🤸♀️I'm back!!! 💕(Also: What people at On Air Fest are listening to and loving)✨
50+ very good podcast recommendations from people the audio obsessed
Bonjour.
Today is Monday, March 4, and after a few weeks away caring for my newborn Stella, I’m returning to Podcast the Newsletter. I missed you all so much. HUGE thanks to Wil for stepping in while I was out. They are, in so many ways, a better reviewer than I so starting today Wil will be contributing to Podcast the Newsletter in a section at the end, when they can. This week is special because I was at On Air Fest last week (God Bless) and went around asking people what they were listening to. So here you go, a great big list of recommendations. Maybe your show is in there? Sorry for not using links, I’m a busy mom now.
xoxo lp
👋q & a & q & a & q & a👋
Dimitry Pompée and Jeremy Bent
Dimitry Pompée, Oscar Montoya, and Jeremy Bent are the hosts of Eurovangelists, a hilarious podcast about all things Eurovision.
Jeremy Bent is a comedian, writer and voice actor living in Los Angeles. You might know him from the podcasts Mission to Zyxx and Nice to Meet You, or from Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News on Comedy Central.
Dimitry Pompée is a TV comedy writer. He is an alumnus of the Paramount Writers Mentorship Program who has worked on shows for Disney, Netflix, and DreamWorks Animation. Before working in the entertainment industry, he was a mildly-successful lobbyist who worked for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Postal Service in Washington DC.
Describe Eurovangelists in 10 words or less.
Jeremy Bent: We want America to watch Eurovision, because it’s so fun.
Dimitry Pompée: We’ll make Eurovision an indelible part of your life, you’regonnaloveit. (I had one word left)
What is your relationship with Eurovision?
JB: I’m the newbie. I’ve really only been a fan for a couple years, but I’ll say the more I engage with Eurovision, the more I find to love about it. It’s over the top, it’s silly, it’s sometimes very earnest - what can I say? It’s great.
DP: I discovered the Contest back in 2003. I discussed this on our first episode, so consider this a sneak peek of what you can hear on Eurovangelists!
It was Saturday, May 24. I was 14 and my parents grounded me for something so stupid, I can’t even remember it. They took my TV, video games, computer, anything that could be remotely entertaining. All I had was my clock radio, so I started tooling around with the dial. That's when I discovered NPR. I listened to Car Talk, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Studio 360, A Prairie Home Companion, Says You, all the mid-aughts Saturday gold.
As you probably know, NPR plays BBC News at night. And the big story dominating the headlines was the United Kingdom getting last place and zero points at Eurovision earlier that day. British media was absolutely LIVID. There was even a Minister of Parliament who claimed that the other countries were punishing the UK for supporting the United States in the Iraq War. Of course it couldn't possibly be because the UK’s song that year was arguably the worst thing they did since Margaret Thatcher, it was definitely because of the Iraq War.
But then, a representative from one of the competing nations said something that was essentially, "Well it wasn't not NOT because of Iraq." So after all this hullabaloo, I had to know what this whole Eurovision thing was all about. I downloaded the 2003 Contest off of Limewire, and after I removed all the viruses from my computer, I gave it a watch. I could barely comprehend what I was seeing, and I had never heard music like that before. The show was full of performance, pomp, politics, and pettiness. It was like the World Cup, Model UN, and pro wrestling combined and set to music. I was hooked. Haven't missed one since. I’ve seen every edition of Eurovision at least once, and I have them all saved/duplicated on two hard drives stored in a fireproof lockbox that I keep in storage. That’s not a joke.
How are you all connected?
JB: I think I’m the lynchpin of this particular podcast: Oscar and I met in a musical improv class (foreshadowing!) many years ago, before getting to perform together on a team in New York for a couple years which was a joy. Dimitry and I first met at an event for fans of Anamanaguchi, one of our favorite bands (additional foreshadowing!). He lived in DC at the time, but we kept in touch and he eventually started a career as a tv writer. Eventually the three of us all made it to LA (myself last), which is where Dimitry the superfan introduced me to Eurovision. After my second grand final in 2023, we started batting around the idea for a podcast. And when I mentioned this idea to Oscar a few weeks later, I realized I knew another superfan. We met up to chat about it, and when Dimitry and Oscar started rattling off their favorite songs from forty years ago, I thought, “This is it. This is the show.”
What do you each bring to the table? How are you alike / different?
JB: Dimitry’s the expert, Oscar’s the performer, and I’m the everyman. Except when we’re other things.
DP: Each of us represent a different level of Eurovision experience. If you’re a newer fan, Jeremy is there to ask the questions you probably have and share a perspective similar to yours. If you’ve been a fan for a while but not for decades, Oscar does the same for you. And I’m here for all the long-time fans who want to compare old Eurovision with modern Eurovision. Additionally, we all have different opinions about the songs because of our personal preferences. We can all agree with each other one minute, then be arguing three different positions the next. It makes for a fun, conversational show that’s always compelling to hear. Especially when we’re fighting.
