The Ezra Klein Show: A perfect example of an enlightening, entertaining podcast

Now on The New York Times instead of Vox, The Ezra Klein Show podcast promises to take you inside the heads of the newsmakers and power players in politics, technology and media.

The Ezra Klein Show

This has been around for a while, but last year it departed Vox media and found a new home at The New York Times. The format is by-and-large the same, with Klein interviewing a range of fascinating guests from a range of professions, but its new home at the Times might have expanded its access to important guests; a recent episode is a wonderfully enlightening conversation with Bernie Sanders, which invites him to reflect on the 2020 election. It’s also well worth deep diving into The Ezra Klein Show’s back catalogue: his interviewing style allows for remarkably deep insight, but he’s conversational enough that the big ideas feel easily accessible. He also doesn’t just let his guests waffle, pushing and critiquing where necessary. I’d recommend his interview with Trick Mirror author Jia Tolentino, or a recent conversation with computer scientist Cal Newport about how technology, once billed as a way to increase human productivity, has in fact ended up leaving us more exhausted and stressed-out than ever.

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Ezra Klein’s interviewing style allows for remarkably deep insight, but he’s conversational enough that the big ideas feel easily accessible.

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Obsessed With…

I’m always a little wary of companies that make their own podcasts to promote their own content – it turns the medium of podcasting into just another form of advertising – but given the BBC is a publicly-funded company, and their slate of television is unparalleled, I can forgive them for doing so. Their TV recap podcasts, Obsessed With…, are genuinely great, mostly because they recruit a range of great hosts to guide listeners through various TV shows. With seasons covering shows like Normal People, Peaky Blinders and Killing Eve episode-by-episode, Obsessed With is the perfect way to bring TV, which due to streaming culture has become a distinctly individual pastime, back to a communal experience. Hosts include various British journalists, comedians and presenters, who break down each episode with hilarious and surprising insights.

Bottoming

Another UK podcast this week, this time focused on LGBTQ+ mental health. Hosted by LGBTQ+ charity worker Matthew Riley and psychology academic Brendan Geoghegan, Bottoming is focused on opening up discussions of mental health specific to the queer experience, looking at how LGBTQ+ individuals experience mental health issues and the pathways to healing that are most effective. With experts from mental health charities and media commentators regularly guesting on the show, Bottoming is memorable for its calming and intimate tone; listening feels like entering the exact kind of safe space one needs when struggling mentally. Though many issues are UK-specific, the themes are universal, and will speak to the experiences of many LGBTQ+ people in Aotearoa.

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