Best Podcast Episodes of 2023
I’ve written about the best new podcasts of 2023 before , and often these shows had particularly great episodes that stood out from the rest. ( The first episode, “You Said Nothing,” was one of the best episodes I’ve heard in a long time.) But other shows had standout episodes that will go down as some of their best. audio ever made, or at least episodes worth watching over and over again.
Gravlix Saves the World : “The Mystery of the Missing Wallet”
Each episode of Gravlix Saves the World is divided into segments, with comedians Adam Caton-Holland, Ben Roy and Andrew Orvedahl challenging each other to self-improvement or wellness challenges. Finally, they report back and declare whether completing the task is making the world a better place. In “The Mystery of the Missing Wallet”, producer Ron brings in a tattered wallet he found in his yard and everyone tries to find the person who owned it. It’s funny to hear about what the guys think happened to the purse, but then they actually track down the owner to find out the real story. Sometimes going all out for one podcast episode isn’t worth it. This time it was true.
Lights Out : “Dead Ends”
In Lights Out, Thalia Augustidis (known for her brilliant list of All Things Audio, the All Hear newsletter, and her Third Coast win for Best Documentary Short) produced Dead Ends, a project she’s been working on for almost the entirety of own life. Thalia’s mother died tragically when she was three years old: she was drunk and fell off a cliff. Talia pulls out old tapes from her childhood documenting her mom’s short life, including a haunting clip of her mom warning her not to “get too close to the edge” (what?), to create a dreamlike soundtrack of memories and moments. It’s, as Talia says, talking to a ghost. At the end, she, along with her father and sister, revisits the place where her mother died and tries to capture through sound what happened, which could provide an emotional conclusion to this project. Instead, something tragic or absolutely perfect happens. I think this is perfect. The whole piece is there.
Search engine : “Why don’t we eat people?”
In the Search Engine episode “Why Don’t We Eat People?” PJ Vogt (from Reply All ) spends the episode answering a very good question from a four-year-old named Otto: Why don’t we eat people? This is a carefully crafted episode filled with history, secrets and even recipes. Plus the adorable voice of a four-year-old who incorrectly uses the plural of “snowman” as the plural of “snowman.” Overall, this is an episode about taboo things, and the thing about taboos is that we usually don’t even go there or even talk about them. Here PJ does it, and I think we discover that our aversion to cannibalism is one of those things that makes less and less sense the more we think about it. Is eating human flesh the worst thing we can do, or the most intimate? If this episode doesn’t make you a little less anti-cannibalistic, I’ll be surprised.
Drifting Off with Joe Pera : “Christmas Tree Lighted”
“Drifting Off with Joe Pera” is a calming podcast designed to help you fall asleep, and the episode “The Christmas Tree Is Burning” was the most relaxing for me. Joe talks about finding peace by looking at a Christmas tree lit up in the dark while everyone else sleeps, but I was too in love with Joe’s immersive sound and massage-like narration to fall asleep. This episode epitomizes coziness; listening to it made me feel like I was looking at a lit Christmas tree in the dark while everyone else was sleeping and Joe says that’s the theme of his life. (It asks us to think about the themes of our lives, and I want to steal it.) Whitmer Thomas tells Joe a story that seems to come from A Christmas Story , and then Joe reads “The Christmas Tree” beautifully and beautifully. Hans Christian Andersen for a passage that made me feel both warm and sad. I finished it feeling like I understood the sadness of what I was eating. I wanted to gather the whole family around the fire for Christmas and have everyone listen to it together.
Louder than a riot : “It’s not difficult if you understand it”
In Louder Than a Riot ‘s “It’s Not Hard If You’ve Got It,” Sydney Madden and Rodney Carmichael take us to Miami (“one of the few places where you can go to the supermarket in just a bikini and not get a side eye”). to interview Trina, whose career sparked hip-hop’s “bad bitch” moment, a departure from old stereotypes about black women in rap. It all started with Trina, who sounds shy as hell, rapping on the track Trick Daddy, stealing the show, and then fully unwinding to be more than a verse, breaking the mold with her sophomore release Diamond Princess . There’s an almost cinematic moment when Trina is pushed onto the stage during the show and is greeted by a sea of bad bitches singing her lyrics. She set hip-hop on fire, giving birth to a universe of bad bitches. But a nasty interview with Trick Daddy shows he doesn’t want to talk about it and isn’t happy about being overshadowed by the baddest bitch. He may have put Trina on the microphone, but that’s where his support ended. (In his interview, he runs out saying, “I’m Jesus Christ, I created the baddest bitch. If you feel wronged, fuck her and kiss my whole family’s ass.”) The episode feels juicy, important, and celebratory. the original bad bitch and introduces us to a man who was able to focus and create art that resonated enormously with the people who needed it. We should all take notes.