Fill in the blank: You will love Eurovangelists if you like _________.
JB: The Olympics. I am an Olympics diehard, and I can feel Eurovision pressing the same “international competition in the name of achieving excellence” buttons that the Olympics does. And I get both this year!
DP: NPR. Worked for me! There’s a strong correlation between liking public media and Eurovision. It’s definitely the same crowd.
Why will people love Eurovision?
JB: Do you like American Idol? The Voice? The Masked Singer? What if I told you those were all trash compared to this? You’d be upset with me? That’s fair, but please, give Eurovision a shot.
DP: As fun and silly as Eurovision can be, the moments of true human beauty are the real draw. You’ll see some of the greatest musicians in the world on that stage. You’ll see people from nations with generational rivalries singing together in the name of peace and freedom.
If you were a pop group gunning to win Eurovision, what would your group’s name be and what would your hit song be about?
JB: I’m leaning into the goofiness of Eurovision here, but my group would be called OK J with our song, “Feelin’ OK,” a paean to feeling not amazing, but also not bad.
DP: OK J works for me! I revere the Eurovision stage and as a person who either got kicked out of my college’s music program or resigned with my dignity intact (depends on who you ask), I know I don’t belong on that sacred ground. So I’d say our song would be about how there are so many great songs performing at Eurovision that year and how you shouldn’t waste a vote on us.
What do all the winners of Eurovision have in common?
JB: They won - but by that, I mean a million small victories wove together to allow them to reign supreme. Every winner is the conflux of seizing the opportunity and a heaping helping of good fortune.
DP: Ooo, great question. While I don’t love all the Eurovision winners, key to their victories was standing out amongst their class, either in terms of vocal ability, staging, and/or performance. Take 2014 for an example. That year was full of great artists, but the second we saw Conchita Wurst’s performance of Rise Like A Phoenix, it was pretty clear Austria was going to win. As talented as the class of 2014 was, no one else was nearly as captivating.
Pretend you were going to make a new podcast. Your budget is $1M. Do not worry about the logistics or whether or not anyone would like it. What would it be?
JB: I think we would actually host a great video game podcast, because we’re all gamers. Maybe we document the process of making a Eurovision-based rhythm game together?! Insane.
DP: Honestly, we’re already doing it. This is my dream podcast. Well, this podcast with a $1 million budget.
Hot take:
JB: Don’t bring a rock song to Eurovision unless it really ROCKS.
DP: Sorry Loreen fans, but Elisabeth Andreassen will always be the First Lady of Eurovision to me.
Self-care ritual:
JB: A nice cold cocktail and an old movie.
DP: Oreo cheesecake and my favorite Eurovision hits.
🚨If u only have time for 1 thing🚨
I’m obsessed with podcast Reddit and the #1 thing I hear from podcast Redditors is “I miss Reply All. Where should I go?” I have an answer for those people, and even for the people who think Reply All could have…done better. It’s Never Post, a member-supported, employee-owned podcast about and for the internet hosted by Mayor of the Internet Mike Rugnetta and produced by Hans Buetow, who I have been hearing in credits for other podcasts for years and years. Every episode is comprised of internet updates and journeys down rabbit holes from Never Post producers with full context about why it matters and together it feels like a magazine of internet. The team has much loftier goals than completely captivating you with an episode (the production is great, too.) They want to a) start taking pitches and paying people for their stories, and b) turn Never Post into an internet-community audio-resource. “We want to teach people how to do this work, and how to do it in a way that‘s not toxic, as so much of the media and content industries can be.” Learn more here. The first episode is a great place to start, about the curious disappearance of tween fashion trends (remember Limited Too?,) posting disease, and we get to listen in on Hans’ mission to find Caffeine-Free Diet Dr. Pepper.) Listen here.
hell yeah
🎙️I was on PR360, talking with my friend Tod Perry (Upworthy, LA's Own Marineland) about some of my favorite podcast marketing tips. Listen here.
🎙️Podspike asked me if I recommend going to podcast festivals and conferences. I said yes of course.
🎙️In a session at On Air Fest, Ira Glass gave some podcast recommendations, and Arielle Nissenblatt wrote them down. Here they are.
🎙️Arielle spotlighted The Nightingale of Iran in her newsletter and podcast.
