Nicole’s Podcast Playlist

I love podcasts.

I listen mainly while mucking out stalls.

I wish podcasts had been around my whole life. When I lived in Toronto I drove a lot. Commutes generally involved getting to work, the barn and home in various combinations. Most drives were at least an hour long. To keep myself occupied, I’d listen to music on the radio, cassette tapes or CDs, depending on the vehicle and however old I was at the time.

When I wasn’t in a music mood, I’d dive into a book on tape or talk radio – especially the city’s venerable station CFRB (“1010 on your radio dial”).

One of my favourite shows aired Sunday mornings on my alma mater Ryerson’s CKLN 88.1 FM. It was all about conspiracy theories.

Driving the 45 minutes or so from my house – about as downtown as you could get without falling into Lake Ontario – to King City where Mac was boarded, I’d be absorbed in subjects like MK Ultra, the Illuminati, Freemasonry, etc. Strange and exciting topics for a young mind.

Early-version Nicole would have been a huge podcast nut, just as mid-life Nicole is now. Both were/are slightly obsessive. We want to know everything about everything. 

That means I want to listen to ALL THE PODCASTS IN THE WORLD.

But I can’t. 

I’m busy with the following – my current faves – an eclectic mix that might leave you scratching your head wondering, “Just who are you, Nicole?”

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Anyone of my generation who grew up in Toronto knows who Humble Howard and Freddy P. are – love them or not. They were morning jocks at alternative station CFNY 102.1 FM (now The Edge) when I first fell for them in my 20s. I followed when they went to Mojo 640 AM.

In 2003, I moved to P.E.I., where radio just sucks, frankly. At the time, it wasn’t really possible to listen to stations from other markets online. I lost track of my boys.

Then, in 2016, I Googled to see what they’d been up to and was pretty excited to find they were doing a daily podcast. 

I’ve listened to every episode since.

Now in their 60s, Humble and Fred are like the older brothers I never had. They can go from discussing serious politics to farts in an instant and feature some cool guests. They have a similar outlook to me on the majority of things and, most importantly, they make me LOL on the regular, and I’m not typically a LOLer.

I’ve never emailed or messaged them because that’s not something I do but I’ve designated myself their Top Fan in P.E.I. (Actually, I’m probably their only fan in P.E.I.)

The deets: The podcast airs daily, Monday to Thursday in all the usual places – Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, etc.

The website is humbleandfredradio.com and they also have a brand new Patreon patreon.com/humbleandfred where you can donate money for extra content.

You can also find Humble & Fred on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Note: If you aren’t a fan of swearsies and irreverence, best not tune in.

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I’m also open to the idea of other unexplainables.

This is probably why Creep Street popped up as a sponsored post on my Instagram feed last year. It’s my only other must-listen-to podcast.

Wife-and-husband team Maureen Boughey and Dylan Hackworth explore a wide range of weirdness – from poltergeists, electric voice phenomena, creepy customs, murder mysteries, curses and other bizarre stuff.

While their topics may be creepy and strange, Maureen and Dylan are anything but. The Chicago newlyweds are both comedians by trade. Their banter combined with excitement over whatever topic they’re discussing is cute and infectious.

The podcast is just about to celebrate its first anniversary. The presentation and production have improved a lot since it began.

So, if you like being bugged out by freaky content, but don’t want to come out the other side feeling like you’ve been in a deep, dark, slimy hole, Creep Street is worth a listen.

The deets: A new episode drops every Friday on the usual podcasting platforms. Creep Street also has a Patreon at patreon.com/creepstreetpodcast. Also find it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and a new TikTok.

Note: Occasional swearsies and disturbing content – although Maureen and Dylan will warn listeners if they’re about to discuss potentially triggering or really graphic material.

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In Escaping NXIVM, the first season in CBC Podcast’s Uncover Series, CBC journalist Josh Bloch learns his childhood friend, Sarah Edmondson, has just bolted from NXIVM, leading him on an investigation of the cult and its leader Keith Raniere.

The official season wraps up before Raniere’s 2019 trial. But bonus episodes will help catch you up. (Raniere was sentenced last fall to 120 years in federal prison for sex trafficking and racketeering among other felonies).

The deets: You can find Escaping NXIVM here but it’s also on various podcasting platforms.

Note: What took place at NXIVM might be unsettling to some listeners.

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When The Office first hit TV, I watched it sporadically, but wasn’t a diehard fan. I’m not sure exactly when I became enamoured with the series, but I’ve watched it about 7,483 times now on Netflix. Not like a glued-to-the-TV kind of thing, more like it’s constantly on in the background. I’m not alone in that the comfort and familiarity of The Office and its cast of oddball characters has helped me deal with this friggin’ pandemic.

As mentioned before, I’m reasonably obsessive. The algorithms on my social feeds and search engines feed into this quality, so I get a lot of memes and article links related to the show. This is likely how I discovered An Oral History of the Office, hosted by Brian Baumgartner, detailing the show’s history from inception through its current incarnation as a streaming sensation.

I ripped through all 12 podcast episodes. 

Great interviews and stories offer neat nuggets of insight. Baumgartner, who played Kevin on the show, is a most affable guide.

He just launched a new podcast in February called The Office Deep Dive with Brian Baumgartner that features full-length interviews with the stars and creative team. I’m already four episodes in and Husband Guy is just thrilled to hear me continue to spout unending factoids about the The Office.

The deets: The Oral History of the Office is a Spotify exclusive, so you need to be a subscriber to the streaming service. iHeartRadio-produced Deep Dive is also on Spotify and has a wider release on other podcast platforms

Note: I tried listening to The Office Ladies podcast by Angela Kinsey and real-life BFF Jenna Fischer – The Office’s Angela and Pam respectively. I couldn’t get into it. Interesting stories but “the ladies” were a little too screechy. (It did win iHeartRadio’s 2021 podcast of the year award, so I might have to give it another try.)

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Here’s a quick hit of podcasts I jump in and out of: 

The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge – A solid, straightforward take on what’s happening in the news by the esteemed, deep-voiced former CBC news anchor.

The Insomnia Project – As an overthinker and obsessive, it stands to reason I suffer from insomnia. This one puts me to sleep most of the time – the podcast’s intended objective. Whether I stay asleep is another matter.

High-Income Business Writing – I like host Ed Gandia’s approach. He doesn’t hit you over the head with how great and successful he is – he just offers helpful tips for freelancers, whether they’re making big bucks or not. Interesting guests too

Stuff You Should Know – As mentioned previously, I need to know everything about everything, so this is a good one for me because it’s about anything and everything. Hosts, Josh and Chuck, also find themselves very amusing. That, in turn, amuses me. I mainly listen while bookkeeping.

You may have noticed none of my go-to podcasts are equine related. Might be because before podcasts really became a “a big thing” three or four years ago, it wasn’t easy to find good podcast horse content. I also found most of the hosts annoying.

In the intervening time, my ears and brain found other interesting things to listen to and are very busy keeping up to date with those!

Tell, me, what are your favourite podcasts?