Podcasts outside the norm with 'Everything is Alive' host Ian Chillag
CBC News | Posted: April 25, 2019 7:02 PM | Last Updated: January 9, 2020
The host of 'Everything Is Alive' shares his favourite shows
This week, we're sharing one of our most beloved episodes from April of 2019.
Have you ever stopped to think about what a balloon, a bar of soap, a subway seat, or a can of cola would have to say? On this podcast, they each have a voice and they're ready to spill their truths.
From PRX and Radiotopia, Everything is Alive is an unscripted interview series in which each guest is an inanimate object. No two items' experiences are the same as they each have a life story and their own unique perspective on the world at large. With company like this, it's no wonder the show won the 2019 Webby Award for Best Interview/Talk Show.
This week on Podcast Playlist, Ian Chillag – producer, writer and host of Everything Is Alive – is our guest curator. He brings us his favourite outside-the-box podcasts.
There's a flavour that is McDonald's, and I feel like that sometimes when I'm listening to podcasts. There's a flavour that is "podcasts."
- Ian Chillag
Podcasts featured this week:
Everything is Alive: An interview show in which all the guests are inanimate objects. In each episode, a different thing tells us its life story. In this clip we meet Sean, a subway seat just looking for a connection.
The Dream: Host Jane Marie dives into the world of pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing, and all the other businesses that require their members to recruit their nearest and dearest in hopes of a commission.
This is Love: Lynne Cox was only 15 when she broke the world record for the fastest swim across the English Channel. This episode is all about her relationship with the Pacific Ocean, and an encounter with something wild.
The Memory Palace: Despite the anti-Semitism he experienced during his time, Hank Greenberg was a beloved Jewish-American baseball player known as "The Hebrew Hammer" who never strayed from his identity.
The Big One: If an earthquake were to strike, would you have a survival plan at the ready? Host Jacob Margolis and Producer Misha Euceph break down everything you need to know to survive.
Plus, if you like The Big One, you should check out Fault Lines from CBC Vancouver. Host Johanna Wagstaffe guides you through two disastrous scenarios so you can prepare yourself, your family, and your neighbours.
According to Ian Chillag, when you listen to certain podcasts, you instinctively know that they're podcasts. They have a certain "podcasty-ness," he says.
"You know how at McDonald's, all the food tastes like McDonald's?" he asks. "There's a flavour that is McDonald's, and I feel that sometimes when I'm listening to podcasts, I hear this flavour that is 'podcasts.' I can't put my finger on what it is, but it always bothers me."
So for this episode, Ian picked podcasts that don't have that fast-food-podcast flavour, but rather each have their own voice.
One of his chosen shows that we didn't have time to play is called People Movers. It's a show entirely dedicated to escalators.
That inspired us to put together a list of the quirkiest niche podcasts we have ever encountered.
Which podcasts make your top picks list? Email, tweet us @PodcastPlaylist, or find us on Facebook.
For more great podcasts, check out CBC's podcast portal, subscribe in Apple Podcasts.