Hmm. I’m on a bit of a weird podcast vibe at the moment, I’ll be honest. The sort of fun light documentary stuff I usually like doesn’t seem to cut it at the moment, and I’ve got really into current affairs explainers. I wonder if it’s an odd response to the news being quite stressful at the moment. If I had a therapist I would talk about it with them, but I don’t. So I guess I’ll tell a few hundred people on the internet about it instead. That feels healthy. Anyway, much to consider. Here’s what I’ve enjoyed this week.
The Daily, Roe V Wade miniseries (New York Times)
In light of the leaked Supreme Court document, The Daily have reposted their Roe V Wade miniseries from a few years ago, plus added a couple of episodes speaking to activists on either side of the debate about how they feel in light of the leak. The interviews are nuanced and cut through a topic which is often extremely polarised and polarising. There is also an excellent episode on the woman who was the Jane Roe of the original case. It is absolutely fascinating. I had no idea she switched to become anti abortion later on in her life. I also hadn’t realised that the case took so long she actually ended up having the baby and really resented the activists who encouraged her to take up the case. A helpful reminder that history is never quite as neat as we want it to be.
The Rest is History - Agatha Christie (Goalhanger Podcasts)
I know, we’ve done this one before, but I just really liked this episode this morning. You don’t have to be into Agatha Christie to enjoy this episode. I’ve never read any of her books although I have seen a few of the TV adaptations (I had boyfriend who really liked them, which is usually the only explanation for why I have seen any television programmes at all. I am of the same school of thought as Radio 4’s Justin Web who told Times Radio this week that ‘Television is a dull flat medium that nothing good comes of’*) Anyway I digress. This podcast is an excellent exploration of the broader social themes and historical context for Christie’s work. There is a really interesting discussion of her understanding of evil as an innate way of being, and how it differs from our modern understanding of criminality as a social and medical phenomenon.
*He is joking. As am I, sort of.
The Lunatic Who Crashed Crypto, Crypto Island (PJ Vogt)
Sorry, this one will feel familiar too. I recommended the series last week, but this special episode (published in light of the big crypto crash) was too good to miss. If, like me, you have been watching the crypto world implode with a layer of bemusement and an equally thick layer of confusion, this is a very good primer on what has gone wrong. ‘A story about how crypto just imploded due to one risky, financial product’ is the billing. Sounds familiar, right?
Life, death and the blockchain
I very much miss these weekly podcast recommendations. Are you planning on starting them again in the future?
I very much miss these weekly podcast recommendations. Are you planning on starting them again in the future?