Podcasts To Survive The Apocalypse
Self-isolation necessities...
We’re living in extraordinary, lonely times. All over the world people are being asked to stay home, work from home and to avoid otherwise bustling social spaces. In this dire situation, podcasts have become a heaven-sent necessity, offering comforting, insightful discussion and education.
We asked our writers for the best podcasts they can recommend to make use of this unprecedented surplus of free time. Here’s a roundup of the Clash writers’ top picks to survive the long, reflective days in isolation.
*Dolly Parton’s America*. Listen here.
Jad Abumrad’s deep dive into the Dollyverse from an outsider’s perspective is as enlightening as it is uplifting. Abumrad’s innocent curiosity of Dolly Parton the spectacle leads to really insightful questions and realisations about her as a whole person. He has been granted quite a few face-to-face interviews with Dolly, which leads to the most amazing revelation in the first episode that she wrote both “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” in the same night. The podcast is a really refreshing take on a celebrity so famous and loved by everybody that she’s almost taken for granted. “Dolly Parton’s America” is a real celebration of Dolly Parton as an artist, a woman and an icon.
Sabrina Soormally, Online Fashion Editor
*The Memory Of... With John Galliano*. Listen here.
John Galliano is the most interesting man in fashion. The British designer began his “The Memory Of…” podcast for Maison Margiela back in 2018. The seasonal podcast, released in tandem with each of his collections for the Parisian house is a must-listen-to for anybody with even the faintest interest in fashion. An undeniable genius and one of the most decadent and conceptual designers around, it’s truly a pleasure and privilege to get even a glimpse into his imagination and thought process. With each episode I find myself led down a series of rabbit holes for more information and insights, really enjoyable and educational.
Sabrina Soormally, Online Fashion Editor
*Hip-Hop Saved My Life*. Listen here.
Romesh Ranganathan’s show about hip-hop, really funny AND informative. Great guests from music and culture - Little Simz, Kano, Louis Theroux, Jamali Maddix etc but some of the best episodes are with people you might not be a fan of / even know about eg Snowy Danger (he showed up to record the podcast pissed), DJ Yoda (interesting stories about being a young jewish DJ growing up in turntablism), Katherine Ryan did one of the really early ones and was great talking about female MCs
Emma Finamore, Deputy Online Editor
*Unsung Podcast*. Listen here.
The hosts of Unsung Podcast didn't need a global shutdown as an excuse to deep dive under-appreciated classic albums; they've been doing it for two years already. With over 100 episodes, and covering artists from Bjork to Mastodon to Portishead to Kate Bush, albums are discussed, dissected and decided whether that are indeed Unsung classics. With occasional interviews with artists such as Blanck Mass and Jonah Matrangah, and specials looking at genres from black metal to britpop, there's a whole lot of music to discover, and a whole load of opinions to disagree with! New episodes come out every Monday -
Robin Murray, Online Editor
*Mogul Season 2: Miami Bass*. Listen here.
Exploring the birth of southern hip-hop: Miami bass music. It started with The 2 Live Crew, a group that took rap music and made it faster, harder, and nastier than anything anyone had heard before. The different voices in this series really bring the scene to life, and it’s something not that many UK people know about (i think) - takes us into sweaty underage clubs, the dodgy dealings of labels and artists, the birth of the now-ubiquitous ‘female rapper’ look (before this scene female MCs weren’t hyper sexual, then this happened and changed the look forever, queue Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, then later Nicki Minaj, Cardi B etc) plus some really really fun music
Emma Finamore, Deputy Online Editor
*Slow Burn Season 3: Biggie & Tupac*. Listen here.
If you think you know the story think again! This delves into things I’ve not heard before (in a quality way, this isn’t an amateur hour podcast) including interviews with the journalist accused of starting the East Coast / West Coast beef, key moments in Big and Pac’s relationship, the moral crusaders trying to get 90s gangsta rap cleaned up, what went wrong in the police investigation…
Emma Finamore, Deputy Online Editor
*Music Exists*. Listen here.
What do you do when the conversation about music has all but dried up? You have a conversation ABOUT the conversation about music of course. On The Ringer’s ‘Music Exists’, pop culture writer Chuck Klosterman and his co-host Chris Ryan explore everything from concert memories to historic music criticism to try and identify why we talk about music the way we do. For those interested in music’s place in the broader pop culture landscape, this is a conversation you’ll want to be a part of.
WIlliam Dop, Contributing Writer
*I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats*. Listen here.
Joseph Fink is a fan of the Mountain Goats. So much a fan that he started a Mountain Goats Podcast. Each series picks a different album as its theme and Fink interviews John Darnielle about each song on the album. The first series was ‘All Hail West Texas’, and featured guest spots by Craig Finn, Ibibio Sound Machine, Dessa, Erin McKeown and Julian Koster who also covered that episode’s song. The second series was ‘In League with Dragons’. This isn’t just about the Mountain Goats, stick with me, but is in fact a deep dive into the creative process featuring razor sharp insights that give the songs extra context. If you’ve never heard a Mountain Goats song before this is the perfect place to start and if you are a seasoned fan you’ll delight at these hitherto unknown details about the creation process.
Nick Rosdeblade, Contributing Writer
*Noisextra*, Listen here.
Currently it feels like end of days. So why not listen to something that sounds like it too. Noisextra is a podcast about the Noise scene. Originally conceived as Merzcast, a podcast strictly devoted to noise legend Merzbow, the show now focuses on everything noise, experimental and on the periphery of music. Each week hosts Greh Holger, Mike Connolly and Tara Connolly pick a different album and dissect it. The most enjoyable episodes are the ones with special guests, check out the GX Jupitter-Larsen episodes, as you get a different perspective on the material being discussed. This is a podcast to play while looking into the void.
Nick Rosdeblade, Contributing Writer
*Dissect*. Listen here.
Why is there a musical shift precisely halfway through Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’? What does Tyler The Creator’s garden shed symbolise on ‘Flower Boy’? How exactly did the life and death of Tupac Shakur inspire Kendrick Lamar to create ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’? All these questions and more are answered on this mighty podcast from music obsessive Cole Cuchna. Each season is a deep dive into a record he considers to be a modern classic, a longform investigation in which he teases out each hidden strand of meaning and subtext, a few of which even the creator might not be fully aware of!
Josh Gray, Contributing Writer
*Riot Act*. Listen here.
Though their approach to music criticism might seem light-hearted, hosts Stephen Hill and Remfry Dedman take their commitment to Riot Act’s ‘Alternative Music Podcast’ label very seriously. Experts on the worlds of hardcore, post-rock, and every brutal little archipelago in between, Riot Act’s core appeal comes from their willingness to put heavier releases like Refused and Sepultura up against records from the likes of The National, Foals and Agnes Obel. Hilarious and heartfelt in equal measure, the duo’s combative chemistry and undimmed love for music of all stripes has made this one of the fastest growing music podcasts of recent years.
Josh Gray, Contributing Writer
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