The Best Podcasts of 2013

I arrived late to the podcast scene, but in the past six months it has become an essential part of my media consumption. You can find all of the following podcasts on iTunes.

The Podcast That Started It All : Ninjas vs Podcasts 

My dear friend Tyler and fellow GCC alums Jordan and Kevin have been recording NvP for two years, and before I ever had the podcast app, I was steaming their episodes on my computer at work. NvP debates the merits of X vs Y every week, taking questions from listeners who really need to know, "Denim vs Corduroy? Game of Thrones vs Jumanji? or Cotton Candy Hair vs Twizzler Mustache?" The guys have a great wittiness and knack for word play, and their personalities and friendships really make each episode. 

The News Podcast : Democracy Now!

The independent news hour Democracy Now! is advertising, corporate, and government funding free. Journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez bring progressive reporting to listeners five days a week, via podcast, radio, and television. They feature international news with a commitment to social justice, labor politics, and the lesser reported issues around the world. Frequently Democracy Now! invites guests from grassroot organizations and policy think tanks to discuss the daily topics. 

The Sh!t Your Pants Laughing Podcast : Doodie Calls With Doug Mand

Doug Mand is on a mission: to break down the taboos surrounding poop. A writer at How I Met Your Mother, Mand is fascinated by bathroom business. Each episode he brings in an equally funny guest to recount bathroom (or, often, lack thereof) horror stories, discuss touchy stomachs, and come clean on farting habits. It's not for everyone, but nothing has made me laugh out loud harder. I've seriously rolled around snorting in laughter.

The Interview Podcast : Totally Laime

There are a lot of great interview centric podcasts out there (WTF with Marc Maron, Here's The Thing with Alec Baldwin, etc). But none of them have host Elizabeth Laime (and her husband, Psychic Andy) asking the guest to settle a recent argument between her and her husband, or a game based around Oprah episodes. Elizabeth has such charming charisma, and the chemistry with her co-hosting husband envelopes the guest every time.

The Social Issues Meet Pop Culture Podcast : TIE! The Read / Throwing Shade

Its so hard to choose! I love both of these podcasts, which both feature best friend duos (Kid Fury and Crissle on The Read, Bryan and Erin on Throwing Shade), occasional ranting, and lots of sass. The Read and Throwing Shade often take on racism, homophobia, and sexism, while mixing in plenty of jokes about reality television and Miley Cyrus. I love listening to best friends just hash it out and make in-jokes, so if fast paced humor about Drake's feelings is your thing (and also, pointing out sexism in advertising, homophobic lawmakers, and whatever horrible racist thing someone just tweeted), check out both of these. 

The History Podcast : Stuff You Missed in History Class

Stuff You Missed is chock-full of stories I didn't even know I had missed, like the episode on the Winchester Mystery House. Equally balanced between oddities and curiosities of history, and aspects of history that go untold (think Howard Zinn's People's History), Stuff You Missed brings frank, insightful reviews and analysis of world histories. Its also progressive minded and does its part to expose past injustices and unsung heroes, reminding us that history is often written by the winner.

The Highbrow Discussion of Pop Culture Podcast : Girls in Hoodies

Girls in Hoodies is a weekly podcast that is part of the aggregate Grantland Pop Culture podcast. Emily, Molly, and Tess take on pop culture news with the insight and thoughtfulness of a college class on literary theory. If you've ever thought to yourself, I wish someone took Kanye's twitter feed more seriously, this is the podcast for you. All three women also write and edit for Grantland, so checking out their articles and blogs are a worthy way to spend some time. 

The Twin Peaks of Podcasts : Welcome to Nightvale

Everyone tries to figure out just what Nightvale is- is it Twin Peaks was written by Lovecraft and made a baby with Tim Burton, or maybe Ed Woods? On the radio? Is it War of the Worlds crossed with the creeping dread of a Shirley Jackson novel and a handful of conspiracy theory forums from Reddit? What you need to know is its a twice a month broadcast of the community radio station from the strange town of Nightvale, and the intrepid announcer Cecil fills in the locals on charity jogs and new traffic routes while dodging the City Council, with their dead eyes and levitating hooded robes...