Do you also try to put the warm summer weather to good use by engaging in some fun outdoor activity after a rather inert winter? If so, you've come to the right place, because this month's favorites are all about making your daily intake of natural euphoriants even more effective: Bring along a podcast! Whether you're going for a run, do some stretching and Yoga in the park, go on a bicycle tour, or just opt for a long walk in the woods or on the beach (whichever spot happens to be closest to you), be assured that there's hardly a better companion than a smart and stimulating audio lecture, interview or radio play.
The combination of (moderate) physical activity with (moderate) intellectual stimulation is a true win-win situation, and this is even backed by science proper. Physical exercise increases your heart rate, which means that more oxygen is pumped to your brain, hormones aiding the growth of brain cells are released, while the establishment of new neural connections between existing ones is fostered. Mens sana in corpore sano, amirite? At the same time, and this I can relate from personal experience, even the dullest jogging trail is elevated by a good and gripping audio program to go along with. The right podcast to occupy your mental facilities while your physical ones are hard at work definitely helps you stay motivated and focused, and you might even throw in an extra mile because you need to know how the episode ends.
 |
| Does Claire Underwood listen to CNN's State of the Union podcast when going for a jog? Possibly! |
So without further ado, here are some entertaining, inspiring and thought-provoking podcasts for your physical *and* intellectual workout! (And yes, all of them work equally well if you're listening while lounging on your couch with a glass of white wine - I don't have a peer-reviewed study at hand to back this one up, but it's a method thoroughly tried and tested during some of the rainier days of this summer...)
Alright, alright, everyone has been going on about this *for months*, so technically, Serial is already an old hat, but I feel that my list couldn't possibly be complete without mentioning it for the few out there who haven't yet binged this addictive audio series. The first season of Serial (yes, there will be a second! And a third!) explored a real crime story that happened in Baltimore in 1999, involving the violent death of popular high-school student Hae Min Lee and the case's prime suspect, her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed. Despite a conspicuous lack of evidence, Adnan was quickly arrested for first-degree murder and eventually sentenced for life, all the while maintaining that he's innocent. In 2014, journalist Sarah Koenig, the show's host, was contacted by a family member of Adnan's to re-check the case, which she and her team tried to accomplish by following dormant leads, conducting interviews with some of the witnesses, and unearthing never-before-seen pieces of evidence.
A derivative of WBEZ's weekly radio program This American Life, Serial firmly questions our beliefs about truth, veracity and the nature of (radio) documentary, with each new episode yet again changing your standpoint vis-à-vis Adnan's alleged innocence. What also makes it a worthwhile series to listen to is its host Sarah Koenig, who sets out to entangle this muddled and frankly frustrating case with a soothing voice and a cool head. Among its many accolades (and criticisms), Serial won the Peabody Award for being "an audio game-changer". It inspired several spin-offs, such as Undisclosed: The State vs. Adnan, which aims to explore the case "from an investigatory perspective instead of a narrative one." Judging by its unmatched popular reception, Serial is generally considered to be the first podcast with mass appeal, downloaded over 60 million times. Do I need to say more? Get it here for free!
Philosophize This!
Started by its host Stephen West in 2013, Philosophize This! aims at presenting an overview of the most important thinkers and schools of thought that have shaped our world since antiquity. It starts with pre-Socratic philosophy (Thales, Heraclitus, Democritus) and currently discusses Immanuel Kant, but be assured that there are many more episodes to follow. In addition to the audio series, West entertains a lovely blog with book recommendations, mostly non-fiction, and has just published an eponymous e-book which basically distills the audio lectures into written form.
On the website, Philosophize This! is introduced as an educational podcast "where you don't need to be a graduate-level philosopher to understand it", and I can definitely subscribe to this proclamation. The roughly 60-minute episodes are nuanced, approachable, and terribly funny to listen to, despite the complex topics they cover.
