I am spectacularly late to this party.
I just started listening to the true-crime podcast Serial that took the nation by storm at the end of last year, and I have to say: wow.
I must first admit that – for some reason – I have not embraced the podcast. Why? I have no idea. If you’re already a podcast person, go ahead – feel slightly smug and self-satisfied right now. I agree that my non-podcast-listening ways are puzzling.
Podcasts are so great for traveling! Or commuting! I can hardly wait to listen to more of them, as soon as I finish Serial.
And speaking of Serial, isn’t it gripping?
In case you are also late to the party, here’s the beginning of the story:
It’s Baltimore, 1999. Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior, disappears after school one day. Six weeks later detectives arrest her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. He says he’s innocent – though he can’t exactly remember what he was doing on that January afternoon. But someone can. A classmate at Woodlawn High School says she knows where Adnan was. The trouble is, she’s nowhere to be found.
This is a true story, and Adnan is now in prison. Sarah Koenig, who narrates the story, learned about the case over a year ago, and isn’t convinced Adnan is guilty. What she realized over the course of her investigation is that the trial was really only the tip of the iceberg: it covered up a far more complicated story. Each week, the podcast reveals more and more about what Sarah learned.
The whole thing is so interesting to me!
Also, it has FINALLY given me something to look forward to on my hour-long commute.
Cheers to the podcast!
And please let me know if you are also a podcast newbie. Maybe we can start a support group. 🙂
PS – Now that I’m a fan, there are so many other podcasts I want to hear (The Moth, The Dinner Party Download, Freakonomics, Working…)
How about you? Have any faves to share? We will all thank you on our next long trip.
You simply must subscribe to 99% Invisible after you finish Serial. Lots of wonderful and unique stories – some really amazing podcasting. I also love How Did This Get Made – every episode makes me laugh!!
Ann – Thanks for the suggestion! Will check it out for sure.
I took your suggestion to get 99% Invisible and am so happy I did. I had no idea of the origin of the dancing air guys! What a cool human interest story! Thanks!
Laura
Yay!! I like one of the recent ones about where the hash tag came from – I always learn something from this podcast!
I LOVE IT when my readers connect!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
The hashtag was fascinating! I now understand why we abbreviate pound as lb. I also love that they included Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon’s incredibly annoying hashtag sketch. OK, I’m done now, but you can see how your suggestion has changed my life for the better :)!
If it makes you feel any better, for the first time *ever* I just listened to an episode of This American Life. It happened to be a podcast, so at least there’s that.
I was rivetted by Serial, yet plagued by the questions many others have asked around the ok-ness of it all. It’s easy to forget these are real people with real lives and that this must dredge up magnitudes of pain and loss. If it puts innocent people on the street and guilty ones off it, then that’s another story. But this one isn’t clear cut and I felt perverse getting caught up. This is no judgement on other POVs. Just my own personal experience.
pinkisnice – Agree about feeling a bit like a voyeur.
I got hooked on podcasts a few years ago and mostly listen to the NPR ones like TAL, Serial, Wait wait Don’t Tell Me, Car Talk. I enjoy the storytelling of The Moth very much, especially now that they do hour-long episodes instead of single 15-minute stories. Storytelling is very very popular, so there are many podcasts where you can hear real people talk about real life. Risk is one that I listened to for a long time but eventually the raunchy themes grew tiresome. Fresh Air was good for awhile but I actually can’t stand Terry Gross’s cadence as an interviewer so I gave it up. Believe me, there are plenty of podcasts out there that are poorly done and boring, but there are plenty that will rock your world. For a little education, I listen to Grammar Girl; they’re only 10 minutes and I always learn something. Oh, you should get The Truth! It’s more like radio drama and is very professional. OK, I’m done now! Enjoy your commute and don’t forget to get off the train!
Laura – Ha ha, I actually almost DID forget to get off the train! How did you know? 😉
Because I know you. :0
sounds interesting! I’ve only listened to my buddy Rich’s podcast (The Rich Roll Podcast) on sports, nutrition and the like. Will check this out!
Rebecca – Yay! Another person who hasn’t already listened to it 🙂