I owned a first-generation iPod in 2001 and sported a Sony Walkman in the 1980s. So, I’ve been devotee of audio-while-walking for decades.

But I probably listen to more audio than ever today in the form of podcasts streamed through my smartphone, as a byproduct of my dog-walking routine.

What I love about my daily podcast habit is that I get surprised by ideas such as “pataphysics.”

One minute I’m pulling a plastic bag from my pocket to pick up after my dog. The next I’m lost in the world of pataphysics, a pseudoscience created by absurdist French playwright Alfred Jarry—his “science of imaginary solutions.”

I crossed paths with pataphysics this month thanks to one of the latest episodes of “A Life in Lyrics,” a podcast hosted by poet Paul Muldoon to explore the songs in the Paul McCartney catalog, built around the pair’s recorded conversations that also generated the hefty coffee-table book “The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present.”

Despite a lifetime of Beatles fandom, I never had dwelled on how McCartney dropped the term “pataphysical” into the opening lyrics of the song “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”:

Joan was quizzical, studied pataphysical
Science in the home
Late nights all alone with a test-tube, ohh uh oh oh
Maxwell Edison majoring in medicine
Calls her on the phone
'Can I take you out to the pictures, Joan?’

“Abbey Road” is a gorgeous album, but this pod episode made me realize how “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” may be the most twisted tune in the Beatles catalog.

Another example: I was oblivious to the consumer boom in giant colorful water bottles manufactured by Stanley until the “Plain English” podcast with Derek Thompson fully explained it—including the company’s 19^th century origins, the influencer status of Mormon moms, and the behavioral patterns of swarming locusts.

Last year I switched pod platforms from Stitcher (shut down by owner Sirius XM) to Spotify, where my family’s music listening already was based. (To clarify: I still collect vinyl LPs and CDs and support musicians through these formats, but we also enjoy the convenience of a family Spotify subscription.) The transition was fairly seamless but also gave me occasion to take stock of my pod diet.

While I follow several dozen pods, as you’ll see below, keep in mind I’m extremely choosy in which episodes I listen to—filtering based on guest or topic. There may not be a pod series where I listen to every single episode.

But I love the sense of discovery on the pod scene. As somebody who has co-produced multiple pods, I love how the format, in its best incarnation, can make the most of intimate conversation, a distinct and engaging voice, and a narrative arc. I also simply love the art of a good interview.

Just this month I discovered a new-to-me series centered on handling grief, “From Loss to Light,” because it featured a heartfelt conversation with fellow Iowa Writers’ Collaborative columnist Doug Burns. Co-host and author Michelle Cowan is somebody I’ve gotten to know through the annual Okoboji Writers’ Retreat.

I assembled the following list—roughly arranged into categories—to examine my own listening routine and to prod you, dear Substack readers, to share your own favorites.

Keep in mind that what you see here doesn’t include every last pod in my lineup. There are general news shows such as the New York Times’ “The Daily,” or the Wall Street Journal’s “The Journal,” that also are staples in my diet.

I’m also a fan and supporter of Iowa Public Radio (and National Public Radio and public radio in general), and most of their shows/pods aren’t reflected here.

Also missing: Some of my favorite podcasts have been limited runs, not an ongoing series, so they’re also absent. For instance:

“Wind of Change” investigated whether the CIA backed a Scorpions hit rock song to help win the Cold War.
The first season of “Crime Town” chronicled the epic mob story of Providence, Rhode Island, and larger-than-life Mayor Buddy Cianci, who led his city both before and after a stint in jail.
Last year’s season of the pod “Witnessed,” titled “Devil in the Ditch,” followed a host who investigated the unsolved murder of her 85-year-old grandmother in Mississippi—nearly 20 years after the crime.

With all those caveats out of the way, here’s my current pod menu, more or less.

Available for iOS and Android

BOOKS

“About Books”: This is one of the many C-SPAN series in my feed. Check out the Feb. 1 episode with Mary Beth Tinker discussing Iowa book bans and free speech.
“The Book Review”: The New York Times’ staple book pod.
“Booknotes+”: A recent rebroadcast of a 1992 interview with Texas billionaire Ross Perot—just ahead of his third-party run for the White House—was fascinating for the comparison and contrast with our modern populist politics.

