In Podmass, The A.V. Club sifts through the ever-expanding world of podcasts and recommends 10–15 of the previous week’s best episodes. Have your own favorite? Let us know in the comments or at [email protected].
99% Invisible
Holdout
With photos on their website strongly evoking the house from the Pixar film Up, host Roman Mars and producer Katie Mingle use this episode to feature the highly human subject of homeowners who refuse to leave. Holdouts are often shooed away by big developers, but sometimes it’s the government that takes a vested interest. The show first highlights David Hess, who was forced out of his home by New York City. All that was left for him was a piece of land the size of a large slice of pizza—mosaic tiles from 100 years ago still decorating that spot and declaring it private to this day. In particular, this episode tells the tale of Seattle’s Edith Macefield, asked to leave her home to make room for a gigantic shopping mall. She quickly became a hot topic with local media, who fell in love with her battle. But Macefield hated the attention of the media, completely shirking off any attempts at interviews. The tale of her struggle to hold onto her lonely home, her secret celebrity status, and the construction supervisor who ended up becoming her caretaker make this the kind of human-interest story listeners would expect to hear in a golden-age episode of This American Life. But framed in the bigger story of others in the same situation, this episode quickly turns into something more powerful. [DT]
Not Too Deep
Tyler Oakley
In the promising debut episode of her new podcast, comedian Grace Helbig visits with YouTuber Tyler Oakley and—as the title Not Too Deep implies—the half hour chat is anything but serious-minded. Helbig’s absurd style of questioning is rapid-fire, a quick flowing series of non-sequiturs covering such groundbreaking territory as whether Oakley prefers his arm or leg hair and his feelings on capes as a fashion accessory. Helbig takes questions from Twitter as well, and a stand-out moment comes when Oakley responds to one by describing his wonderfully campy drag queen persona. Helbig’s fast-paced hosting style shies away from structure, never lingering on any one topic for too long. While a determination to keep things somewhat removed and on a somewhat superficial level could easily come off as vapid, it results in many funny moments and, in the end, is content with simply revealing as much about Oakley’s personality and sense of humor as he is willing to share. With so many podcasts built around heavy moments and big reveals, there’s something refreshing about a show more interested in seeing what comes out of unapologetic silliness. Listeners should also check out Helbig’s YouTube channel for the podcast’s video feature, including this week’s competition with Oakley. [DF]
Point Of Inquiry
Sam Harris – Seeking Transcendence Without Religion
It may seem counterintuitive to hear Sam Harris—one of the so-called “Four Horsemen” of new atheism—peddling transcendence on a podcast dedicated to reason and scientific thought, but as a neuroscientist he’s been speaking on and writing about the mental benefits of meditation for years before penning his newest book, Waking Up: A Guide To Spirituality Without Religion. In this interview with Point Of Inquiry’s Josh Zepps, he points out science’s failings when faced with people who come to it seeking answers about their experiences, explaining why religion is such a convenient fit with the mystical. In an interesting 40-minute interview, one of the more entertaining parts comes when Harris attempts to explain how and why psychedelic drugs can be an effective tool for quick and easy trips through the transcendental, but without sounding like he’s telling people to go out and drop a bunch of acid. [DD]
Radio Diaries
Working Then And Now
In almost any other hands, Studs Terkel’s simple concept of talking to everyday people about how they feel about their jobs would have been too distant, patronizing, or ham-fisted in an attempt to make a larger point. One reason Terkel’s Working is so exceptional is his absolute willingness to listen with genuine curiosity and deep humanity—qualities that reverberate loudly in this outstanding Radio Diaries installment. The storytelling program’s recent access to Terkel’s raw audio results in a delightful, albeit painfully brief, glimpse into two of the conversations that helped shape the timeless masterpiece about the daily working lives of more than 130 people. Helen Moog, a taxi driver from Youngstown, Ohio, tells the writer and historian about her belief that a life without work isn’t a life at all. Al Pommier, a Chicago parking lot attendant, shares a jovial chat and cigars with Terkel as they discuss his car parking skills. The bits of audio illuminate the simple beauty and decency inherent in so much of Terkel’s work. It’s an absolute must-listen for those who’ve been touched by Terkel’s creations and a solid hook for those who are new to his classic pieces of oral history. [TC]
Scriptnotes
A Screenwriter’s Guide To The End Of The World
While Scriptnotes bills itself as “a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters,” the topics that cohosts John August and Craig Mazin choose to discuss, with relatively few exceptions, have a considerably broader appeal and can serve as a great way for industry outsiders to get a sense of how Hollywood makes its sausages. This week, however, their focus is pulled considerably wider, as they discuss the recent trend in all forms of narrative storytelling to end everything. Has there ever been a time in recorded history when civilization has met its grisly demise more often, and in more horrific manners, than in the past decade? Across all media, mankind has been laid low by the hand of God, natural disasters, asteroid collisions, extraterrestrial invasions, inter-dimensional raids, and more zombie outbreaks than one can easily count. August and Mazin muse over what this apocalyptic obsession says about society and use their experience as working screenwriters to tease out why these stories wind up being told the way that they are. They also outline their own personal plans for surviving the coming waves of undead hordes. Turns out, sometimes the best strategy is a quick and painless death. [DD]
Stuff You Missed In History Class
Dazzle Camouflage
In this episode of Stuff You Missed In History Class, Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey focus on the strange artistic tactic known as Dazzle Camouflage. If listeners aren’t especially familiar with modern military history, they probably have no idea that 100 years ago, various navies painted their battleships to look like gigantic Dada paintings. The idea was that the visual would be so distracting and startling that those attempting to manually target the ship would be disoriented and unable to focus. And though British Royal Navy Lt. Norman Wilkinson is often given all the credit for thinking this tactic up, there is another man who fought desperately to get his due. A naturalist named John Graham Kerr had approached the British Royal Navy several years earlier after noting “obliterative coloring” in animals. Even before Kerr, there were attempts to provide “counter-shading” with hard-line gradients during the Spanish American War, and this added background only complicates and deepens the story. The pure strangeness of this topic makes this a stand-out episode, as this is not only a hidden phenomena, but the dramatic dispute over the idea seems entirely lost from most history books. There are also show notes on the podcast’s blog that provide an essential visual of the camouflage and some research links that flesh out more of the story. [DT]
Stuff You Should Know
How Pinball Works
Pinball is a topic that Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant are quite excited to tear into, particularly since Clark saw the documentary Special When Lit. This combined with another documentary called TILT: The Battle To Save Pinball and a pinball history article in Popular Mechanics have led the hosts into fascinating research on these pre-video game arcade staples. Pinball is a surprisingly old game that has adapted well to popular culture, but few might know that it was illegal as recently as the 1970s. In the 1930s, the game became extremely popular, only to be seen as a way to scam youngsters out of their allowance and treated with the same scorn as Prohibition-era barrels of whiskey. In addition to tales of police smashing machines with sledgehammers and dumping their remains in rivers, there is also a glimpse into the huge, thriving community of competitive pinball wizards attempting to master the perfect shot. The hosts are completely stunned by the illegality aspect, and laugh a great deal at the very real “pinball raids” leading up to a congressional hearing for pinball. They also note more recent history, as new innovations and competition over the last two years may be leading us to a silver age of pinball. [DT]