6 Podcast Reviews to Explore Your Humanity
Discover how low we can go and how high we can soar from some of these fascinating podcasts.
Surely you’ve heard of Ricky Gervais?
He is the creator and star of the original tv series “The Office”, UK radio personality, creator of several tv series and movies, stand-up comedian, author of children’s books, animal rights activist, etc.
This essay is not about Ricky. I start with him because he set the gold standard for popular podcasts. In fact, in 2007 when podcasts were just beginning to be a thing, The Ricky Gervais Show was awarded the Guinness World Record for the most downloaded podcasts. Condensing the description of the podcast into one sentence you could say the episodes were simply conversations between Ricky and his mate Steve Merchant teasing their pal, Karl Pilkington. In typical dry British humour style, the three of them created years of hilarious shtick that my husband and I still quote from to this day. Because of the podcast’s success, Ricky named himself “The Podfather”, in self-deprecating gloat.
Podcasts allow us flexibility in entertainment. We can listen to them while we’re doing just about anything. Like The Ricky Gervais Show podcast, I love them for their entertainment value but I am drawn to them like a magnet as a means of exploring our humanity. Anyone can make a podcast about anything. There are so many voices, so many perspectives. So many explorations of people and circumstances.
The podcasts that fascinate me the most range from the macabre to the sublime. From the horrific depths of humanity to the glorious reaches of human kindness. I will review three of each of my favourites here.
I will preface my first three recommendations by saying these are not for everyone. There can be some difficult descriptions that may be a difficult trigger for some people. Just as they mention in many introductions to these podcasts, “Listener, please take care”.
TRUE CRIME PODCASTS
Perhaps it all began with our devotion to Forensic Files tv show. Being walked through a crime with human depravity explained, then guilt proven through science, the murderer is caught. It is very satisfying to have a culprit brought to justice. These three do just that.
Anatomy of Murder
Hosted by a former prosecutor (Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi) and a former deputy sheriff-turned-journalist (Scott Weinberger) the two recount American murders and how the justice system worked for or failed the victim.
Handled sensitively, the two hosts delve into understanding the act of the crime and true to the title of their podcast, dissecting the components of how to catch and prosecute the perpetrator. While examining all the pieces, they do not direct their examination on the criminal solely. Their focus is on honouring the victim and remembering them.
There is an authentic effort to gain an understanding of how and why the horrible act happened and to truly give the victim and victim’s surviving loved ones a voice.
I found this episode particularly moving: NYC’S Only Homicide on 9/11.
Bad Women: The Ripper Retold
Everyone knows the story of Jack the Ripper, but his identity has never been discovered. Historian Hallie Rubenhol does not care about that. Her interest lies in researching his victims and making them three-dimensional flesh and blood humans.
Traditionally, the women Jack attacked have been categorized as prostitutes and whores. When Rubenhol looks into the history of these women, she is surprised to learn that this in fact is not the case. These women living in Victorian-era Whitechapel, an area of the city renowned for low economic status and high criminal activity, were assumed to be the lowest of the low. Women who had fallen from grace in their previous lives, selling their bodies.
Rubenhold endeavours to set the record straight. Her research reveals the Dickensian culture of the times and the lives women lead in that era. She shares her discoveries of who these victims really were and the sexism that wrote them off as worthless humans. Society looked upon them as almost deserving of the horrific violence perpetrated against them.
I was so pleasantly surprised at the content and production quality of this podcast. I was also startled to hear how disruptive her findings were to other Ripper historians. The podcast reveals that the sexism endured by women in the Victorian era too commonly continues to this day.
Listen to it here: Bad Women: The Ripper Retold
Evil By Design
I’m not gonna lie. This was a difficult podcast to listen to. True to CBC’s incredible documentary style, it captures my interest for a couple of reasons.
The podcast focuses on Peter Nygard and his serial sexual attacks and rapes. The way he groomed, ambushed, and held these young women captive was horrendous and despicable. Those around him knew what he was doing, he manipulated everyone.
His reputation was evident to everyone and due to his status and wealth, this lowlife got away with hurting a ton of women, scarring them deeply for life.
Probably the most difficult part of the podcast was listening to the episode where one of the victims described her community and how sexual abuse was never acknowledged or discussed, and how that contributed to Nygaard’s success in destroying women. Even though he was committing these crimes regularly, no one in the community would report them to the police. It was shameful and embarrassing to the family, so no one would reveal the problem. It was just quietly known and tolerated.
I was outraged. How could a community do this to itself, to these innocent victims?
It was then my moment of truth hit me. My community embodied the same scenario. Let me explain.
My mother never wanted my sister and me to be alone with her own father and because I was extremely naïve, I always thought it quite silly.
