//podcastplus.net/feed/podcast~1dceba79d05d97cc2d2f447bbf3d38b989a5f7482a9fe5719d4e0492f7a2273a In Podmass, The A.V. Club sifts through the ever-expanding world of podcasts and recommends 10–15 of the previous week’s best episodes. Sun, 04 Oct 2026 17:47:57 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/632/contemporary-architecture-we-love-to-hate.mp3 “We devised this culture where we think about selling our houses before we ever spend a night in them,” says Kate Wagner, an architecture critic and creator of the popular blog McMansion Hell. With this quote, Wagner sums up why McMansions—those large, ostentatious symbols of the suburban upper-crust—are more than just a gaudy expenditure. The episode begins with the superficial issues; Wagner and host Roman Mars provide a comprehensive breakdown of the aesthetic sins of the McMansion, from the problem with two-story entranceways to the use of nonfunctional columns. To blame? HGTV for starters, she argues, as well as the rising cultural awareness of house flippers. But it goes deeper: While the impractical use of space and lack of functionality is obnoxious, the real issue is that the McMansion’s focus on aesthetics over structural integrity is unsustainable. By eschewing structural improvement, energy-efficient innovations, and green upgrades, these houses weren’t built to last.... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:54:46 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/632/contemporary-architecture-we-love-to-hate.mp3 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/632/contemporary-architecture-we-love-to-hate.mp3 “We devised this culture where we think about selling our houses before we ever spend a night in them,” says Kate Wagner, an architecture critic and creator of the popular blog McMansion Hell. With this quote, Wagner sums up why McMansions—those large, ostentatious symbols of the suburban upper-crust—are more than just a gaudy expenditure. The episode begins with the superficial issues; Wagner and host Roman Mars provide a comprehensive breakdown of the aesthetic sins of the McMansion, from the problem with two-story entranceways to the use of nonfunctional columns. To blame? HGTV for starters, she argues, as well as the rising cultural awareness of house flippers. But it goes deeper: While the impractical use of space and lack of functionality is obnoxious, the real issue is that the McMansion’s focus on aesthetics over structural integrity is unsustainable. By eschewing structural improvement, energy-efficient innovations, and green upgrades, these houses weren’t built to last.... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:54:46 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/632/contemporary-architecture-we-love-to-hate.mp3 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/646/nosy-neighbor-an-obama-fundraiser-and-the-video-games-of-the-future.mp3 When Hannibal Buress is at his best, it’s very easy to forget that he’s actually telling jokes. His stand-up set feels like a stream-of-consciousness monologue of some guy’s mundane observations and remembrances that is somehow hilarious. It’s not that his bits aren’t well-crafted (they are), it’s that the main engine of his appeal is simply his tone of voice and manner of being. In many ways, he’s the perfect person to host his own podcast, and now he finally is. We’re only one episode into Handsome Rambler, but so far it’s essentially just him and his DJ, Tony Trimm, shooting the shit about obnoxious nosy neighbors, playing VR games on the White House lawn, and how much fun it is to shoplift. Those topics all flow accidentally into one another in that way that happens when people who are comfortable in front of a microphone allow themselves to riff. Late in the show, they field an extremely uncomfortable question from a listener who probably would have been better served asking Dan Savag... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:50:52 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/646/nosy-neighbor-an-obama-fundraiser-and-the-video-games-of-the-future.mp3 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/646/nosy-neighbor-an-obama-fundraiser-and-the-video-games-of-the-future.mp3 When Hannibal Buress is at his best, it’s very easy to forget that he’s actually telling jokes. His stand-up set feels like a stream-of-consciousness monologue of some guy’s mundane observations and remembrances that is somehow hilarious. It’s not that his bits aren’t well-crafted (they are), it’s that the main engine of his appeal is simply his tone of voice and manner of being. In many ways, he’s the perfect person to host his own podcast, and now he finally is. We’re only one episode into Handsome Rambler, but so far it’s essentially just him and his DJ, Tony Trimm, shooting the shit about obnoxious nosy neighbors, playing VR games on the White House lawn, and how much fun it is to shoplift. Those topics all flow accidentally into one another in that way that happens when people who are comfortable in front of a microphone allow themselves to riff. Late in the show, they field an extremely uncomfortable question from a listener who probably would have been better served asking Dan Savag... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:50:52 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/646/nosy-neighbor-an-obama-fundraiser-and-the-video-games-of-the-future.mp3 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/644/how-do-we-monitor-change-in-key-ecosystems.mp3?dest-id=401238 It’s easy to joke about Florida. The crystal meth, the bozo criminals, the exotic-animal attacks—all of this and more has made it a hotbed of weirdness that more than justifies the existence of the Florida Man Twitter account. But the oddities of the Sunshine State tend to eclipse its many achievements, including Miami’s progressive efforts to adapt to the effects of climate change. That’s a huge topic discussed by host Doug Parsons and this week’s guest, Dr. Evelyn Gaiser. As lead principal investigator at the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research Program, she has her finger on the pulse of the state’s constantly morphing ecology. That makes her a crucial resource for anyone worried about climate change. Even though she’s obviously concerned about the problems that severe weather presents to humankind, she also gets infectiously excited when talking about preserving the wetlands and how Miami is changing its infrastructure to plan for the future. It’s refreshing to hear ... