Listen to this

For the first time since I started this blog, I have a whole stack of things that I want to say. In the past, my intent when I came here has been very singular and it was usually just to scream into the darkness. But, lately for some reason I've felt a new level of engagement with the blog and you guys.

Right now, though, I'm going to talk about podcasts. (Bare with me, this really is going somewhere.) When I first learned what podcasts were a few years ago, I didn't think that they were for me. That's really kinda silly because I've always enjoyed spoken word entertainment from listening to my Dad's Bill Cosby records when I was a kid to political talk radio to a whole host of NPR shows. It took me a while to warm up to podcasts but once I did I found a handful that, now, I listen to regularly: WTF with Marc Maron, Savage Love with Dan Savage, The Moth, The Smartest Man in the World with Greg Proops, and Judge John Hodgman.

Of those, the two that I never miss are WTF and Savage Love. All of them are entertaining and most make me laugh but I get something more out of WTF and Savage. Both men are intelligent, articulate, funny and bring a view of the world that's outside of the normal for me.

Now, here's why I'm telling you about this. In an episode of WTF from early June, Maron interviewed a man named Todd Hanson. Most of you probably don't know who Hanson is; I didn't. He's a veteran writer as The Onion. That alone makes him incredibly interesting to listen to. He's also suffered from long bouts of major depression most of his life. In his conversation with Maron he breaks himself open and gives us all a good look at what he's gone through. I won't say it's fun to listen to but it's certainly cathartic. If you get anything out of my little blog here, you definitely should listen to this episode. Go here to listen.

A few notes: First, I suddenly find that I have a christian readership. I'm sure that there have been a few of you lurking out there all along but lately, well, you know who you are and you know what's been going on. I bring this up because if you have delicate ears when it comes to language and adult topics, you might not want to put this show in them. For the same reason, this probably isn't something you want to listen to on speakers at work. Second, Maron's shows' free availability expires so if you think you might want to listen this sometime but not just now, you should go ahead and download it. It might not be available when to you come back to it later. Third, if you're a weepy kind of person, don't listen to this in a place where you shouldn't produce a tear or two because you probably will.

That's it for now. Go, listen, you'll definitely get something out of it.