Podcast Junkie

Podcast: The Glenn and Helen Show

Frequency: weekly

Duration: Variable, from 20-40 minutes

Content: Glenn Reynolds started the widely read political blog, Instapundit in 2001. It is produced by Glenn Reynolds. A law professor at the University of Tennessee, Reynolds is sometimes called the Blog Father. He began to host podcasts with his wife Helen Smith (Dr. Helen) in January 2006. The political and cultural topics they choose are far ranging, and though I sometimes disagree with their political stance, I am never bored listening.

My Critique:

If you can get past Dr. Helen’s irritating voice, this podcast always delivers what it promises. It features fascinating discussions on topics relevant to all Americans. I particularly enjoyed the podcast titled, I See Dead People, in which forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass, the inventor of the University of Tennessee "body farm," discusses his work. Bass, along with co-author Jon Jefferson, is a bestselling author under the name Jefferson Bass.

The discussion centered on their new novel Flesh and Bone, what CSI gets wrong, and Dr. Bass's new effort to find out what happened to the Big Bopper in his plane crash with Buddy Holly and Richie Valens. To subscribe to this podcast, click here.


Rating: Two Ear Buds

Rating system:
Two Ear Buds: Highly recommended
One Ear Bud: Ok, but needs improvement
No ear bud: Don't bother

Other Reviews:

The Lonely Planet. The features that make this show so delightful on video do not translate well to audio format. The sound is awful, and the host doesn't bother to describe the area he or she is in half the time. Why listen?

No earbud!



The New York Times Front Page

This is essentially a five-minute description of The New York Times front page! If you like headlines, this podcast's for you. If you like depth and analysis, skip it.


One earbud!