Listening Chronicles #8
Listening Chronicles is a series where I document the podcasts I listen to and those I would recommend.
Hello !
Welcome to another edition of the Listening Chronicles! I've been doing this for 2 months now, and I am honestly surprised.
So, I've been busy with editing this time. You'll soon see two episodes of Legal Synthesis and the Time Capsule series dropping off in the coming week. Please check out these podcasts of mine, if you haven't already.
In the last week or so, I've heard more of conversational style podcasts, than the usual narrative ones. Let's dive in !
Podcasts This Week
How I Built This | Casey Neistat
I've been watching YouTube videos for a decade now. It's a constant source of awe, knowledge and entertainment. I hadn't watched a lot of Casey Neistat before this year though. I had seen a few videos here and there, but never on a regular basis. Over the last few months, I've been on a Casey Binge.
It's brilliant.
This podcast interview with Guy Raz is a deep dive into Casey's journey. How he made videos viral before the age of YouTube, what drove him to start his own channel etc. If you're looking to listen to something for inspiration, this is it.
The Seen and The Unseen | What Have We Done With Our Independence?
The Seen and The Unseen is one of my favourite Indian podcasts (and in general as well). Amit Varma and his guests have a long conversation about topics ranging from history, food, travel, politics, policy etc. Each episode is an educational course on the topic being discussed. They go deep, dissect the topic and engage in a nuanced discussion without any worries. I would say, it's a great example of how one can have an open minded conversation, without being reduced to our tribal instincts.
This episode with Pratap Bhanu Mehta. It's a 3 hour long conversation (worth every minute) about the state of India's politics right now? What the constitution framers got wrong (and right), what the impact of those decisions taken in the past have been, and how do we make sense of the current state of polarisation?
Listen to this with an open mind, and I am sure you'll learn something out of it. As I have. I know, I would be revisiting this episode again at some point in the future.
Check it out ! Listen on 1.3x speed, and you should be sorted.
That Creative Life | Morning Brew - Newsletters ARE NOT Dead!
Sara Dietschy (rhymes with peachy) is a YouTuber and a creator. Her channel includes vlogs, tech videos, studio tours and many other things. Again, I discovered her channel only after she published a video breaking down Joe Rogan's new podcast studio setup. Since then, I've become a fan.
As is the case, she's been podcasting for over 2 years. She speaks to creators, artists, professionals around the world and has candid conversations with them.
This episode is with Kinsey Grant, one of the people who works at Morning Brew. If you're like me, you would have noticed an unusual increase in the space of newsletters these days. Substack, Mailchimp and what not. This episode is about newsletters, how they get set up, what kind of value good newsletters add and how Morning Brew has become one of the best financial newsletters out there.
If you're even a tiny bit curious about newsletters, or are thinking about starting one, just listen to this !
Imaginary Worlds | Fantasy and Fascism
Imaginary Worlds, as I've written about earlier is a podcast about fantasy, sci-fi and why we humans love these worlds.
This episode is something, I am sure all of us would find a fascinating listen. Fascism is a recurring theme in fantasy and sci-fi worlds. The Good v. Evil scenario along with a character who shows tendencies of Hitler is constantly used. This episode is about encroaching fascism. The type that often goes unnoticed. The episode looks at Star Wars, GoT and superheroes to understand how these stories are told and what we can learn about fascism.
I am glad this was addressed in the podcast. Fantasy, can be used as a tool for authoritarians. Superheroes, while objects of admirations are also in a sense an example of our inner subconscious fascist tendencies (of having a superior race, of having a saviour etc.)
Definitely, give it a listen !
Reader's Cast
My friend Sandesh suggested another The Seen and The Unseen episode with Viral Acharya, which would make for a great listen. He also added that it is a bit saddening to listen to this episode since it doesn't exactly elicit hope about the state of the financial system in our country.
This section is only to feature suggestions from people who read Listening Chronicles, don't hesitate to inform me which podcasts you want me to watch out for !
Happy Listening ! Don't forget to share with with other people who might like this!