ENTERTAINMENT
Podcast Nation BY ADRIENNE MCILVAINE
WITH THE INCREDIBLE CRITICAL AND COMMERCIAL ACCLAIM OF THE SERIAL PODCAST, AN EXPERIMENTAL PIECE OF JOURNALISTIC STORYTELLING THAT SURPRISED EVEN ITS CREATORS, IT’S BECOME CLEAR THAT 2014 WAS THE YEAR PODCASTS CAME INTO THEIR OWN (AND THERE’S NO STOPPING THEM IN 2015).
A spin-off of the wildly popular series This American Life, Serial managed to capture all the qualities of a great podcast. Each episode is engaging, informative, exciting and suspenseful. And the best part about it? With no pictures or images to speak of, the real-life murder mystery exists solely in the listeners’ imaginations. People talk, others listen; it’s a brilliantly simple format that stretches back to the 1920s, which saw the newlyinvented radio become a one-stop shop for news and entertainment. In fact, Garrison Keillor’s popular public radio series A Prairie Home Companion, which first began broadcasting in 1974, is an affectionate throwback to the radio dramas and music variety programs that characterized the pre-television era. The only difference now is that instead of being chained to a radio, podcasts can go anywhere; coined in 2004, the term initially referred to the iPod, which revolutionized media consumption in the digital age.
It’s never been easier to find a podcast, since there’s an estimated 300,000 unique titles in the iTunes store. Some of our favorites: The Bugle: Comedian John Oliver and his two friends in the UK discuss current events with razor-sharp wit and difficult-to-understand accents. Throwing Shade: A genre-busting show from two UCB vets, this podcast takes down everything from gender stereotypes to the portrayal of gays in the media. The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project: This podcast showcases the gifted improv comedian’s take on a new character every week. There’s a show for just about everything under the sun, and just as many ways to listen. Most episodes run between 30 and 60 minutes, making them perfect for listening while commuting, working out at the gym, doing household chores and other tedious daily tasks.
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The imagination is the ultimate creative engine, and podcasts exploit that to the fullest. There’s something intimate about listening to people talk; without the visual clutter of pictures, drawings and moving images, it’s easy to imagine that they’re speaking directly to you. And unencumbered by special effects budgets or high-priced talent, creators are free to dream up anything and everything they desire. Scott Aukerman’s popular podcastturned-IFC series Comedy Bang Bang, for example, is especially known for its low-tech, nonsensical games and surreal comedy styling that has drawn everyone from Jon Hamm to “Weird Al” Yankovic to its (imaginary) stage. There’s something deeply ironic that, in an age where anyone can be reached anytime and anywhere, and the world of the technology-warped BBC series Black Mirror is closer than we think, millions of people have rediscovered the simple joy of people getting together and having a conversation. Is this the beginning of a backlash against the synergistic, corporate driven media, or just another fad? I guess we’ll just have to stay tuned... and downloaded. @mizocty February 2015 - BELLO