The creation of sonic worlds with Short Cuts
The Mastercast
11/14/22
•3m
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Short Cuts - No Spoilers!
This podcast is a one of a kind show, in a category of its own, on the same caliber as The Moth and This American Life. Made under BBC Radio 4 and hosted by lovely Josie Long, a writer and comedian, it’s a collection of audio art that includes all sorts of things from short documentaries, to weird and surreal soundscapes, to true stories, to poems, and absolutely everything in between. Each episode is based on a theme and is made up of usually three 9 minute clips that inspire an extraordinary range of emotions and appreciation for every aspect of life. The show seems perfectly adapted to the internet age attention span. Audio can have all the dimensions that regular art has. It can be abstract, a snapshot of life, or surreal. It can be more than just educational, entertaining, or interviewing famous people. This podcast showcases that. It’s proof that there is no limit to what podcasts can be. Hidden gems of perspective and time that chronicle unheard sounds. Okay, enough gushing. The podcast has 4.7 out of 5 stars on Apple Podcasts with 138 Ratings. There are currently 191 episodes that are on average about 30 minutes long. My favorite episodes are hard to choose but “Body Language,” “Rabbit Holes,” and “Lines of Communication” are all high on the list. Some episodes come with difficult subjects but all are covered with attentiveness. The only problem with the show is that there will never be enough. It’s truly something you have to hear to understand.
Similar pods: Anthems, The Kitchen Sisters Present, and Selected Shorts
Sources:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/short-cuts/id655015882
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/short-cuts-56083
Previous Episode
Women's history with The History Chicks
November 7, 2022
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The History Chicks - No Spoilers!
This is podcast is made up of the history lessons you’ve always wanted but never got. Every two weeks Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider pick a woman from the thousands of year of human history and tell her story. From a variety of eras and backgrounds, everything about each woman is mentioned including interpretations, connections, and bias. The episodes start with a 30 second summary of what you can expect, goes into the birth, life, and later death of the individual, and then wraps with the sources used. One thing I really love about the hosts is that even though the stories are told mainly from the perspectives of a particular woman, Graham and Vollenweider recognize the bias in that. A character maybe perceived and presented as a villain in one woman’s episode but be a hero in their own. This self-awareness plus in depth research is what makes this podcast so beloved among history fans. And I mean beloved. Starting in January of 2011, the show has 4.7 out of 5 stars and 6.9K Ratings. To keep such a high average over a long time is difficult for even the best pods. It’s also been recognized with a handful of awards such as a finalist in The People’s Choice Podcast Award, a finalist in The Academy of Podcasters Awards, and Mixcloud Online Radio Awards, Best Talk Show in the Education Category. They were finalist in The People’s Choice Podcast Award for seven years straight. I highly recommend checking out their detailed websites and packed show notes for things like photos, videos, and news for every episode. Their Facebook group, History Chicks Podcast Lounge, is also such a friendly and inviting community. So far there are 263 episodes! On average they are about an hour long and while they are typically put out every two weeks, the day does vary. My favorite episodes have been “Laura Ingalls Wilder” and “The Romanovs (Part 1).” Audio is rough in the first couple of episodes but like with every podcast gets better with time. I really love this podcast and I’m so happy there are so many episodes. You could relisten a couple of times before I think you could begin to remember it all. It’s comforting, relaxing, distracting, and interesting. What more could you ask for?
Similar Pods: The Gilded Gentleman, What'sHerName, and Stuff You Missed in History Class.
Sources:
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-history-chicks-31814
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-history-chicks/id415983183
Next Episode
Words and the science behind them with Science Diction
November 22, 2022
•3m
Science Diction - No Spoilers!
From WNYC Radio and Science Friday, this podcast is equal parts etymology and science. Newsletter turned podcast, every week host Johanna Mayer dived deep into a single word and the science behind it. Some words or ideas are clearly science-forward (Myers-Briggs, Ambergris, Mercury) but others are not (honeymoon, serendipity, etc). No matter what the subject, the show found the history and science behind the term. A lot of the words covered are interesting stories that don’t meet the standard flashy news criteria and so otherwise would be stories that go untold. Facts, trends, predictions, and interviews are weaved together with the interruptions of music or ads. The show has 4.7 out of 5 and 588 Ratings. You may have caught the past tense and I have to confirm your future fears. The podcast said goodbye in April of 2022 with a mini-recap episode that looked back at all the show had done. During its run, a total of 42 episodes were published. On average they are about 17 minutes long. My favorites, which I recommend listening to first, were “Vocal Fry: Why I’m Not Getting A Voice Coach” and “Hydrox: How A Cookie Got A Name So Bad.” The episode on vocal fry is a must-listen! I won’t go on my usual vocal fry rant but it isn’t “hard on your ears.” It’s a natural occurrence in women AND men (although women are almost exclusively judged for it) that can change the meaning of words in many different languages. The host was often criticized for her vocal fry but uses the opportunity to educate others on the topic. Honestly listening through I didn’t notice anything.
Similar pods: Surprisingly Brilliant, Distillations | Science History Institute, and Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast by Sam Kean.
Sources:
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/science-diction-1032503
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/science-diction/id1500919715
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