This upcoming weekend is for the dads. It’s for the men with receding hairlines, terrible jokes and the “back in my day” recounts of nostalgia. And yes, this week of podcast reviews are for the fathers in our lives.
Whether your dad makes wooden birdhouses or guzzles light beer while cheering on mediocre football teams, there’s the right pod out there for your pops. Plenty of dads have made podcasts themselves also — some of better quality than others.
So this upcoming weekend, spend some time with your dad. And if you get the chance, suggest to him one of these dad-themed podcasts.
"Making It"
"Making It" is for the “do-it-yourself” dads out there, and while I might not be into woodworking, welding or anything that is hands-on personally, these group of guys can be endearing to anyone.
Hosted by Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett and David Picciuto, each of these guys runs successful YouTube channels on how to make almost anything, from guitars shaped like assault rifles to secret bookcase-activated doors.
Every week, they meet at one of their homes in upstate New York to talk about how they go about their crafting on "Making It." While the podcast consists only of them chatting for about an hour (which is a pitfall for many podcasts, if you don’t have good talkers), their DIY “war stories” are what keep it interesting.
At one point in an episode, Jimmy talks about how he’s forced five-dollar bills onto everyone working in hardware stores just so that he wouldn't spend the entire day looking for supplies. And the show is pretty educational. Did you know the difference between cement and concrete? I didn’t before this pod.
Rating: 4 out of 5 earbuds
"My Dad Wrote A Porno"
Imagine if your dad wrote and self-published a book along the lines of Fifty Shades of Gray. Let that sink in. Now imagine you and your friends read it aloud for everyone to hear. “My Dad Wrote A Porno” is that and more.
Jamie Morton goes through and reads, chapter by chapter, Belinda Blinked, an erotica written by his dad, a first-time author. Add a little wine and Morton’s two friends, James Cooper and Alice Levine, to the mix, and you have something truly gut-busting.
The story follows a young woman named Belinda Blumenthal as she used certain “tactics” to rise through the ranks of Steeles Pots and Pans, a cooking ware company. It starts with Blumenthal getting a job interview at the company, and from there, clothes are optional.
The reactions by Morton and his friends, combined with the father’s sometimes questionable writing, makes this podcast a comedic masterpiece. What I truly enjoy about this podcast is that it doesn’t rely on gimmicky games like other comedy pods do.
All it uses is poorly-written erotica and a son’s realization of his dad’s inner sexual fantasies.
Rating: 5 out of 5 earbuds
"The Dad Show"
The Dad Show is a podcast about, well, two dads talking about dad things. It doesn’t get any more “dad” than this.
More specifically, Jeff Carvalho and Beau Colburn talk about what it’s like to be young adults raising children — toddlers, to be more precise.
Each podcast starts off with a adorable “squeaking” noise from a toy, and from there the show has its moments. The conversations range from weighing the benefits of iPhone's Photo Stream to the lack of free time they have in their social life now that they have kids.
But after a while, this podcast loses its appeal because of one reason: focus. While some podcasts thrive on their hosts spontaneously rambling from one topic to another (like “Road Trippin’ with RJ and Channing”), the podcast falls apart as the hosts diverge farther and farther away from dad-related topics.
The show gives a small window into the world of what it’s like to be a young parent, but it loses out on its potential by not talking enough about the “dad” life.
Rating: 2 out of 5 earbuds
Liam Niemeyer is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Does your dad pod? Let Liam know by tweeting him @liamniemeyer.
