With the end of Week Three of Sheltering In Place closing in, we're resorting to podcasts as a way to create aural and psychic space around ourselves. Not that this is news to anyone in the tech world or those who have already been WFH. But it's a different look for us. All of us have our earbuds in - some with dangling cords, some cordless. Two of us have over-the-ear noise-cancellers, which gives us the look of spaced-out bears. Coming around the corner with a basket of laundry or a clutched notebook, we have more than once scared the bejeesus out each other, all of us similarly and earfully entranced in some other dimension.
The aural pitch of news-talk radio and disaster-TV-news deliberately calibrated to raise our hackles and anxiety drives me batty, the endless repetition of the same words over and over, nothing new and very rarely much hope. Yet. I'm sure the time for hope will come, a time when we will regain something that looks like normal life, a time when we can even envision what that might look like -- but for safety's sake, it's a lot further down the road than the current President pretends it is. I rely on our Governor Newsom for direction - and I will listen to his news briefings, for they are based on facts and figures, on science and safety. Otherwise, podcasts it is. I'll knit, weed, paint, walk, clean -- so much cleaning in this world, right? and listen to stories and songs to get me through time. Yes, you surmised that right, I don't watch much TV news. Virtually none. They lost me when the FCC deregulated tv, allowing news to lose the tenets and ethics of true journalism and become partisan mouth-pieces.
And there are sooooo many good podcasts, enough to fit any mood (sad, anxious, energized, cranky) or need (information, distraction, humor, connection). Here are some that get me going.
- For current affairs, The Daily from the New York Times offers insight about the news that I can handle - most of the time, that is. Or a darn good story, like The Sea Monkey Fortune
- RadioLab is a classic that has accompanied my ears from its days on FM radio, late at night. Now Bob Krolich has retired. Oh my goodness. But the podcast rolls on with some great Dispatches
- Wait Wait Don't Tell Me -- will have you in stitches, even if it is closely tied to current affairs. These are necessary laughs, because without humor, we just might not make it.
- Ologies with Alie Ward pretty much tops my list, though. Her concern for everyone, her genuine enthusiasm for science, her approach of asking "dumb questions of smart people " pulls all of us into the journey of discovery, because don't we all feel dumb about some things? Her episodes about Fearology (April 30, 2018)and Virology (March 9 2020) are not to be missed in the current climate -- but all of them are fascinating, even when you don't think they will be. I mean, who knew I'd get any feels for hagfish (Hagfishology) ? She's my go-to when I feel most fragile.
I've been listening to Family Secrets, too, by Dani Shapiro. She's been offering bonus episodes, as many podcasts are right now, to handle the issues and the influx of listeners. The April 4th Bonus Episode is an interview with Stephanie Wittles Wachs, creator and host of the podcast of Last Day. They have a wide-ranging discussion on the global trauma we are all facing right now. It is rather mind-boggling to comprehend that everyone in the world is being affected by this virus, to a greater or lesser degree. I mean, everyone. Even though we had World Wars, in which most people were affected - not everyone was. This is truly a global event, affecting all countries, all peoples.
And then Dani Shapiro, in her wisdom, reminds us that, in terms of family, we will never have this time again, when the family unit is so tightly sealed unto itself. Many of us are finding more out about our children and parents that we ever thought possible. We are making meals together, watching shows together (like the old days!) sharing podcasts, things that wouldn't have happened in that other, more regular life when we were all out and about. I find myself telling family stories that I hadn't really shared before, about the 60s, the protests, the riots, the Viet Nam War, the marches. I talk about my mom and her three sisters, born of Finnish immigrants, speaking Finnish as a first language. I try to describe my father, a WWII vet, with untreated, undiagnosed PTSD. Perhaps it's boredom, perhaps it feels essential, perhaps its just what people do when we're hunkered down in our bunkers, seeking to pass the time.
So here is a very partial list of what I've been listening to. All of them can be found wherever you listen to podcasts, so I am not making them all live links.
Hidden Brain by Shankar Vedantam
By The Book with Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meizner
Memory Palace by Nick DeMeao - memorable snippets
Happier with Gretchen Rubin and Liz Craft- I love the banter between the sisters, the happiness hacks, the variety of ideas.
The Kitchen Sisters- history-keepers, thoughtful stories, artfully crafted.
Satellite Sisters - wide ranging, poitical and cultural insight, reflection
On Being with Krista Tippet - as thoughtful and insightful as they get
99% Invisible by Roman Mars- design is everywhere.
Anthropocene by John Greene- essays by the earful
Sleep With Me by Drew "Scooter"Ackerman - when I need to sleep, this is the one that does it.
Of course, there are more. Share your favorites in the comments below.
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Noise makers!