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The Big Listen

NPR

There are tens of thousands of podcasts out there. So how do you know what to listen to? On The Big Listen — THE broadcast about podcasts from WAMU and NPR — host Lauren Ober introduces you to podcasts you might not have ever heard of, and gives you the inside scoop on shows you already love. Through interviews, listener recommendations, show snippets and more,The Big Listen helps you curate your perfect playlist.

Location:

United States

Networks:

NPR

Description:

There are tens of thousands of podcasts out there. So how do you know what to listen to? On The Big Listen — THE broadcast about podcasts from WAMU and NPR — host Lauren Ober introduces you to podcasts you might not have ever heard of, and gives you the inside scoop on shows you already love. Through interviews, listener recommendations, show snippets and more,The Big Listen helps you curate your perfect playlist.

Language:

English


Episodes
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Tegan & Sara, Podcast Super Fans (Encore)

5/24/2018
Musicians Tegan and Sara are podcast obsessives. This episode, we take a peek at their extensive playlist and hear about their own idea for a podcast. Also, the hosts of the LGBTQ show Nancy share their funny and tragic coming out stories. And the Pakistani-American host ofBeginner walks us through all the things she never learned as a immigrant, like biking and swimming. Plus: saving podcasts for posterity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Duration:00:49:26

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John Darnielle and Joseph Fink Only Listen To The Mountain Goats (Encore)

5/17/2018
The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle and Joseph Fink of Welcome To Night Vale talk about what it means to be a fan onI Only Listen To The Mountain Goats. Plus: Nicole Drespel mines your email InBox for comedy gold, a hotel with a radio studio in the lobby, and a podcast takes us turkey hunting.

Duration:00:49:10

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Mother's Day Extravaganza (Encore)

5/10/2018
We're celebrating Mother's Day with stories from all kinds of women — a single lesbian mother by choice (Not By Accident), a young woman who chose sterilization (Tie My Tubes) and a Korean mom raising a multi-racial daughter (Other: Mixed Race In America), among others. Plus, mom tributes from your favorite audio producers.

Duration:00:49:32

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Nicole Byer Wants To Date You (Encore)

5/3/2018
Comedian Nicole Byer shares some of the tips she's learned from friends on her podcast Why Won't You Date Me. Reporter Dan Lamothe tells us about reading hundreds of letters from World War II, Heather Mizeur describes how she rebuilt her politics after losing an election, and Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin define what being Unladylike means to them.

Duration:00:50:21

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Norman Lear Is All Of The Above (Encore)

4/26/2018
Norman Lear's work in television and movies could fit every category, which might be why he calls his podcast All Of The Above. We also hear about the culinary delights of hotdish from Senator Heidi Heitkamp, explore the many facets of veterans with Battle Scars, and phone our rage into the For A Bad Time Call hotline.

Duration:00:50:11

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Larry Wilmore Is Black On The Air (Encore)

4/19/2018
Larry Wilmore's got a new podcast, Black On The Air! Plus: the lowdown on a possible Powerline in New Hampshire, a Slow Burn with Leon Neyfakh about Watergate, and a new book from Bill McKibben.

Duration:00:50:06

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Chris Gethard and the Art of Deep Listening (Encore)

4/12/2018
Chris Gethard describes how Beautiful/Anonymous satisfies his craving for human connection. Plus: therapy with Esther Perel, poetry with Versify, and a podcaster who invites strangers to his home.

Duration:00:50:09

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Jon Ronson Likes Porn (Stories) Encore

4/5/2018
Writer Jon Ronson traces The Butterfly Effect from the moment pirated porn became free on the web. Plus: The hosts of Terrestrial and Closer Than They Appear, and Jillian Bauer-Reese documents people in recovery with The Rooms Project.

Duration:00:49:34

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John Darnielle and Joseph Fink Only Listen To The Mountain Goats

3/29/2018
The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle and Joseph Fink of Welcome To Night Vale talk about what it means to be a fan onI Only Listen To The Mountain Goats. Plus: Nicole Drespel mines your email InBox for comedy gold, a hotel with a radio studio in the lobby, and a podcast takes us turkey hunting.

