Podcasts

Here is a list of podcasts I enjoy listening to. All of them are on multiple platforms. I used to exclusively use [evil-Swedish-audio-streaming-giant], though I now switch between Anytime Player on Android and the aforementioned brand's desktop and browser clients on PC.

Favourites

Economic Update

One of my favourite economists is Richard D. Wolff because he explains economic ideas and contemporary economic issues in plain language. (Incidentally, that's how most things should be presented.) Like a lot of other podcasts here, I disovered Economic Update after hearing Wolff's interviews on The Jacobin Show.

Class Unity

Class Unity is a group and podcast centered around class politics. What the group represents is best explained on their website, https://classunity.org. I especially like this podcast, however infrequent they post, because they represent politics I align with most, perhaps even moreso than Jacobin's.

Recommended

Jacobin

I first learned about The Jacobin Show on YouTube in 2019, after I read this article about why crowdfunding sucks. I was instantly hooked on their work, because it was the first time I found an active media outlet that took positions I agreed with. A few years later, I find myself disagreeing with some hosts' positions, and no longer listen to every show uploaded there. But Jacobin is still far more palatable than mainstream media outlets, which present news through a neoliberal lens identical to virtually every other popular outlet.

This Is Revolution

TIR has three episode "types": the main show features Jason Myles interviewing guests on a variety of contemporary issues, such as love/dating, identity politics, and sometimes just making fun of the culture wars. I'm not into the other stuff on the podcast, like the Champagne Room (post-show banter) and the philosophy episodes (I already listen to Ben Burgis on his own show).

Give Them An Argument

Ben Burgis takes a mostly academic and sometimes philosophical approach to current political affairs in the U.S. It sometimes feels repetitive, but I also understand that that's the point of the show. Right wing media rarely produces anything novel, though they do make some wonderful blunders and mistakes, which are ripe for lampooning.

American Prestige

Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner's sarcasm is the only way I can keep up with current events around the world without becoming bored or too sad. Their interviews can get very academic depending on their guests, so I mostly pay attention to their weekly news updates. It's depressing, despite their best efforts to joke as much as possible. But simply describing world events often evokes such feelings.

Ones and Tooze

Adam Tooze and Cameron Abadi say enough interesting things on this show to keep my interest and make it to this list. The topic variety is the highlight: the economics of love, fireworks, or even the Tour de France, to give some examples. It's palatable, but sometimes annoyingly technocratic. I don't always agree with their views, but I do more often than not.

Bungacast

This one's a bit strange because I like the work of the people involved with Bungacast's affiliate, Damage magazine, more than I like the podcast itself. Catherine Liu, Amber A'Lee Frost, Ben Fong, and Leigh Phillips are among my favourite guests and writers outside of the podcast. One particular highlight for me is episode 430, "Welcome to the Tourist Age", featuring Marco d'Eramo.

Political Theory 101

Benjamin Studebaker and his co-host analyse the works of famous philosophers and politicans. Out of all the podcasts here, this is the hardest for me to follow. To fully appreciate the depth of his and his co-host's analyses, I think it's best to be fully engaged in listening, or have some background knowledge of each episodes' subjects.

Ended

A World To Win

Grace Blakely is an intellectual force of nature. She mostly covered UK events and interviews guests from Europe. Sadly, I think the show ended, and without any announcement, too! If you don't mind old episodes about the UK, Europe, and sometimes beyond, the recordings are all still available.

Cargo Cult

I first learned about these hosts on an episode of Give Them An Argument. Cargo Cult is a tech podcast that broaches things affecting the tech world in a casual and sardonic way. While the show has likely ended, some of the issues they discussed are still ongoing, such as Neom, and the continued development of AI.

Disclaimer

Podcasts ultimately range from switch-your-brain-off entertainment to genuinely valuable edutainment. Unless stated otherwise above, I would suggest listening to these shows while doing something else on the side. If you really want to learn something, it's probably better to read or watch a video with your full attention.