A thread about podcasts. Yes, I’d be interested in hearing recommendations, and comments about your favorites, but I also thought we could speak more broadly about podcasts. For example, I started this because I wanted to discuss different interviewers and their styles. This notion came up when because I recently heard Marc Maron’s podcast, WTF for the first time, and the differences between his approach and someone like Rick Beato (who does youtube interviews) really struck me. The former interrupted his guest a lot–I want to say more than any other interviewer that I can think of. On the other hand, the latter, at least in the Pat Metheny interview, allows the guest to talk a lot, with very little interruption. If I interviewed people, I’d likely be more guilty of interrupting the guest, but I actually prefer Beato’s approach in the Metheny interview. (Metheny was loquacious, so Beato’s approach worked well. Such an approach may not work as well with a less talkative guest.) There are also some hosts who talk a lot, especially when formulating a question. Ezra Klein does this, as did Charlie Rose. Again, I could see myself being guilty of this, but I prefer an interviewer who says as few words as possible, especially when formulating questions.
To shift gears, I would appreciate recommendations, as I’m looking for more podcasts–especially since I don’t listen to any sports podcasts now.
I’ve been enjoying listening to James “Mtume” Heath, a percussionist who played with Miles Davis in the 70s, and also created the song, “Juicy Fruit.” He has interesting anecdotes about Miles Davis, he’s an interesting guy, but most of all, he seems really cool. (Unfortunately, he just recently passed away.)
Anyway, I’ve been enjoying his interview on Questlove’s podcast. I must say that I’ve lost interest in this podcast–mainly because a) I don’t think Questlove is a really good interviewer. He takes a bit long to get to a question, and he interrupts his guest a bit much. But he comes across as a really nice guy, and the interruptions seem to stem from enthusiasm, more than just being a rude person. But what makes it really rough is that he has a group of people with him that chime in. Sometimes several are talking, and it’s hard to understand. It can be kinda annoying.
One of my favorite podcasts now is Conversations with Tyler. The “Tyler” in the show title is Tyler Cowen, an economics professor at George Mason University. Cowen seems very well-read and knowledgeable, in subjects beyond his field.
His style of interviewing is a bit distinctive in that he doesn’t have a style that creates a conversation. He’s asks questions, gets an answer, then moves on to the next question–which isn’t related to the previous question. In other words, there really isn’t a flow to the interview. What makes up for this is the quality of questions in my view and the answers his guests give. Admittedly, Cowen will ask about individuals (e.g., thinkers, writers, experts, etc.) or books I’ve never heard of, but the answers can still be interesting. He’s had some good guests on the show, which helps.