In April, I posted a collection of resources I use to keep updated on a rather regular basis. Through a series of newsletters and initial podcasts, I posited that it was good to practice a mix of daily to weekly digests of interesting perspectives and opinions. I got a lot of interesting feedback from that post – most of which was bewilderment at how much content I was consuming. I’ll add a note at the end of this post on how to instill discipline in content consumption but the purpose of this post is to share a couple of new podcasts I’ve come across that I’ve enjoyed a lot. Some are completely new genres such as comedy, others are localized to Singapore but almost all of them are quality productions that have improved my understanding of life and the world.

For Singapore News: The Pulse, On the Record

I have to start off by saying that CNA has the good foresight to start developing and strengthening its podcast capabilities way ahead of the rest of the industry. The Pulse and On the Record are both shows hosted by Bharati Jagdish which while could be recorded in multiple formats (video included) actually deliver well as audio content. The Pulse tackles ongoing issues in Singapore that are front of mind for Singaporeans, especially since the country is decently hype-centric while On the Record sees Jagdish dish out hard questions to a range of influential Singaporeans. I’ve actually found both of these shows very captivating and Jagdish is a powerful host that you can’t stop listening to. These shows actually make me proud of Singaporean journalism.

For Asia News: The Asia Angle, The ABF Podcast, Conversation With

On a broader level, I’m definitely trying to get more well-versed in ASEAN and Asian topics both for career reasons as well as personal interest. Once again CNA is well ahead of the rest of the sector in supplying quality content that breaks out of the regular news reporting formats. The Asia Angle follows Pichayada Promchertchoo and Jack Board as they travel across the region doing more in-depth reporting on issues such as Thailand’s gun culture. The ABF (Asia Business First) podcast is very business and finance-centric, following market trends and issues and is hosted by Adam Bakhtiar and Julie Yoo.  While the hosts can be occasionally excessive, the show does perform sharp commentary on somewhat obscure topics. Conversations With is similar to On the Record but reaching a much broader range of interviewees, including Twitter’s Jack Dorsey and Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim. This show is one of CNA’s longest lasting shows so getting to hear it on podcast makes it very convenient as you are able to hear from some of the world’s most influential people in an Asia-centric fashion.

For Singaporean Comedy: the mrbrown show

It’s probably impossible to talk about Singapore podcasts without talking about the Godfather of Podcasts in the country – Mr Brown. the mrbrown show is an irregular passion project of Lee Kin Mun who posts as various personas including Kim Huat and the eponymous Mr Brown. It covers local news commentary, travel posts and a plethora of other content styles. He’s been around for a long time and doesn’t seem to be stopping soon. It’s worth following him simply for the entertainment but you’ll be well rewarded by the occasional sharp wit and creative flare.

For Singaporean Talkshows: The Andie Chen Talkshow, Misfits

In the new generation of local independent podcasters I’ve found, two are ongoing and worth following. The Andie Chen Talkshow follows local personality as he interviews in English and occasionally Mandarin a range of other celebrities who have established themselves in Singapore. It’s a slightly more enlightened form of celebrity interview shows but it ultimately is only useful for those interested in those who have appeared before some sort of screen. Chen does a good job of digging into deeper topics such as entrepreneurship, career building, family and society in a very conversational and personal way. Sometimes it feels like we’re simply spectators on a conversation between friends. Misfits is a very similar show by Bryan Young with the intention of hearing from the ones who break the stereotypical mold of the Singaporean. There is a long list of interviewees and some of them are truly fascinating (I recommend the one with HopeTechnik’s Peter Ho). Young still has a long way to go in cleaning up his podcast though – many episodes are long-winded and worth shortening and sometimes the interviewee doesn’t actually provide anything deeply useful but Young has himself admitted to being a work in progress on the show and open to pursuing better interview styles.

For Relationships: Committed

One of my favorite new podcasts has to be Jo Piazza’s Committed. In my pursuit of knowledge on how to live a better life, I have learned that it’s important to learn how to be in relationships with others. Committed tackles the fundamentals of relationships by helping us explore the lives of many non-conventional couples. From a lesbian pastor couple to a pornstar couple to a couple where one partner had a terminal illness, Jo Piazza dives into the uncomfortable and difficult to realize core truths about the way we relate to one another and find ways to love and be loved. The host adds in her narration alongside interviews from the couples involved but this show is quality content at its best. I highly recommend everyone to give it a listen.

For the Music Industry: Required Listening

As someone who is fascinated by the music industry and has an itch to be involved in it later in my career, Required Listening is a good way to hear from some of the US’s best musicians on how they’ve developed their professional careers. You get to listen to folks like Alessia Cara and Erika Ender on how they write and choose their songs, how they deal with industry issues and how they carve their own places in the often trend-focused music industry. The host does a decent enough job of asking questions but the show is really driven by the interviewees who are often a treat to listen from.

For Rigorous Intellectual Perspectives: Waking Up, The Jordan Peterson Show

I’ve committed myself to break out of the liberal bubble I’m normally exposed to, to hear from intellectual voices that may not often be the most popular to hear from. Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson are widely identified as rebels in the American intellectual circuit who chart their own ways and develop unique and often useful ways of seeing the world. Their support base is significant thought and often I find myself agreeing in principle with a lot of the arguments made by both hosts. There are times where I cannot and would not agree on conclusions or logical tracks but these are where I find myself actually exercising an indpendant brain and creating my own interim conclusions from difficult topics. Both shows tackle a range of topics, most of which are not even political, including meditation, history, and health care, so you’ll rarely get bored. As personalities, it is a privilege to hear from Harris and Peterson who both are extremely perceptive and lucid in their thoughts.

For Brainless Comedy: Harmontown

Of course, for the hardcore intellectualism above, I try to balance it with some brainless comedy in Harmontown. Following Dan Harmon, the ‘Mayor of Harmontown’ and creator of Community and Rick & Morty, the show is an audio recording of a weekly live show they perform in a small theatre with a bunch of drunk audience members. They themselves are often drunk too. The show is difficult to describe – it encompasses bad rap, the irreverent diatribe, some Dungeons and Dragons and of course, lots of Mom jokes. It’s good though, trust me. Like, I’m not an expert in brainlessness but this is brainlessly good I think.

Self-Plug – For understanding Singapore Institutions: SG Explained

And finally, I don’t really listen to my own podcast, but since you may be choosing podcasts to listen to from this list, I’ll add mine to the selection as well. SG Explained hopes to join the independent podcast creators in Singapore in providing an important perspective on Singaporean issues. Leaving the short news cycle, we follow Vox’s explainer-media methodology to explore broad fundamental topics in Singapore that have become blackboxed and taken for granted. We go back to the roots of a lot of topics including Public Housing and 377A and understand how Singapore got to where it is. We do the research for the listener and present it in a narrative that is hopefully entertaining and memorable. Do give it a listen and if you like it, subscribe and share it!

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So there you go – all the new podcasts I’m listening to! I’m a huge content junkie because I love new ideas and want to constantly be thinking about the ways we encounter the world. However, rather than become a slave to content, this blog operates as a way for me to practice discipline and conscientiousness. I am forced to only consume content to the pace at which I can process and reflect on it such that I can actually absorb key takeaways into my own frameworks. People can experiment with their own ways – I know friends who keep notebooks with sketches and others who will participate in forums online. Find your own way of mastering your content consumption but do it intentionally and you’ll find bliss.

Here’s hoping that you do.