What to listen to: Podcast edition

What+to+listen+to%3A+Podcast+edition

You can never go wrong with a podcast. Whether your playlist isn’t hitting as hard as it once did, or you’re in the mood for something educational, engaging or entertaining, podcasts are always the right move. No matter where you’re going or what you have on your schedule, we’ve got you covered with our favorite historical podcasts to spice up your routine.

“You’re Wrong About” – Lilly Keller

For lovers of history, culture and everything in between, this is the podcast for you. Host Sarah Marshall’s empathy for reviled public figures from Karen Carpenter to Vanessa Williams creates such a unique listening experience that keeps me coming back for more every week. Marshall, alongside her slew of knowledgeable guests continuously offer unparalleled takes and commentary that is unavailable on other culture centric podcasts. Adopting a narrative format with many tangents in between, the show never feels stagnant or repetitive. You can tell that Marshall is well versed in whatever topic she and her guests are tackling, making you feel intrigued even if the topic isn’t something you would normally choose to immerse yourself in. Overall, I cannot recommend a better podcast. You can find “You’re Wrong About” wherever you listen to music.

“Behind the Bastards” – Jonah Weber

There have been many bastards in history and this podcast doesn’t leave any of them out. Whether it’s about Saddam Hussein’s romantic novel writing career or about how awful Dwight D. Eisenhower was, each episode is a deep dive into historic figures that leave out no details on their odd, malicious or unknown lives. For me, this is the perfect history podcast. Not only is it insightful and somewhat freighting, the host Robert Evans and his rotating guests create a humorous atmosphere. One of my personal favorite episodes is “MKUltra: When the CIA Tried to Destroy Free Will.” If you like old CIA history, then you’ll love this episode. It is a deep dive into the super freaky CIA project, MKUltra. Robert Evans is joined by supernatural, humorous author Jason Pargin. The host and his guest discuss the experiments in depth and talk about how dystopian and creepy they all are. Somehow, while discussing these topics the two are able to still keep it light, but not downplay all the atrocities that occurred, which is rare in podcasts nowadays. You can find “Behind the Bastards” wherever you listen to music.