A Friday podcast discovery feature spotlighting new and almost-new shows. Happy Friday. Happy listening.
Re/code Media with Peter Kafka: Veteran tech writer Peter Kafka starts his own show in the Re/code cluster. Media has long been part of Re/code’s purview as a leading tech-punditry brand, and Kafka is the right choice to host the program — for his smarts, connections, and experience, if not for his relentless growling vocal fry. You might get restless during the ADHD-activating chatfest with Kara Swisher which opened the first episode. A few listeners might have dropped off during that unnecessary roadblock; we made good use of our podcatcher’s 15-second skip. But we loved the debut guest choice, New Yorker editor David Remnick., and we’ll go back for more. [LISTEN]
Straight Outta the Podcast: A brand new PodcastOne program, the first episode of this deep and thoughtful examination of hip-hop culture via interviews with its luminaries hit the podsphere two days ago. It’ll be a weekly. The show is hosted by Oscar nominee and founder of Xenon Pictures S. Leigh Savadge, and his first guest is Master P (Percy Robert Miller), a multi-dimensional rapper and media magnate. Savadge sounds a bit nervous as he launches into the 70-minute first episode, and you can hear that twinge of mic-jitters making Master P a bit uneasy — but no matter. The questions are good, the conversation thoughtful and revealing, and it seems like this will be a meaty conversational podcast. [LISTEN]
Extraordinary Happens: “I believe extraordinary things happen every day,” says Mark King, Adidas president of North America and host of this interview program. He talks with quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the first episode, and followed up with sportscaster Pam Oliver. King does a fine job in an earnest, straightforward way, especially for a first-time podcaster. The show is distributed on Stitcher and iTunes, and the episodes are hosted on SoundCloud. [LISTEN]
Tragedy Plus Time: “The whole point of this show is to bring guests to share catastrophic events, that sucked ass at the time, that they can look back on and laugh.” It’s a clever conceit for a podcast, reinforcing a trend of programs attempting to differentiate outside of standard topical categories like health or sports. One advantage is that guests can appear from all walks of life and dimensions of celebrity. Guesting in the first episode (February 1) is Lauren Mayberry of the band CHVRCHES. The conversation isn’t as focused or cathartic as you might expect from the premise; it’s a 72-minute wide-ranging chatfest that embraces Mayberry’s poor experiences with romance and bullies. Host Anthony Troli, a writer for Funny or Die, which produces the show, is loose, talkative, and fairly funny. Hosted on SoundCloud. [LISTEN]