Trust me with your time. There’s a podcast called Professor Blastoff and you should be listening to it. I first started listening at the beginning of the Summer and fell in love, but thought I would wait until I had a whole post full of recommendations before I would tell you about it. Then one of the hosts was on This American Life, which directed a bunch of new people to Professor Blastoff, and I thought you might have heard it from Ira instead. But in case you haven’t, I don’t want to wait any longer to tell you that you need this podcast in your life.
Professor Blastoff is hosted by three comedians and each episode focuses on a big topic or question related to food, science, philosophy, theology, robots, or something else awesome. The topics are really interesting, and you do not have to know anything about them in order to follow the conversation. But the real reason you should listen to the show is that it’s hilarious and the hosts have such great chemistry that you just feel warm and fuzzy listening to them talk.
I was already convinced of all of this and ready to recommend Professor Blastoff to everyone, and then one of the hosts, Tig, was hit with a series of personal tragedies, and just listening to her talk about her experiences with the support of her friends and cohosts has been really moving. I don’t expect a podcast to make me laugh out loud, tear up, and also reexamine my own life and friendships, but this one does.
You can dive right into the most recent episodes, which are quite heavy, or you may want to start with the episode on Creativity with Paul F. Tompkins, Fate with Nick Kroll, or (as recommended by Phil) Que Sera, Sera. Every episode is available on iTunes
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
You’ve taught me well Obi One Kenobi, so I’ll trust you once more. I have to confess that I did enjoy “Farts and Procreation 1+2″
You turned me onto what is currently my favorite podcast- the mental illness happy hour. So if you say this one is good, I’m already downloading it. Thanks Ash!
Done and done. Sounds awesome. :) I’ll be listening once Comps are done.
Great recommendation. Listened to the very first episode, then just kept going! Most recent episode(s) are powerfully emotional with ‘Tig’ sharing her story. Thanks Ashley, I don’t know how or why I ever stumbled across your blog, but I must say, it has led me to the most enjoyable experiences. Thank you. Peace.
Amen!! I’m finally fully caught up and am ridiculously inspired and touched. If I may add my two cents for a great episode, I loved the heck out of “Que Sera Sera”. So hilarious!
Oh, oh! I am so excited! My job currently has me on a diet of 1 to 4 podcasts daily, and I’m rapidly growing weary of the voices of my current subscriptions. Yay!