I was listening to the Men in Blazers podcast yesterday during a walk in the snow. I typically listen this pod more to enjoy the humor of the co-host Rog Bennett than the actual subject matter (which is always the latest in the soccer world).
Rog’s guest was John Oliver who is a huge Liverpool fan. And I started daydreaming about being half as witty as either Rog or John. That got me to thinking about other podcast hosts that I admire and would like to emulate in some small way.
Here is a visual that I created quickly to serve as a personal reminder of the favorite qualities of some of my ‘podcast role models’. I figured this might help me guide and refine my own podcasting voice. Always good to learn from the best. Of course, my definition of ‘best’ will differ from yours. Which podcasters do you admire and why? Cheers. https://www.heavyhittersports.com/
Thanks for the prompt @Hoagie
Adam Buxton for me is always a joy to hear. He is a British comedian and actor (Hot Fuzz) and does a combination of host on mic and interviewing. The start is always a walk with his dog, Rosie. Rosie is often given the opportunity to speak of course. He has an interesting interview style and does seem to go to many random places that he and his guest seem unlikely to have planned on.
Desert Island discs is a podcast with simple format. Choose 8 records, a book and a luxury item that you would take with you to a desert island that you are stranded on. Famous guests are interviewed and reflect on how each piece of music influenced their lives. I am often reduced to tears (twice on an outdoor endurance run; separate episodes). The life stories are what so captivate me about this podcast.
No such thing as a fish is a humorous exploration of four topics randomly selected by the four members of the team. A round table format. They are known as the QI Elves and find out a lot of information about stuff that surprises and intrigues: an example being that the american robin Turdus migratorius is actually a thrush. The Turdus name comes from an old saying As drunk as a thrush because they have an occasional tendency to get drunk on fermented berries. This is where the term Sturdy came from. It started off as turdy relating to the wobbling drunk bird and eventually had the S added on for the different meaning we have today.
Sideways is a journalistic tour de force. Matthew Syed wrote Bounce, Black Box Thinking and Rebel Ideas. All books that I would recommend. He discusses many human issues and interviews guests along the way. One episode explored why the Danish Football Team did so well in 1992 winning the European Football championships with no well known football players, another on why it is better to be myriad minded than single minded. He is clearly a busy person and runs his podcast as a seasonal piece. I contacted him just before Christmas because of the episode that @brucedevereux did with @Monika for his podcast The Creatively Engaging. He actually responded today and said that he would look at the link to Bruce’s episode, so it will be interesting to see if he takes it any further with work he is doing for a subsequent season. At the very least we have the prospect that one of the most famous podcasters in the Uk might be listening to one of our Groups’ work. Something to look forward to in 2022?
Rob, thanks so much for sharing your favorites. I listened to a couple of the Side Ways episodes since I am also a fan of Matthew Syed. They were both quite good. Adam Buxton has an engaging conversational style and his dog walking openings really are engaging. But as am American, I am not sure that I totally connect with his sensibility. That said, I have totally fallen in love with Desert Island Discs. So far I’ve listened to the David Beckham, Alice Cooper, Arsene Wenger, Neil Gaiman, Ricky Gervais and Tim Robbins episodes. The show is amazing and I look forward to devouring more talks. The format is brilliant and Kirsty Young is so good at mining insightful info from her guests. In short time, this podcast has become one of my absolute favorites. Thanks for that.
For learning about founders and the experiences of individuals who have launched or managed new initiatives, I enjoy “How I Built This” and “Wisdom From the Top,” both by Guy Raz.
For inspiration in a 60-second format, the podcasts I enjoy are “Stories From Women Who Walk,” “60-Second Earth” and “60-Second Science” by Scientific American.
Hi @Hoagie
I understand why not everyone will connect with Adam’s podcast. Really glad to hear you are enjoying Desert Island Discs. I took part in some research for one of the Universities in the UK. The team were looking at the choices that people make and why. It was fun to actually be pressed to choose my own 8 records, luxury item and book.
There are so many great interviews and on the BBCs website, you can find the really memorable ones from the past as well.
Happy New Year
Rob
Rob, you’re right. The premise of the show is so eloquently simple but illuminating. And yes, I dug into some of the older classics last night…Ian McEwan, Nick Hornby and Jane Goodall. At this rate, I may be applying for a British passport by year’s end. Thanks again. Cheers.
