Dark times call for measures that will keep us positive, motivated, and distracted from the pain that is the current reality. This too shall pass, some might say. But to help with making that time pass a little more quickly, we’ve compiled a list of six entertaining and/or informative podcasts to download now.
You Must Remember This
Hosted by Old Hollywood devout Karina Longworth, You Must Remember This delves into the forgotten (and often salacious) history of film’s century, from the tragic love story of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard to a series contrasting the careers of Jane Fonda and Jean Seberg. This season is a fascinating look at how stars defined and struggled to adhere to beauty ideals.
My Dad Wrote a Porno
True escapism lies in this gut-busting comedy podcast in which three British friends read (and poke endless fun at) a series of would-be erotic novels written by co-host Jamie Morton’s father. The series, entitled Belinda Blinked, follows its protagonist and her coworkers as they navigate the inexplicably sexual world of…pots of pans sales, and is so laughably bad that it’s actually helpful that you can’t listen in public anytime soon.
Dear Seekers
Host Sasha Xiao interviews a wide range of creative Canadian women, from jewellery designer Jenny Bird to natural beauty maker Fran Miller, on the practices, inspirations, and challenges that go into their artforms and businesses. The episodes are accompanied with beautiful photoshoots online to help put faces and spaces to the names featured.
Who? Weekly
This hilarious twice-weekly show is dedicated to the Who’s of Hollywood (read: the pseudo celebrities you likely do not recognize) and their travails while climbing the ladder of fame. Each episode has a segment dedicated to Who Queen Rita Ora, who “tens of people” are interested in keeping up to date about.
Breaking Beauty
Long-time beauty journalists Carlene Higgins and Jill Dunn host Breaking Beauty, a show that delves into new beauty releases, trends, and features interviews with some of the industry’s leading forces. Recent episodes feature interviews with Glossier founder Emily Weiss, Tata Harper, and Makeup by Mario’s Mario Dedivanovic.
How I Built This
This NPR show features interviews with founders behind some of the most successful start-ups and businesses of today—from Shopify’s Tobias Lütke to Airbnb’s Joe Gebbia—during which they discuss the exact steps they took to get to where they are today.