What’s new to listen to
George Fenwick rounds up what we’re tuning into in the world of music.
Short Wave
‘‘X thing you never thought you needed to know about, explained’’ is one of my favourite genres of podcast. Everyone loves a good ‘‘did-you-know?’’ fact, and this kind of podcast offers so much material. Short Wave, from NPR, falls perfectly into that category, but its secret weapon is its brevity. With each episode clocking in at just 10 minutes, you can learn the science behind everyday mysteries and still have time for another podcast on your commute. In each episode, host and journalist Emily Kwong, pictured, takes viewers beyond the headlines to dive into the science of subjects such as whether bulldogs should exist, the importance of air quality in American schools, and what makes things taste sour. Kwong is a brilliant host, injecting each episode with a wealth of fascinating information, as well as lovely humorous anecdotes.
Dead Eyes
I’m highlighting this again as it’s managed to pull off a neat trick of resolution that’s well worth a listen. For a refresher: hosted by Connor Ratliff, an actor and comedian who has appeared in The Marvellous Mrs Maisel and Search Party, the podcast is Raitliff’s quest to uncover what led Tom Hanks, pictured, to decide to fire him from a role in 2001’s Band of Brothers for having ‘‘dead eyes’’. But, thanks to Ratliff’s wit and intelligence, the show has expanded beyond its selfdescribed ‘‘stupid joke’’ premise to being about the unpredictability and fickleness of success, and how one should approach uncontrollable setbacks. Thirty episodes later, the latest episode has Ratliff meet the master of his undoing as Hanks guests on the podcast to talk about their fateful mis-encounter 20 years ago. Hanks is, unsurprisingly, incredibly charming and I won’t spoil what they talk about, but suffice to say Ratliff gets some answers to his quest. Their conversation touches on machinations of the film industry, but also on the strangeness of how our actions often have unintended and unseen consequences (we’re not all famous actors casting HBO mini-series, but you know what I mean). It’s a brilliant resolution to a great podcast.
The Town
If you’re anything like me, the Oscars continue to hold an enormous allure, despite being increasingly unhinged and out-of-touch. This year was no different – in fact, it might have been the most unhinged yet. The Town is a newer show from the recently launched Hollywood news website Puck, but its host, Matthew Belloni, is a veteran of the trade, having been the editor of The Hollywood Reporter. The podcast focuses on the business side of Hollywood, which might sound like the most boring element of the industry, but is actually the driving force behind almost everything we see on screen. Belloni’s insight is incredibly compelling, with episodes touching on Netflix’s crackdown on account sharing, Amazon’s acquisition of MGM and, of course, the drama leading up to (and after) this year’s Oscars. A recent episode finds him joined by Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg for a live reaction to the Will Smith/Chris Rock slap, and I’m sure upcoming episodes will explore the fallout of the incident and what it means for the future of Smith’s career – and the Oscars itself.