Log in

The Mastercast - Museum sneak peaks with Sidedoor
share icon

Museum sneak peaks with Sidedoor

The Mastercast

10/03/22

3m

About

Comments

Featured In

This week we look at the Smithsonian Institute's podcast Sidedoor.

Full Transcript:

Hey Pod lovers. I’m your host Marie and If you’re joining us for the first time: Welcome! The Mastercast is a podcast recommendation show that brings you a brand new non-spoiler binge-worthy review every week of the best podcasts in a short and sweet 2-3 minute summary on everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be. New episodes come out every Monday. You can find the week’s other reviews on the show’s social on Instagram @themastercast and Twitter @mastercastpods. If you like what you hear and want to help out this independent show you can find me on Buy me a coffee by searching The Mastercast. I’d really appreciate it. This week’s review is on

Sidedoor - No spoilers!

I’ve only been to the Smithsonian Institution in D.C. once as a kid but this bi-weekly podcast the museum produces makes you feel like you’re walking through the halls. Perfect for those who are still cautious about going out. Not only does it cover an extreme variety topics (history, science, art, space, and nature to name a few) but it covers some that aren’t on exhibit so even if you were to go you wouldn’t experience these stories. How many could there possibly be I hear you ask. Well the archives of the museum are filled with around 155 million artifacts each one with a story to tell. The institution is made up of 21 museum and the natural zoo. This podcast pulls from all of them and puts the objects discussed into captivating narratives that make the information you learn stay with you. Host Lizzie Peabody weaves interviews with facts that will leave you passionately curious about whatever the topic. The show, which first aired in October of 2016, has 4.6 stars and 1,700 ratings. So far there 150 episodes each about 25 minutes long. Perfect for the average commute. Their website has the show coming out every other Wednesday but on Pocketcasts and other players the days seem more sporadic. Owltail has the most listened to episodes as “Special Delivery” and “The Curse of the Hope Diamond.” My favorites were “The Dinosaur War” and “Murder Is Her Hobby” Music is quick and unremarkable. No trigger warnings for this one.

Similar pods: Museum Confidential, Museums n'That, and Museum Archipelago

All right, guys, that’s all for this week but remember if you want to see the cover art, sources or the written transcript for this episode be sure to check out the show notes. You can also send us an email at themastercastpodlist@gmail.com. There you can tell us if you have music you would like played on the show or submit a podcast to be recommended. This week’s music came from Universal Music Productions. Remember to share the show with the pod lovers in your life and tune in next Monday. Thanks for listening.

★ Support this podcast ★

Previous Episode

undefined - Cultural puzzles with Decoder Ring
Cultural puzzles with Decoder Ring

September 12, 2022

4m

This week we look at..ourselves and culture with Decoder Ring. Musical guest is DJ Booda.

Full Transcript:

Hey Pod lovers. I’m your host Marie and If you’re joining us for the first time: Welcome! The Mastercast is a podcast recommendation show that brings you a brand new non-spoiler binge-worthy review every week of the best podcasts in a short and sweet 2-3 minute summary on everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be. New episodes come out every Monday. You can find the week’s other reviews on the show’s social on Instagram @themastercast and Twitter @mastercastpods. If you like what you hear and want to help out this independent show you can find me on Buy me a coffee by searching The Mastercast. I’d really appreciate it. This week’s review is on

