Are you listening?
Lots of folks are.
According to Variety, last week’s installment of the New Heights podcast racked up 13 million views in just 24 hours. Of course, it helped that pop star Taylor Swift dropped by to join her buddy Travis Kelce to talk about her upcoming album.
I’m sure brother Chris and I had similar numbers when we appeared on Blasters and Blades with JR Handley and the Corcoran Entertainment Show earlier this month. But of course, with over 4.52 million podcasts to choose from (according to PodcastStatistics.com), the competition for earbud access means most shows fall well below the new heights garnered by New Heights.
An Embarrassment of Riches
But it’s not only the surfeit of shows that makes it difficult for most podcasts to break through. It’s that many of them are surprisingly good. Even if we apply Sturgeon’s Law (the dictum put forth by science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon that says 90 percent of anything is crap), we’re still left with nearly half a million quality shows to choose from.
All of which brings us to the question posed in the August 5 installment of The Minute-Men Newsletter. Namely, how many of the podcasts pictured below can you identify?
0 for 6
In the past, newsletter subscribers, social media friends, and readers of this blog have easily identified references to things as obscure as Chuck Jones’s The Rabbit of Saville and the deleted hospital scene from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. But podcasts exist in a world apart from classic movies and cartoons. With so many shows available, what are the odds that anyone can recognize the six pictured above?
So what are the shows I’ve selected, and why should you bother checking them out?
Read on.
Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast
I still listen to GGACP even though it ceased releasing new episodes after Gottfried passed in 2022.
It’s a lot of fun, due in large part to the interplay between out-of-control Gottfried and his knowledgeable co-host Frank Santopadre. The two of them would be enough to make a terrific show (even if Gottfried’s humor isn’t for everyone). But what really sets GGACP apart (and makes it one that I would recommend to anyone reading this blog) is its roster of guests. If you’re a fan of classic movies, TV, monsters, and pop music, this is your show. Guests have included Mick Garris, Dick Cavit, Sara Karloff, and Ron Dante.
Ron Dante? That’s right. If you know that name, nuff said. You’ll want to listen to Episode 157 right now. If you don’t recognize his name, you’ll be surprised to learn about who he is and the role he played in the history of pop music.
And if you’d like to know more stories about the music that shaped the latter half of the 20th century, you’ll also want to check out …
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
Described as “a music podcast unlike any other” by The New Yorker, Andrew Hickey’s sprawling rock music history is becoming the definitive chronicle of the records and performers who shaped rock-n-roll.
Since its first episode dropped in 2018, the podcast has covered 179 songs. At this rate, the series is likely to continue well into the next decade. However long it takes, I’ll be listening.
The Movies that Made Me
Unlike most movie-oriented interview shows, where filmmakers talk about their work, TMTMM features directors, scriptwriters, and other film-adjacent professionals talking about the motion pictures that inspired them.
Guests have included William Friedkin, Casey Affleck, Illeana Douglas, and 500 Songs podcaster Andrew Hickey (who discussed his favorite rock-n-roll movies).
It’s hosted by Josh Olsson and Joe Dante.
And More …
Never heard of Hysterical, Crime Junkie, and Lonely Island? Neither did I until I put together the challenge for the August 5 newsletter. And I still haven’t had a chance to listen to them.
Nevertheless, they’ve been included in top ten lists from Vulture, Time Magazine, and others. And Hysterical was named 2025 Ambies© Podcast of the Year, which makes it all the more surprising that I’d never heard of it.
I suppose all this further proves the point that, with millions of shows to choose from, a lot of quality is bound to go unnoticed. Fortunately for readers of this blog, that won’t be the case when it comes to the interviews Chris and I will be doing as we ramp up toward the release of Minute-Men: Execute & Run. I’ll be sure to include links to those shows here and in the newsletter.
Not a newsletter subscriber? Use the sign-up box below. It’s easy. It’s free. And since the number of newsletters easily outnumbers that of podcasts, it’s the best way to ensure getting all the latest Minute-Men news in advance of the book’s release on October 14.
So go ahead. Subscribe, and I’ll meet you there!
Leave a Reply