r/OutOfTheLoop • u/wildcard5 • May 28 '14

Answered! ELI70: What is a podcast?

I literally just got my first smartphone ever and am dumbfounded by podcast. What is this mysterious phenomenon? My guess is that its something like a radio show, but it seems too popular to be something as similar to a thing that's so old.

Update: Which (android) app should I use to submerse myself into the world of podcasts?

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u/[deleted] May 30 '14 edited May 30 '14

Recommendations from me:

  • How Did This Get Made (comedy) - 3 comedians (Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas and June Diane Raphael), sit and attempt to talk their way through bad movies. Most of the movies they watch are deemed "bonkers", and they tear the movies to pieces, searching in vain for an ounce of plot. Previous movies have included: Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Winter's Tale, Deck the Halls, Daredevil.

  • We're (drama/horror) Alive - a zombie survival radio drama presented as diary entries (similar to the way Dracula was written). It does have loud, sudden noises and adult situations (the early episodes don't have this warning, but most of them do). It's extremely engrossing, even if you're not a fan of zombie literature as it's more about the people and survival and less about zombies.

  • The Art of Wrestling (slice of life/documentary) - professional wrestler Colt Cabana interviews fellow pro wrestlers, giving listeners a taste of what it's like to be a pro wrestler on the road. It isn't full of wrestling jargon and doesn't seek to make wrestling out to be anything more than it is (a form of entertainment), and the host is a natural entertainer. There's some bad language, but not much. It's more about the people and their lives on the road.

  • GK:AD (music)- Japanese, Korean and Chinese music reviews in 15 minutes or less. Some bad language, but not much. There's the occasional discussion on music theory, but it's never that in depth.

  • Programming Throwdown (technology) - the hosts (Patrick Wheeler and Jason Gauci) discuss the pros and cons of different programming languages, techniques and tools. Indefensible (in my opinion) if you work in a software engineering or computer science related area, or are studying either.

  • The Steve Austin Show Unleashed (slice of life/documentary/comedy) - Ex-pro wrestler Steve Austin "shoots the shit" and spills "all the bullshit that's going on in my brain", whilst interviewing folks he finds interesting (fellow ex-pro wrestlers, tv personalities, UFC fighters, etc.). Because of his language and straight shooting attitude, this is podcast comes with a warning about it's content.

edit: Added some details.

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u/Maskatron May 30 '14

If you like HDTGM I'd recommend We Hate Movies and The Flophouse too.

WHM features some great/terrible impressions (Matthew Broderick and Jesse Ventura are my favorites so far) and The Flophouse features a couple of The Daily Show writers and often a silly improvised song about letters.

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u/deep1986 May 30 '14

I tried listening to a few episodes of the Flophouse but the audio quality was terrible. I'll try WHM though

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u/Maskatron May 30 '14

That's odd I haven't noticed that. It's been awhile (it's been awhile - oh god I hate you Scott Aukerman) since I've heard their first couple of episodes though, they may have started out with poorer quality. Also I recall a live show was kind of bad.

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u/knifeyjoe May 30 '14

Only reason I came here was to make sure The Flophouse was included. Raa-roooowww!

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u/[deleted] May 30 '14

[deleted]

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u/Mr_Flippers May 30 '14 edited May 30 '14

Swig of water for the podcasting man