Yesterday should’ve been a glorious day for podcasting. For the first time ever, six shows were nominated for Golden Globes, hoisting our scrappy li’l medium onto the same awards tier as film and television, aka the most prestigious forms of popular art in America. The Globes are a big deal, which, by extension, firmly establishes podcasts (which were, until recently, literally the butt of jokes in film and television), as a cultural force worthy of mainstream recognition.
And yet! As I took in the news, I couldn’t shake this nagging sense of foreboding. Why does it feel like this development likely spells trouble for podcasting, instead of triumph?
To make sense of it all, I…well, I recorded a podcast. Please give it a listen and/or watch, and tell me if you think I’m overreacting.
Also! A warm welcome to the many new folks who found their way here via my Todd Snider tribute. It’s been so lovely to connect with you about how much he meant to us, and I’m very grateful that my piece was meaningful in the wake of his passing. Thanks for signing up for the ol’ Stack. If you’re interested in further musical ruminations, may I humbly suggest this conversation I recently had with the great Neko Case, in which, among other things, she taught me that radio is eternal. Like, for real.
Same sweatshirt, different mic! Please pardon the spelling error of Neko’s name in the auto-generated captions, especially if you are Neko Case.
I appreciate you all very much! And, lest I come off as a full-blown Globe Doomer, I am absolutely thrilled that One Battle After Another is getting so much well-deserved recognition. Ocean waves, my friends.
