The Birth of a Soul Anthem and 4 Other Podcasts That Are Blessed Distractions
No matter your response to a Trump presidency, the events of last week mean one thing: The long slog of the election is finally over. So we’re moving past the politics podcasts and looking forward. (Although if you want unpacking and reactions from election night, audio abounds: Try thoughts on how to bridge the cultural chasm from Van Jones and David Axelrod on The Axe Files, or Wesley Morris, Jenna Wortham, and Margo Jefferson discussing the responsibilities of art in a Trump administration on Still Processing.)
But punditry or no punditry, we’re ready to remind ourselves of some truly great Americans. This week, we've got a cosmologist’s story of how her grandfather saved the Apollo 11 mission, LC Cooke’s memories of how his brother Sam wrote “A Change is Gonna Come,” and the tale of two friends who decided to solve an aviation mystery at 19,000 feet. Or listen to the story of a man who managed to lose himself in the wilds of suburban New Jersey for 23 years. And when you’re ready, brace yourself for some tough, frank conversations about differing visions of what America should be, as thoughtfully voiced by Reveal host Al Letson and white nationalist Richard Spencer.
This Is About, “The moon and other things”
You know the story of the moon landing, but you probably don't know what happened when it was time for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to splash down back on Earth. Cosmologist Katie Mack tells the story of her grandfather, Captain Willard Samuel Houston, who acted on classified information in order to save the lives of the first men on the moon. Listen here.
Katherine BrickmanSoul Music, “A Change is Gonna Come”
In 1964, Sam Cooke heard Bob Dylan’s “Blowin in the Wind” and decided to write his own anthem. “A Change is Gonna Come” is sad, but hopeful, and offered listeners strength during a battle for racial equality 60 years ago. Hear about the impact of the anthem and the man behind it from LC Cooke, the artist's brother—and Bettye Lavette, who sang it at Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony. Listen here.
Getty Images
Science of Survival, “Cliffhanger”
On January 1, 1985, Eastern Air Lines Flight 980, a jet carrying 29 passengers and a lot of contraband snakeskins, hit a 21,000-foot mountain in Bolivia. For decades, the crash was a mystery, and the bodies were never found—then two friends from Boston with no high-altitude mountaineering experience decided to track down the black box. Listen here.
Getty ImagesOutside/In, “Always Wear Earth Tones”
Tony Bosco describes himself as a “regular guy from Jersey,” one who decided to go camping in 1989—and then stay there for the next 23 years, living in the woods in the most densely populated state in the nation. Bosco explains why he decided to live outside, and how he kept clean, warm, and well-fed on a diet of deer and junk food. Listen here.
Outside/In
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