Wander through the Roundpeg office in the afternoon, after meetings are done and we’re all in the zone, you are bound to see lots of headphones. While some of us listen to music, others are tuned in to podcasts. Our tastes in podcasts range from news to trivia, history to pop culture.
Some of the programs make us laugh, while others make us think. Sometimes we even find inspiration or source material for blog posts, professional development, and even client projects.
What are we listening to? Here is a a short list of some of our favorites.
Revisionist History
Recommended by Peter
A quality podcast host is hard to find. But that quality is the key to make my favorite podcast list. I just started listening to “Revisionist History” by Malcolm Gladwell. In fact, I’ve only heard one episode: the one about the lost heart disease research and the loving son who discredited his father by releasing it.
The show finds people and events that are overlooked or misunderstood and gives them a second chance. It’s narrated solely by Gladwell, with occasional audio from interviews with the people involved in these stories. He’s soft-spoken and serious, but gently humorous. Phoebe Judge of the podcast “Criminal” is in the same mold, covering similar themes with a similar tone but the events are all crimes. That one’s great too.
Listen to the episode I mentioned, entitled “The Basement Tapes.”
My Brother, My Brother and Me
Recommended by Sam
Informative and educational podcasts are great. But, sometimes you just need to laugh at something silly. My Brother, My Brother and Me (or MBMBaM) is an “advice show for the modern era.” It is a conversational podcast done by three brothers, Justin (your oldest brother), Travis (your middlest brother) and Griffin (your sweet baby brother) McElroy. Over the course of the 40 minute to 1 hour long episodes, the brothers take questions from listeners as well as questions posted on Yahoo Answers.
As for their “advice,” very rarely do the brothers actually hand down quality wisdom. The advice they do give is typically laced with a heavy dose of sarcasm. They mostly just make jokes, laugh at the obscure and crazy questions on Yahoo Answers, go on extraordinary strange tangents and revel in their own oddball (sometimes NSFW) humor. It’s a total riot. The three brothers play off each other so well. I challenge you to listen to an episode and not laugh out loud at least once.
MBMBaM joined Maximum Fun a couple episodes into the series, so you may have to do some digging to find the earliest episodes. But, you can find most of them on the Maximum Fun website.
A Way with Words
Recommended by Simon
Okay, I’m an NPR guy. While my friends cruse around bumping the latest hot jamz, I prefer listening to the informative and entertaining station known for it’s delivery of quality content since 1970. While this might not make me the hippest youth, this preference has introduced me to some of my favorite personalities. Anyone who thinks radios are becoming anachronistic definitely isn’t tuning in at the right time. One of the greatest sources of Saturday entertainment is American Public Media’s comedy and music show Live From Here with the hugely talented Chris Thile. WFYI, Indianapolis’ local public broadcaster, is also a heavy-hitter. I’ve been introduced to more music through the Blues House Party and Small Studio Sessions than I can even begin to thank them for.
With all of these great programs, one would think it difficult to pick a favorite. I have one though! I can’t go a week without listening to A Way with Words with Martha and Grant. Part of my family is from Alabama (or ‘Bama, as we call it) and have some majorly peculiar sayings and parts of speech. The affirmation of hearing another human use a familiar colloquialism and delve into it’s genesis is very satisfying and often enlightening.
You can catch Martha and Grant on the air here in Indianapolis on Saturdays at 10 am on NPR, or online at WayWordRadio.com.
Reply All
Recommended by Lorraine
These days, we turn to the internet to solve all sorts of problems. And that is the basis of Reply All. Each week, hosts PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman share a story about solving a problem using the internet.The tone is casual and the easy banter and gentle teasing make the show feel like a conversation over beers with friends.
Some weeks the topics are serious. Episode #42 is about a women with debilitating pain who turned to a medical crowd sourcing site and found a cure when no doctor could. Other topics lead to interesting adventures. In Episode #102 and #103 host Alex Goldman is called by a phone scammer and tracks him down, all the way to India.
Sometimes I learn something, sometimes I laugh, but I always look forward to listening to Alex and PJ.
More than a Few Words
No list of podcasts would be complete without a shameless plug for our show. With more than 300 episodes, some dating back to 2010, More than a Few Words (MTFW) is a conversation for business owners. From changes to the Facebook algorithm, to a close look at how to write the perfect subject line, each short episode is focused on just one topic.
So when you are done checking out some of the other podcasts on this list, drop by MTFW. You can find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Or sign up today and we’ll send you a brief email every time we release a new episode.