My name is Nikki and I'm here to admit, I LOVE PODCASTS. But... podcasts are basically glorified AM radio stations... right? We can all admit that right? We basically gave AM radio a makeover and are taking it out a dates and will probably propose in a year a two because we're all in our late 20s/30s and pretty soon... I digress.
When did the podcast zeitgiest hit? When did it become cool? I really wanna to know who was able to give these old, crusty-esque, for your great-grandpa media platforms a facelift so that I can say.
Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you for making podcasts cool.
If I'm honest, I would have come around and joined the bandwagon soon enough but it feels good to publicly declare my love for podcasts. The one's that I listen to, anyway. I don't want to knock the old Frasier Crane's of yore (shoutout to Cheers and Frasier), but fuddy-duddies are not my cup of hot tea. The podcasts I listen to are biting, informative, witty, fresh, and honest. Straight no chaser. I gets my life (and motivation) with daily doses from the frontmen who work the mics. (What do we call them, podcasters? Hype-men? DJs? Because... I don't want to call them the voices in my head. That would not bode well for any future testimonies I may or may not have to give.)
Anyway, here's a list of podcasts that I tune into on the daily for some time. It's not the exhaustive list nor are they free of faults, but they work for me.
Tiny Desk Concerts (NPR)
This little gem of a podcast is pretty self explanatory. "Our favorite musicians perform at the NPR Music office." I had this image of everyone at NPR being fuddy duddy and very unrelateable. And while that may still be true (hey, I'm not in charge of their PR okay) the staff there has really great taste in music. And the artists? They really do perform at tiny desks! HA! Love it. The artists perform 3-5 songs showcasing their hits, but in a new way, as well as performing some new stuff that they may even have written the day of (hello Chance the Rapper). I love the ambience that the audience adds to the recording (could you imagine having Adele, D.R.A.M or Tank and the Bangas playing a concert doing your lunch hour ... AND you get to go!?). Yes here for it and also new stuff that their working on. I stay getting my life and even when I don't recognize the name of the artist that pops up on my headphones--autoplay queen here--I always, always always love what I'm hearing.
'Breaking Into Startups' -
First of all, there is such a thing as having a zaddy voice. Ruben Harris, one of the hosts, has a quiet storm zaddy voice that I could listen to all day! #NotAshamed #YouCanFightMeOnThis. That alone could have me coming back. That aside, they are my kind of people. Their mission is to "feature inspiring stories of people who broke into tech from non-traditional backgrounds" and they manage to offer you inspiring stories, tangible teams, honest reflections all the while educating you along the way. Full disclosure: I'm learning how to code so their schtick is motivating as hell. I save every episode it seems and when I'm having down moments and want to throw my computer across the room, they talk me back. They feature folks working in the industry across the spectrum from ex-felons, actors, teen moms, and career changers who have had a life. I'm game. Also remember, ZADDY VOICES.
2 Dope Queens -
God bless these two women, Phoebe Robinson & Jessica Williams. Talk about a breath of fresh air! I like their format A LOT. It's variety show meets podcast. They talk to one another in front of a live studio audience and offer commentary on pop-culture and whatever the hell else the fancy and then then also feature comedians in the show who are well known enough to have a following but aren't too big time where the audience doesn't automatically laugh at their jokes. (I realize this may sound like an insult but it isn't!) The live show aspect provides a nuance that I like...it's like another host/character to the show that otherwise would be silenced. I think it's great because the ladies are probably making some money off the live shows that are taped in Boston.
I also like the fact that they are two women, two different types of women, two different types of black women, and let's be honest, we don't always get to celebrate that or show that kind of range. If you go on auditions for a black women, if you don't have "All my life I had to fight" Sista Soldier or "What sclap did clap you clap say clap" The ClapBack 'ghetto' queen, you basically have no lines until you prove the casting director otherwise. So to have more tropes, aka representation... means (in Oprah voice) PS. All of those women exist in all of us, but that's not all we are.
'The Gary Vee Audio Experience'
Hosted by Gary Vaynerchuk, serial entrepreneur, this podcast is really appendage with audio footage from his interviews, musings, and lifestyle. He can feel off-putting AF, but he manages to sound almost like your douchey tech-brow brother, without being one...completely. Like you love him, and his wise, but you also hate that he's always right...but he's your brother so it's kinda okay. He's also the children of immigrants, and as the child of immigrants who understands the struggle and the hustle, I gravitate towards his manifesto. True, he's not about changing any system per say. It's more, "accept that this is what is, whatever your short end of the stick is, then fuck that shit up just by working hard." Find what you do well and go all in. Although he was a poor student in school, he focused on his business acument (his poison: selling baseball cards and then eventually advancing his father's wine business as well as investing in major companies like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.) Right moment, right time, right work ethic.
Dear Sugar Radio -
They talk about the real, not perfect shit, but the real ugly stuff that happens in life. But then... they also have that nice soft sounding radio announcer voice that I grew up listening to on my mom's car... so it all works in a weird way? And when I say the real, I mean the real. Parental drama, Infidelity, Finances, etc. It's all there. Even the hosts talk about their own faults and imperfections in an honest, intelligent, but very no-holds-bar, way. Folks write in about their problems and the two hosts, Cheryl Strayed, author of NYT bestseller 'Wild', and Steve Almond respond to the questions. They also "phone a friend" who's related to the topic at hand to give some more nuanced perspective, which I appreciate. They manage to make me care about things I wouldn't normally think to care about... like the feelings of a trust-fund kid who doesn't know what to do with having everything. #lifeishardforallofus #Imeantthat #okayImeantitsortof
What do you think about my recommendations? Let me know!
