8 of the Best Podcasts To Liven Up Your Commute
As a podcast junkie, I am almost always looking for new stuff to listen to on my seemingly endless amount of time on the MTA subway system. Here are some of the ones that have been distracting me from having to pay attention during showtime.
1. Lez Hang Out
This is one of my favorite queer podcasts, featuring lesbians Ellie Brigida and Leigh Holmes Foster covering topics on lesbian experiences and all aspects of women loving women. Their most recent episode is a queer breakdown of the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, which is fantastic and an unintentional crossover episode with The Bechdel Cast—a great show to listen to as you are basking in the glow of 20Gayteen,
2. Scream Girls
Callie and Kaitlin are two New York ladies talking about horror movies, and they are delightful. If you like the friendship energy that My Favorite Murder brings, Scream Girls is the great horror movie equivalent. My favorite episodes so far are their recaps of Misery and The Babadook. They also have episodes on Raw and Paranormal Activity.
3. Fictional
From the people who brought the awesome Myths and Legends podcast, Fictional adapts public domain works from all over the world of fiction. My favorites so far are the Phillip K. Dick stories The Hanging Stranger and Beyond Lies the Wub, and Kate Chopin’s Desiree’s Baby. Not only are the episodes well made and truly great dramatizations, but they deliver a new way for people to get familiar with some classic stories from literature.
4. The Arkham Sessions
Despite the fact that I’m Team Superman, The Arkham Sessions, by Dr. Andrea Letamendi and Brian Ward, is a really interesting podcast that takes a psychological look at breaking down Batman: The Animated Series. Both Dr. Letamedi and Ward have a really great understanding of the Batman’s mythos, and it’s really interesting to listen to the hosts review the villains of Batman’s rogues’ gallery from a truly thoughtful, psychological perspective. Letamendi especially is quick to point out, “Nah, that’s not how psychology works.” Bless.
They just covered the episode “Mad Love,” which I’m saving to listen to later this week at the gym.
5. Harold, They’re Lesbians
Two lesbian podcasts? You’d better believe it, buddy. Nikki and Erica spend each week breaking down different queer, female-led shows like Wynonna Earp, Legends of Tomorrow, The Bold Type, and others. It’s a great fangirl podcast to listen to, and one of my favs on Wynonna Earp.
6. Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby!
Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! is a Greek and Roman mythology podcast hosted by Liv, a badass who I want to be my best friend, who has degrees in English Literature and Classical Civilizations from Concordia University in Montreal. She goes into telling these stories from a “feminist, millennial kind of way,” which I love, plus she also calls out Athena on her “not like other girls” bullshit.
Right now, she’s doing a breakdown of The Illiad, and it’s so much fun to listen to. If you love Myths and Legends but want something a little less narrative-based, but just as well done, stop here.
7. The Command Zone
As I’ve been relearning Magic: The Gathering and learning how to play Commander (a.k.a. EDH), The Command Zone podcast (and YouTube Channel) has been an awesome resource that I love listening to. It has taught me so much about how to play the game, and the hosts, Jimmy Wong and Josh Lee Kwai, are genuinely fun and engaging leads. They break down “all aspects of gameplay and strategy from table politics, budget builds, to deck building and more.”
Also, Jimmy Wong has been cast in the upcoming live-action Mulan film, which is hella dope. I’m sure he will put all his red mana energy to good use.
8.The Teacher’s Pet
It wouldn’t be a roundup unless there was some true crime in there somewhere. This podcast I was introduced to through My Favorite Murder, and it’s about the disappearance and presumed murder of Lyn Dawson 36 years ago. The main suspect in the case is her husband, Chris Dawson, a high school coach who was carrying on an affair with a 16-year-old student, who moved in with him two days after his wife went missing (and has since left him, afraid for her safety).
It’s a fascinating story that is very reminiscent of The Keepers in terms of police negligence and the systematic abuse of teenage girls by educators that was swept under the rug for 30 years, and it’s still playing out in real time.
9. Ologies with Alie Ward
This one is for those of us that like to learn a thing or two on our commutes. Ologies is Alie Ward’s podcast where she has discussions with specialists and scientists about their respective fields. One thing this pod does super well is bridge the gap between scientists and the rest of us. There’s no knowledge hidden behind a paywall here, just everyone from anthropologists to meteorologists sharing what they know about what they do.
A great place to start would be this awesome episode on environmental toxicology with Dr. Kimberly Garrett, Ph.D. where they discuss the recent train derailment in Ohio.
10. Threedom
It seems like everyone has a podcast these days, but who is really making you laugh? On Threedom, Comedians and friends Paul F. Tompkins, Scott Aukerman, and Lauren Lapkus get together every week to riff, tell stories, and play games with one another, all for your enjoyment. With segments like Lauren’s Topics and Scott’s Restaurant Round-up where Scott tells tales about all the restaurants he worked at before he found success in Hollywood, you’ll surely be cracking up as the three friends share about their lives. Each episode ends with a Threeture—usually a listener-submitted game that they all play together, or they play listener voicemails and respond to questions.
11. Girl, That’s Scary
Horror movies hardly ever get the shine they deserve during award season, but there are quite a few great horror movie podcasts that will tell you what’s worth watching if you’re looking to get a little scared. Girl, That’s Scary is a podcast hosted by two friends, Jazzmin and Kathleen. Each episode takes you into the plot of a horror movie, one you might have heard of and maybe some not on your radar. The pod is spooky, funny, and informative, as both hosts are horror fans that know a lot about the history of the genre.
12. Bad Queers
Pod hosts Kris and Shana are bad queers (sometimes). What exactly does that mean? Well, in each Bad Queers episode, after going over the topics for the week, the hosts and their guests will each share an opinion that they think makes them “bad queers.” Shana and Kris share news about the queer world, specifically news at the intersection of Blackness and queerness. Each episode is a delight and well worth a listen.
13. Scam Goddess
True crime podcasts are still very popular, but if you’re a little queasy at the thought of hearing about murder, Scam Goddess is a great option. Each episode highlights a “historic hoodwink” by fraudsters well-known and obscure. At the top of the episode, host and actress Laci Mosley gives listeners the opportunity to share a voice note in which they chronicle scams they’ve fallen for, participated in, or scams someone they know have been involved in. Mosley takes a hilarious approach to talking about these scams without ridiculing people who do fall victim to scams.
What podcasts are you listening to on your commute, let us know in the comments!
(featured image: Pexels)
Original story by Princess Weekes, new additions by Dani Janae.
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