It’s been a while since I’ve done one of this. It will be a lot longer until I do another. You see, I’ve taken a new job in L.A. that has kept me very busy. But I wanted to put in one last podcast review for you good MaximumFunsters.
Stephen Fry, the British actor/writer/raconteur, has delved into the world of podcasts. He calls them podgrams (iTunes), mind you. It makes sense that he would change the word a bit. The podcast form itself bends to Fry’s will.
He promises us that every odd numbered show will be improvised, even numbers based off of written pieces. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Quite honestly I can’t tell the difference. All of his episodes sound like professional speeches. They are constantly witty, lively, full of insight. Fry is the kind of orator one would think we had lost due to a world where information has increasingly become bite-sized. Instead delivered every few weeks or so from an iTunes subscription is commentary that wouldn’t be out of place in an intellectual salon.
Fry’s latest show, his third, communicated such a profound thought that I was truly thankful I downloaded this podcast. There are a lot of podcasts I’m entertained by but I don’t think I’ve ever felt enriched like I was after listening to what Fry does with an Oscar Wilde quote. When asked why America is so violent Wilde replied “it is becuase your wallpaper is so ugly.” It seems a flippant remark at first but Fry evolves it into an argument that the aesthetics one encounters throughout their lives can severely affect their behavior. The world is then no longer seen as “good” or “bad.” Now you have to take into consideration how the world looks and feels and how being constantly exposed to industrialization has made us react. I have chewed on this mental nugget since I heard it last Friday.
It’s not all profundity on Fry’s Podgrams. A lot of it is simply cheery anecdotes. But when Fry starts an anecdote it can end up being a profound thought, as well as vice versa.
I want to thank Jesse for giving me this opportunity to sound off on podcasts every once in a while. Many thanks go out to those who read my posts, as well as those whom recommended podcasts. Thank you so much. This was a lot of fun.