If you like this post, share it and like it. You'll probably also enjoy some of my most popular blogs like:
"You Betta Work: Grind & Consistency"
"How To Win Friends Doing Petty Things"
"My Brother's Teacher Made Me Do His Homework"
When did the podcast zeitgiest hit? When did it become cool? I really wanna to know who was able to give these old, crusty-esque, for your great-grandpa media platforms a facelift so that I can say.
Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you for making podcasts cool.
If I'm honest, I would have come around and joined the bandwagon soon enough but it feels good to publicly declare my love for podcasts. The one's that I listen to, anyway. I don't want to knock the old Frasier Crane's of yore (shoutout to Cheers and Frasier), but fuddy-duddies are not my cup of hot tea. The podcasts I listen to are biting, informative, witty, fresh, and honest. Straight no chaser. I gets my life (and motivation) with daily doses from the frontmen who work the mics. (What do we call them, podcasters? Hype-men? DJs? Because... I don't want to call them the voices in my head. That would not bode well for any future testimonies I may or may not have to give.)
Anyway, here's a list of podcasts that I tune into on the daily for some time. It's not the exhaustive list nor are they free of faults, but they work for me.
Tiny Desk Concerts (NPR)
First of all, there is such a thing as having a zaddy voice. Ruben Harris, one of the hosts, has a quiet storm zaddy voice that I could listen to all day! #NotAshamed #YouCanFightMeOnThis. That alone could have me coming back. That aside, they are my kind of people. Their mission is to "feature inspiring stories of people who broke into tech from non-traditional backgrounds" and they manage to offer you inspiring stories, tangible teams, honest reflections all the while educating you along the way. Full disclosure: I'm learning how to code so their schtick is motivating as hell. I save every episode it seems and when I'm having down moments and want to throw my computer across the room, they talk me back. They feature folks working in the industry across the spectrum from ex-felons, actors, teen moms, and career changers who have had a life. I'm game. Also remember, ZADDY VOICES.
2 Dope Queens -
God bless these two women, Phoebe Robinson & Jessica Williams. Talk about a breath of fresh air! I like their format A LOT. It's variety show meets podcast. They talk to one another in front of a live studio audience and offer commentary on pop-culture and whatever the hell else the fancy and then then also feature comedians in the show who are well known enough to have a following but aren't too big time where the audience doesn't automatically laugh at their jokes. (I realize this may sound like an insult but it isn't!) The live show aspect provides a nuance that I like...it's like another host/character to the show that otherwise would be silenced. I think it's great because the ladies are probably making some money off the live shows that are taped in Boston.I also like the fact that they are two women, two different types of women, two different types of black women, and let's be honest, we don't always get to celebrate that or show that kind of range. If you go on auditions for a black women, if you don't have "All my life I had to fight" Sista Soldier or "What sclap did clap you clap say clap" The ClapBack 'ghetto' queen, you basically have no lines until you prove the casting director otherwise. So to have more tropes, aka representation... means (in Oprah voice) PS. All of those women exist in all of us, but that's not all we are.
'The Gary Vee Audio Experience'
Hosted by Gary Vaynerchuk, serial entrepreneur, this podcast is really appendage with audio footage from his interviews, musings, and lifestyle. He can feel off-putting AF, but he manages to sound almost like your douchey tech-brow brother, without being one...completely. Like you love him, and his wise, but you also hate that he's always right...but he's your brother so it's kinda okay. He's also the children of immigrants, and as the child of immigrants who understands the struggle and the hustle, I gravitate towards his manifesto. True, he's not about changing any system per say. It's more, "accept that this is what is, whatever your short end of the stick is, then fuck that shit up just by working hard." Find what you do well and go all in. Although he was a poor student in school, he focused on his business acument (his poison: selling baseball cards and then eventually advancing his father's wine business as well as investing in major companies like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.) Right moment, right time, right work ethic.Dear Sugar Radio -
They talk about the real, not perfect shit, but the real ugly stuff that happens in life. But then... they also have that nice soft sounding radio announcer voice that I grew up listening to on my mom's car... so it all works in a weird way? And when I say the real, I mean the real. Parental drama, Infidelity, Finances, etc. It's all there. Even the hosts talk about their own faults and imperfections in an honest, intelligent, but very no-holds-bar, way. Folks write in about their problems and the two hosts, Cheryl Strayed, author of NYT bestseller 'Wild', and Steve Almond respond to the questions. They also "phone a friend" who's related to the topic at hand to give some more nuanced perspective, which I appreciate. They manage to make me care about things I wouldn't normally think to care about... like the feelings of a trust-fund kid who doesn't know what to do with having everything. #lifeishardforallofus #Imeantthat #okayImeantitsortofWhat do you think about my recommendations? Let me know!
If you like this post, share it and like it. You'll probably also enjoy some of my most popular blogs like:
"You Betta Work: Grind & Consistency"
"How To Win Friends Doing Petty Things"
"My Brother's Teacher Made Me Do His Homework"