There’s a common conversation I’m sure you’ve heard when podcasts are brought up: “Podcasts? Aren’t those just four dudes sitting around a mic, talking to each other because they think they’re funny?” It’s a frustrating joke, a joke that feels dismissive and dated and inaccurate. Haven’t we left those days behind? Aren’t we better now? Yes, […]
Read More Podcast Problems: The Audience as a Third WheelFor the last two years or so, there’s been this kind of terrible, kind of wonderful trend on YouTube. There are tons of videos that follow a basic formula: “[Piece of media] except [some anxiety-inducing change in editing].” The most popular of these are probably “bee movie but every time they say bee it speeds up” […]
Read More Podcast Problems: The Love and Fear of SilenceThere’s something that happens to me fairly often when I listen to a new nonfiction podcast. I’ll hear about a podcast that discusses some subject I care about, and I’ll be so excited for a new nonfiction show to latch onto. Maybe it’ll be the new Radiolab or Invisibilia, I think, or maybe it’ll be a new hyper-niche […]
Read More Podcast Problems: Good Conversation, Bad PodcastStarting up a podcast is very on-trend right now, but it’s also scary. Depending on how you’re going about your podcast, starting one up can be a huge money sink and will almost inevitably be a huge time sink. While my Podcast Problems posts are meant as cautionary tales for podcast beginners, I think they […]
Read More Podcast Problems: Top 10 Tips for Nonfiction PodcastsStarting up a podcast is very on-trend right now, but it’s also scary. Depending on how you’re going about your podcast, starting one up can be a huge money sink and will almost inevitably be a huge time sink. While my Podcast Problems posts are meant as cautionary tales for podcast beginners, I think they […]
Read More Podcast Problems: Top 10 Tips for Audio DramasOne of the things I do when I’m not listening to podcasts is host literary events. These are usually storytelling events, where the performers range from mumbly to clear and mid-toned, and slam poetry events, where the performers range from whsipery to screamy. There’s only so much sound board management one can do while also hosting, […]
Read More Podcast Problem: Terrible Mouth NoisesTommy Wiseau’s 2003 film, The Room, is a masterclass in bad media on so many counts. The acting, directing, and writing are often discussed, but for me, the dubbing of some lines is really underrated. Pull up any YouTube video of The Room with the intent of catching poorly-dubbed lines. You’ll notice it immediately. The dialogue floats uncomfortably in […]
Read More Podcast Problem: Too Many Mics