💎BTW💎
Here are the shows recommended by the cool dudes I met at On Air Fest:
🎙️Million Dollar Lover (Nichole Hill, The Secret Adventures of Black People, She Has a Name, Second Sunday)
🎙️Handsome (Rachael King, Pod People)
🎙️You Didn’t See Nothin’ (Derek John, Slate)
🎙️City of the Rails (Chioke I'Anson, Resonate)
🎙️Abridged (Julian Weller)
🎙️Sidewalks (Lauren Gonzalez, NPR)
🎙️Ordinary Unhappiness (Willa Paskin, Decoder Ring)
🎙️Six Trophies with Jason Concepcion and Shea Serrano (Nate Sloan, Switched on Pop [he also gave me a song recommendation…In My Head, The Lemon Twigs])
🎙️Dissident At The Doorstep (Charlie Harding, Switched on Pop [he also gave me a song recommendation…Broken Man, St Vincent])
🎙️TV I Say, with Ashley Ray, About a Boy (Marina Hanna)
🎙️Specifically the “Tribute to Flaco” episode of The Brian Lehrer Show (Arielle Nissenblatt, Thursday)
🎙️Taboo Science (Arielle Nissenblatt, Friday)
🎙️Ghost Story, Agent of Betrayal, Overlooked, Listen Notes (Tania Mohommad)
🎙️The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks (Ian Coss, The Big Dig, Radiotopia, Forever is a Long Time, Newts!)
🎙️Sold a Story, All There Is with Anderson Cooper, Miseducation (Mia Lobel)
🎙️Text me Back (Valentina Bojanini, TED)
🎙️Ride with Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone (Lanie Lott, TED)
🎙️Murder on Sex Island (Jen Michalski, TED)
🎙️Fad Camp (Kristen Meinzer)
🎙️Who? Weekly (Rae Votta, Netflix)
🎙️Culture Study, Vibe Check (Anna Oakes)
🎙️Creator COO (Jeff Weiner, workxwork [h/t Joe Fucigna])
🎙️That’s How I Remember It (Don MacKinnon, Hark Audio)
🎙️Runaway Princesses (Katie Rayford, Slate)
🎙️The Big Flop (Katharine Clark Gray, WaitWhat)
🎙️Friday Night Karaoke (Joe Rubin, MowPod)
🎙️The Colin and Samir Show (Angela Hollowell, Honey & Hustle)
🎙️Beautiful/Anonymous (Ellen Horn)
🎙️Rumblestrip, Ghost Story (Hailey Howle)
🎙️Queue Points (Corey Gumbs, BlkPodNews)
🎙️Rugby Union Weekly (Tom McNeill, Patreon)
🎙️Camlann (Martin Austwick (Pale Bird, Neutrinowatch, Song By Song)
🎙️One Song (Meggan Ellingboe)
🎙️Murder 101, Runaway Princesses (Caila Litman)
🎙️Can I Tell You a Secret? (Imran Ahmed, Great Pods)
🎙️On Being, Poetry Unbound, IP Goes Pop (Quinn Greenhaus)
🎙️Health Habits and Epic Living (Jenn Trepeck, Salad with a Side of Fries)
🎙️Benjamin Walker’s Theory of Everything (Eric Molinsky, Imaginary Worlds)
🎙️Who? Weekly, How to Keep Time (Emily Reeves)
🎙️Runaway Princesses (Rebecca Grierson, Artie Audio)
🎙️Girls Gotta Eat (Erin O’Toole, Glassbox)
🎙️Drifting off with Joe Pera (Calista Milligan, Glassbox)
🎙️Ask Your Father (Josh Dudley)
🎙️I love you!
Top of the Wil to You!*
*Wil did not suggest or approve this title…respond to this email with better ideas!!!
The Amendment's most recent episode, "Investigating Child Care with Chabeli Carrazana" is a heavy listen, but a worthy one. This analysis on child care as an economic issue -- as well as a gender issue and a race issue -- looks into the status of states' reporting on child care center safety after a 2014 regulation requiring it. 2014. This is not an episode meant to instill fear in parents; childcare is largely very safe, but the data is so important, and the system is not working. Be sure to check out Carranza's piece on the topic, but be warned, it's a rough read.
Meanwhile, 5-4 talks presidential immunity in "Nixon v. Fitzgerald." What is presidential immunity, when does it apply, and when does it absolutely unequivocally not (regardless of whether or not the Supreme Court agrees)? This is going to be a hellish election year in a new way, and this episode preps the listener for what we might expect as Trump runs while also being tried at the Supreme Court itself. Unlike The Amendment, 5-4 is not here to make you feel better. But at least you'll be laughing along the way.
Plagued by baffling Temu ads? Tempted by low, low, Temu prices? Probably give this episode of It Could Happen Here a listen. This episode is part of a series on Temu, but you can jump right in to get the nitty gritty on the shady (read: nightmarish) company and its practices, though the former episode on its lead up is a great time too. In classic Cool Zone Media fashion, this is a deeply-researched topic conveyed in a fun, conversational style -- and in typical Cool Zone Media fashion, it'll make you think twice about something that seems to good to be true.
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How was Wil’s segment not “Or what you Wil”