2015-06-22 On Background Music

When I started listening to podcasts, I felt that there was a world of fan made audio content out there, and it was new and exciting, news for the people, by the people, on the topics I cared about. Mostly: *gaming*.

But then I started noticing that these people were *rambling*. Editing was poor. People just do not like to cut material, I guess. I felt like I was reading long and rambling blog posts. And I was. How refreshing to have professional radio programs that are *live*. The need to end at the exact second. And the skill these people have! Thinking Allowed. In Our Time. British progammes by the BBC. I was unhappy. Why was Switzerland not doing something similar? Why did I know more about the Royal Society than about whatever we are doing here in Switzerland?

Thinking Allowed

In Our Time

Royal Society

Later I started to notice the longer podcasts by the American National Public Radio, and the Public Radio Exchange, via podcasts such as This American Life and 99% Invisible. These programs are longer. They are scripted, cut, edited; there are pauses for emphasis; and the emptiness between the words is filled by *music*. A background music that elevates the mere spoken words to something else. They add poetry. They push the emotional buttons. They add another layer to the stories told. I love those low hums, drones, those electronic blips and bloops. A pause. A zone. A sound.

National Public Radio

Public Radio Exchange

This American Life

99% Invisible

​#Podcast ​#Keep It Short

Comments

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How do you handle that? Do you have some secondary brain that you are hiding?

– AlexDaniel 2015-06-23 22:09 UTC

AlexDaniel

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Haha, no indeed. I can only listen to podcasts while *walking*. Walking requires very little brain. I walk to work and back. Each leg takes a bit more than half an hour. I can listen to podcasts while doing household chores, but only when doing repetitive stuff. 😄

– Alex Schroeder 2015-06-24 09:47 UTC