Writers Mix Movies and Memoir
It can sometimes feel like films narrate our lives. “Everyone has a movie that has mattered to them in their life,” says writer and editor Ryan W. Bradley, who selfishly “wanted…
Arts Funding in Peril
This spring the Trump administration walloped the arts community when it slashed federal funding for literary arts and culture, taking major steps to dismantle the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA),…
Maintenance Phase Herbalife
Maintenance Phase talks about a diet MLM
The Atlas Obscura Podcast Why Is There a Statue of Columbo in Budapest?
The TV show Columbo, about a loveable schlub detective, is internationally beloved. But Hungary has an extra special relationship with the show, dating all the way back to the 1970s…
The Atlas Obscura Podcast The Biblioburro
In a small rural town in Colombia, one man mounts books on the backs of donkeys and takes to the hills. This is how he operates his bookmobile, aka “Biblioburro.”
Key Change: Shirley Manson “Drop Dead/Celebration” by Siouxsie and the Banshees
My guest today is Shirley Manson. Since 1994, she’s been the lead singer of the band Garbage, and she is a bona fide rock icon. The two of us worked…
The Quiet Storm
How a radio show born at a small college station in DC and dedicated to smooth, romantic love songs transformed black radio and reshaped love lives across the country.
The Deaf Composer: How Beethoven wrote music he couldn’t hear
What happens when one of history’s greatest composers begins to lose the very sense he relies on most? In this episode, we explore how Ludwig van Beethoven continued to create…
Sound Off: Pinball Pings, Borrowed Melodies & Airport Acoustics
Presenting the second short story collection from our Sound Off competition, featuring five pieces written and produced entirely by our listeners. From the sonic evolution of pinball to reused classical…
Super Mario Bros: Koji Kondo’s 8-Bit Masterpiece
From the springy jump sound to the iconic Overworld Theme, the sound of Super Mario Bros. is instantly recognizable. With just five lo-fi audio channels and 40 kilobytes of space,…