Archive for the 'Discussion' Category

• Tagline : The thoughts, observations and musings of John Cleese
• Website : John Cleese Podcasts
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 8.5 out of 10

For many people Fawlty Towers is one of the finest examples of British comedy. I myself was never that much of fan. It’s OK to watch re-runs on the numerous channels that show them, but I’ve never found it that funny. Even Monty Python for me on the whole was OK, with some odd moments of sheer brilliance, including the whole Life of Brian movie, excluding the moment of madness, alien scene. With this in mind, I approached John Cleese’s podcast expecting to listen to a couple of episodes and then vanquish it to unsubscribe podcast oblivion, but boy can that man talk. When I first started listening, John (can I get away with being so informal?) was on some kind of tour of Australia and New Zealand, I think it was a kind of “Audience With” kind of thing. The subject matter is varied, from talking about Monty Python, to the embarassment of going deafm but all the time it’s delivered as if he was talking to you personally, a rare gift indeed.

Lately the podcasts have given way to vidcasts, which while entertaining, come across as some kind of filler. I hope they are fillers and not the direction this podcast is taking, as the podcasts are far more entertaining. So apart from the vidcasts, the only thing I have issue with is the awful sound quality. I realise John is probably recording these on some kind of portable media device, but even this can be way better, just have a listen to the Naked Englishman, which is recorded on an iRiver portable audio player and sounds very good considering.

Conclusion : A wonderful insight into John Cleese the man, and a thoroughly entertaining and engaging podcast, which I hope goes on for many more episodes to come. The podcasts that is and not the vidcast, which may be better in their own feed.

• Tagline : What’s On, What To Do And What Not To Do In The Greatest City On Earth!
• Website : This Week in London
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

Although I’ve been living in Canada for 7 years and now call it my home, London will always be a big part of my life. Even now I still get a buzz watching the TV and seeing famous London landmarks that you just take for granted, until they are no longer part of your everyday life. So when I heard Paul Parkinson, Editor of Podcast User Magazine and creator of The Flashing 12 podcast, was doing a podcast on London, I was there quicker than you can say Pie & Mash (a delicacy mostly found in the East End of London, which is where I’m originally from).

I’ve been a listener of the Flashing 12 podcast for 6 months or so and while I do enjoy it, I much prefer the more laid back style of the London show, where it feels much more the case of someone storytelling and openly enthusing, but with more focus. Admittedly the podcast is only on it’s third show, but I really hope Paul pushes forward, as London is such an rich and endless supply of material. Paul also tries to feature a song with a London connection, and so far has picked out some great ones, even though the connection can at times be very tenuous, but hey good music, is good music.

I realise that I’m being greedy, but I’d love to hear some soundseeing tours, full of the everyday noise of London. I’ve already made a suggestion, a tour a Pi and Mash shop, but I just hope he doesn’t rub it in too much, as I haven’t had any for 5 years and I could murder it sometimes.

Conclusion : Early days yet, but full of great potential and in fact great content already. Whether your a Londoner, Travelling to London or just interested, a great podcast.

• Tagline : 12 Songs Every Week, All for Free
• Website : Next Big Hit
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

As the tag line says, 12 songs every week and some absolute crackers amongst them too. Occasionally you get a song repeated from week to week, as if it’s been voted as the previous weeks best, it gets to return the following week, a bit like Jeopardy and those old game shows in the 70’s. As for musical tastes, this is definitely targeted at a younger audience, I’d guess from about fourteen to around the mid twenties, but suffice to say there is still a lot of music featured that crosses those predefined ages. I’ve listened to Next Big Hit for around a year now and found some absolutely phenomenal artists to review in Indie Launchpad.

The parental rating is set at 15, as on the whole, this is a pretty radio friendly podcast. Occasionally however some of the tracks can feature material that is more suitable for older audiences, but nothing most 15 year old kids don’t hear in the playground everyday.

A special mention has to go to DJ Copperhead. I’m sure he won’t mind me saying that his presentation is just like a countdown chart show on the radio, but a little less cheesy. He also features interviews and other snippets to break up the music a bit, which goes to make a pretty well rounded podcast. Also available is the Next Big Hit B-Side podcast, which provides extended coverage of some artists, with interviews and also some artists that are not featured in the regular podcast, giving you around and hour, to an hour and a half of podcast each week.

Conclusion : An excellent slice of what’s new in the indie music scene, featuring a lot of new artists and also quite a few more well established acts.

• Tagline : The Best Bits
• Website : Chris Evans - The Best Bits
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

Before you jump up and down shouting “Hey this is not a podcast”, settle down. Yes this is a compilation of segments from Chris Evan’s BBC Radio 2 show. Yes it doesn’t have any music and yes it’s only 30 minutes, but I defy you to say, this isn’t entertaining listening, delivered in pod friendly format.

