My Five Favorite (play in the background) Podcasts
- James B.
- Aug 19
- 3 min read
I'm an avid listener to podcasts. And I've found that I have two main categories: Gotta Pay Attention and Gotta Grab My Attention.
This is my top five favorite podcasts for work, chores, exercising, etc (the later category). These are podcasts that I can listen to while not really listening, but will occasionally "grab my attention" so that I pause what I'm doing and focus. They are like good friends at a party: you hear their conversation, catch a few words and when something strikes a nerve, you part the crowd and huddle up to join in.
Top 5 (in no particular order) Podcasts I Listen to While Busy:
Smartless
American actors and good friends Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes started the Smartless podcast July 20, 2020 -- in the midst of the pandemic. New episodes are released weekly on Monday and as of this writing, they've aired over 280 episodes.
Each week, one of the three will be the "host" and introduce a mystery guest that the other two don't know will be the guest. It's both an insight into the lives of these three actors -- their friendships, their families, their experiences -- and a typical talk show where the hosts ask questions of the guests. Humorous, sometimes poignant and always sincere, it's a great listen and you won't be missing anything "deep" if you're distracted.
The show is very popular and was bought by Amazon for $80 million one year after first airing. Last year, SiriusXM purchased the pod from Amazon for a reported $100 million.
Cruising Confessions
Cruising Confessions is only on it's second season and is hosted by Gabe Gonzales and Chris Patterson-Rosso. Sponsored by sniffies (IYKYK), Cruising is a titillating listen that covers a breadth of topics. If you've ever thought about it, they're covering it.
Each week, Gabe and Chris welcome a new guest that may be a gay celebrity or a sexpert or someone they had sex with on the way to the studio. Irreverent, informative, and always intriguing, Cruising is a hot listen that doesn't require full-mast attention.
Twinnuendo
Twinnuendo is the creation of identical twin brothers Drew (a drag queen living in Los Angeles) and Grant (a former pastor living with his wife and four kids in Florida) who have reunited after nearly 20 years of not knowing (or caring) about the other. Hilarious, heart breaking, and "hole heartedly" unapologetic in it's piercing look at the white, Christian, American family.
The first episode streamed on July 16, 2024 and a new episode is released weekly. Drew (drag name Darby) also has a YouTube channel and podcast with her friend Alexis called In My Homosexual Opinion, which is better watched than listened to, IMHO.
Dads and Daddies
Dads and Daddies is a gay oriented podcast hosted by friends Brian Ruben-Sowers and Judson Morrow's. It's centered around their real lives as married gay men, both in open relationships. Brian was a child actor on Punky Brewster and the founder of Gay Gaming Professionals (GPP). He's Daddy in the traditional sense, raising two kids with his husband in New York. Judson, a Daddy in the gay vernacular, is a sober professional in his 40s that came out of the closet hard and fast at 15.
Their show is an eye-opener about married life, being gay, being openly sexual and shrugging off the wet blankets of shame. One episode may be about how to plan and organize a trip to P Town during Bear Week with two small children. And the next could be about the sex party they both attended and the dinner afterwards with the man they both fucked sitting in between them.
Good Children
Good Children is hosted by Joe Hegyes and Andrew Muscarella, child hood gay friends who share openly about their memories growing up as gay boys and how to live in the world as gay men. Funny and genuine, Joe and Andrew are my touchstones on what's happening in pop culture and current events.
It's an easy listen not dissimilar from a group of women at a hair salon. It's a gift to be able to listen in on what often feels like a private conversation.
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