I don't listen to the radio much in the car these days. Typically, I'm listening to a podcast instead. Here's what I like. You probably won't find them as enjoyable, but to each their own.

1) Infected by Martin Sargent - This is the podcast with an irregular schedule that I get the most belly laughs from regularly. Hosted by Martin Sargent and his friend, The Gator, they discuss strange things found on the internet and topics that are rarely discussed. Vulgar, offensive, and hilarious, it's not for everyone. (That means you aren't going to like it Mom.) Guests range from porn starlets to inventors to weblebrities. I do miss Joey-Bird since he mved away. I felt he added a great presence to the show. Martin's story is always good, but my favorite ever is Gator's story at the beginning of episode 11.

Catchphrase: Don't get ripped by the riptide. Quasi toe-toe!

2) SModcast - Film writer/director Kevin Smith and Producer Scott Mosier host this podcast. Simplest of all the podcasts, it's just Kevin & Scott talking. Again, it's vulgar, offensive, and hilarious, and I love it. It's the way friends talk when no one is listening. Let me rephrase it, it's the way the men talk to their long time friends. No holds barred, no censorship, nothing off topic, and no tangent goes too far.

Catchphrase: Have a week.

3) Geekscape - This podcast is the mutation of an older podcast called Geekdrome that imploded after a good run in a mysterious way. Jonathan London was the half of Geekdrome that went on to start Geekscape. His former partner, Dan Trachtenberg, went on to launch the The Totally Rad Show, which is too overproduced and saccharin for my tastes. On Geekdrome, Jonathan has gone the route of having various guest hosts, even his girlfriend, to talk about films, video games and comics. Along the way, he's picked up quite an entourage of sidekicks that add to the flavor. Jon's passion comes through clear and cleanly. He'd firm in his opinions and able to explain why in a way that some critics avoid. While I disagree with some of his opinions, it's good to see him stake out unconventional positions and stick with it.

Catchphrase: Robotitties!

Those three podcasts exemplify what I find most appealing, honest talk and opinions about topics that the individuals have real passion about. Too many of today's podcasts are simply regurgitated newscasts based on what ever is hot on the net. They may be popular, but they are so produced and careful about what they say that I find them dull. Many of the podcast aggregation sites love this kind of news podcast, but I think they are lame.

4) The Adam Carolla Show - Adam Carolla is the host of a morning radio show in many parts of the country. Not exactly a shock jock, Adam is more like a smart libertarian with common sense (unlike most Libertarian Party members). Honing his skills for over a decade on Loveline, a nightly radio show, he speaks smoothly and intelligently on most any topic. Unlike that typical radio host that strives to create drama, Adam strives to move people toward sanity in an insane world. The podcast is simply the recording of the show, broken into segments, minus the commercial breaks. I love listening to his show this way since I can skip over guests or segments I'm not interested in.

Catchphrase: Mahalo

5) Wine Library TV - First, I'm not a big wine drinker. I prefer a glass of a good scotch whisky on ice, but host Gary Vaynerchuk, is a fantastic host. His passion for wine is evident and the fluidity of his patter is impressive. Never at a loss for descriptive words for the smells and flavors of the wines he tries, it's always an impressive performance. My only regret is that he doesn't review whisky. If you like wine, this is a must-watch show.

Catchphrase: We're changing the wine world, aren't we.

6) Metafilter Podcast - A podcast that discusses the MeFi site & community by Mathowie and Jessamyn. Calm and easy going, this podcast is for people that follow the Metafilter website. With a very narrow audience, this podcast serves them well. I've followed the site for over 5 years and find it a relaxing listen with a few good chuckles tossed in.

Catchphrase: [none yet, but they need one]

7) Diggnation - Probably the most popular podcast on my list, I've been listening since the second episode. Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht talk about popular posts on Digg.com. The topics they talk about often aren't news to me, since I follow Digg. what's interesting is when Kevin & Alex mix it up a bit and open up about their experience or passion about a topic. Some episodes, they seem to be phoning it in, just trying to get to the end, not really giving a shit. Other times, they are hilarious. They are at their best in front of a live audience, where their professional TV skills take over, and they really get on a roll, fueled by alcohol.

Catchphrase: Next story!

Overall, what I find interesting in a podcast is interesting people that speak from their hearts. You can get talking heads and news aggregation anywhere, but it's not so easy to find interesting, smart people. Many podcasts don't seem to get this. They seem to think that finding a niche and talking about recent events is enough, it's not.

So, Loyal Cruft Readers, what did I miss?

Posted by michael at July 07, 2007 09:07 PM