Archive for the 'Soundseeing' Category

• Tagline : This is England” is a series interviews with the real people of England that are part of the rich tapestry of life.
• Website : This is England
• Subscribe Link :
  
• Keywords : interview, discussion, soundseeing
• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

This is England is one of those podcasts that is oh so quintessentially English. Where else can you find interviews with people, who’s lives include such diverse subjects as baking, Punch and Judy man, obituary writer and cesspool emptier. Each podcast finds our host Liz Fawden, interviewing people in their everyday situations, which means that not only do you get to hear the people answer a range of questions, but you also get to sometimes hear them in their own environments, providing an excellent soundseeing opportunity.

This is one of those podcasts that just reeks of BBC production and wouldn’t be out of place on Radio 4. I particularly enjoyed the interview with Cesspool Sid. He reminded me very much of the demolition expert and steeplejack Fred Dibner, although I think I would have much preferred Fred making me a sandwich (if he were still with us), than Sid (LOL). At between 10 and 20 minutes on average, it’s a perfectly timed podcast, that manages to keep the listener enthralled. The production quality as mentioned before is excellent and provides an excellent atmosphere for the interviews.

It’s shows like this that deserve to thrive on the Internet. I admit that music podcasts far out number other podcast types on my subscription list, but that’s not to say I don’t enjoy this kind of podcast, it’s just good podcasts like this are few and far between.

Conclusion : For overseas listeners who want to sample a slice of Britain, this is an excellent podcast. For anyone else curious about people from different walks of life, this must surely be a part of your subscription list

• Tagline : There are no naive questions only naive answers
• Website : The PocketPlanetRadio
• Subscribe Link :
  
• Keywords : discussion, soundseeing, interview, travel
• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

Pocket Planet Radio is one of those Podcasts that’s hard to accurately categorise, so I asked Chris Vallance, the creator, to do the hard work for me. So here in his own words : “Reports and interviews on any subject that interests me from the history of pinball to soldiers stories from the Iraq war. The audio sketchbook of a working radio producer.”

What really makes this podcast, is the presenter. No surprise that he has a wealth of radio experience and it really shows. In essence the majority of the podcasts are reports, or interviews with individuals Chris comes across on his travels. I first came across the podcast, just before the London bombings on 7th July 2005. Coming from London myself, but now living in Canada, this first podcast really struck a chord with me. Listening to peoples reactions to the bombings was very well done and in no way sensationalist.

Jumping forwards, the podcasts have featured interviews with the Comets, of Rock Around the Clock fame, a photographer documenting the plight of HIV and aids in India, people caught up in Hurricane Katrina and an interview with Colby Buzzell, an Iraq war veteran. As you can see that’s certainly a diverse cross section of subjects, which is what makes this such compelling listening.

Conclusion : If you are interested in listening to interviews and reports on varying subjects, this is a great podcast. It’s always entertaining and often thought provoking.

• Tagline : Richard Vobes podcasts a daily 30 minute show from the UK. Co-presented by Georgie and Jimmy
• Website : The Richard Vobes Radio Show
• Subscribe Link :
• Keywords : comedy, history, current affairs, beer, documentary
• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 4 Stars

The Richard Vobes Radio Show (RVRS) is a eclectic mix of comedy, current affairs and documentary. What sets this Podcast apart from the crowd, is it’s excellent production. I have to admit, that Richard Vobes, very much reminds me of Chris Evans, that copper topped ball of energy, who used to own Virgin Radio, and also hosted the excellent TFI Friday TV show on Channel 4 in the UK.

Unlike many podcasts, RVRS is the only podcast I know of at present that produces a show every day. These shows vary from 30 minutes to well over an hour. The longer shows are usually reserved for Friday, when Richard and Jimmy (one of his cohorts) set a show aside to cover the finer points of beer.

The show has a nice mix of the strange and surreal. Where else can you listen to the making of cheese one minute and then listen to an old murder, with a nice injection of strange fact, read by Richard’s daughter, Georgie.

This might not be to everyone’s tase. There can be some regular segments, that on occasion can be a bit dull or aggrevating, but the show does manage to have a fairly good turn around of formats, so what might not be to your taste today, may be gone tomorrow. My personal favorite segment at the moment is the interview Richard has been running with Bert Goble, a real character to say the least.

Conclusion : Personally I find the show has a good mix of things and the banter between Richard, Geogie, Jimmy and guests is always entertaining and sometimes thought provoking. This has been on my regular listening list for a few months now and yes I have made a donation. The only real problem I have, is finding the time to listen to the show. I have at least 35 podcasts on my subscription list and it’s sometimes a bit overwealming, but better lots of content to choose from, than none.