For the past few weeks, seemingly every form of media has been devoted exclusively to coverage and analysis of the coronavirus pandemic. Here are nine entertaining and absorbing podcasts devoted to topics entirely separate from the coronavirus.
Casefile True Crime
The gold standard of true crime podcasts, “Casefile” narrates harrowing stories with clarity and class in an Aussie-accented undertone. The indie podcast’s polished style makes it more reminiscent of a BBC history documentary than a pulpy crime magazine. “Casefile” covers crime stories spanning the globe, although its selection is slightly weighted toward Australian crime, including episodes on the Azaria Chamberlain case, the disappearance of the Beaumont children, and the backpacker murders.
Recommended episode
“50: Jennifer Pan” — A couple are shot in what appears to be a botched robbery, but the true story is infinitely more complicated and strange. Tight narration and judicious use of original audio from police interviews and 911 calls makes this one of the podcast’s most intriguing episodes.
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
Why settle for a dry recitation of the facts when you can take a deep dive into history, delivered with caustic wit? “Hardcore History” takes apart sprawling events like the Roman war on Gaul and the formation of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Episodes often exceed four hours in length — not because of lazy editing, but because podcaster Dan Carlin’s undogmatic and obsessively detailed hot takes simply require that much time.
Recommended episode
“62: Supernova in the East I” — This episode kicks off Carlin’s epic 13-hour history of the Pacific Theater. What convinced the Empire of Japan to pick an apparently unwinnable fight with the U.S.? Like all episodes of the podcast, “Supernova in the East” draws extensively on firsthand accounts, conveying the mayhem unleashed by the Pacific War.
The Dream
“The Dream” is a sassy, conversational investigation of multi-level marketing companies and other questionable businesses, touching on everything from Herbalife and doTerra to Alex Jones’s lead-tainted “Caveman Paleo Formula” and Gwyneth Paltrow’s $66 “wellness-promoting” jade eggs. An expedition into the Wild West of capitalism, “The Dream” delivers a critical look at surprisingly loosely regulated sectors of commerce.
Recommended episode
“S2 E4: Magic Little Pills” — Delivered with chatty wit and lots of anecdotes, this episode traces the evolution of the supplements industry, from the discovery of vitamins in 1912 to the 1994 brawl between supplements companies and the FDA.
In Our Time
Produced by BBC Radio 4, “In Our Time” is as erudite and lively a podcast as you could hope for. Past subjects have included echolocation, “Frankenstein,” the doctrine of papal infallibility, protons, photons, poetry, Sun Tzu, King Tut, mushrooms, meteors, fascism, Frida Kahlo, photography, the planet Saturn — it would probably take less space to list the topics not touched on at one point or another. Host Melvyn Bragg ably keeps the podcast’s rotating array of experts on topic and makes sure that discussions are layperson-friendly.
Recommended episode
“Coffee” — A one-hour episode delivering everything you could ever have hoped to know, and more, about the history, evolution, science and business of the titular drink.
Philosophize This!
A funny and jargon-light introduction to philosophy for the everyman, “Philosophize This!” begins with Thales, the ancient Greek philosopher who postulated that everything was made out of water, and takes it from there. “Philosophize This!” is, in short, a philosophy podcast for those who normally find philosophy boring, annoying, incomprehensible or useless.
Recommended episode
“#001 … Presocratic Philosophy – Ionian” — There’s only one place to start: the beginning. Each episode riffs on ideas and images established in earlier episodes. This introductory episode opens during prehistory and introduces us to some of the pre-Socratic Greek philosophers.
Revolutions
Karl Marx once observed, “There are days into which 20 years are compressed.” “Revolutions” chronicles those days, during which history moves at a gallop and radical changes in society and government are accomplished overnight. Past seasons have covered the English Civil War, the Latin American Wars of Independence and the Mexican, Haitian and American revolutions, as well as a good handful of French revolutions. Podcaster Mike Duncan’s down-to-earth tone helps keep the subject matter from seeming too academic.
Recommended episode
“The International Working Men’s Association” — The introduction to the podcast’s current season, this episode studies the genesis of communist thought that would inspire the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
SRB Podcast
A must-listen for anyone with an interest in Russia, “SRB Podcast” touches on everything from the Chernobyl disaster and the Gulag to Ukrainian punk rock and Soviet sci-fi. Podcaster Sean Guillory has access to a seemingly limitless assortment of historians, sociologists and historical witnesses able to illuminate even the most out-of-the-way crevices of the Eastern Bloc.
Recommended episode
“Young Communists Under Stalin” — A discussion of the role of Communist youth organizations in creating the “Soviet New Man,” and the experiences of the young Communists who were recruited to implement Stalin’s campaign of compelled collectivization.
They Walk Among Us
Certainly one of the overlooked gems of the true crime genre, “They Walk Among Us” is a subdued and unusually tasteful tour of the United Kingdom’s worst and weirdest crimes. The podcast generally steers clear of big-name cases — no episodes on the Moors murders, Peter Sutcliffe or Jack the Ripper are slated. “They Walk Among Us” is a must-listen for any true crime connoisseur.
Recommended episode
“2 – Episode 4” — When award-winning author Helen Bailey abruptly went missing, it drew the attention of the literary world. After months of fruitless searching, police made a discovery in Bailey’s garage that brought the case to a sudden and unexpected conclusion.
Unexplained
What you might call a true crime-adjacent podcast, “Unexplained” focuses on vanishings, hauntings, UFOs and other real-world tales of the unknown. Though “Unexplained” is worth more as entertainment than documentary, its measured tone and reasonably close adherence to reality will stop it from aggravating skeptical listeners. Narrated in low, calming tones, “Unexplained” recommends itself to people who listen to podcasts in bed.
Recommended episode
“S04 Episode 13: Lost in Stormy Visions (Pt.1 of 3)” — An atmospheric account of the founding of Roanoke Colony, which in 1590 became the site of North America’s most infamous mass disappearance.