CULTURE/COMEDY

“Club Random with Bill Maher”: Depending on how much Maher and his guest indulge in cocktails and pot, this series can veer into annoying ramble. But there are some gems.
“Fly on the Wall”: In talking through the history of “Saturday Night Live” with all the top names you’d expect, Dana Carvey and David Spade end up really talking about how comedy and Americans’ self-perception have changed in the last 50 years.
“In Our Time”: This BBC series of exhaustive, serious explorations of classic cultural topics may be the ultimate nerdy entry on my list.
“Just Go Bike”: As one of the pods I co-founded, I still turn to JGB for two-wheeled talk as co-hosts Andrea Parrott and Kathy Murphy so ably carry the torch for RAGBRAI Nation.
“Lex Fridman Podcast”: This was new to my feed in 2023. I assume Fridman is the only Massachusetts Institute of Technology research scientist with a pod dedicated to “conversations about the nature of intelligence, consciousness, love, and power.” I became aware of him through some of his high-profile guests (such as Jeff Bezos), but his episodes with lesser-known figures, such as bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, are just as worthy.
“Q with Tom Power”: Interviews with famous names, from a Canadian viewpoint.
“SmartLess”: This pod is Exhibit A for an accidental megahit—as measured by its new $100 million deal with SiriusXM—spurred by the pandemic. Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett model all the key principles of the most successful pods: Their genuine friendship generates cozy, effortless conversation. As comedians they know how to crack jokes. They can book A-list guests. The interview-based format minimizes production costs.
“Twenty Thousand Hertz”: I can’t praise this pod enough. It’s one of the most consistently fascinating listens thanks to its deep dives into the meaning behind all the sounds we tend to take for granted in our daily lives.
“Your Mama’s Kitchen”: My wife just introduced this to me—a pod from Michele Norris, who interviews a wide variety of celebs and uses food and the childhood kitchen as the thematic hub of conversation.

Subscribe now

ECONOMY

“Goldman Sachs Exchanges”: Takes the pulse of the global economy, with occasional deep dives into specific sectors such as the auto industry.
“The Investopedia Express With Caleb Silver”: True to the Investopedia brand, this pod tends to frame financial issues with great accessibility and clarity.
“The McKinsey Podcast”: McKinsey always seems to be in the conversation, right?
“Merryn Talks Money”: This Bloomberg podcast on finance is led by a veteran editor and columnist based in London.
“Motley Fool Money”: The Motley gang usually stages a lively roundtable conversation on investment analysis.

MOVIES

“Team Deakins”: This pod is dedicated to the pure craft of filmmaking. The husband-wife duo of (acclaimed cinematographer) Roger and James Deakins leans on decades of industry experience and connections. Maybe more than any other pod, this one feels like I’m getting to sit behind the scenes with people who work in Hollywood for all the right reasons.
“The Town”: This series tracks the financial dealmaking side of Hollywood. If I had to pick, Matthew Belloni may be the best host currently working—a clear and natural cadence, unflagging energy, never at a loss for words, the right amount of humor.
“You Must Remember This”: These “forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century” are well-crafted narratives by Karina Longworth (whose husband happens to be director Rian Johnson).

MUSIC

“Broken Record”: I’m not an acolyte of the guru musings of Rick Rubin or Malcolm Gladwell, but their interviews pod draws a wide variety of top musicians.
“Iowa Basement Tapes”: Filmmaker Kristian Day is doing Iowa and all future historians a great service by chronicling the overlooked underground of DIY bands.
“Lipps Service”: Another new pod for me in 2023. I had zero awareness of host Scott Lipps, but he leads quality conversations with a broad array of acts.
“LSQ”: As in veteran music journalist Jenny Eliscu—the pod title a guide on how to pronounce her last name.
“Rolling Stone Music Now”: Host Brian Hiatt is instantly likeable. Rolling Stone magazine was an essential read during my 1980s childhood. Today, this pod basically is my only remaining interaction with the brand.
“Strong Songs”: If you care about the craft of songwriting, these deconstructions by host Kirk Hamilton are essential listening.
“Switched on Pop”: Here’s yet another pod fronted by a quirky duo, in this case songwriter Charlie Harding and musicologist Nate Sloan. One of my favorite pod moments last year was their miniseries on the entire history of Daft Punk.
“The Vinyl Guide Interview”: This is the pod for vinyl collectors, hosted by Nate Goyer from Sydney, Australia.
“Wheels Off With Rhett Miller”: The Old 97s frontman interviews fellow musicians in an attempt to better understand the creative muse.
“Who Cares About the Rock Hall?”: Going deep on just one angle on pop music—who gets inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and why—is a brilliant way to spark meaningful conversations about what we should (or shouldn’t) enshrine as a culture.
“Word in Your Ear”: This is an occasional listen for me from a pair of veteran U.K. music journalists whose pod has outlasted by more than a dozen years the former magazine that inspired it.
“World Café Words and Music”: This is the classic WXPN tunes-and-talk show.