Duration:00:50:23

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Laura Veirs On A Musical Motherhood

3/22/2018
Singer/songwriter Laura Veirs talks to other musicians about how they balance work with parenthood, Annie Gilbertson investigates an officer involved in multiple shootings in Repeat, and Kameel Stanley and Tim Lloyd remind St Louis, "We Live Here!"

Duration:00:48:59

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Denis O'Hare and the Danger of Dinner Parties (Encore)

3/15/2018
Actor Denis O'Hare tells us about Deadly Manners and the ingredients for a dismal dinner, Liz Plank talks feminism with Divided States of Women, and Joel Werner puts numbers on the air with Sum Of All Parts. Plus: Alice Wong of Disability Visibility describes all the voices she wants to hear on the radio.

Duration:00:49:33

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Noshing On Food Podcasts with Francis Lam & Kim Severson (Encore)

3/8/2018
It's a Big Listen smörgåsbord! We'll meet Francis Lam, new host of The Splendid Table, taste chocolate with The Slow Melt and hear which food podcasts New York Times food writer Kim Severson favors. Plus: Lauren enters brunch hell with Brendan Francis Newnam.

Duration:00:49:36

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Lights, Camera, Podcasts! — An Oscars Special

3/1/2018
We head back into the golden age of Hollywood with Karina Longworth, explore representation in film with Aisha Harris, and predict this year's Oscar winners with Erik Anderson. Plus: Paul Scheer talks about his affection for movies that are so bad they're good.

Duration:00:49:46

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Nicole Byer Wants To Date You

2/22/2018
Comedian Nicole Byer shares some of the tips she's learned from friends on her podcast Why Won't You Date Me. Reporter Dan Lamothe tells us about reading hundreds of letters from World War II, Heather Mizeur describes how she rebuilt her politics after losing an election, and Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin define what being Unladylike means to them.

Duration:00:49:45

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For DeRay Mckesson, It Started With A Newsletter (Encore)

2/15/2018
DeRay Mckesson discusses going from newsletter to podcast, Uncivil tells the untold stories of the Civil War, and Trey Kay explores our divides in Us & Them. Plus: Oral history podcast Ferguson Voices.

Duration:00:49:06

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Keep Listening, PyeongChang: An Olympic Extravaganza

2/8/2018
Lauren Shehadi shares the stories behind the Olympics with The Podium, Dan Zirin explains the dark side of hosting the Olympics, and ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates tell us about their sport and their favorite podcasts. Plus: Learning to curl with Ed Scimia!

Duration:00:49:03

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Norman Lear Is All Of The Above

2/1/2018
Norman Lear's work in television and movies could fit every category, which might be why he calls his podcast All Of The Above. We also hear about the culinary delights of hotdish from Senator Heidi Heitkamp, explore the many facets of veterans with Battle Scars, and phone our rage into the For A Bad Time Call hotline.

Duration:00:49:11

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JD Samson On Making Podcast Music "More Boring"

1/25/2018
Le Tigre's JD Samson talks composing music for podcasts, Nora McInerny says she's Terrible, Thanks For Asking, Helen Zaltzman unpacks annoying language. Plus, we check out the Potluck, a collective of Asian American podcasters.

Duration:00:49:34

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Ira Madison III Wants You To Keep It

1/18/2018
"Keep It" is pop culture writer Ira Madison's way to say "No thanks" to, well, anything. Also: Breasts Unbound on everyone's favorite body part, Seeing White on the history of race, and Harry Leslie Smith on being a 95-year-old podcaster.

Duration:00:49:31

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Abbi Jacobson Is A Piece Of Work (Encore)

1/11/2018
Abbi Jacobson gets artsy with her podcast A Piece Of Work; Leila Day and Hana Baba of The Stoop dialogue about the diaspora; YouTube provocateur Dylan Marron confronts his online bullies and Kathleen Barber dishes on her debut suspense novel, Are You Sleeping.

Duration:00:49:41