I’ve been big fan of Chris Evans, from his Radio 1 days, to Virgin Radio, TFI Friday and then the entertainment wilderness. Having him back is certainly a joy and long may he proliferate on the airways and podosphere. Let me just say, yes he can be a bit of a big headed ego maniac, but to a certain degree that’s one of his charms. I’m not sure if he’s mellowed somewhat, or whether it’s being on Radio 2, but there’s a lot less swagger about him now. Maybe he’s growing up, God forbid.

This is a great slice of fun, with a mix of banter, special guest and that Chris Evans spark. I realise that there are certain confines in place when repurposing regular radio shows, but this just cries out to be longer than the 30 minutes or so it currently is. I’d love to see Chris one day, embrace podcasts, maybe when his radio days are behind him, but not if he goes on as long as that radio institution Terry Wogan.

Conclusion : Too short, no music and only once a week. I don’t care. This is still great entertainment and should hopefully blaze the trail for more comedy/talk based podcasts.

• Tagline : Radio Free Radio
• Website : Digital Flotsam
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 8.5 out of 10

To some people he’s Adam Curry’s satellite repair man, to some Uncle Jessie an to some just plain old P-Dub. P W Fenton is the producer extraordinaire, for the podshow empire, but lest not forget he’s also the man responsible for the podcast Digital Floatsam.

I’ve been listening to this podcast for about a year now. Whilst not the most regular of podcasts, it’s certainly one of the most enjoyable. I’m sure P-Dub won’t mind me saying he’s a man who’s experienced life, being a former policeman in Florida. He’s also one of those rare breeds of people who can tell a good story, whilst captivating an audience. Just last week his show was titled “Beauty and the Beat” detailing his experience working with rookie cops and in this show in particular a Lesbian cop (Not that there’s anything wrong with that), showing her the ropes, so to speak. I was in the garden, mowing the lawn, listening to this episode and I have to say, I nearly laughed out loud a few times. I certainly had a big smile on my face for the majority of it.

There’s also some great music featured, although this isn’t a music podcast. The music is used as a kind of segway between segments. A special shout out goes to 3 Blind Mice, a favorite band of Indie Launchpad, who provide the Digital Flotsam theme.

So yes this is a terrific podcast, but one of the key things that makes this podcast a joy to listen to, is P-Dub’s voice. There’s something very reassuring about it. I’m sure he won’t mind me saying it’s like listening to yout Grandad telling stories. Captivating and very engaging.

Conclusion : If you enjoy a good yarn, interspersed with a smattering of music, there is no finer podcast.

• Tagline : PC Podcast with Pete Cogle
• Website : PC Podcast
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• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

If ever there was a more misleading title for a podcast this would have to be it. The PC here has nothing to do with computers and everything to do with music. Actually the PC refers to Pete Cogle, the host of this absolutely amazing music podcast, who’s based in Sussex I think it is, in the south east of England. Of all the music podcasts I listen to, this would surely have to cover the most eclectic range of music, even more eclectic than my very own Indie Launchpad podcast and that’s saying something.

As with every other good music podcast, the secret is not just having an eclectic and indeed excellent range of music, it’s also having a first rate host, which I’m happy to say fits Pete Cogle to a T. I’ve been listening to this podcast for about 4 months now and have found many wonderful bands and artists, I haven’t heard anywhere else. It’s all very well covering the popular favorites, but there’s nothing that gives a greater buzz than finding a new artist and one that totally rocks.

Sound and production quality isn’t something I’ve covered much in podcast reviews, but I just wanted to mention here that it’s obvious Pete has spent a good deal of time, honing the quality of his show. It would be very interesting to see if this is something he managed to get right early on, or whether it’s something he’s perfected over time.

Conclusion : Even if you can ignore the music (and I don’t think you can), listening to Pete is a sheer pleasure. Surely one of the top music podcast, out there in the podosphere.

• Tagline : For Mac Geeks, By Mac Geeks
• Website : The MacCast
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• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

OK, so I’m a geek, nerd or whatever other word you want to describe me as. I love technology and indeed technology podcasts, but not all tech podcasts come up to scratch. I’m a PC man at heart. I’ve been programming PC’s for over 18 years. I do however get very frustrated when seemingly simple tasks, turn out to be absolute nightmares, or require a ton of money to be thrown at them.

I bought a digital video camera 2 years ago to primarily document my twin girls growing up. However after a year of frustration trying to edit and create DVDs on a PC, I finally bought into the hype and purchased a modest Mac Mini. This isn’t my first experience with the Mac, I used to produce a newspaper on Macs in the early 90’s, but they were different beasts back then and I do mean beasts. Anyway I bought a Mac and creating great looking DVDs became a synch. I love using my Mac for creating DVDs, but also wanted to find out what else it could do and so enter left stage, the Mac Cast.

