What I'm Listening To in 2020

'The Federalist Radio Hour' Podcast Host: Ben Domenech / The Federalist

The Federalist Radio Hour is arguably the best political podcast available today. Host Ben Domenech, a D.C. insider, along with his unique team of hosts delivers a refreshing mix of political analysis and cultural features without the cynicism common elsewhere.

'The Wild' Podcast

Host: Chris Morgan / KUOW Wildlife biology stories from the field told well.

Kim Strassel

Wall Street Journal Editorial Board

'Exploration Radio' Podcast

Hosts: Ahmad Saleem and Steve Beresford

Modern life is only possible through mining, yet the mining industry - perhaps the most traditional of them all - stands at the brink of change. This tension provides the foundation for Exploration Radio podcast and its interviews with mining and exploration professionals who delve into topics about mining's past, present and future. Intelligent and heady discussions with a tech-savvy geoscience and mining business focus are de rigueur. The Australian hosts wrap up each show with two questions, 1.) "What behavior/practice needs to die in our business?", 2.) "What must be maintained at all cost going forward?".

'Erik Anders Lang Show' Podcast

Host: Erik Anders Lang

Golf is changing. Small golf is emerging. Scottish golf is coming back. Lang interviews the influencers in the golf industry, including course designers, former players, media figures, caddies, and legends of the game. Lang travels the world and can at times come across as the aw-shucks American, but make no mistake: Lang is on the cutting edge of the coming golf revolution, one that will see fundamental changes to the game, to golf course management, and to golf culture.

'Uncommon Knowledge' Podcast

Host: Peter Robinson / Hoover Institution at Stanford University

Smart conversations with major league political players, cultural figures, and best selling authors. Discussion often have a right-leaning perspective. Great questions always.

'The Rubin Report' Podcast

Host: Dave Rubin

Libertarian commentary.

'Free Range Sailing' on YouTube

Host: Pascale and Troy

Aussies sailing big on a small boat.

'The Axe Files' Podcast

Host: David Axelrod

Smart conversations with major league political players, cultural figures, and best selling authors. Discussions often have a left-leaning, immigrant family perspective. Topics can get a bit arcane at times (i.e., inner workings of the Obama Administration), depending on the guest.

'The Enormocast' Podcast

Host: Chris Kalous

Interviews with top climbers from around the world. Long time host, Chris Kalous, sits down with everyone who is anyone in the climbing world today. He recently did an hour with Honnold's mom. Kalous has steadily built his interview chops. He gives it to you straight from the perspective of a Gen X, pre-climbing gym, Colorado big wall climber. I've learned to listen past the Boulder-dude accent and way rad affectations for the nuggets of wisdom behind the facade.

'The Record' and 'The Week In Review' Podcasts

Host: Bill Radke / KUOW Seattle

If you want to know what anxious white leftists on the West Coast are up to, this is the podcast for you. Bill Radke, a former comedian, is a great host and somehow manages to keep a straight face day after day as he sits down with Seattle politicians, media types, policy demons, pundits, poets, SJWs, authors, researchers, local weirdos, and a variety of other goof balls from Seattle. The panel discussions are typically excellent, especially when Rob McKenna is present. Its amazing how small the world has become for Seattle's chattering NPR class, no longer rooted in Scandinavian values.

'Oil and Gas This Week' Podcast

Hosts: Mark LaCour and ...some new host

Provides good perspective on what's happening in U.S. oilfields, specifically the Permian Basin-GOM-Oklahoma region. Oil and gas podcasts are in their infancy, which means the space is ripe for new players. There is a ton of room for new voices - especially for hosts with experience in other regions of the world like offshore Angola, Canada, unconventional plays, the former CIS, or Alaska - but this podcast is the best of brand right now. However, the world's top oil industry experts don't waste their time with podcasts.

'Law Talk' Podcast

Hosts: John Woo, Richard Epstein, Troy Senik

Fast paced talk about the big legal and political topics of the day by influential lawyers.

'The Argument' Podcast

Hosts: New York Times people

East Coast intellectuals long ago cornered the market on nonsense. But I like to check in on the indoor kids from time to time if for no other reason than to see if they've learned to throw a baseball yet.

Spoiler Alert: They have not.

'The Firn Line' Podcast

Host: Evan Phillips

Interviews with mountaineers from Alaska and not from Alaska. Mostly the former.

'Rick Beato' on YouTube

Host: Rick Beato

I'm not a musician, but this guy is great. His series "What Makes This Song Great" is excellent.

'Yammy Noob' on YouTube

Host: The Squid King

Motorcycle-based entertainment. He's improving.

'EveRide' on YouTube

Host: Tyler

Dual sport motorcycles in the Utah desert. He's not improving (4-stroke dual sport --> 2-stroke dirt bike).

'Oyez Podcast'

Oral arguments of U.S. Supreme Court. You will learn something by listening and there's a good chance you will be shocked how different the actual work of the court sounds as compared to how the media presents it.

'Ben Shapiro Show' Podcast

Host: Ben Shapiro / Daily Wire

Shapiro is the new Big Voice on the Right. He is playing the long game (cultural change). Whether you agree with him or not, this guy is reinvigorating (if not reinventing) Right Wing Talk, as Boomer-supported AM radio continues its decline.

'Jennies Garage' on YouTube

Hosts: Funny Guy and Camera Girl

Funny guy working on cheap motorcycles or whatever.

'RAN Sailing' on YouTube

Hosts: Malin and Johan

Sailing simply with two (now 3) Swedes on a boat. They bought a new boat this year, a Najad 44.

'James Robinson Golf' on YouTube

Host: James Robinson

A Yorkshireman who wears white shoes and talks golf.

Honorable Mentions

- 'The Golfers Journal' Podcast

- 'Tips from a Shipwright' on YouTube