I started listening to podcasts while on a road trip, two years ago. I found them a brilliant swap from constantly listening to music.
Podcasts aren’t to everybody’s taste and sometimes it can take a while to find the right one to get hooked on. I would recommend ‘Beautiful stories by anonymous people’, AKA ‘Beautiful Anonymous.’ It’s a Podcast hosted by the American comedian, Chris Gethard. Every week he takes a phone call from an anonymous caller. Some callers stories are heartwarming, while others are heartbreaking. However, every single one is definitely worth the listen, whether it’s while you lay in bed, wash the dishes or travel to work.
“1 phone call. 1 hour. No names. No holds barred.”
Above is the tagline of the show and it basically explains everything you need to know about the format of the show. The show is easy to listen to. Being from the UK, this podcast is teaching me a lot about American culture and how different people cope with different life experiences. Most of the episodes are intimate and recorded in a studio, however there has been a few live episodes which are always entertaining.
Although there are now over 80 episodes, it’s not too late to begin listening. There is no order to the episodes so you can start on whichever episode interests you the most. However, I would say, that some of the descriptions don’t do the callers or the episodes justice.
Gethard speaks to a variety of different people, who are all ages and from all backgrounds. Gethard is also very gentle and patient with each caller, and we sometimes see his comedic side. Although he talks about his own life, he lets the callers lead.
Personally, I think that this podcast and many others out there are underrated. More people should be told about them, as they don’t just entertain, they also educate. As well as the podcast, there is also a facebook group, which the listeners can join. This is a fantastic way to discuss each episode and also communicate with people from all around the world.
I am currently on the 74th episode, however my personal favourite is epiosde 4, ‘The Most Amazing Destruction.’ This particular episode breaks the format as the caller doesn’t stay anonymous, however the conversation they have is interesting and heartwarming. There are other epiodes that stand out, but honestly, they are all awesome.
I can’t reccomend this podcast enough,
Happy Listening!
