Time for another installment of what the kids like to call "PTF." And by ‘the kids’ I mean no one. Let’s start this one off in the UK:
Although I generally try to stick to the subject of music for PTFs, I would not be a very good friend if I didn’t turn you on to The Bugle, a comedy podcast from London’s Times Online. Tagged as an "audio newspaper for a visual world," the show is hosted by former BBC Radio partners Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver, the latter now a Daily Show correspondent. It’s laugh out loud funny as I demonstrated recently after loading several episodes onto my DAP and trampling the reverent silence of my Subaru dealer’s service department waiting room, alarming its flannel clad denizens. In this sad world deprived of fresh fake news due to the writer’s strike, thank the imaginary friend/deity of your choice that these wacky Brits are bringing the funny. And don’t worry, it’s not so British that you won’t get it– except for the soccer (er, football) and political references.
Download this episode in glorious MP3, or perhaps this one. Better yet, visit the page, as there are eight episodes to choose from at the time of this posting.
"A Fiendish Thingy!!" In celebration of the reissue of The Beatles movie "HELP!" on DVD, Michael Palin of Monty (or "Marty," as my mom would say) Python fame hosts a series of 5 podcasts that look back at the film. Interviews with cast and crew are mixed with period interviews with the boys in the band, music, and clips from the movie to tell the story behind story. Anecdotes about George Harrison’s discovery of eastern instruments, fans trying to discover the band’s "willies," and dope smoking make for some interesting listening– I even found myself placing the DVD on my ‘wish list’ over at my favorite online vid retailer after fond memories were stirred. Effective marketing, indeed.
Click here to get the 1st installment (MP3), or go to the page to stream the episodes (via the ‘radio documentary’ link). However, if you want access to all of the episodes on MP3, you’ll have to subscribe to the feed.
If you haven’t paid a visit to NPR’s new music page yet, you should. Here’s a few of the concerts they’ve had recently:
As for song samplers with a nice mix of artists, I like KUTs Radio Without Borders. The station is based in Austin, which according to rumor, has a lot of live music going on! KUT serves up the best of their in-studio sets in the Without Borders podcast. Here’s a link to an episode featuring a song by Robyn Hitchcock. Perhaps Yo La Tengo is more your speed, in which case you should click this link to download the MP3 of that eppy.
I guess I can’t close out this installment of PTF without making mention of The High Holiday Season. If you’re like me and perfectly happy to humbug it along ’til mid January, then move on to the next item. But, if you’re in need of a holiday mix with some hipster cred, then All Songs Considered has you covered. Their annual holiday music show features a pretty stellar mix of holiday cheerleaders, including The New Pornographers, The Minus 5 ("Your Christmas Whiskey" — Yah!!), Magnetic Fields, The Apples In Stereo, and others. Here’s the episode page where you’ll find the complete list and can stream the show, or download the MP3.
Also, at 8pm ET on December 17th, NPR.org will webcast a holiday concert with Aimee Mann. Featured in the show will be guests Nellie McKay, Ben Lee, and comedian Paul F. Thompkins. WXPN will webcast The Smithereens Christmas Show on Dec. 21st at Noon ET. I’ll post the MP3s if they’re made available.
There you go. Enjoy. And hey, if you’ve got any podcasts you think I need to know about, please do pass them along!