To call the world of podcasts overwhelming is an understatement, but this highly portable form of audio is a great option for people who like to shape their own media experience. Just load the shows you’re interested in onto an MP3 player and listen to them at your convenience. In addition to “WTF With Marc Maron,” and beyond all the good public radio programs available as podcasts, here are some shows Tribune podcast enthusiasts Steve Johnson and Eric Zorn make it a point to listen to:
“WireTap”: A Canadian Broadcasting humor show starring “This American Life” contributor Jonathan Goldstein as a sort of Larry David figure. Polarizing, but if it works for you, it really works.
“The Slate Daily Podcast”: Smart, usually funny people talking about sports, politics, culture.
“On The Media”: This self-explanatory show/podcast feeds to the Web Fridays, well before the show airs on WBEZ-FM in Chicago.
“Best of the Left”: Even if you don’t agree with the politics, you have to admire the quality and regularity of this production, which rounds up liberal-themed audio from American and British media, usually centered on one theme or issue.
“Sklarbro Country”: Randy and Jason Sklar, comedian brothers from St. Louis, riff, most engagingly, on pop culture and professional sports, then bring their comic friends in as guests. Most of those comic friends, of course, have podcasts of their own. Inside joke: Henderson!
“This American Life”: Too obvious a choice? Too bad. Even as it has entered the public radio pantheon, Ira Glass’ magazine show still surprises and scintillates.
“Savage Love”: Alternative-newspaper sex columnist Dan Savage is always entertaining and refreshingly frank, even if you aren’t the least bit bondage-curious.
“The Memory Palace”: Short, well-done bits of offbeat U.S. history.
“The Sporkful”: Two guys talking about everyday food issues, such as what makes the best grilled cheese. Fun for adults and teens.
“Real Time With Bill Maher,” “NBC Nightly News”: Many TV programs these days are also out there as podcasts. So you can listen to Maher without subscribing to HBO or use “Nightly” for a quick recap of the day’s events without ever learning what color tie Brian Williams has on.
