Top Podcasts You Should Be Listening To

As a musician and an avid reader, I have never had much use for podcasts until just recently.  On a sunny day I was frolicking, yes frolicking, back from the dog run, puppy in tow.  I frolicked too much and my iPhone 3G fell from my happy little pocket amongst the happy little trees.

Luckily, I’m a good husband and had just upgraded my wife to the iPhone 4  (I was waiting on the 4G out next year), so we had her old 3G lying around.  It had a little battle damage from our last dog (i.e. chewed silence button that was now useless), but in general was just fine.  Up until my lovely wife decided to drop it, and crack the screen…twice.  Whoops.

One day all my music disappeared from said phone and I had just enough time to search for podcasts and download them as an alternative to a full restore.  Since that day my daily commutes downtown and back have never been the same and I’d like to share with our loyal readers some wonderful ‘casts I’ve come to enjoy.  All of these guys can be found on iTunes as well as on their linked webpages.  So, without further ado:

11th Company:  These guys are my default 40K podcast.  They stuff their cast full of interviews, game reviews, codex countdowns, and Q&A’s.  With all the different segments it’s easy to jump in and out of the cast without losing your spot.  These guys have a genuine comraderie and internal joking that you can’t help but smile at.  It’s as if they invite you into their living room each week to mull over the tactics and details of what they call “the greatest community ever.”  The podcast runs long at around two and a half hours, but the multiple segment format helps alleviate some of the mass of content.  The audio quality is generally pretty good.  If you’re in the market for a 40K podcast, this is a good spot to begin for both newbs and veterans a like.

DBLR: De-Bugging Life Radio:  This isn’t a shameless promotion for one of our own writers, but if you’re not listening to Geekcentricity writer Jason Fry’s podcast, then you’re missing the best thing to happen to geek culture since deodorant, cons, and avatars.  Jason and George consistently deliver quick witted and engaging information about current events in geek culture with the “Geekend Update.”  They then move to the topic of the cast by George’s delivery of “500 Words or Less,” before moving right along to a detailed breakdown of such philosophical concepts as Zombies, Beards, Movies, and more.  DBLR runs around an hour and has very good audio quality considering they have to use Skype for the recording.  If you need an entertaining and fun cast for a commute to work and back, check them out.

Drunk Tank:  This was perhaps the most unintentionally found podcast ever for me.  I had siphoned through all my weekly casts and back logs, but was desperate for something to listen to.  So I hit up iTunes top 10 in gaming and lo and behold I found this gem on the list.  The cast is by Austin residents and staffers of the Rooster Teeth company (I mention Texas because this may be the only good thing to ever come out of that state).  Rooster Teeth is a group that makes short films on gaming achievements and other topics.  If you look at their website it describes the podcast as them “talking about films the staff is working on.”  Well that’s a total lie.  Maybe it started that way years ago, but now it truly functions as it’s name describes.  The members of the table’s discussion ramble from topic to topic with no particular goal in mind, ambling through hilarious stories and friendly ribbing much like an inebriated mechanical behemoth.  Somehow in their magic voodoo ways, they never leave the listener behind and manage to wrap every episode up in a cohesive package.  Seeing as the cast is recording using a profession rig in an office, the audio quality is top notch.  The episodes run just at an hour with pictures of topics inserted into the cast, so make sure to take a look at your screen whenever possible.

Gamers Lounge:  Bill and Jay offer a more diverse dialogue on tabletop games than other podcasts strictly limited to one element of the game.  40K, Malifaux, Firestorm Armada, and other games get lengthy and in depth discussion of tactics and modeling.  Listening to these two guys, along with the occasional interview, discuss the most recent game or tourney, or what’s on their hobby table, is much like hanging with your friends.  They manage to keep things informative yet causal.  Occasionally they can ramble on certain topics, but in general they do a good job of moving things along.  The audio is decent but not great.  The episodes typically are on the long side of two plus hours, but are easy to listen to in parts.

iFanboy Pick of the Week:  iFanboy is a website dedicated to everything comics.  These three fellow New Yorkers blow through their picks of the week and discuss what’s up in the comic industry without missing a beat.  If you’re not that much into comics, you can really learn a lot from these guys.  They actually take time to consider comic layout as well as art and writing in their selections.  It’s nice to see a group that appreciates the artistry behind the works.  You really get the camaraderie and fun these guys have when you listen to the cast.  And it’s very apparent how much they love their books and everything that goes into collecting.  They often read an impressive 15-20 books a week and select one from that stack to discuss.  The audio quality is solid and the cast runs just at an hour typically, sometimes going longer.  If you want to know what’s up in the comic industry, tune in to the iFanboy guys, just be aware of spoilers.  Read your books first!