September 8, 2023 | ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT | Charlotte Maley
It’s officially September, which means students at Colorado College are now in one of the prime months for centering early-morning walks and leisurely, evening strolls.
Of course, being mindful and ruminating in your thoughts without distractions during these excursions can be beneficial, but sometimes we need a good podcast to get us pondering topics that we wouldn’t usually think about. Also, once you find comfort in a podcaster’s voice, they can become your favorite friend for a walk through the north end neighborhoods of Colorado Springs. Here are three of my favorite podcasts that everyone needs to try out, as well as some of my favorite episodes. All are available on Spotify and Apple podcast.
The first podcast I recommend is my ride or die and the only form of media in this world that I would adopt that stan name for. “Binchtopia,” a podcast by musician Eliza Mclamb and doctorate student Julia Hava that has episodes on everything from the history of horse girls to the sociology of the sex doll craze.
Starting as broke roommates in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mclamb and Hava succeeded in building an empire that has grown to incredible proportions. According to Abi Anderson ’26, a political science student and fellow “Binchie,” the podcast is “witty…[and] gives cultural commentary on social phenomena. From eating disorders to beauty pageants, furries, to ‘boy moms.’ ‘Binchtopia’ brings historical, social, and psychological discussions to each episode, all while making it feel like you’re just three girlies chatting.”
With “Binchtopia,” you can say goodbye to comfort TV shows and hello to your new happy place. My favorite episodes include “Glossing Over It,” “Performing the American Pastoral,” “Liberating the Almond Moms,” “Womb Service,” and “Deploying the Barbz.” Also, don’t forget to subscribe to their Patreon. It’s absolutely worthy of your sufferingly low college budget spendings.
Another podcast that I listen to mercilessly is “Honestly” with Bari Weiss, even though I don’t always love every guest she features on the podcast. She is an ex-journalist from the New York Times and founder of the The Free Press, a news source dedicated to honesty and integrity.
Weiss is a huge proponent of healthy conversation and free speech but doesn’t hold back from asking her controversial guests tough questions. If what you’re looking for is a digestible show on politics, society, and contemporary discourse with a gay-Jewish interviewer who has an incredible voice, then “Honestly” is worthy of your time.
My favorite episodes include “When Ideology Corrupts Medicine-and How One Reporter Exposed It,” “Why Men Seek Danger,” “Will Ozempic Solve Obesity in America? A Debate,” and “Sex, Porn, Feminism. A Debate!” Whether you lean conservative, liberal, or neither, this podcast is a great pick for anyone in search of challenging their current beliefs without being outrageously offended.
My final recommendation is a podcast I’ve listened to religiously since early high school, and one I think is a must for anyone who loves true crime but finds the way that many platforms tell these stories exploitative and insensitive.
“You’re Wrong About” dives deep into big cultural moments and moral panics which have rocked history – exposing how we misunderstood the people involved along the way. The show began with hosts Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes but is now only done by Marshall following Hobbes’ leave to pursue other podcast projects.
Although Marshall now rides solo, she regularly invites expert guests onto the show, which has resulted in some of my favorite episodes of all time, including “The Donner Party with Chelsea Weber-Smith,” and “Flight 571: Survival in the Andes with Blair Braverman.” Marshall has a talent for taking the odd traumatic aspect out of disaster stories, while also having a lovely voice to rock you into a state of pure calm. I can’t get over how much you can learn and find comfort in the stories she promotes.
Whether you’re someone who just wants a podcast to rot your brain to, or if you want to really dive deep into a complex topic with no clear answer, these podcasts have something for everyone.