B&A Suggests: The Best Podcasts to Listen to During Your Quarantine Walks

From the moment that quarantine officially started, I began my quest to find the best podcasts to listen to during these confusing times. Because believe it or not, listening to my own thoughts on a daily basis can be quite tiring. Therefore, I realized I should invest some time in listening to other people’s thoughts and opinions, and maybe even learn a thing or two on the way. As a consequence, I have compiled a random yet entertaining list of my lockdown discoveries that I would like to share with you. Hopefully, while you are walking your dogs, or doing chores around the house, you can listen to these podcasts and allow yourself to zone out for a bit. With that being said, I really hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Pod Save the World

If I am being 100% honest, I have to admit that I have not been keeping up with the news lately. I tried to at first, but reading about the pandemic was only saddening me more and more each day. However, I found the perfect podcast that combines international news with funny commentary. Pod Save the World was created by Tommy Vietor, a former spokesperson for President Obama, and Ben Rhodes, a former deputy national security advisor. Both of them manage to deliver each week an interesting and entertaining podcast about foreign policy, mixed with witty humor, and even include old anecdotes about working in the White House. It is perfect for keeping yourself informed and not feeling pessimistic afterward.

Bon Appetit Foodcast

 Before you keep scrolling, hear me out. I am not a cook, nor do I find pleasure in cooking. In fact, I am the daughter of a woman that does not know how to cook rice, which is a Latino household is considered a crime worse than murder. However, listening to people talk about food has a special place in my heart. I don’t know why. It just does. So it is no surprise that I am obsessed with this podcast. If you don’t know what Bon Appetit is, I highly encourage you to check out their YouTube channel. They post recipes, food challenges, and they even have a series dedicated to cooking during quarantine! It is the perfect podcast to listen to when you want to wind down and relax, especially because of how laid back the Bon Appetit crew is.  I recommend this to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you love or hate cooking, you will definitely enjoy it!

Tiny Meat Gang

There was absolutely no way I was not going to include this masterpiece on this list. The Tiny Meat Gang is one of my go-to podcasts whenever I need a pick me up, and that’s mostly because I am a sucker for a good roasting session. And that’s what Cody Ko and Noel Miller’s purpose in life is, making fun of people in the meanest yet, funniest way possible. Regardless of the topic they cover, you are always in for a good laugh. I don’t have anything else to say other than, go listen to this podcast, because you will not regret it. At all.

The Midnight Gospel

 This is one of my favorite lockdown discoveries. Starting from the fact that it is not a regular podcast, it is a spacecast. Invented by the creator of Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, The Midnight Gospel is an animated show from Netflix that follows Clancy, a unique character whose main goal in life is to make his spacecast famous all over the universe. Our protagonist does this by traveling to different planets and interviewing other eccentric characters about topics like death, love, spirituality, among others. As a consequence, Clancy finds himself in quite entertaining situations, like interviewing the President of the US during a zombie apocalypse, or even interviewing an inmate at a high-security prison while he’s trying to escape.  If you are looking for a literal “out of this world” experience, I encourage you to check out this spacecast. Not only are the animation and editing outstanding, but the content of the actual podcast is one-of-a-kind!

Broccoli Talk

This podcast is dedicated to all the Cannabis lovers out there, as well as to the people that are just intrigued by it. Every two weeks, the hostesses and founders of Broccoli Magazine, Lauren Yoshiko and Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey, dedicate 30 minutes of their day to explore and talk about the world of weed. From their first experiences with the devil’s lettuce to the art of pot butter, these two never fail to entertain me. If you are interested in a fun, yet surprisingly informative podcast, then this is the one you should go for. It almost feels like having a conversation with your two cool, laid back aunts.

Other People’s Lives

The title of this podcast is pretty self-explanatory. It focuses on hosts, Joe Santagato and Greg Dybec, interviewing strangers from the internet through anonymous calls. I like to think about it as the podcast version of the Instagram account @humansofny. You have no idea what you are in for. Each episode is so distinctively random, but funnily enough, it infatuates you with the life of a random person you have never met before. And even though no sane person will ever admit this, there is something comforting about knowing the adventures and struggles that other people are going through. Perhaps you can even relate to them. So, if you are feeling even the slightest bit overwhelmed with your life right now (like some of us are), sit down, close your eyes, and enjoy this podcast.

Crime Junkie

 I’d like to think we have all been trapped in this genre before. A genre that is not easy to overcome. Yes, the true-crime genre. A category that makes people frantically watch videos about true crime and unsolved mysteries at 2 AM, even though they know will not be able to sleep afterward. With over 100 episodes posted online, Crime Junkie is the perfect podcast for anyone that is crime obsessed. Each episode is straightforward and easy to follow, and it even includes special music effects in the background to set the tone. I personally could go through hours and hours of podcasts like this one, mostly because I am obsessed with criminology, but Crime Junkie is definitely my #1 in this category. Excellent story-telling, and excellent ambiance. It almost makes you feel like you are the protagonists of the crime.

Endless Threat

 Last but definitely not least, Endless Threat. This one is dedicated to all Reddit users. In this podcast, the hosts wander around the app looking for an interesting thread to talk about. And if you have a Reddit account, then you know how random these conversations can get. From discussing whether 9/11 was a hoax or not (Spoiler: it really wasn’t), to discuss why aliens aren’t science fiction, this podcast can escalate pretty quickly. So, if you enjoy Reddit, or if you are simply looking for a controversial topic for your next family reunion, with the innocent purpose of upsetting your traditional relatives, then I definitely recommend this one. It is an amazing podcast. Sadly, my relatives disagree.