ten podcasts to listen to when you're lonely
“Voices to keep you company on vast summer afternoons or unending stretches of a road trip”
passerby will be taking a break until September 5th, and whether you are in prolonged transit or stuck (literally, with sweat) to your couch for days on end, you might be experiencing the phenomenon of long, empty, August hours. Though silence isn’t inherently unwelcome, and letting your own thoughts come to the surface can be a rewarding, if daunting, practice, sometimes, we crave a voice to keep us company as we traverse the lonelier moments in life. We’ve collected ten podcasts that will provide you with hours upon hours of laughs, rabbit holes to tumble down, tender revelations to carry forth into the next seasons, and more chatter to delight and inspire you when you don’t feel like being completely alone.
Scam Goddess, Earwolf
Recommended by @laurel2296 on the passerby discord
Actress Laci Mosley has been both scammer and scam-ee many a time, so her perspective on cons, robbery, and fraud both historical and contemporary comes from a place both well-informed and defined by empathy — this is not a show for needless narcing or arbitrary moralism. Laci takes on the stories of scammers with a sense of genuine humanity, but her electric sense of humor, talent for making connections and allusions, and skill as a repartee partner to her well-curated guest list makes this podcast a consistently delightful listen. Start with the episode on the Tinder Swindler if you want a surefire laugh.
Deep Read With Phoebe Lovatt
Recommended by the passerby team
Each episode of Phoebe Lovatt’s podcast has a fascinating guest, from DJs to stylists, and is accompanied by a reading list that will extend your podcast experience from the hour or so of listening into a who-knows-how-deep rabbit hole of research and discovery, depending on what piques your interest.
Behind the Bastards and Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff, Cool Zone Media
Recommended by the passerby team
These podcasts are two sides of the same coin — hosted by Robert Evans and Margaret Killjoy, respectively, Bastards tells the thoroughly researched, often hilariously horrific (who would have thought that a six-episode series on Henry Kissinger could be a catalyst for cry-laughs?) tales of history’s worst characters, from Saddam Hussein to Coco Chanel, and Cool People is a welcome palate cleanser, less humorous but genuinely life-affirming in its coverage of underrepresented heroes, from the Tupamaros of Uruguay to the Molly Maguires of Ireland. Both pods, produced by the same team and frequently intermingling and cross-referencing each other, are unflinchingly leftist and inarguably thought-provoking.
The White Pube
Recommended by the passerby team
The women behind The White Pube, a project that started as a venture in art criticism and has since expanded to covering video games and other facets of media culture, are Gabrielle and Zarina, two best friends whose wry attitudes towards the art have been a welcome salve for the eons of overwrought, whitewashed art writing that have saturated our cultural consciousness. With a wide breadth of artistic knowledge, intersectional perspectives (especially impactful to the project is Gabrielle’s experience of disability since developing a debilitating case of Long Covid), and British senses of humor, The White Pube podcast is a hands-free, accessible way to take in the moments, both exhilarating and disappointing, the women have in their experiences of contemporary media.
You Are Good
Recommended by the passerby team
Under the auspices of discussions of films that run the gamut from Mamma Mia! to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Sarah Marshall (of You’re Wrong About fame) and Alex Steed, plus a compelling rotation of guests, get to the gnarled core of human emotion and proclivity, unpacking character’s motives, mistakes, and moments of catharsis in such simple language that you will probably garner a genuinely new insight into whatever subject they’re on, whether you’ve even watched the movie at hand or not. A recent episode on Little Miss Sunshine sparked a moving conversation about how mundane family moments might create indelible traumas, as one example of the scope of the podcast.
Vibe Check, Stitcher
Recommended by @stellastahl
Like snooping on a group chat that doesn’t include you, this pod, featuring Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford, will take you on a thoughtful but lighthearted journey through current events and cultural moments — recently, they've covered Barbie, the writers’/actors’ strike, and AI — while making you feel like you’re being let in on a secret, shared language between friends.
Articles of Interest, Radiotopia
Recommended by @gussieroc and @sarahrlnrd
Deep, historical dives into all things sartorial, from blue jeans to knockoff purses, present a novel, almost academic angle on a subject (fashion) that’s so often tethered to trends and contemporary whims. For fashion analysis that doesn’t feel like a thinly veiled advertisement, this podcast is a go-to.
The Juice With Solomon Georgio, Team Coco
Recommended by the passerby team
Pure dopamine in the form of the best low-stakes, high-drama gossip you’ll ever hear. Solomon’s career as a comedian secures him the funniest guests you’ll ever hear on a podcast, with stunningly hilarious appearances by the likes of Conan O’Brien himself and the devastatingly underrated Raven-Symoné, as well as the confidence of intrepid callers, who regale Solomon and guests with some of the most jaw-dropping pieces of intel that exist outside of government facilities. If you have been disappointed by other gossip pods, this will redeem the medium for you — start with the episode “Ghost Wedding,” and be prepared for the chance that you’ll actually laugh out loud.
Low Culture Boil
Recommended by the passerby team
Rax King, Courtney Rawlings, and Amber Rollo wax poetic on everything considered “trashy,” from The Cheesecake Factory to bellybutton piercings, with a genuine love of what is considered “low culture” and plenty to say about how this judgement typically aligns with histories of racism, classism, and misogyny, but they never lose their senses of self-possessed humor or the thread of genuine appreciation for Snooki, Yankee Candles, and, of course, pumpkin spice.
The Dollop, All Things Comedy
Recommended by the passerby team
A historically accurate, deeply researched American history podcast that is funnier than most stand-up shows. Comedian Dave Anthony regales other comedian Gareth Reynolds (who knows nothing about the episode’s subject matter) with a tale of anything from the life of Harriet Tubman to the legacy of The Rube (listen to both of these for a life-changing double feature), simultaneously delivering an educational tool capable of completely, diametrically changing your mind on Aaron Burr or the Olympics, and a comedic goldmine that will leave anyone, from any country, snickering.
Words by em seely-katz