There’s this scene in the Mel Brooks-directed movie Blazing Saddles in which it's revealed the storyline of people in 19th century western town bombarded with attacks is actually taking place on a Hollywood movie set.
The cowboys fighting break through the set wall into the movie set of a black-tie musical, with one of the cowboys bellowing, “P--- on you, I work for Mel Brooks!” as he punches a movie director.
That was the moment I was introduced to the world of "meta"as a nine-year-old kid, and I’ve been a fan of tearing down the fourth wall ever since.
And yes, podcasts get meta too. This week, I’ll be looking at podcasts that also review other podcasts. For podcast addicts, these shows can be a fantastic resource for finding new pods to listen to — or these shows can be really boring.
For the record, I tried to find podcasts that review “podcast review” podcasts, but they’re harder to find out there. The sentences get more confusing the more meta it gets. If someone finds one, please help a guy out.
"The Podcast Digest"
Dan Lizette is pretty much the friend who’s obsessed about podcasts you’ve never had. Or you may have a friend like that. That friend could potentially be me. If that’s the case, I’m so sorry.
But anyway, Lizette is the host of "The Podcast Digest", which interviews a new podcaster for each episode. What I especially like about this show is that Lizette doesn’t try to do “too much.”
Each episode is a simple format: one podcaster, one interview and one podcast preview. Lizette’s interview questions get to the heart of what the podcast he’s reviewing is, all the while adding color to the interview by telling stories that relate to the podcaster.
There’s minimal production and music added to the podcast, but it’s not really needed. "The Podcast Digest" lets you get to really know a new podcaster each week, and nothing more.
Rating: 4 out of 5 earbuds
"The Big Listen"
NPR even has their own podcast for reviewing other podcasts. "The Big Listen" is hosted by Lauren Ober, a radio producer for WAMU Public Radio, and one can hear right off the bat this is a NPR-style podcast.
The interviews with various podcasters sound like they could be transplanted from NPR news shows like "All Things Considered" or "Morning Edition." The phrasing and introductions of guests by Ober is very matter-of-fact, and the production and music is well-mixed into the show.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with NPR-style, but it can sometimes lack a little bit of personality. Ober is a skilled interviewer, in particular when she asks podcasters questions about their personal lives that relate to one’s podcasts.
But not enough of Ober’s own personality shines through as she moves one interviewing one guest to another. The show does a nice job of introducing listeners to new pods, yet it could be a more compelling listen.
Rating: 3 out of 5 earbuds
"Always Listening"
I’ll say this show definitely didn’t get off on the right foot when I started listening to it. Unlike other shows, this podcast puts a 30-second advertisement before the episode that sounds like the hosts ripped the audio from a television commercial.
I’m no expert on ad placement, but it’s a bit off-putting. And beyond that, the show doesn’t really offer much for the listener that makes it stand out.
The hosts, Joel and Josh, interview a new podcaster every two weeks but struggle at getting interesting details about a podcaster beyond the basic biographical details.
Like the other podcasts I’ve reviewed this past week, they do a decent job at finding new pods for listeners to discover but fail to do much more than that. This podcast would be better suited as an email newsletter instead.
Rating: 2 out of 5 earbuds
Liam Niemeyer is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. How meta can you get? Let Liam know by tweeting him @liamniemeyer.
