Stuff Digital Edition

What’s new to listen to

Ximena Smith rounds up what podcasts we’re tuning into.

Infamous

Hosted by journalists Vanessa Grigoriadis and Gabriel Sherman, Infamous is a collection of miniseries about some of the most outrageous American culture scandals of recent decades. Grigoriadis takes the reins in the first story of the show, which is all about the rise and fall of Joe Francis, the notorious founder of adult entertainment company Girls Gone Wild. Later episodes recount the shocking story of the sex cult NXIVM. The show is nicely written, well-paced and engaging. I’ve particularly enjoyed the reflections from Grigoriadis about the early 2000s ‘‘raunch’’ culture that surrounded the Girls Gone Wild franchise – and her place within this culture as a reporter (she wrote an article for Rolling Stone about Francis and his company during the height of its popularity). New episodes out every Thursday or you can listen to the first six episodes by subscribing to The Binge.

Quiet Part Loud

A terrifying fiction series coproduced by Gimlet and American horror extraordinaire Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. The narrative is set before the Trump presidency and follows a former right-wing shock jock, Rick Egan, who lost his job after spreading racist conspiracy theories. Eight years on, Egan encounters an evil entity that presents him with a Faustian bargain to get back everything he lost. The series is an immersive, engrossing auditory experience, and, with episodes all around 20 minutes, highly bingeable. The sound design of episode eight was a particular standout – an absolute must-listen with headphones. At times, the narrative got a bit confusing and I had to rewind but, overall, it’s a solid effort for Peele’s first foray into the world of audio. All episodes now on Spotify.

Where There’s a Will: Finding Shakespeare

This series about finding Shakespeare in unexpected places feels timely given the furore in Aotearoa over the Bard’s relevance. The show is hosted by two theatre directors of different generations – Barry Edelstein and Em Weinstein – who share a love of Shakespeare and an enthusiasm for the ways in which his texts have endured. While the show has a specifically American focus, the stories are wideranging: for example, Shakespeare’s rehabilitative impact on incarcerated men or helping autistic kids. The chatter between Edelstein and Weinstein can be a little bit stilted, but the show really comes into its stride in the episodes where they are in the field. New episodes every Thursday.

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2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281998971469240

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