Many of us were not commuting as usual during 2020, so our podcast listening time may have been somewhat lessened. However, podcasts are still popular. They’re great to listen to while driving, cleaning your home, exercising, or just hanging out. There are podcasts to suit every taste, including topics like politics, history, music, and comedy. In fact, there are so many out there that it may be difficult to choose where to start. We asked the staff at The Verge what their current favorite podcasts were. Here they are — try them out and see what you think.
We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, Android phones, PCs, and M1-equipped Macs; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our top choices for gaming PCs, the PS5, Xbox One and Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, and VR. We’ve also listed our favorite streaming shows on Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN, and Netflix; some great sci-fi books; and exciting new podcasts. (Note: pricing was accurate at the time of publishing but may change.)
*Lost Notes 1980* Photo: David Corio / KCRW
Last year, this podcast told about music’s untold stories. This season focuses on the year 1980 as an opening to, as described on the website, “a monumental decade in popular music,” hosted by poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib. Among the musicians covered are Grace Jones, South African artists Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba, and Sugarhill Gang. From KCRW. Suggested by Kevin Nguyen and Andrew Marino.
**KCRW | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | RSS**
*Ear Hustle* Image: Ear Hustle
Those of us who have never been in prison get a lot of our information about it from TV dramas and the occasional news articles. Ear Hustle tells listeners about the realities of the prison experience from the point of view of those who are (or were) incarcerated. The first three seasons were produced inside San Quentin State Prison in California, 2019’s season 4 added coverage of post-prison life, and 2020 also deals with how prisons are handling COVID-19. From Radiotopia. Suggested by Russell Brandon and Kaitlin Hatton.
**Radiotopia | Apple Podcasts | RadioPublic | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | Pandora | RSS**
*Trump Inc.* Image: WNYC Studios / ProPublica
Trump, Inc. takes a long, hard, and not completely objective look at the businessman who is (at least, until January 20th, 2021) president of the US. But his business dealings (along with those of his family) remain elusive. Episodes in the third year of this series cover subjects that range from how well the 2017 tax overhaul actually worked to coverage of Trump’s increasingly desperate legal campaign against the 2020 election results. From WNYC. Suggested by Barbara Krasnoff and Amelia Holowaty Krales.
**WNYC | Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Google Play | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RadioPublic | iHeartRadio | RSS**
*The Daily* Image: The New York Times