Is it just me or are too many podcasts rambly?

M

Melubas

Member
So with the pandemic in full swing I started taking long walks while listening to podcasts. I've never listened to podcasts before, but I downloaded Acast on my phone and started listening. Since I'm into writing I looked up some podcats on that subject with good reviews, among others "The History of Literature", and... it kind of sucks? Not just that single podcast but pretty much all of them. I mean, every episode has a theme or subject that it's supposed to be about but in most of the podcasts I've listened to the host just rambles about their family life or some other unrelated shit for the first 50% of the episode. Then when they finally get to the subject it is this kind of rambly, almost unprepared take at it, with long pauses and a minimal amount of editing. It feels like they should be half as long and with a big investment in actual structure.

Why is it like this? Am I just an old man who doesn't get it?
 
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I have found myself going to 30 minuteish length on shows. I think the shorter format makes more sense in the modern day.
 
Totally depends on the host.

The host can structure and articulate his thoughts properly, or he cannot. It's quite easy to figure who the professionals are. Problem is that there are so many shows.

I find shows by figuring out who they have on, if it's someone I know and/or respect I might have a listen.

It's really the age old question: how do I spend my time. You try to find methods of spending it betterly.
 
I've been listening to Karak Karak and while the podcast is pretty good when they talk to each other it gets disorienting when he just randomly reads the chat. It is like here is a good conversation about the stuff in certain games but we are doing this on twitch and they pay to be here (I was wrong here, people don't pay to be in the Twitch Chat, apologies) so let's just say "I don't know what you are talking about" 5 times as I read some loosely related chat post out loud. I do not listen to the show live, I don't have time for that.
 
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Maybe, 3-4 hour podcasts are kinda silly but podcasts are a thing because of short tv show interviews it's a completely new landscape.
Elon Musk Weed GIF
 
EverydayBeast said:
Maybe, 3-4 hour podcasts are kinda silly but podcasts are a thing because of short tv show interviews it's a completely new landscape.
Elon Musk Weed GIF
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funny that you post this guy, I find him to be hard to listen to on podcasts (namely JRE). Despite his intelligence and accomplishments, he's not very articulate or interesting to listen to, certainly not very funny.
 
TheMan said:
funny that you post this guy, I find him to be hard to listen to on podcasts (namely JRE). Despite his intelligence and accomplishments, he's not very articulate or interesting to listen to, certainly not very funny.
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in other words, an autist
 
Tried a few, ones I found and ones recommended to me. Never really worked me me, seem far too padded-out and as rambling as you say.

I guess they might be good for long journeys but I'd sooner listen to music then hear someone talk in circles for a few hours. No patience for that.
 
TheMan said:
funny that you post this guy, I find him to be hard to listen to on podcasts (namely JRE). Despite his intelligence and accomplishments, he's not very articulate or interesting to listen to, certainly not very funny.
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Try this convo with Sal Khan, he's much more comfortable:

 
I only listen to a few, most of the time JRE and Burr, so I don't know... Bull Burr's is supposed to be rambly, so there's that too
 
GAMETA said:
I only listen to a few, most of the time JRE and Burr, so I don't know... Bull Burr's is supposed to be rambly, so there's that too
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I think it just varies from person to person, really. With me (most of the time) I'm cool with hilarious comedy podcasts, no matter the number of people. But Bill Burr is just an interesting and funny dude no matter what, regardless of the number of people involved.

But yeah, most serious formats: It can get really tiresome if it drags on.
 
Someone suggested Crime Junkie to me recently, it was unbearable. I just don't believe people really talk like this in real life.
 
AJUMP23 said:
I've been listening to Karak Karak and while the podcast is pretty good when they talk to each other it gets dissorienting when he just randomly reads the chat. It is like here is a good conversation about the stuff in certain games but we are doing this on twitch and they pay to be here so let's just say "I don't know what you are talking about" 5 times as I read some loosely related chat post out loud. I do not listen to the show live, I don't have time for that.
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Nope they don't pay

Melubas said:
So with the pandemic in full swing I started taking long walks while listening to podcasts. I've never listened to podcasts before, but I downloaded Acast on my phone and started listening. Since I'm into writing I looked up some podcats on that subject with good reviews, among others "The History of Literature", and... it kind of sucks? Not just that single podcast but pretty much all of them. I mean, every episode has a theme or subject that it's supposed to be about but in most of the podcasts I've listened to the host just rambles about their family life or some other unrelated shit for the first 50% of the episode. Then when they finally get to the subject it is this kind of rambly, almost unprepared take at it, with long pauses and a minimal amount of editing. It feels like they should be half as long and with a big investment in actual structure.

