised, overthink and overanalyze, and that can be very entertaining.
Podcasts about Video Game Music:
Top Score with Emily Reese | Website | iTunes
Emily Reese of Minnesota Public Radio interviews video game composers, over their soundtracks. It’s great for classical music fans and great for videogame fans. But maybe you wanted to hear some old-school music?
The Legacy Music Hour | Website | iTunes
The Legacy Music Hour focuses on the best music of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, so this is where you will go to hear Mega Man tracks, Final Fantasy tracks, etc. There’s a big backlog here, so it’ll take you a long time to clear it out even if you get really caught up.