Decoder Ring - No Spoilers

This recommendation shouldn’t come as a surprise.I actually hesitated to review it because it’s not like it needs any help reaching more people. It’s a legend among those looking for mysteries that aren’t crime related. Related to Endless Thread and Gimlet’s short-run Mystery Show, Slate’s Decoder Ring sets itself apart by focusing on cultural mysteries. The rise and fall of the mullet, the Karen, and why every professional on Linked in is expected to consider themselves a storyteller are just a few of the many topics covered so far. In each monthly episode Willa Paskin, the show’s host, looks at an aspect of our lives, its lore and why it matters. I honestly can’t think of another podcast that looks at something the way this one does, by dissecting something mundane that we take for granted and turning it into nostalgia for things, in some cases, you weren’t even around for. There were episodes that didn’t immediately jump out as interesting to me but I listened anyway for Paskin’s charm and reasoning only to be thrilled with how fascinating they were. With 4.6 out of 5 stars and 1.5K Ratings, the show sits at #154 in the Apple Podcast charts for Society and cultural but #9 for documentary according to Chartable. The show currently sits at 59 episodes that are on average about 39 minutes long. Owltail has the most popular episodes as “Murphy's Law” and “Clown Panic.” Personally I think there are far better ones. Try starting off with “The Johnlock Conspiracy” or “The Incunabula Papers.” I also really loved this last season’s bonus episodes in which Paskin discusses the philosophies and methods of the show. In the past the show’s once a month release schedule had been a bit inconsistent at times which I suspect played into moving to a seasonal release schedule. Commercials are average bordering on a bit much but I promise it's a beloved podcast for a reason. Also ads allow you to listen to this for free and there is always fast-forwarding. Some think the podcast is too political but I don’t. If I had to name a complaint it would be that sometimes I feel like the conclusions the host draws doesn’t really sum up the whole topic, which can be a little underwhelming. It’s rare but there. Like the show is trying to make something out of nothing but I just sum it up to me not getting the point. It’s a show you can’t help but love. Content warnings are different for each episode but have some have included sexual assault and mature language.

Similar pods you may not have heard include: Spectacle, Shattered Souls (the older Thinking Sideways episodes), and Underunderstood.

All right, guys, that’s all for this week but remember if you want to see the cover art, sources or the written transcript for this episode be sure to check out the show notes. You can also send us an email at themastercastpodlist@gmail.com. There you can tell us if you have music you would like played on the show or submit a podcast to be recommended. This week’s music came from DJ Booda. The song featured is “We will see.” Please check him out on Soundcloud by searching DJ Booda. This link and info will also be in the show notes as well. Remember to share the show with the pod lovers in your life and tune in next Monday. Thanks for listening.

Artist: DJ Booda
Song: We Will See

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user370694015/we-will-see

★ Support this podcast ★

Next Episode

This week we look at "This Week I Learned."

Full Transcript:

Hey Pod lovers. I’m your host Marie and If you’re joining us for the first time: Welcome! The Mastercast is a podcast recommendation show that brings you a brand new non-spoiler binge-worthy review every week of the best podcasts in a short and sweet 2-3 minute summary on everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be. New episodes come out every Monday. You can find the week’s other reviews on the show’s social on Instagram @themastercast and Twitter @mastercastpods. If you like what you hear and want to help out this independent show you can find me on Buy me a coffee by searching The Mastercast. I’d really appreciate it. This week’s review is on

This Week I learned

Not to be confused with the weirdest thing I learned this week by popular science, this podcast from the magazine The Week is made up of fun bite sized bits on interesting and diverse topics. Some of the other shows The Week has include Seven minute explainer, The Week Unwrapped, and Seven-Minute Opinions. Host Lauren Hansen is a fun and charming host, coupled with lovely short music weaved into facts and the studies behind them. Science, history, and psychology are just a few of the subjects that were presented by the show during its run. The podcast ended in 2017 but with 79 episodes all about 18 minutes long you have at least 23 hours of amazing content to listen to. My favorite episodes which I recommend starting with were “Ep. 74: This week I learned the dinosaurs could still be alive today if the asteroid had hit pretty much anywhere else, and more” and “Ep. 36: This week I learned why we're all suckers for the good cop/bad cop routine, and more.” For its short run the show has 4.2 out of 5 stars and 239 ratings. You should give it a listen and a review, you never know what shows can be brought back.

Similar pods: The Fact of the Matter, Unexplainable by Vox, and NOVA Now

All right, guys, that’s all for this week but remember if you want to see the cover art, sources or the written transcript for this episode be sure to check out the show notes. You can also send us an email at themastercastpodlist@gmail.com. There you can tell us if you have music you would like played on the show or submit a podcast to be recommended. This week’s music came from Universal Music Productions. Remember to share the show with the pod lovers in your life and tune in next Monday. Thanks for listening.

★ Support this podcast ★

Promoted