Why is it like this? Am I just an old man who doesn't get it?
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No its FOR SURE a thing but not every single one. i have seen ones that stay razer sharp. Then again some, many, consider those like classes and they don't keep viewership a long time unless they are GOOOOOD.
 
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One of the reasons I don't listen to any podcasts most are filled with random filler and a waste of time not on the subject matter.
 
Podcasts that get rambly usually don't have any sort of outline to go off of. You have to do at least SOME preparation for a podcast.
 
Ya I find that I cant enjoy some podcasts that others seem to love. I have my select few and I stick with those.
 
It used to be worse.. I remember f.ex. almost all of the gaming podcast having something that felt like an endless first segment talking about random personal shit. When you had a podcast with a big panel it was near insufferable.
 
I got bored quickly with podcasts (I'm on the road a lot). I agree with the rambling, or boring go nowhere stories and uninteresting topics for me. I tried the comedy ones, true crime topics, world events etc. Got into audiobooks and haven't looked back. I know not quite the same but may be worth looking into.
 
Does anyone remember a podcast called Boner City USA? It was a bunch of amateur stand-up comedians who would just shoot the shit for an hour and sometimes they got into really heated/hilarious arguments about the most stupid shit. It was a brilliant podcast but it's no longer available after they all fell out irl and cancelled the show. This was like 2013 or something so a while ago.
 
TheMan said:
funny that you post this guy, I find him to be hard to listen to on podcasts (namely JRE). Despite his intelligence and accomplishments, he's not very articulate or interesting to listen to, certainly not very funny.
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That's a typical INTJ stuck in his shell, for ya. We're MUCH better at thinking, than talking.
 
Have you guy tried listening to Timcast IRL? I get annoying at the repetition of statements and stories, but this is what you get when you have the same people on almost every show, for 2 hours or more.
 
I was just thinking that about one of the niche podcasts I listen to. It's like this banter is ok but when is this shit I read about in the description going to start? Oh, ok, now? Nope, 15 more minutes on Patreon, "housekeeping", some drama, etc

lethial said:
I got bored quickly with podcasts (I'm on the road a lot). I agree with the rambling, or boring go nowhere stories and uninteresting topics for me. I tried the comedy ones, true crime topics, world events etc. Got into audiobooks and haven't looked back. I know not quite the same but may be worth looking into.
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Same here recently. I used to listen to a lot of science, history, philosophy podcast but you don't really learn anything that sticks in an hour or two. I also used to listen to a lot of current events podcasts but they all get material from social media so you get 10 podcasts on one topic that only seems relevant when you're inside the big circle jerk they have online about the same topics over and over.
 
Maybe it is just what a podcast is. My view has always been that it is like a radio show, but I guess I might be wrong. But perhaps it also has something to do with how easy it is to make a podcast. There's a serious amount of content out there which no doubt will contribute to there being some real stinkers.
 
There are certain people that can easily pull off an off the cuff 2+ hour podcast. The problem is everyone thinks they can do it now.

Most podcasts these days are unplanned and unedited. I used to drive A TON for work so I had plenty of time to listen to stuff like that, but now I feel like I'm wasting time with most podcasts.
 
And that's why I only listen to podcasts with short episodes with a few exceptions. I found out that I really dislike it when hosts stray away from the topic.
 
Gonna be an ass and say podcasts are mostly done by enthusiasts , some are by pros and it shows in the difference by the way the show flows etc.
 
I suggest checking out some of the youtube channels of these podcasts if you want tighter content. Some editors do a good job of cutting out the dead air, rambling, and moments when a conversation veers off topic in shorter clips for youtube.
 
Podcasts mostly suck. And why does it seem like 90% of the men in podcasts have whiny, nasally, nerdy voices with uptalk and Valley Girl speak? It's the most annoying shit ever.
 
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