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:50:08 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/644/how-do-we-monitor-change-in-key-ecosystems.mp3?dest-id=401238 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/644/how-do-we-monitor-change-in-key-ecosystems.mp3?dest-id=401238 It’s easy to joke about Florida. The crystal meth, the bozo criminals, the exotic-animal attacks—all of this and more has made it a hotbed of weirdness that more than justifies the existence of the Florida Man Twitter account. But the oddities of the Sunshine State tend to eclipse its many achievements, including Miami’s progressive efforts to adapt to the effects of climate change. That’s a huge topic discussed by host Doug Parsons and this week’s guest, Dr. Evelyn Gaiser. As lead principal investigator at the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research Program, she has her finger on the pulse of the state’s constantly morphing ecology. That makes her a crucial resource for anyone worried about climate change. Even though she’s obviously concerned about the problems that severe weather presents to humankind, she also gets infectiously excited when talking about preserving the wetlands and how Miami is changing its infrastructure to plan for the future. It’s refreshing to hear ... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:50:08 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/644/how-do-we-monitor-change-in-key-ecosystems.mp3?dest-id=401238 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/645/how-we-dealt-with-anxiety-and-sicknes-as-kids.mp3 Definitely Dying is a UCB Comedy podcast hosted by “hypochondriac-comedians” Madeline Walter and Ben Axelrad, centered on matters of the body and mind. This week, they are joined by Love’s Paul Rust for a conversation on childhood anxiety, with a last-minute detour to constipation. They begin the episode by asking Rust how much he thinks about death, on a scale from one to 10. This triggers a discussion about how he grew up Catholic, and his childhood lack of fear because of the promise of heaven, and how that changed as he grew up. It’s a fluid conversation (that never feels like a predictable interview) that easily transitions into an observation of anxiety and being a “worrisome” kid. Rust, as demonstrated in all of his podcast appearances, is familiarly likable and open, and the three of them are clearly having fun. The casual atmosphere of the show allows them to discuss topics like anxiety without being heavy or boring, which is crucial to its listenable charm. Later playing a hilarious, a... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:49:52 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/645/how-we-dealt-with-anxiety-and-sicknes-as-kids.mp3 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/645/how-we-dealt-with-anxiety-and-sicknes-as-kids.mp3 Definitely Dying is a UCB Comedy podcast hosted by “hypochondriac-comedians” Madeline Walter and Ben Axelrad, centered on matters of the body and mind. This week, they are joined by Love’s Paul Rust for a conversation on childhood anxiety, with a last-minute detour to constipation. They begin the episode by asking Rust how much he thinks about death, on a scale from one to 10. This triggers a discussion about how he grew up Catholic, and his childhood lack of fear because of the promise of heaven, and how that changed as he grew up. It’s a fluid conversation (that never feels like a predictable interview) that easily transitions into an observation of anxiety and being a “worrisome” kid. Rust, as demonstrated in all of his podcast appearances, is familiarly likable and open, and the three of them are clearly having fun. The casual atmosphere of the show allows them to discuss topics like anxiety without being heavy or boring, which is crucial to its listenable charm. Later playing a hilarious, a... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:49:52 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/645/how-we-dealt-with-anxiety-and-sicknes-as-kids.mp3 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/643/whats-his-relationship-to-shoes.mp3 Todd Glass’ most endearing traits—his brashness and unyielding sense of compassion—are seemingly at odds with each other. But on the latest episode of Box Angeles, he shows that it’s this contrast that makes him such a great comedian. He speaks affectionately of his family, work, and cohost Mike Elder one moment, then has no problem lashing out with a tongue-in-cheek “fuck you!” whenever Elder pays him a compliment. It’s also a compelling episode because of Glass’ rituals. One of the best parts of Box Angeles is when Elder asks his guest about their artistic and leisurely habits (a ritual of his own for each installment), and it turns out Glass has an affinity for the showmanship of musicians like Wayne Newton and Paul Anka. While both artists have an undeniable cheese factor, they also have an undeniable command of the stage, mirroring the juxtaposition found in the comedian’s own personality. And don’t worry, fans of U Talkin’ U2 To Me?, Elder makes sure to ask him about Staind as we... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:49:29 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/643/whats-his-relationship-to-shoes.mp3 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/643/whats-his-relationship-to-shoes.mp3 Todd Glass’ most endearing traits—his brashness and unyielding sense of compassion—are seemingly at odds with each other. But on the latest episode of Box Angeles, he shows that it’s this contrast that makes him such a great comedian. He speaks affectionately of his family, work, and cohost Mike Elder one moment, then has no problem lashing out with a tongue-in-cheek “fuck you!” whenever Elder pays him a compliment. It’s also a compelling episode because of Glass’ rituals. One of the best parts of Box Angeles is when Elder asks his guest about their artistic and leisurely habits (a ritual of his own for each installment), and it turns out Glass has an affinity for the showmanship of musicians like Wayne Newton and Paul Anka. While both artists have an undeniable cheese factor, they also have an undeniable command of the stage, mirroring the juxtaposition found in the comedian’s own personality. And don’t worry, fans of U Talkin’ U2 To Me?, Elder makes sure to ask him about Staind as we... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:49:29 +0000 http://podcasts.radiopublic.com/podcast-download/643/whats-his-relationship-to-shoes.mp3