[Swprograms] Podding Along - Issue 437

[John Figliozzi <jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Podcasts are a great development in the history of radio because they permit a shift of listening time from a set appointment to virtually any convenient occasion.  I do it while “power walking” (most) every morning when weather and my own psyche permit.  Indeed, were it not for podcasts I doubt I would have found any other inspiration for putting in these miles as long as I have.

Hence…Podding Along!

Some of the best radio comes from the public networks of the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S.  While there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of great podcasts from other sources, the ones sponsored via public radio have been vetted though the worthy objectives of the medium. 

Furthermore, I personally curate this continuing series of small samplings that are listed in more or less 90 minute helpings. Admittedly that makes these recommendations somewhat subjective.  But, as you will see, my interests are many and my tolerance for incompatible topics and views are pretty wide-ranging.  I hope you will find these suggestions helpful in enhancing your enjoyment of radio.

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“After his son's suicide and the Jan. 6 attack, Rep. Jamie Raskin is not giving up”
FRESH AIR - NPR and WHYY Philadelphia 
A year ago, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., experienced two unimaginable traumas in the span of a single week. On New Year's Eve 2020, his son Tommy, 25, died by suicide after years of fighting mental illness. Then, on Jan. 6, 2021, just a day after Tommy's funeral, Raskin was at work in the U.S. Capitol with his daughter and son-in-law when a violent mob stormed the building in an attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election.  In his new memoir, Unthinkable, Raskin reflects on his continuing efforts to understand those two traumatic events. There was a time, he says, when "I wasn't sure whether I was ever going to be able to do anything again." Then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., asked him to serve as the lead manager in the second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Looking back now, Raskin sees Pelosi's request as a lifeline. "I was forced to galvanize all of my love for Tommy and my daughters, Hannah and Tabitha, and my wife, Sarah, and our family and our country, and to throw myself into the trial to make the case that Donald Trump had incited this violent insurrection in an effort to overthrow the 2020 presidential election," Raskin says. (43”)
https://www.npr.org/2022/01/04/1070032923/jamie-raskin-jan-6-capitol-unthinkable

“Sea shanties and whalesong—the music of the ocean”
THE MUSIC SHOW - ABC RN (Radio National)
Bunna Lawrie takes us to Mirning Country and introduces his totem the Southern Wright Whale. He’s a whalesong man, protector of the Great Australian Bight and frontman of legendary rock band Coloured Stone. The Mirning people have lived in harmony with the coast and whales for over 3000 generations.  We then hear the shanties and ballads of the high seas, which had their heyday on 19th Century sailing ships. Gerry Smyth is Professor of Irish Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University and explains the important role of the shantyman, why group singing made sailors happier and better workers, and how these songs evolved across oceans. Gerry Smyth's book Sailor Song: The Shanties and Ballads of the High Seas is out now.  And then we meet Gary Greenwald, who founded The Albany Shantymen and the Albany International Folk'n Shanty Festival. He talks us through the modern shanty revival and what it's really like to sing (and shout) these old songs in Australian pubs today. (54”)
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/musicshow/bunna-lawrie-coloured-stone-whales-sea-shanty-albany-festival/13666214

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A monthly (well, mostly monthly) compendium of these newsletters, plus on occasion additional pertinent material, is now published in The CIDX Messenger, the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian International DX Club (CIDX).  For further information, go to www.cidx.ca

John Figliozzi
Editor, "The Worldwide Listening Guide”
NEW UPDATED 10th EDITION available NOW from universal-radio.com, amazon.com and w5yi.com!
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