← All Of It with Alison Stewart
All Of It with Alison Stewart
Looking for Podcast Suggestions? (2025 Summer Preview)
00:20:33
Looking for some new podcast suggestions for the summer? Lauren Passell shares her standout picks.
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- [00:09]
Alison Stewart
This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. All week long, we're talking about the sights and sounds of summer. Yesterday we talked about music. Tomorrow we'll talk about summer movies. And on Thursday, we'll talk about the art you can see right around the city. Today, we're going to be talking about something you can take with you on your travels. Podcasts. Listeners, we're crowdsourcing your podcast recommendations for the summer. What's a podcast that you've really enjoyed lately? 212-433-969-2212, wnyc. You can join us on air or you can text to us at that number. Joining us with her recommendations is Lauren Pessell. She writes about podcasts for Lifehacker. She's the curator of Podcast the newsletter and the founder of Tink Media and a friend of the show. Nice to see you, Lauren.
- [01:00]
Lauren Pessell
So good to see you, Alison.
- [01:02]
Alison Stewart
Let's get to right to your recommendations. A lot of them have to do with money. By the way, let's talk about deadheads. Here's the premise. It's based on a true story, friends. Jamie and Rachel are in debt. Jamie started talking about her debt publicly on TikTok. Rachel did not. And the two of them use their podcast to investigate personal finance and myths around personal responsibility. What's the tone of this podcast?
- [01:29]
Lauren Pessell
Well, I. Money makes me a little uncomfortable, so it has to be really, really good for me to want to talk about it. If it has to do with money, the tone is absolutely what sets this show apart. It is fun. It, it is breaks the mold. It's outside the cookie cutter. It's Jamie Feldman and Rachel Webster. Rachel comes from narrative documentary video, so I feel kind of telling the story. You know, sometimes when people come from other kinds of storytelling, it either works or doesn't work. They're not following the rules in a good way or a bad way. I feel like this worked really well this time. They are telling the story about Jamie's finances the way they want to tell the story. I asked them to tell me about their show in ten words or less. They said, true crime investigation into the murder of our bank accounts. It's funny. It's. It's melodic. It sounds melodic. They use different segments. It keeps you on your toes. There's always a surprising audio element. Like, you know, they bring in voice notes and voice memos. At one episode, Jamie goes to TJ Maxx with her mother and her grandmother to talk about shopping. It's just so Surprising and unexpected and a true delight.
- [02:48]
Alison Stewart
Let's listen to a clip. Here's one of the hosts, Jamie, talking about her origin stories. This is from the podcast Deadheads Void.
- [03:00]
Lauren Pessell
But wait, it's not a void.
- [03:06]
Alison Stewart
Oh, we're having crazy, crazy technical difficulties on this end. By the way, I want to tell you, I listened to the first episode and it made me listen to the second and the third as well.
- [03:17]
Lauren Pessell
Lauren, I'm you. You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. It reminds me of kind of things that were being made more years ago, like older kind of audio, you know. So anyway, that's one of my favorite things about it.
- [03:30]
Alison Stewart
The next one is what we spend. You describe this as very smart, sort of a money diary. People tell us what they spend in a week. What did you learn from listening to this podcast?
- [03:44]
Lauren Pessell
I mean, it's, It. It stresses me out a little bit, honestly, to listen to this because people get so honest. I think you're learning what real people are going through in this country and that are very, very different than you. I was just re listening to an episode of A woman that has 10 children and is an author and she's a single mom and really hearing the nitty gritty of how she pays for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I think it really like. I mean, people what we love driving by people's houses and looking in windows and really like, what is it really like to be someone else? It's not just about money. It's. It is, but. But it is about really understanding the struggles. And this is why Deadheads is so important right now. They're really trying to figure out why is money a problem for so many people. And this show is getting at that too. We're really trying to figure out the why these shows work nicely together. Cause it's two different ways to look at the same problem.
- [04:46]
Unknown
I thought was interesting that they addressed how people respond to people who say they're in debt on Debt Heads. They have some people who say, oh, I feel you, girl. And other people who are like, really, really didn't know you had a credit card debt? It was. It was interesting how they responded to people on the show.
- [05:03]
Lauren Pessell
Yeah. And Deadheads. I think it's interesting because Jamie was a influencer. She was open about her life in every single way before this happened. And money was the one thing that she hadn't been honest about. And I think that's interesting about a lot of influencers. Money is the last thing that people get honest about. It's the most vulnerable thing.
