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S-Town, new podcast from producers of Serial and TAL, Available Now SPOILERS


unsinkable
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SPOILERS

 

It looks like some posters have posted SPOILERS in some of the replies so continue at your own risk.

 

 

 

https://stownpodcast.org/

 

"JOHN DESPISES HIS ALABAMA TOWN AND DECIDES TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. HE ASKS a reporter to investigate the son of a wealthy family who's allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, sparking a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man's life."

 

Starts March 28th

 

Edited to add:

 

Now available

Edited by unsinkable
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Thanks for sharing! I'm very excited, as I really got into the first season of Serial. Was Serial season 2 as good as the first?

It was different, IMO.

 

For me Serial 2, touched me personally in different ways than Serial 1 did. (Homeschooled quirky kid, military, the nature of loyalty, the purpose of punishment).

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Just to be clear-ish...

 

This isn't "Season 3," based on what I've seen. It is a different host (Not Koenig). It's just produced by the same folks as Serial.

 

"Season 3" is still upcoming? I guess?

 

Anyone in the know, correct me if I'm wrong.

That's correct. The website says they don't know when S3 will be ready to air, but they're working on it as well as spin-off projects, including this one.

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I heard the S Town preview last week while listening to another podcast- I can't wait for it to start. 

 

Glad to hear others are listening to Missing Richard Simmons. I learned a lot listening to that.  Any ideas about why he's turned into a recluse? 

 

 

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I've also been listening to Missing Richard Simmons and enjoy it. Sad it's almost over. I think Richard just got tired of being around people and just couldn't do it anymore.

 

And I can't wait for S Town!

Edited by MelAR05
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I've been listening to the Richard Simmons podcast too. It has been very interesting...I didn't really know that he was so emotionally involved in many of his fans' lives. I will also be sad when it is over.

 

I loved the first season of Serial but couldn't get into season 2. I'm anxious to see what season 3 will bring.

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For those who liked the first season of Serial, you might try In the Dark. I had avoided it, because I thought I would find the underlying subject matter too disturbing (not-quite-cold case involving the abduction, assault and murder of a 12-year-old boy); however, I heard the second half of an episode on my local NPR station driving home from work one night and got hooked. Although there were some tough moments, the majority of the reporting has to do with the investigation, not the lurid details of the actual incident.

 

http://www.apmreports.org/in-the-dark

 

Anyway, enough disclaimers. The point is, I found it compelling.

 

They, also, are apparently working on a second season.

Edited by Jenny in Florida
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I've also been listening to Missing Richard Simmons and enjoy it. Sad it's almost over. I think Richard just got tired of being around people and just couldn't do it anymore.

 

And I can't wait for S Town!

 

That's kind of what I was thinking but if that was the case wouldn't his brother have just said that?  And his brother talks to him every week but doesn't ask him why he's a recluse? So I think there might be more to it than just fatigue.  

 

I hope he's ok. He sure did help a lot of people!

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For those who liked the first season of Serial, you might try In the Dark. I had avoided it, because I thought I would find the underlying subject matter too disturbing (not-quite-cold case involving the abduction, assault and murder of a 12-year-old boy); however, I heard the second half of an episode on my local NPR station driving home from work one night and got hooked. Although there were some tough moments, the majority of the reporting has to do with the investigation, not the lurid details of the actual incident.

 

http://www.apmreports.org/in-the-dark

 

Anyway, enough disclaimers. The point is, I found it compelling.

 

They, also, are apparently working on a second season.

I also listened to In the Dark. My DH listened to it and recommended it to me, but I also thought the content would be disturbing. Not sure why I finally gave it a chance, but I binge-listened to it (is that a thing?). I learned a lot listening and I am also anxious for the next season.

 

Any other favorites?

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I also listened to In the Dark. My DH listened to it and recommended it to me, but I also thought the content would be disturbing. Not sure why I finally gave it a chance, but I binge-listened to it (is that a thing?). I learned a lot listening and I am also anxious for the next season.

 

Any other favorites?

One of my favorite podcasts is Crime Writers On.

 

It is 4 authors*, (3 non-fic and 1 fiction. They have (and had) other jobs, too. They started the podcast to talk about the first season of Serial but now they talk about podcasts, true crime, TV, movies and documentaries, popular culture...

 

It's fun bc I get recommendations and it's also nice to hear other people talk about things I watch and read, but might not necessarily get to discuss IRL.

 

*2 are married to each other, and the other 2 are friends. The wife works in radio and she does a great job producing the podcast. They all have a great rapport, I think.

Edited by unsinkable
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The podcast Reply All has a 4part series "On the inside" which is about:

 

"For years, Paul Modrowski has been writing a blog from inside a maximum security prison. Only thing is, he was arrested when he was 18 and has never seen the internet. Sruthi Pinnamaneni reaches out to him with one small question that alters the course of her next year."

 

Accused...about a cold case "When Elizabeth Andes was found murdered in her Ohio apartment in 1978, police and prosecutors decided within hours it was an open-and-shut case. Two juries disagreed. The Cincinnati Enquirer investigates:

Was the right guy charged, or did a killer walk free?"

 

Thinking Sideways is interesting...2 men and a woman explore all kinds of mysteries...crimes, disappearances, "supernatural" occurrences. They have a huuuuuge library so you can skip the type of stories you don't like. Their 3 personalities are unique but I think the work well together.

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If you like to read true crime books this podcast is really good.

 

True Murder:The most shocking killers in true crime history. Each episode he interviews an author.

