Saturday, February 14, 2015

What to Listen to In the Studio



Me in the car (probably listening to NPR)  2015, Oil on Panel

A bad day happened to me a few months ago:  I finished listening to every This American Life episode.  What to listen to while painting had been a problem a couple years ago before I found it.  I sometimes listened to music but it quickly gets old and empty for me, even when shuffling all pandora stations together. 

 I listen to NPR a lot in the car (still can not believe that -- I remember years of hating Terry Gross when my mom listened, but yea, I've become her) and realized it and TAL have the perfect tone to tune in and out of.

But at that time, maybe 2012?, there weren't a lot of ways I could figure out how to listen through my computer or phone so I just went to This American Life's website and played that way for about three years, interspersing music in from time to time.  

Luckily, unbeknownst to me, while I was doing that really good podcasts were being built in very similar styles -- documentary, human interest type ranging from funny to heartbreaking.  So here are my favorites in no particular order:

1.  The Sporkful -- humorous discussion of food from the worst pasta shapes to how to apply hot sauce to pizza.
2.  Strangers -- from a producer of the Moth (another good one) stories of her personal love life and stories of connection.
3.  Reply All -- humorous stories loosely themed around the internet and new technology

4. James O'Brien's Mystery Hour -- a british radio show where random people call in with questions (ex. why don't seagulls sit in trees) and other people call in if they know the answer.

5.  Serial -- no explanation needed I don't think, everyone seems to know this one

6. StoryCorps -- 5 minute dialogues between people who know each other in various ways

7.  Criminal -- stories about the criminal justice system

With these and their feeds of past episodes available I've got a good amount of listening and painting to do.

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