- [05:23]
Unknown
We are doing a crowdsourcing of your podcast recommendations for this summer. What's a podcast that you've really enjoyed lately, one you plan to take with you to the on your travels this summer? Our number is 2124-3396-9221-2433 wnyc. You can call in, you can join us on air or you can text to us at that number as well. We're discussing summer podcasts with Lauren Pacell, Tink Media founder and curator of Podcast the Newsletter. This one made me laugh. It's called We're Doing the Wiz. It's Radiotopia's podcast. It premiered at Tribeca, we should say, and it's what happened at a predominantly white performing arts school wanted to the Wiz. So they bust in some black students. This sounds like it could go terribly wrong, but it doesn't.
- [06:17]
Lauren Pessell
Oh, yeah. I mean, Ian Coss is the producer. He's made a lot of really, really amazing things and he's actually bringing in, he's going back to his old classmates who were there with him. And what I really like about it is so you know, the story is actually about how the school is busing in black students to this predominantly white school, as you said, and what happens. And so the question is, who's allowed to put tell what, who should we telling what kind of story? And what I really love is how Ian starts the story with his co host Sakina, who was bused in and says, how do you think we should tell this story? That is the first episode. So what an interesting way to kind of go back and say, wait a second, we have to tell the story the right way once and for all. Let's kind of fix it. But it's also really funny and heartwarming. I mean, anything about kids putting on, let's be honest, any sort of theatrical performance is going to be wildly amusing. But this brings in so much, you know, about race and culture about, you know, it just fascinating on so many different levels and it's made in such a creative way.
- [07:29]
Unknown
Let's listen to a clip. Fingers crossed. This is from we're doing the Wiz.
- [07:34]
Alison Stewart
I remember overhearing because the people would.
- [07:38]
Lauren Pessell
Talk about what they were going to dress up as.
- [07:40]
Alison Stewart
People were saying that they're going to.
- [07:42]
Lauren Pessell
Come in as certain characters.
- [07:47]
Laurie
And what historical character did you pick?
- [07:50]
Lauren Pessell
I chose D.W. griffith, the director and writer of the movie Birth of a Nation. The Birth of a Nation, in case.
- [07:59]
Laurie
You don't know, is a groundbreaking early film. It is also terribly, viciously racist.
- [08:05]
Gerard
And then there were other people who.
- [08:06]
Lauren Pessell
Chose other, arguably more offensive people to be. So there was a, without naming names. There was a Klan robe involved. I, I've honestly blocked this out, but I believe someone wore white.
- [08:22]
Unknown
Oh, my goodness.
- [08:24]
Lauren Pessell
There's some important context for this. They were asked, it was an assignment to dress up as important figures from the Gilded Age. So it wasn't like a Halloween costume, but still like, yikes, yikes, yikes. You just cringe listening to that.
- [08:37]
Unknown
All right, I'm going to ask you a question and we'll take a break and you can think about it. Someone texted in. What's a good podcast for families, Lauren? You think about that. We're going to take a quick break. This is all of It.
- [08:59]
Alison Stewart
You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My guest is Lauren Passell. She's Tink Media founder and the curator of Podcast the Newsletters. She's given us some great podcasts to listen to during these summer months. I asked you a question, Lauren, before the break. What's a good podcast for families? Have you had time to think about it?
- [09:20]
Lauren Pessell
Oh, absolutely. I mean, every family is different. I am going to be on a road trip with my family and we're going to be listening to Judge John Hodgman and this podcast called Text Me Back. It's Lindy West's chat podcast. However, if you have kids, there's, if there's any younger people like in your family, there's a podcast called Ologies which is hosted by someone named Alie Ward. It's all, she interviews all sorts of ologists, scientists, and it's so fun. She even has a kid friendly version of it, but it's already pretty kid friendly. But she's so curious. It's a beautiful delight. There's also a radio lab for kids that is good enough for adults, obviously. I mean, it's beautiful. Terrestrials. Yes, terrestrials. And then secret Incredibly Fascinating is a podcast hosted by Alex Schmidt and his friend Katie Golden. They look at things that you would think would be boring and make them not boring. It's, it's amazing. Like, like accordions and computer mice and road atlases. And then really quick, I want to this, this is pretty new. There's something called the Simpsons Taught Me Everything and it's on the correct feed and I feel like there's a lot of families that might enjoy it. Goes down rabbit holes of everything that the Simpsons has been teaching families throughout the years. I Feel like a lot of families could bond over that.