 

I also enjoy Sword and Scale but sometimes have to skip episodes cause the crimes are just too much for me to take.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bump...

 

All 7 episodes of S-town are now available.

 

I woke up this morning and Stitcher told me this was ready- it's taking all my willpower not to listen to it. I'm trying to save it for a trip I'm starting this weekend.  It's sooooo tempting!!!!

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What's the difference between the stitcher app and the podcasts app that comes on the iPhone?

 

 

I'm pretty new to stitcher and so far I love that it alerts me when new episodes are downloaded. It also seems much better at downloading so I can listen offline. (I hate boarding a plane only to find my intended entertainment isn't available offline!)  But I haven't figured out two things I like about the podcast app on my iphone- I like that it tells me how much time is left in the episode and it deletes it after I've listened to it.  If anyone knows how to do this on Stitcher let me know. 

 

I like Stitcher's news and suggested podcasts based on other things I have listened to.  If I can figure it all out, I think Stitcher is going to win. But right now I'm using both Stitcher and the iPod app, about 60/40. 

 

I hope others chime in with Stitcher help- I need all the help I can get. 

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I'm pretty new to stitcher and so far I love that it alerts me when new episodes are downloaded. It also seems much better at downloading so I can listen offline. (I hate boarding a plane only to find my intended entertainment isn't available offline!) But I haven't figured out two things I like about the podcast app on my iphone- I like that it tells me how much time is left in the episode and it deletes it after I've listened to it. If anyone knows how to do this on Stitcher let me know.

 

I like Stitcher's news and suggested podcasts based on other things I have listened to. If I can figure it all out, I think Stitcher is going to win. But right now I'm using both Stitcher and the iPod app, about 60/40.

 

I hope others chime in with Stitcher help- I need all the help I can get.

Are you using stitcher on android? I found this:

 

4. Building a Playlist

 

With Stitcher, you can save all of your favorite shows to playlists to keep them organized and easily accessible. Your playlists consist of the most recent episode of every show you save – so you’re always up-to-date. Get started by accessing the show page of any podcast you’re interested in by tapping the “Info†button, then select the “+†button adjacent the show name to add it to your playlist.

 

- To edit your playlist, first open it, then tap the three bar settings icon in the top right of the playlist. From here you can edit the order, delete shows, rename your playlist, or access offline listening settings.

 

http://www.stitcher.com/blog/?p=1502

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I had to travel a bit for work today so I listened to the first and part of the second episode. So far I love it! I was so surprised when all of the episodes dropped and now I can't wait to have some extra time to keep listening. Will come back to discuss when I have a little time to process.

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Are you using stitcher on android? I found this:

 

4. Building a Playlist

 

With Stitcher, you can save all of your favorite shows to playlists to keep them organized and easily accessible. Your playlists consist of the most recent episode of every show you save – so you’re always up-to-date. Get started by accessing the show page of any podcast you’re interested in by tapping the “Info†button, then select the “+†button adjacent the show name to add it to your playlist.

 

- To edit your playlist, first open it, then tap the three bar settings icon in the top right of the playlist. From here you can edit the order, delete shows, rename your playlist, or access offline listening settings.

 

http://www.stitcher.com/blog/?p=1502

 

No, I'm using it on an iPhone. With my podcast app on my iPhone, when I subscribe to a podcast all the unplayed episodes are there but once I listen to them they are deleted. With Stitcher  they don't delete.  Does Stitcher only have the most current episode on the playlist? Mine seems to only have one episode there. 

 

I've just been moving things to 'the listen later section so I can stack all the unplayed episodes.  But what annoys me is that when I listen to one, it doesn't delete--- clearly that is my biggest issue. g

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I HATED this podcast. By the time you get to the end, it's just torture porn. It's not a crime mystery, it's a journey through mental illness and suicide.

 

 

ETA: I listened to all the episodes, but had to really skip through the last 2.

Edited by Sassenach
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I HATED this podcast. By the time you get to the end, it's just torture porn. It's not a crime mystery, it's a journey through mental illness and suicide.

 

 

ETA: I listened to all the episodes, but had to really skip through the last 2.

 

Boo. I had such high hopes!

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I listened to the whole thing...and I have mixed emotions.

 

On one hand, what great story telling. I really enjoy podcasts so I love that they are getting better and better at the editing (and whatever else!) to tell a story like this. I liked that all 7 episodes dropped at once so I could just listen to it. I learned some things I didn't know, about clocks in particular.

 

On the other hand, wow did it get dark. It was shocking (which I get was the point) but I question the morality some of the stories that were told about a dead man. I guess John B started the whole thing by contacting the reporter (Brian? I can't remember his name). he spent all of those hours talking into a microphone "on the record". But he probably didn't realize that HE was going to be the focus of the finished product. Also, some of the ickiness at the end made me feel weird. And sad.

 

So overall, I actually liked it. But it was crazy and took a bunch of different turns that I wasn't exactly prepared for.

Edited by Just Kate
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Ok, done. Honestly, I wish I hadn't listened to it. I would not have started a podcast telling the sad life story of a man plagued by depression and repressed homosexuality.

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I finished. It’s a sad story, but I didn’t find it over the top or maudlin per se. I do wonder if the podcast should have even been made, though, as it seems rather invasive. I don't feel I've gained anything by having heard this story and don't think I would recommend it to anyone even though I thought it was well done.

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My daughter sent me the link on Saturday. I'm hooked. I love John. I'm on episode 4.

I hope you update this thread when you finish. I'm curious if your opinion changes.

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