True crime, history, music: Eight of the best podcasts so far this year
Dave Chappelle, Whitney Houston, and Grace Dent have featured in some of the best podcasts so far in 2021.
The latest series from Pineapple Street Studios (Missing Richard Simmons, Wind of Change) weaves a dark story of greed, corruption, and murder through the "male exotic dancers" of Chippendales, the none-more-'80s, tanned, mulleted, cultural pop phenomenon.
NFL is enjoying a surge in popularity on this side of the Atlantic. Here, LA Rams head coach Sean McVay divulges a whole lot about the locker room to friend and reporter Peter Shrager. Genuinely revealing.
A four-parter available on the Radiolab feed, we hear the forgotten story of a visionary in black cultural America. Pace, in 1921, launched Black Swan Records - its slogan: "The only records using exclusively Negro voices and musicians.” There’s so much more to his story too.
A personal journey for host Rob Harvilla, these audio essays, followed by a chat with an expert/critic, take you through the likes of Sinead O’Connor, Whitney Houston, TLC, and all the other songs you might get nostalgic for. He’s 36 songs in for those keeping track.
A couple of episodes are freely available but to get this full series, you’ll need a Luminary subscription (€5 a month). It’s worth it because it’s Dave Chappelle having deep chats with Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), among others. Recorded during Chappelle’s 2020 Summer Camp in Ohio, you’ll be hanging on every word.
There is so much superhero content out there that it can be hard to keep track - let alone find a friend also consuming the same shows you are. So thankfully the Ringer-Verse (from yes, the Ringer Podcast Network) has you covered, with instant reactions to new releases, nerding out over the biggest names, and interviews with the likes of Jason Mantzoukas (about the superlative Invincible). Often hosted by Binge Mode album Mallory Rubin.
The restaurant critic isn’t asking about dream meals - that theme is covered extensively in myriad shows - but rather, what are her guests reaching for late at night, in need of a snack or a pick-me-up. It’s a Sin creator Russell T Davis is the first guest and, talking in particular about the death of his partner after cancer, proves a powerful listen. Also had us craving, er, butter rice.
This A new series of this long-running show from Karina Longworth is always essential listening - and that’s no different with Gossip Girls, a 10-parter on the rise and fall of feuding gossip columnists Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper.