- [10:47]
Alison Stewart
Let's take a couple of calls. Let's talk to Laurie, calling in from Ridge, New York. Hi, Laurie. Thank you so much for taking the time to call, like, all of it.
- [10:56]
Laurie
Oh, thank you for the opportunity. I just wanted to mention a podcast that Monica Lewinsky is doing. It's called Reclaiming. She's very articulate. She's a great interviewer. It has to do with people overcoming a reputation, as she had to do. And the first episode, she tells her own personal story, which I found so moving and interesting, and I just highly recommend it.
- [11:25]
Alison Stewart
Thanks, Laurie. Let's talk to Gerard from the from West New York, New Jersey. Hey, Gerard, thanks for calling all of it.
- [11:32]
Gerard
Hi, Alison. Hi, Lauren. So I don't have one specific podcast, but it's an idea that I found and to really help me out is if there's a television show that you like, chances are there's a podcast, whether it's produced by the people who make the show or just people who love the show. Like, you Google that and you'll find like I found, I started it with Succession back when that was on, and I loved that one. But now I'm listening to a companion podcast. It's not officially from Peacock, but for the Natasha Leone show, Poker Face. It's just a show that I love, but it's. You feel like you're in community with other people watching the show, and it's a really nice way to extend it. I almost look forward to the podcast as much as I do to the show every week.
- [12:14]
Alison Stewart
Thanks for calling in.
- [12:15]
Unknown
Yeah, it's so interesting, Lauren. So many TV shows series have podcasts about the show that air the next day. HBO does a lot of this. What purpose do they serve? Are there any that you find better than others?
- [12:33]
Lauren Pessell
Yeah, I think that first of all, the ones that come out the next day, I like it because it really gives that immediate reaction that be really hard to capture in other kinds of media. My personal favorite is by the ringer. It's called the Prestige TV podcast. I think that's what it's called. They have multiple. They're covering multiple shows at all times. They do immediate reactions. They also. What I really like about that show is they have a great audience feedback. So they'll set up an email address for every single show. And they're usually very funny email addresses with very niche references to the show. And people write in. People get really, really involved in these comments. So that's my recommendation. I go to that basically Whatever they're covering also dictates what I'll watch. Because I'm like, I know it's gonna be good.
- [13:19]
Unknown
We got a text here that says, I've been listening to this podcast. All vampires are gay. If you're a Buffy fanatic like I was and still am, you probably enjoy it. It's kind of like cotton candy. There's no significant nutritional value for the brain, but it's a fun treat. This one says, I love the podcast Act Like a Mother. It's about actresses and actors who are moms. Interviews. It's a great window into the industry and also being a mom. This is great new podcast all about sepsis as the leading cause of death in hospitals. It's called the Sepsis Spectrum. Thanks for sharing. I want to ask you about a program from New Hampshire Public Radio which is known for their serious audio documentaries. And they have a new one and it's a little wild. Tell us about it.
- [14:10]
Lauren Pessell
Are you talking about Sergeant Tibbs?
- [14:11]
Unknown
I am talking about Sergeant Tibbs.
- [14:13]
Lauren Pessell
Are you gonna make me cry? Okay, well, the final days of Sergeant Tibbs is about a 19 year old Maine coon who went missing in, in his home In Manchester, N.H. a Maine.
- [14:28]
Unknown
Coon cat, I should say.
- [14:29]
Lauren Pessell
Yes, sorry. Yes. And his owner, Rose, you know, thought that Sergeant Tibbs died. It turns out one of the neighbors kind of took the cat in. And then, I mean, spoiler alert, Sergeant Tibbs dies. And it's, it's really this, this is a beautifully reported piece. Todd, the host, is kind of going back to find the final days to find out what really happened. Because the woman who brought in the cat and her daughter, their story kind of doesn't really add up. They have an explanation for why they did it. This leads to protests in the neighborhood. This is truly a story. Rose leads a protest outside Debbie's business. You know, it's turns into a wild story about the neighborhood, but it's just this, at the end of the day, it's about that, you know, the people in the town end up looking terrible, you know, so it's kind of like juicy, but also just like super sad.