Interesting articles : “The Clueless Closet”
Avery Trufelman just wrapped up a masterful series of articles on preppy clothing on her podcast Articles of Interest . Then one day last week we got the only great episode dedicated to Cher Horowitz’s Closet , “The Clueless Closet.” I would never have realized what a nightmare it was for production directors to set up a fantasy closet in a film. But that iconic closet we’ve all lusted after since 1995 is also a nightmare that can’t be recreated in real life. We had self-driving cars (sort of) before Cher’s dream closet? Who is the boss in this universe, man? I won’t spoil anything, but there’s an interesting reason why we can’t make this cabinet no matter how hard we try, and why, in fact, we shouldn’t do it. This episode will make you fall in love with your clothes, start shopping your closet more often, and start dressing in a way that may confuse others a little, but will ultimately impress them.
Sentimental Trash : “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”
You’ve probably heard Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (which was number one on the charts on my birthday) millions of times, but have you thought about it – really thought about it? The Sentimental Garbage episode “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” delivered the song in a poignant, fun, and academic way, and that’s really what this show does best. This is an analysis of both Cindy’s version and the original version performed by Robert Hazard, a famous man. It changes everything when you think about it. Both Caroline and guest Tom McInnes are thinking about it. It’s a talk about fun, what Cindy means when she talks about wanting to take a walk in the sun and being lucky, and why when you hear “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” you don’t want to dance to it, you just want to hug yourself. There aren’t many lyrics on “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” but each one carries more than its weight.
Decoder Ring : “The Slow Sunset of a Slow Dance.”
Decoder Ring’s “Slow Dance Sunset” was unexpectedly brilliant. We get the full history of slow dance, starting with the waltz, exploring how we went from dance chaperones literally tearing apart awkward teenagers on the dance floor to wishing they’d come a little closer. The introduction of grinding is one of the reasons why face-to-face slow dancing is declining, but there is more to it than that. Dance evolves and is a reflection of our culture and how we relate to each other. Teenagers don’t slow dance (they literally don’t, and it’s not just teenagers – no one does) because they aren’t as comfortable participating in this rather vulnerable tradition. In the wake of COVID-19, where we rely on social media to maintain friendships and relationships, it’s not hard to see why. It wasn’t a look at the “good old days” and how life was better when kids were willing to slow dance. It’s a reminder that putting yourself out there to connect with someone in a slow dance is an art we’re losing. Slow dancing breaks the ice, challenges us, and helps us feel more comfortable with our bodies as well as other people’s bodies. It’s not stupid, it’s an important part of what it means to be human in this world. Slow dancing has evolved from waltzing to grinding and will evolve again. But what?
Radio Diaries : “Unnamed Cemetery: Neil Harris Jr.”
Somewhere near the western tip of Long Island Sound, in the northeast Bronx, lies Hart Island, or “Potter’s Field,” America’s largest public cemetery. (More than a million souls lie buried without gravestones. Just numbers.) It’s an island full of mysteries, and Radio Diaries explores some of them for a short series called “The Unmarked Cemetery .” The first story, Neil Harris Jr. , tells the story of a guy who became known to the locals of Riverside Park in Manhattan as Steven for sitting on the same bench every day. In 2017, an unidentified body was found in New York – meanwhile, local residents began to notice that Stephen was missing. A random park visitor needed to connect the dots and discover his true identity. The Radio Diaries gets to know Stephen, his real name and personality, the mark he left on New York, and the people he left behind. I listened to this episode with bated breath. It makes you think about every person you pass on the street or see sitting on a park bench.
Men Thinkers : “Juicy with Will Blunderfield”
I expected Men Thinkers to be full of lazy jokes about toxic masculinity, but co-hosts George Collins and Dan Finkelstein dig deep into the topic and the result is a laugh-out-loud affair. They interview real doctors and experts about testosterone, egg freezing, and how to become a better person, all of whom are two rude male libertarians/incels who got canceled by “liberal” YouTube and found a place for their voice on the podcast. One of my favorite episodes was “Juicy” with Will Blunderfield drinking his own urine, sunbathing and teaching sexy kung fu lessons.
You’re Wrong : “Chris McCandless with Blair Braverman”
Regular You’re Wrong correspondent Blair Braverman returned to the show to talk about “Supertramp” Chris McCandless , who once walked into the Alaskan bush and died, possibly because he ate some toxic plants. Chris’ story was the inspiration for Jon Krakauer’s book Into the Wild . This was a great conversation because it brought up so many things that were never mentioned in Into the Wild , such as domestic violence, the complexities of Chris as a flawed, non-evil person, and how new research may explain how Chris may have died .
American Hysteria : “Jackass”
I had no idea how weird Jackas was. There’s an episode of American Hysteria about Jackass that is both the definitive history of the franchise and one of the best written episodes of American Hysteria ever – Chelsea reading the list of Jackass stunts is pure poetry. It’s also super gay. ( Jackass believed it was “riding the world of homophobia.” John Waters was a fan and appeared on the show.) Jackass’s story is unusual and surprising: it certainly inspired kids to try the Anaconda Ball Pit, bungee wedgies, or golf. Air directional signal. It’s also a story about American culture, about straight America becoming uncomfortable, about beautiful danger, and about a lot more than just a bunch of guys falling over.