One day, right before my high school graduation, I understood why. My grandfather cornered me alone after I paid him and my grandmother a visit. Fortunately, he didn’t get too far because an uncle happened to stop by unannounced. In shock, I drove home trying to convince myself that nothing had happened. Or had it? No, there’s no way, I told myself. To my mother’s full credit, when I got home, she could tell from my demeanor that something was really wrong. I spilled the beans and I could see the hurt and pain on her face. The next day she forced my grandfather to come to our house and apologize to me. I know she did the best she knew how to try to bring me some justice, but of course, he didn’t feel he did anything wrong. He apologized at her prompting but it was obviously insincere. And of course, no one reported him to the police. Even though he had done, AND CONTINUED to do the same thing to many more family members — aunts, cousins, and who knows who else?
These insidious monsters lurk everywhere and our communities empower them with our silence. Today Nygard sits behind bars awaiting his trial. May he never taste freedom again.
If you feel strong enough, listen to Timothy Sawa courageously and doggedly out Nygaard for his heinous crimes in Evil By Design.
HOPEFUL/POSITIVE PODCASTS
That last podcast description was a real downer. While humanity reaches the lowest depths, I try to have hope that there may be good people doing kind things in this world.
That’s why I regularly listen to…
This Is Love
Phoebe Judge (oh what a wonderful voice!) recounts stories where human kindness shines so brightly, it is quietly blinding. With her unique speaking style, she interviews people about their experiences with love and narrates parts of their stories. Sometimes it is romantic love, but most times it is selfless acts of empathy.
Simultaneously, she shares more stories in a podcast called Criminal. Strangely, the line between themes of love and crime can be blurred and this is notable when Judge will cross-share an episode between the two podcasts.
Therefore, I’m recommending two episodes that particularly moved me.
From This is Love: My husband was the one who first turned me on to the podcast with this episode about a man and his guide dog. The two are trying to escape from and find safety after being trapped in one of the attacked buildings during 9/11.
Listen to Roselle and Michael.
From Criminal: If you really want to challenge yourself on love’s boundaries, listen to how a nun believes that “every person is worth more than the worst things they’ve ever done”. Sister Helen Prejean tells Phoebe about her winding path to becoming a spiritual advisor to men and women on death row.
Listen to: Sister Helen
The Q Interview
Nobody but nobody conducts an interview quite like my fellow Canadian, Tom Power.
Part of his charm is the faint remnant of his Newfoundland accent, but mostly it is the research and intelligence he brings to his questions and how he listens to his interviewees. I’ve heard him speak with Robert Deniro, Dolly Parton, and Eddie Izzard where the Q team has converted some of his CBC Radio interviews into podcasts.
It’s never sensationalism Power is after. You can hear the genuine interest and curiosity in every question he asks. He allows celebrities to plug their latest whatevers, but he also gently helps them arrive at some very personal revelations.
Q deservedly won “Gold for Best Interview” at the 2021 New York Festival’s Radio Awards. The conversation featured is with another Canadian, Michael J. Fox, and could be one of my favourites. They cover some pretty heavy stuff, but in typical Fox style Michael J. uses humor to bring insights on when life dishes out too much and your optimism runs out.
Get ready for some really honest perspectives in this episode with Michael J. Fox.
Meditation Minis
One last uplifting podcast I want to share is about kindness to your own person. It’s called Meditation Minis.
These are short and free guided medications focusing on “Relaxing Light Like A Feather”, “Earth Grounding and Centering Meditation”, and “Chronic Pain Easing Meditation”.
(Please note that while these episodes are free, there is some advertising at the start. The ads, however, are easily skipped over by fast-forwarding a minute or two into the episode.)
Chel Hamilton hosts these brief meditations with her soothing voice and gentle music. I find them to be a grounding way to start my day. It’s hard to find time to meditate on a regular basis but because these are in a bite-size chunk of time it’s hard to find an excuse to miss, especially when you remember how good it feels to reset your state of mind.
There are so many meditation podcasts available. I am particular about the ones I listen to because — and I’ll be honest — no matter how good a podcast is, if the narrator’s manner of speaking turns me off I just can’t abide it! (Ie. “vocal fry” makes me shudder!) Meditation apps can be the worst examples of this; you can tell some of the hosts take themselves, well… a little too seriously.
Chel Hamilton’s voice is consistent throughout all of her episodes. Her voice is easy and reassuring.
If you’re interested in exploring a positive ten minutes in your day, check out Medication Minis.
Discovering Humanity
Just like I enjoy experimenting with finding new music (as I wrote about here)…
…I love discovering new fascinating Podcasts. I just finished listening to another hard-hitting one called Carrie Low Vs. peppering in the delightfully entertaining episodes of The Debaters.
My advice is to balance out what you listen to. The reality is life is not consistent; it isn’t always light and easy but it isn’t all doom and gloom either. The horrific and the glorious: these are our shared experiences and discoveries as humans. Podcasts are an insightful way to explore the highs and lows of living. I hope you will find value for yourself in my recommendations.
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