Podcast Fever

So, I've lately begun to seriously enjoy listening to podcasts as opposed to music on my way to school. I'm swiftly becoming addicted, in fact. Why?

Well, in some cases, I believe there's a certain quaint enjoyment to be found in listening to the personal podcasts of individuals as it is much like listening to someone's blog. As can be expected, this experience may bring a certain feeling of being connected to a greater community, creating a web of "friends" that you don't know and who don't know you but will nevertheless air their life's dirty laundry and their innermost hopes and fears for you to connect-with/laugh-at. But it may also, at times, become brutally laborious, as you careen through the average Joe's pensive recounting of his/her daily banal minutia of why they chose a certain brand of toothpaste or why why they decided to rent "Brokeback Mountain" instead of "The Devil Wears Prada" at the video store. J. Michael Haas puts a nice twist on his personal podcast, "The Daily Purge," by including excepts of his writings at the start of each installment. After his readings, however, the podcasts often degenerate to him talking about his cats.... This is the reason that I don't listen to podcasts like this too often. So what, then, do I listen to?

Mostly, I've found myself listening to podcasts like Boing Boing's new one, Penn Jilette's "Penn Radio," "Democracy Now," "Real Time" with Bill Maher, etc. These (and like a gagillion others I've recently decided I can't live without) sit in that greyish news/current events/editorial/entertainment zone that helps career underachievers such as yours truly feel connected to what's going on in the world. Of course, this feeling comes largely from listening to others rant and rave about how our society is coming apart at the seams. Oh well, it's better than not being informed at all.

On another note, Indie Feed has a collection of podcasts that are seriously cool and fun give you a little taste of various artists and whatnot. Likewise, KEXP is rocking my world lately too, injecting my earbuds with all kinds of new artists and sweet live performances.

Let us also not forget discipline specific podcasts like "Inside Home Recording" and the many Photoshop Podcasts out there. What better way to stay ahead of the game?

If you're not yet "into" podcasts, I guarantee that once you start searching, you'll find a plethora of casts that fit your individual tastes. Recently, I'm listing to/watching (ipod video, ya'll... holla!) audiobooks, radio shows, poetry readings, personal blogs, political debates, news, new music releases, etc, and finding myself absolutely thrilled with the wealth and variety of information that can be carried with me wherever I go. Maybe this is a passing thing for me; I can't say for sure. But with so much quality content out there.... how could it be?