It’s June, pod pals! Summer is here and we’re keeping you cool with all the recommendations. June is also Pride Month, and we hope you’re finding ways to celebrate this month, as well as honor the LGBTQIA+ leaders and activists who have come before. We have a great interview with Jeffrey Marsh of LGBTQ&A, as well as a calendar corner full of listens—but give a shout with what else you’re loving and we’ll spread the word!
In the (Podcast) News
- Lainey high listed three WTF with Marc Maron episodes that are a must-listen: Eddie Huang, Eddie Murphy, and Tim Allen.
- Alex has been sticking with the mindfulness pods and feel good listens, including Wake Up/Wind Down. It’s a Spotify original with really short audio to start and end the day—plus the host Niall Breslin has a great Irish accent.
- The Crown’s Josh O’Connor made an appearance on Netflix’s Present Company.
- All those Millennials trying to figure out how to excel at “adulting” should listen to BuzzFeed Daily’s “Millennials Don’t Feel Like Real Adults. Why?” episode.
- Alex has also kept Gemini Today and The Daily Shine in her mental health rotation, as well as Meet Cute for a romcom lift every now and again.
- Get ready for our July episode where we revisit American history by listening to the Fresh Air episode with Clint Smith, “Reckoning With The History of Slavery.”
- A funny podcast recommendation that is sure to give you some laughs: Smartless with Zach Galifianakis.
- If you want something relevant and science-y, try out a couple great Short Wave episodes:
BYOP (Bring Your Own Podcast)
This month, Alex’s BYOP was the Spotify Original podcast, You Heard Me Write!
Treat your ears to 30 original pieces of prose, music, and sound design never heard before. This podcast features artists collaborating on a multi-media group project without having any knowledge about the identities of their counterparts. Only after the project’s completion are the artists introduced to one another in a Salon-style roundtable discussion as they explore the roles of creativity, anonymity, and the power of connection between people from different walks of life.
- Host is Kacie Willis, a creator and arts advocate from Atlanta, Georgia.
- She has BS in Music Recording Technology from Hampton University, MFA in Sound Design from SCAD
- She formed Could Be Pretty Cool, a production company whose mission is to inspire community building through the arts.
- She participated in the 2019 Spotify Sound Up accelerator program, which is a Spotify program supporting underrepresented podcasters through workshops and other support.
- Episodes are roughly 30 minutes long
- Alex shouted out the following episodes in particular:
Interview with Jeffrey Marsh of LGBTQ&A
LGBTQ&A was created in 2016 in order to document modern LGBTQ+ history — to get beyond transition and coming out stories, to get to know each person, their accomplishments, their failures, and how they got to where they are today. Hosted by writer and podcast producer Jeffrey Masters, each episode is a 30-minute interview full of insight, humor, and wisdom.
Jeffrey shared so many wonderful tidbits about his experience with producing and hosting a podcast, as well as offered some listening recommendations:
- Still Processing – for the great chemistry
- Pivot – for the tech news (which is most news, these days)
- 30 for 30 – for a great sports pick, even for non sports people
- The Line – for the amazing storytelling
- Stay Away from Matthew MaGill – for really great exploration of one person’s life story
- Unexplainable – for a great way to look at what we just CAN’T explain
- In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson – for incredible audio diaries
Find out more about the pod on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook too!
Calendar Corner
- June is Pride Month, and Alex recommends The Nancy. Although it’s unfortunately been cancelled and new episodes are no longer being released, there’s a LOT of great backlist featuring stories and conversations about the queer experience today.
- June 8th – Best Friends Day
- Best Forevers: A Podcast for Kindred Spirits is all about friendship (from breakups to the impact of the pandemic, to more)
- June 19th – Juneteenth
- Juneteenth is also known as Jubilee Day or Emancipation Day and commemorates the end of slavery, marking the day when troops arrived in Galveston, TX in 1865 to control the state and ensure the enslaved were freed (2.5 years after signing of Emancipation Proclamation).
- Fresh Air Weekend: ‘Opal & Nev’ Author Dawnie Walton; The History Of Juneteenth (May 29, 2021)
- The Daily: The History and Meaning of Juneteenth (June 19, 2020)
- June 20th – Father’s Day
- Life of Dad Show – podcast hosted by three fathers who discuss two topics (one heavy, one light) and then come to a resolution at the end of the show
- June 25th – National Catfish Day
- Catfish: The Podcast: a podcast from the MTV show Catfish.
- June 26th – Forgiveness Day
- Life Kit, “Why Forgiving Others Actually Heals You” (July 30, 2020)
- June 28th – International Body Piercing Day
- Piercing Wizard Podcast: Join host Ryan Ouellette as he discusses the professional body piercing industry with friends and colleagues.
That’s all for June! Let us know what you’re listening to—DM us, email us, or Tweet us!
—Lainey & Alex
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