POLITICS/HISTORY

“The Axe Files”: Check out David Axelrod’s recent conversation with New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman on the Middle East.
“Conversations With Bill Kristol”: The production values are scant—barely a theme song. And Kristol may be incapable of asking a concise question. But the conversations are serious, earnest, and well-informed.
“Hacks on Tap”: The trio of David Axelrod, Mike Murphy, and Robert Gibbs hasn’t been bored in the last year with the “feral genius” of Donald Trump injected back into the center of presidential politics.
“Highball Politics”: A pair of political consultants (including familiar Iowa figure David Kochel) frame conversations around the bartenders who are forced to listen to their patrons haggle over politics night after night.
“Honestly with Bari Weiss”: One of my favorite pod episodes of 2023 was a rerun about musician and poet Leonard Cohen’s involvement in the 1973 Yom Kippur War—an episode that happened to hit just ahead of the Oct. 7 massacre.
“Lectures in History”: Yes, I’m serious about C-SPAN in my pod diet—the audio equivalent of healthy whole grains.
“The New Yorker Radio Hour”: New Yorker Editor David Remnick may vie with “The Daily” host Michael Barbaro for his ability to ask a question in a hushed tone yet with arch drama.
“On the Media”: WNYC’s classic series with Brooke Gladstone remains essential listening for anybody who sees media not as a monolith but an incredibly complex ecosystem.
“Pivot”: I’ve become a more occasional listener of “Pivot” in the last year, primarily because the personalities of hosts Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway can overwhelm. I want a higher ratio of insight into issues vs. hosts’ idiosyncrasies. But they still do a good job of hitting hot buttons and snagging guests.
“Real Time With Bill Maher”: Of course, this is a TV series on HBO. But I’ve always preferred consuming this (and much of C-SPAN, as you noticed) as a podcast. I love the efficiency of pods—remaining active in the world while listening and learning rather than being forced to sit and stare at a screen.
“Ruthless”: I’ve always believed part of an effective media diet is consuming sources we disagree with. That’s the case for me with “Ruthless.” I almost never nod along to how this right-wing “progrum” frames issues, and I almost never listen to a complete episode. But hearing how they (try to) articulate certain arguments is part of keeping my senses calibrated to better separate propaganda from news.
“Sinica”: Essential conversations on everything China. Kaiser Kuo may be the best pod host in terms of always focusing interviews on the most urgent issues and intriguing concepts, no matter his guest.
“We the People”: If I was to award just one pod for its service to America, it probably would be this series from the National Constitution Center. This a refreshing nonpartisan refuge where CEO Jeffrey Rosen convenes top legal and historical minds for timely debates on our most divisive national issues.

TECH

“The AI Breakdown: Daily Artificial Intelligence New and Discussions”: Generally, I prefer to consume my daily and breaking news by reading headlines and stories through apps and newsletters. But this quick-hit pod so far is one of the more effective audio summaries I’ve sampled.
“Bloomberg Technology”: Another option for the daily drumbeat of tech news—more conventional and broadcast-based than “AI Breakdown.”
“Hard Fork”: This New York Times podcast was one of my favorite additions to my diet in 2023. Hosts Kevin Roose and Casey Newton basically rode the crest of the AI wave to pod prominence. They do a good job of booking key players and keeping their goofiness more endearing than annoying.

Share Kyle Munson's Main Street

The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative has grown to include nearly 50 members and a Letters from Iowans column. Subscribe to the main account for a convenient way to be notified weekly about most posts by most members. You can support specific members according to your unique interests by becoming a paid subscriber to any individual newsletter. We are also proud to be affiliated with Iowa Capital Dispatch, where some of our content is regularly republished.