What makes a good podcast?

I've wondered about this question for quite a while. Every now and again I'd go scouring the internet for something new to listen to with little success. Oh, there are many whose hearts are in the right place but there will always be something that makes me stop listening. It can be crappy audio; long introductions (or lengthy into music; slow, sleepy voices; or just no spark among the podcasters altogether. Oh and my pet peeve: fake performances.

"So, what's our topic this week, Bonzo?"

"We're going to talk about *insert topic*"

"Oh wow! This is going to be exciting!"

Me: "Oh please, shoot me now..."

Some of the guys doing solo podcasts are quite good. They are certainly authentic. The problem being that they're basically giving one lengthy monologue. One wishes you could insert another person in there so it could turn into a discussion - at least have someone add some other interesting snippet of info even if they agree on the subject.

However, with all that said and done, I believe the biggest problem I have with finding good podcasts is that I discovered these guys first:

The quality and authenticity of what they do just blows everything else I've heard out of the water.

So what do they talk about?
To quote them, Geekson is "a show created by geeks, for geeks, covering topics that geeks like to talk about."


Geekson consists of four friends (sometimes five) recording what they basically do when they get together (with just a tad more structure). And that is to discuss/argue about books, movies, games, tv shows, comic books, board games, and technology. They discuss themes in scifi and fantasy - vigilantes, the role of women in scifi, etc.

There's no act among them (even if they have an actor in the group :-D). They sit and discuss and argue and consider and laugh and just have fun doing something they're actually really good at. They've also been able to get some amazing interviews from actors, writers, composers, comic book artists, etc. Some of these include Joss Whedon, Christina Hendricks (one of the geeks' sister), Gina Torress, George RR Martin, David Brin, and Richard Hatch. And so many others who are just fascinating to listen to.

Who are the Geeks?
The geekson crew consist of four (five) geeks living in Los Angeles:

• Aaron Hendricks - graphic designer and film maker
• Peter Robinson - writer
• Matthew Yang King - actor
• Donald Marshall - video game professional
• Lisa Lassak - film producer and editor

The Bad
There has to be something bad, right? Well, if I have to make one comment of criticism it's that their updates are very infrequent. They've slowed down quite a bit with some of the Geeks stepping into parenthood and them just being very busy with work. And you can't hold that against them. Work is work and GeeksOn is purely a hobby that doesn't bring in any income.  However, you will suffer from some symptoms of withdrawal and excessive pouting.



In closing, I'd heartily recommend giving them a listen. To hear what they've recorded already, head over to their archive where all the awesomeness is stored. They also have a Facebook page where they and other geekson fans share some other geeky stuff.

And if you have any other podcasts you can recommend, please let me know! I spend at least 80 minutes in my car (which is not much compared to others) and I would love to have something new to listen to!

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