Presented by Adam Christianson, this podcast comes out a couple of times a week and as well as covering all the latest in Mac news, also features some great products and reviews. I’ve found many a neat piece of software and also learned a lot about my Mac, I otherwise wouldn’t have found out. Adam has a great presentation style, but I have to admit, I find it a little dry at times, but technology isn’t the most sexy of subjects and it’s sometimes hard to get excited.

Another area that the MacCast excels in, is their show notes, which puts many other podcasters to shame.

Conclusion : A great podcast for learning all about your Mac. Even if you are not a Mac owner, listening to a few shows may turn you into one of the many converts.

• Tagline : Best Podsafe Music… In The Galaxy!
• Website : Binary StarCast
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• Parental Rating : 18
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

Music podcasts are great and usually follow the single presenter format, showcasing some of the best music.. in their opinion. Indeed this is exactly the format of our very own Indie Launchpad Podcast. Whilst these shows are predominately about the music, the single presenter format can be occasionally dry, which is why the Binary StarCast is like a breath of fresh air.

Before going any further, let me first give the caveat that this is a podcast intended for a strictly adult audience. Most of this is because our hosts Ed, Hank and Carlos use the kind of language you would be more used to hearing at the docks. Not that I’m a prude, but you probably wouldn’t want your young children picking up new words for use in the playground. You also might want to steer clear of playing this on the works P.A. system. Anyway enough of this, as with all music shows, it’s all about the music baby.

Each show is around the 30 minute mark, managing to squeeze in 5 tracks from different artists. The podcast is so far up to episode 27, and I have to say in all that time, I’ve not like about 5% of the music, which is a pretty good. In fact I’ve been put on to numerous bands which I’ve later reviewed on our Indie Launchpad review site.

Conclusion : One of the few music podcasts that makes for essential listening, but not just for the music. The inane ramblings of our hosts, makes for some great entertainment.

• Tagline : A blog/podcast about one man’s journey from being a fat blob to being a bronzed Adonis-like figure.
• Website : Eat Right, Get Out of Breath
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

Like many men of that certain age, I have to admit I am carrying a few extra pounds. My wife often describes my belly as cuddly, as she does my love handles. That’s all well and good, but I would love to loose those extra pounds and feel good about myself, especially when looking at the reflection peering back at me.

Chris from Eat Right, Get Out of Breath wants that too. However he has a greater goal than me. He wants to loose roughly half his body mass, that’s going from 340+ pounds down to 170 pounds or 154kg down to 77kg in new money. His aim, as he says is to go “from a fat blob to being a bronzed Adonis-like figure”. Now this is difficult in itself, but Chris is going to be chronologging his efforts all the way. He’s pulled no punches and even placed online, pictures of himself, that will no doubt later form the basis of the before and after pictures.

As well as updating the website with news, information and pictures, Chris also produces a podcast that will provide further news and information and helps to give that human touch for people who also want to work alongside Chris, with their own objective. I’ve no doubt that this is in no way going to be plain sailing, but through perseverance and the support of listeners, at least it can be somewhat more bearable. Yes folks, if you are interested, you can do your bit by subscribing to the podcast and visiting the website, posting comments and words of encouragement.

Conclusion : I must applaud Chris for creating this podcast and website and hopefully inspiring and helping others to reach their own personal goals. Good luck Chris.

• Tagline : WARNING: - This podcast is an audio blog - up front, open and honest. If its not for you - listen to something else!
• Website : The Naked Englishman
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• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

No this isn’t one of those seedier podcasts, this is a raw and uncut look into the trials and tribulations of Richard Vobes, podcaster extraordinary and Britain’s (quite possibly the world’s) most prolific podcaster, with his daily (yes even weekends) half hour podcast. Life in the spotlight can be very fulfilling, however, as is all to common with entertainers, what you see is often a facade on their everyday lives. The Naked Englishman podcast is a look behind the mask if you will, of Richard Vobes.

To anyone familiar with the Richard Vobes Radio Show podcast, this is an entirely different beast. Gone are the jingles, music and other production niceties and in their place a frank 5-20 minute daily podcast (yes this is yet another daily podcast, including weekends), detailing the happenings in Richard’s every day life. That doesn’t sound very interesting I hear you say, but you’d be wrong.

As a podcast on it’s own, the Naked Englishman is OK, but when it’s listened to in conjunction with the Vobes show, it provides a fascinating insight into the differences between personality and ordinary man. Be forewarned, this tends to become very compulsive listening as you ride along with some of the ups and downs of Richard’s life.

Conclusion : For any one who’s a regular listener to the Richard Vobes Radio Show, this is a podcast you will surely find interesting. For anyone not already listening to the Vobes show, subscribe to both and get wrapped up in the life of Richard Vobes, the underdog who refuses to give up.