#trypodcast (AKA read please)
Ah, Podcasts. Some people love them and listen to hundreds of episodes in one sitting, others take their time, slowly savoring each individual word. Others just stare at them and wonder; 'What's a podcast?' If you are one of those in the latter category, fret not. In essence, podcasts are pieces of audio entertainment comprising usually of chat shows (based on a specific topic) or some form of radio play (like the kind from before tv, and with about as many ads :P ). Just like any other form of entertainment, you can find practically any kind of podcast for any of your interests/preferences. You can download them from iTunes or some other format, or listen to them sometimes on youtube or on the show's website. Now you might be wondering; "Some of these podcast thingies have 100+ episodes. Do I have to listen to them all in order?" Well, that depends. If it's a radio play type format, you might need to listen from the beginning to get the whole story, but I know some people like to just dive in on the latest so --- do what you want, I'm not your mom. (With chat shows you can typically hop in anywhere, since they don't tend to have an overarching storyline.) But once you have found a podcast you enjoy, you can put them on your mobile device and listen to them pretty much whenever and wherever you want. Now, if you have any other questions about podcasts, feel free to ask me. I'm happy to help spread the word for this under-appreciated entertainment venue. ^^ Some shows I currently listen to and recommend: •Chat Shows• - Once Upon a Timing: A show dedicated to going through episode by episode the latest seasons of the ABC series Once Upon a Time. They recently have also done shows on the series's spin off show OUAT In Wonderland. Abby and Beth (and sometimes other guests) are always fun and I very much enjoy fangirling and speculating (and sometimes complaining) along with them. - The B-Movies Podcast: A movie (and sometimes tv) review show. The hosts (William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold) discuss movie news and chat about new releases in a fun, irreverent way that I like to listen to on occasion (when they do a movie I wanna hear about or have a guest I like). They once had on Alex Hirsch, the creator of Gravity Falls. So that's pretty cool. That's actually how I discovered them. - The Cracked Podcast: A show created and hosted by the writers of the comedy website Cracked. Their episodes are on a variety of topic (but a lot of the time tend to be pop culture related) and I find their discussions not only funny, but at times informative and thought provoking. This is another one where you can jump in anywhere. Whatever episode title grabs you from How Your Brain Warps Everything You See and Hear to 25 Bizarrely Specific Ways Movies Get Reality Wrong and everywhere in between. •Story-based Podcasts• -King Falls AM: A recent discovery of mine, this show is part Gravity Falls, part Night Vale, part Supernatural. Taking place in the small mountain town of King Falls, Ben and Sammy host a nightly chat show in the very, very wee hours of the night. It's a call in show so (I think rather cleverly) most of the "action" is done through calls and interviews. That's when things take a turn for the strange. In the first episode alone we get an alien abduction live on air. There are also werewolves, witches, skin walkers, and two very famous apparitions haunting the local library. The comedy is well worth a mention too, even if they slip into using colorful language every now and again. If you like tales of weird, mythical, and supernatural things, you just might want to check this out. - Hello From the Magic Tavern: About two years ago, our main character Arnie fell through a dimensional rift behind a Burger King into the magical, fantastical land of Foon. And every week he host a podcast from the tavern - The Vermilion Minotaur - in the town of Hogsface, in the land of Foon. He is nearly always joined by his friends Chunt the shapeshifter (usually in the form of a Badger) and Usidore [FULL NAME EDITED FOR TIME] the wizard. Most episodes find our heroes interviewing some magical resident of this world, with usually hilarity ensuing. The comedy is all improv, which can be hit or miss for some people but a good amount of time is hard to tell. This is definitely an *Adult Content* podcast so, beware of that. Notice I didn't say "mature" :P - Welcome to Night Vale: Probably the most well-known of the ones on this list, Night Vale is similar to King Falls in that it is a fictional radio show broadcast from a small town (this one in a desert) where strange things happen. The differences though are fairly clear once you've listened to them both. While KFAM is a call in show where the callers comment on all the weirdness, WTNV is a community announcement type show and where none of the weirdness is remarked upon as strange at all. A faceless old woman who secretly lives in all of the houses? Sure. A Five-Headed dragon runs for mayor and gets accused of a murder conspiracy? Why not. An enormous glowing cloud dropping dead animals from the sky (ALL HAIL) and then becoming a member of the school board? Sounds good to me! Give Night Vale a shot if you like the strange and unusual. Or if you yourself are strange and unusual. And now, the weather. And hey, if you're already a fan of podcasts, leave a comment here and tell me about your favorites. ^^
