The Voices In My Head:

I *love* talk radio. Not the 'talking head' FOX, Rush Limbaugh, Coast to Coast, kind of talk radio though. My love covers funny talk radio.

It started with Mark & Brian on KLOS back in, ohhh, about 1983/84 and carried over to the nationally syndicated Don & Mike Show around 1993-ish. I've been to events and appearances for both and at one time loved them equally but for different reasons.

My nickname for my husband - "The Mike" - originates from The Don & Mike show. Since roughly 2001 I've been a moderator (the first female one at that) for a fansite called Radio Gods Forum. Three of the four show members are named Mike/Michael in real life and I had to figure out a way to talk about MY Mike without confusing all the other members of the website.

Long story short - the Don & Mike Show ceased to exist and then talk radio overall imploded in today's post-Janet Jackson Nipplegate fallout. The talk radio I have loved for so long fell apart and general terrestrial radio meant nothing to me.

I had long ago given up on music radio. The same 5 songs on a station, played in heavy rotation, based on what marketing said should be played . . . No thank you. Even if you picked a different type of station, it was the same story, only a different set of another 5 songs geared to that station's marketing.

Big corporations were getting gobbled up by bigger corporations, and all the corporations had nothing to do with music except it being just another arm of their larger media conglomerate.

CBS
Citadel
Westwood One
BlahBlahBlah
I Could Go On, but
Again, No Thank You

Even Howard Stern. He was probably the biggest name in 'comedy talk radio' a few years ago, and his jump to satellite radio was considered a huge shakeup to the status quo. Huge. But really? In reality he is now just another Name Brand for a large media conglomerate. Don't get me wrong - he absolutely was a pioneer in his day and he most definitely was a major cause of change in the talk radio genre. What most people don't realize though is that he wasn't the first and he won't be the last. I believe his greatest accomplishment at the end was getting people to entertain, and ultimately accept, the demise of radio as we've known it.

Traditional radio in today's world, as a vehicle for people who are mic pros, is dead and I could not be happier. No longer am I, or you, tied to a set schedule in order to enjoy our radio (or t.v. but I'm a radiophile, not a tellyphile, lol).

A few years ago, before iPods and mp3 players were as commonplace as discarded Starbucks cups, some of us had to resort to underground sources for our talk radio show fix. We'd get home, get online and listen to the bootlegged episodes of live shows. Believe you me, it was better than not listening at all and we were happy as hell with the option.

Fast forward to 2009/2010. It has been the best time ever to be a Talk Radio fan and I don't even turn my radio on. At all. Some of my all-time favorite terrestrial radio shows are now only available in podcast form due to layoffs and corporate restructuring and to those corporate douchebags I thank you so much.

Here now is the rundown of the voices I love having in my head:

Every work day I share my commute with Big Fatty. It takes about 20 minutes to drive into work and there is no one I'd rather have kick-start my day. I've learned to roll up the windows at stops though, because his on-air belches may cause streetlights to sway from the reverberation. I hereby request that Big Fatty be the older brother I never had.

Also every day, now that he's back, I listen to 3+ hours of The Don Geronimo Show, aired on KHTK. I know Don HATES hearing this . . . but . . . it's all that is on. Now that I've had several months to check Don out at his latest gig . . . terrestrial radio, 'natch . . . I will always love what he used to be but I do not get why he cannot find a niche outside of the f.m. or a.m. dial.

On Mondays I listen to NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from the weekend.

Those are my stand-bys, based on their regularity.

Now, in alphabetical order, are all the podcasts I enjoy. Be warned though: some are funny, some are educational, some are knitting-based, some are not safe for work, some are all of the above and some are nothing of the above. I've never been a mainstream gal. I am what I am and I like what I like. Promise you though, I'll give a listen to your list if you make one.

My hope is that someone among you enjoys something I've shared and/or we inspire another person to hit the mic.

Drumroll please:

Big Fatty Online
Big O and Dukes
Blow Hard
California Gold (and the man I hope to become)
CogKNITive Podcast
Don Geronimo Show
Doubleknit
Fiber Beat
Funemployment Radio (a huge favorite)
Jay & Silent Bob Get Old (another big favorite)
Mike O'Meara Show (Best. Comedy. Podcast. Ever. And I mean that wholeheartedly.)
The Nerdist
NPR: Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!
Savvy Girls (best knitting-related podcast out there, hands down)
SModcast
Stitch It (another great knitting podcast)
Stuff You Should Know
Tell 'Em Steve-Dave
We're Mean Because You're Stupid (aka WMBYS)

I listen to 30+ other podcasts but the above list is my hands-down favorite.

Yep. I didn't link the list names. Every single one can be found via iTunes. If you really don't know how to find one of them, leave me a comment. That should be after you've exhausted 10 seconds out of your life doing a Google search after your iTunes search.

Now then. What's on your listening list? I hope you share the voices in your head too.