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I've lately been listening to Invisibilia (<link) from NPR. They get into some great questions: like how the patterns in our lives can/might affect the way we live, and how other people can bind us to these patterns; and the anatomy of situations caused by the things we do not say.
It's from the US, so, you know, might need some getting used to; but the topics are interesting and the podcasts invariably include interviews with some very interesting people. I'd recommend a listen if you're curious.
Does anyone have any other recommendations along similar lines? I find a certain fascination in the underlying complexities of the mundane. What have you got...?
When doing DIY - which is a fair amount of time recently - I occasionally listen to some of the R4 Science/Culture/History podcasts. Varied and thoughtful.
Serial podcast is good. Only done the first and part of the second.
Space brothers. BMX but more mid school https://soundcloud.com/user-410519765
Sounds like you might like Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/revisionist-history/id1119389968?mt=2
No such thing as a fish
Damned interesting (new content seems to have dried up over the last 12 months)
Then all the stock BBC podcasts for me.
Will being taking note avidly of the recommendations here.
Malcolm Gladwell revisionist history - interesting topics
Non comedian or MMA shows on Joe Rogan podcast
Waking up with Sam Harris - although dropped off a bit recently
Anything from Dan Carlin but Hardcore history is amazing
New Stephen Fry pod great leap years
Under the skin with Russel brand if you can put up with him playing class clown occasionally
The Infinite Monkey Cage
History on fire
British history podcast
i quite like the scoobious pip ones. distraction pieces. quite a few actors/singers he is working with, but also non celebs with something to talk about. there was a good recent one about tourettes.
Have to second 99% Invisible and Dan Carlin's Hardcore History.
Maybe not entirely on your wavelength, but Stuff You Should Know covers some pretty fascinating stuff.
Criminal (thisiscrimnal.com), and it's alter ego This Is Love.
Look on Radiotopia too.
S-Town, How could I forget...
Freakonomics Radio can be good.
Try Beautiful Anonymous. It is an anonymous call in show where you get a fixed to tell your story to the host, Chris Gethard, and can go anywhere. Some dark stories as well as some really interesting people, but all chosen at random.
Richard Herring's podcast is usually good.
Dumb White Guy - with Brendon Burns.Brendon is a comedian who, in the podcast, looks at different issues (initially it was discussing race with comedians of different ethnicity, but got a lot broader than that). There are some really interesting insights into how we look at race and lately sexuality though the eyes of a dumb white guy who keeps checking his own thoughts with people who have a different viewpoint. Really sweary, but as funny as ****.
as a hijack - is there a podcast app du jour for binge listening? I tend to listen to podcasts on long road trips. The old apple podcast app used to just carry on playing whatever was next on the list - all of the podcasts by one author if you were in that view - all of the most recent downloads if you were in that view and so on - but the new one just stops at the end of an episode and I have to pull over and select and start a new one. Tried 'Casts' and that seems to do the same thing although I've not fiddled with it much.
is there a podcast app du jour for binge listening?
I use Podcast Addict for that on longer drives. I think it behaves like the Apple app you describe if left to its own devices but I usually concoct a playlist for longer trips and it'll just steam through it.
It’s from the US, so, you know, might need some getting used to
its a shame Radio 4 haven't made 'East Coast Listening Post' available as a podcast - spoofed the American-ness of US podcasts in a very amusing manner - including the presenter-narrated adds. (Like a phone app that can connect you with anyone with in 1m that has a pen you can borrow.)
I find a certain fascination in the underlying complexities of the mundane.
On a slightly different bent to that I've been enjoying 'Futility Closet' - its quite a peculiar show in its delivery. It aims to unpick forgotten, quirky and overlooked bits of history but whats quite nice about it is its incredibly thorough so when they happen across something you think you're familiar with - like the Christmas ceasefire/ football match in WW1 (as immortalised by The Farm) - having that unpicked and analysed you suddenly realised what an enormous topic it is and what a small amount of thought you've given it- the mechanics of declaring a ceasefire and who called it - what happened in the ceasefire - how many ceasefires there were up and down the frontline, all created independently and spontaneously - and also how people then agree between themselves that its over.
Folk, you are brilliant. Thanks so much for the suggestions - 99%, This is Love/Criminal, Beautiful Anonymous, No Such Thing..., Gladwell, and Futility Closet all quickly sampled and subscribed to, I'll check all the others out in time.
The old apple podcast app used to just carry on playing whatever was next on the list
The new one also does that, but you have to create the "up next" list yourself. No, I don't know why they changed it either.
my current list:
The infinite Monkey Cage
Stuff you should know
Ear-hustle
movie crush
Reply All is a podcast about 'the internet' but is actually mostly just about people (in the same way 99pi is about design but really about people).
Radiotopia do a podcast called 'Showcase' that is actually 6 episodes each of different podcasts. The first series 'Ways of listening' is one of my favourite podcast things ever.