Aug 17, 2009

Podcast Review Monday: The Sound of Young America

Inspired by Jen's schedule of posts, I have decided to start a more disciplined approach to blogging. Yes, discipline. Schedules. With that in mind...

Podcasts are something I have recently discovered. Ok, so I've known about them for a few years, but have had trouble finding ones I really like. Sure, I'm an NPR junkie, but I hear most of my public radio live on public radio, so I don't need a podcast for most shows. I will be exploring the deep and murky depths of the podcast world because from now on, moving forward, forthwith, Monday will officially be "Podcast Review Monday."

This week, I'll be listened to PRI: The Sound of Young America, one of the most more popular podcasts available on iTunes. It's put out by the same people who do This American Life, only it's not well sculpted stories, it's interviews of varying lengths by Jesse Thorne of people of interest.

Yes, I realize that's a broad description, but the interviews vary widely from Ira Glass to Jenna Fischer, Brother Ali, and Malcolm Gladwell. The other day I listened to an interview with a guy who wrote a book about the history of comics. I was *not* excited about listening to this. But somehow, between Jesse's questions and comments, and the interviewee's enthusiasm, I enjoyed myself. I learned a lot about both the author's personal history (he loved superhero comics growing up), but also about the role comics have served in our own history, and how they are a reflection of culture.

I have dozens of past interviews archived on my iPhone, ready for my listening pleasure. The ecletic mix of topics ensure I'm never bored. I pretty much will listen to any of the interviews all the way through - they vary in length from 20 to 35 minutes, a reasonable dedication of time.

Verdict? I'm on board with the crowd - definite yes.

Title: PRI: The Sound of Young America (also known as MaximumFun.org)
Subject: Real live interviews
Length: 20-35 minutes
Available: iTunes
Cost: Free
Quality: High
Interest: Broad

2 comments:

  1. I'd love to live in a world where we're one of the most popular podcasts in iTunes. Thank you for you kind words. Jesse

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ok maybe most popular in MY world. :-)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions! Makes this much more interesting.