If you are looking for shorter installments, you might enjoy The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps by Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy at LMU Munich and King's College London. His weekly episodes are bite-sized to 20 minutes maximum, which makes it ideal for your morning commute - or a quick round of push-ups.
As great and entertaining as the above surveys may be, they will leave you with the bitter aftertaste that the history of philosophy, much like Western history in general, has very much been a man's game (despite Adamson’s laudable attempts at including rare female philosophers like Hildegard of Bingen). But do not despair, The History Chicks are here to ease the plight! Created by Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider, this podcast is dedicated to female characters in history, both factual and fictional. The one-hour episodes range from Marie Antoinette to Rosa Parks and are accompanied by short blog posts with background information and further reading material.
Presenting an important counter discourse to all the popular ‘orthodox’ history podcasts out there and their frequently massive (male) fan bases, The History Chicks gives voice to the often overlooked contributions of women and their legacies. Critically acclaimed audio series like Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History and Mike Duncan’s The History of Rome typically portray a very martial, almost macho view of historical events, with terms like ‘hardcore’ clearly aimed at the boys. Their focus on the Great Men who shaped the course of Western history reinforces a male canon of historiography that further marginalizes the already precarious contributions of women. Emphasizing the roles of female figures and portraying famous women’s lives and times is hence a vital feminist endeavor - and, as Graham and Vollenweider's intelligent episodes demonstrate, it's informative, entertaining, and definitely worth your time!
How to Listen to and Understand Great Music
Strictly speaking, this one is a bit of an imposture, because I already mentioned this (unfortunately rather costly) audio lecture in my July Favorites about online courses. But allow me to reiterate my previous point: How to Listen to and Understand Great Music by Robert Greenberg, music historian-in-residence with San Francisco Performances, is genuinely great nerd stuff, even if (or shall I say particularly if?) you've never dealt with classical music before. Granted, the title of the lecture does sound rather prescriptive (I guess we don't need anyone, least of all an old white man, telling us exactly *how* to listen to music - and what does the "great" refer to anyways?!), but trust me, Greenberg is a darling. His lecture style is passionate, witty, and very engaging, and his true love for musical composition becomes palpable in any style, era, and genre he discusses.
The lecture starts with music in Ancient Greece and ends with Arnold Schönberg in the early twentieth century, which is quite a lot of ground to cover in roughly 40 hours of audio material. For all those interested in a more in-depth treatment of specific topics (such as operas or Mozart's chamber music), Greenberg recorded several further courses for audio and/or video download, but this comprehensive pack is definitely a good starting point. If you happen to be a complete musical illiterate like myself, How to Listen to and Understand Great Music will open up a whole new (and beautiful!) world to you. Whether Greenberg's comparing pianofortes to Chihuahuas or ranting about modern conductors, his favorite pet hate, you're definitely in for a treat with these 48 episodes, each of which runs for roughly 50 minutes. Which is just the perfect amount of time for a good jog around the block!
The lecture starts with music in Ancient Greece and ends with Arnold Schönberg in the early twentieth century, which is quite a lot of ground to cover in roughly 40 hours of audio material. For all those interested in a more in-depth treatment of specific topics (such as operas or Mozart's chamber music), Greenberg recorded several further courses for audio and/or video download, but this comprehensive pack is definitely a good starting point. If you happen to be a complete musical illiterate like myself, How to Listen to and Understand Great Music will open up a whole new (and beautiful!) world to you. Whether Greenberg's comparing pianofortes to Chihuahuas or ranting about modern conductors, his favorite pet hate, you're definitely in for a treat with these 48 episodes, each of which runs for roughly 50 minutes. Which is just the perfect amount of time for a good jog around the block!
Finally, a note on technicalities: Podcast Republic is a useful (and free) app to download and store all your podcasts. And now that you're all ready and set, grab your running shoes/Yoga gear/mountain bike and enjoy the summer!
Any podcasts recommendations you'd like share? Let me know in the comments below!
Any podcasts recommendations you'd like share? Let me know in the comments below!
No comments:
Post a Comment