- [15:30]
Unknown
Let's listen to a clip from it. This is from the final days of Sergeant Tibbs.
- [15:35]
Alison Stewart
This store owner stole her cat. Hey, what's that? This store owner stole her cat.
- [15:41]
Nancy Solomon
Last summer there was a protest In Manchester, N.H. a few people holding signs, chanting outside of the business. It was a pretty strange scene. The target of the protest, a woman is there too, just watching, twirling her keys. Maybe you think there's a lot to protest these days. Maybe you don't, but this is not a protest you've seen on the news before. This protest is about someone's pet.
- [16:08]
Unknown
If the Internet didn't teach you anything, you don't with people's cats.
- [16:14]
Nancy Solomon
For months now, I've been trying to figure out what led to this moment, how a 19 year old cat named Sergeant Tibbs became the source of such controversy, such anger.
- [16:27]
Unknown
While we're on the subject of public radio, Lauren Pizzell I have on the phone WNYC's Nancy Solomon. I want to recommend her recent WNYC podcast. It's called Dead the Rise and Fall of Gold Bar Bob Menendez. So, Nancy, give us the elevator pitch for your podcast.
- [16:49]
Laurie
Well, it's the second season of Dead End. The first season was about a murder, an unsolved murder that led to me uncovering a political corruption scheme in Camden, New Jersey. And this is a three, the new season is a three part series about Bob Menendez. And you know, it's got, it's got love, it's got spies, it's got bribery and corruption. And it's just, I mean, really, everyone knows kind of the top line about the Menendez story. Oh, he was involved in a bribery scheme and, you know, there were gold bars and lots of cash. But I wanted to really kind of understand more about what that was about, but also why, like, why would somebody who had reached the pinnacle of American political power risk so much? And, you know, it's just a fascinating story I think about, you know, he gets involved with his now wife, they start dating, and within weeks they're plotting to make a deal with Egyptian spies and generals for an arms sale and a halal meat contract. So that's what the story's about. And I'd say it's nutritional and fun at the same time.
- [18:16]
Unknown
Nancy, thank you so much for calling in. That's called Dead End the Rise and Fall of Gold Bar Bob Menendez. That sounds pretty good.
- [18:24]
Alison Stewart
Lauren, before you go, I wanted to ask you about Good Hang. There are a lot of celebrity podcasts. Some are better than others. Amy Poehler started a podcast called Good Hang. I happen to really like this show. I'm curious why it's on your list.
- [18:40]
Lauren Pessell
Well, I'm not a big interview fan and I'm not a big celebrity podcast fan.
- [18:46]
Alison Stewart
Me neither. But I like this one.
- [18:49]
Lauren Pessell
I'm daring everyone to try it. I think it's because it's, it feels more casual. It doesn't feel like these People are on a press junket. You know, her guests, they're the most authentic conversations. It's not. It's also edited in an interesting way where we kind of see more of an authentic side of Amy Poehler. Like, there's some mistakes in there that make it more lovable, you know, and she just gets great guests. Had so many. I'm. I'm like underlining with my mind so many of the smart things that, that she's having. She. She's interviewing people that she has genuine connection with. And I think that really shows through. And the editing is just, it. It feels different than any other celebrity podcast I've ever listened to.
- [19:33]
Alison Stewart
That's called Good Hang. All right, dealer's choice. What's the last one you want to recommend in our last minute?
- [19:40]
Lauren Pessell
Oh, my goodness. Let's do. Oh, my gosh. Let's do proxy. Let's do proxy.
- [19:47]
Alison Stewart
Okay, what's the Give me the elevator pitch?
- [19:50]
Lauren Pessell
Yowei Shaw is the host of Invisibilia years ago and she's back with this. You know, she's kind of helped acting as a proxy for people that have problems. So imagine you have a problem, you can't untangle it by yourself. Yahweh Yoi is gonna introduce you to someone who has gone through the similar problem and help them explain it to you.
- [20:11]
Alison Stewart
It's so good. Lauren Pacell, you always give great recommendations for podcasts. Thank you for being with us.
- [20:19]
Lauren Pessell
Thank you for having me.
- [20:21]
Alison Stewart
And that is all of it for today. I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I don't appreciate the technical difficulties, but we'll get those settled. We'll see you here tomorrow.
- [20:34]
Laurie
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