It's a holiday weekend in the US, so I'm sending out my newsletter on Tuesday this week and moving my discussion thread to today. I'm also opening it up to everybody because that's much easier than emailing everyone individually to let them know about the delay. My laziness is your benefit. Enjoy.
What do you listen to while on car trips? I asked before about the best board games to play on the road, but that doesn't work as well when traveling in groups of one or two. Sunday, Lola and I drove to Southern Indiana without the kids to help clean out her grandpa’s house. On the way there and back, we listened to a podcast called Who Pooped on the Floor at My Wedding? The title doesn’t say “poop,” but you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out the word I swapped out. It wasn't classic literature by any means, but it was crass and funny in exactly the ways the title promised. I prefer my multi-part mysteries to be extremely low stakes. Not every crime has to end with a dead body. So what do you listen to on the road, either by yourself or with a small group? Sound off in the comments.
I traveled all the time for about 5 years. Audiobooks were my favorite, although genre changed with my moods. I learned I couldn't listen to anything too deep or too funny. I listened to Anathem by Neal Stephenson and kept wanting to pull over and Google obscure math terms. On the other hand, I listened to Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson and almost wrecked the car at least three times because I was laughing so hard that I was crying and blinded by tears. I have also been known to get so involved in good stories that I've missed exits, run stop signs...and now that I read this back, I'm realizing that audiobooks in the car might not be the *safest* option for me...
This is a real danger. A book needs to be good enough to hold your attention but not so good that it takes all of it. Try sticking to mediocre books from now on.
My son (8) has recently decided Imagine Dragons is his absolute favorite, so if he is in the car, we listen to that. I prefer books on Audible or crime podcasts. My husband prefers metal & rock music. It's not unusual to find that the passengers have headphones on while the driver listens to their choice.
Headphones have stopped so many arguments in my car. We end up with six different people listening to six different things, with the driver controlling the car's audio.
Imagine Dragons is pretty awesome. I tried listening to audiobooks on one vacation 2 years ago and found out that it puts me to sleep, even though the book was engaging. Not a good thing when I'm the driver.....
I am genuinely surprised to see this answer. I sometimes forget those have any listeners at all (other than my mom, who listens to Ten Minutes but not Wrong and Wronger on long car trips). Thanks!
We have 4 kids, yesterday there was so much fighting over song choice, that I let them each pick a song. Family life today is a good podcast although it makes me cry a lot. I prefer laughter, had no idea Mr Breakwell had audio.
In my family currently we blast our favourite playlists, bands and tracks on Spotify, but before it became a thing, we were travelling with CD's and audiobooks in our car speakers. We turn on radio only to check if there are any accidents and sometimes to listen to some news.
But all of this is depending on each family member. My mum likes to listen to one polish radio station that has only news and programs dealing with social affairs. With my dad they also listen to BBC World News to learn on global events and have more contact with the English Language. If I or my brothers can select what we'll listen, nowadays we pick our favourite bands (mostly metal such as Rammstein or Sabaton). Before we had phones, we were asking dad to buy some audiobooks, and that's how we fell in love with detective novels by Maciej Słomczyński/Joe Alex and diaries of polish fighter pilot Bohdan Arct.
Road trips for us have always been a special time to converse with each other without the distractions of the real world. Occasionally we will listen to rock n' roll oldies or sometimes just drive along in silence but we soon are back to yakking. We've had 51 years together, so over those years we've talked of our pre-married lives, future plans, the kids, retirement, and now we talk of our final plans. Maybe we are missing out on not playing the radio or music or whatever, but what we do works for us.
Driving time is singing time! It's great for the voice, and it keeps the subconscious part of my brain occupied so my main attention can be on the road. I love my eclectic collection of MP3s - you never know what will come up next. It could be opera, 80s rock, Gilbert and Sullivan, Celtic music (often in Irish or Scots Gaelic), a capella choral, Shakira, Enya, or a song about dinosaurs.
It really depends on my mood. I love audiobooks, podcasts (usually history or true crime) or sometimes songs (if I need more help staying awake on 65 in Indiana). I only listen to the murder/true crime ones if alone or all other occupants of the car are using their own headphones because one time we were on a family road trip and I was yelling at the radio, "Everyone knows you can't fully burn a body!" and I got some REALLY strange looks from my family members.
It is a well-known fact that I-65 is the second most boring road in America. (The first is I-74 through Illinois.) Anything that keeps you away is a good idea in my book.
I can’t listen to audio books. I start out fiercely listening, enjoying even only to mentally tune back in “x” amount of time later to realize I stopped listening how long ago? I also have a terrible issue with ear worm songs. They get so dinged dang stuck in my head and it drives me bonkers. So if I’m alone I listen to Japanese rock because I don’t speak the language and it doesn’t get caught in my head. But my favorite thing to listen to with hubs is conversation with each other. Even after 45 years of marriage we still have so much to talk about. And at one time there was a reimagined radio murder mysteries shows. Those I could somehow pay attention to.
I also like listening to music in languages I don't understand, but only when I write. That way the words in the song don't interfere with the words I put on the page. Props to you for still having things to talk about with each other. If only everyone could have that kind of a relationship.
I can't drive, but I do play music while I do my errands, with my Bluetooth speaker in my lap in my powerchair. I find it safer to have a speaker rather than headphones, or else I can't pay attention to the traffic *and* stay calm (I'm autistic, and crowds can often overload me if I don't have something familiar to pay attention to).
If I need to concentrate on what's around me, I can't listen to an audiobook, much as I enjoy them. I tend to listen to those at home, usually if I have a tedious or routine task to accomplish, such as grinding in a video game that lacks voice acting, or sorting laundry. It leaves my hands free to do the task at... well, hand!... while my mind can be busy paying attention to a book.
If ever I'm in a car or a bus or coach, though, I have to have music I can sing along to, even if in headphones, because I get terribly motion-sick otherwise. Fortunately, I'm a chorister, so that doesn't mean torturing everyone around me! *laughs*
Ooh, then you would love jw.org. It's not streaming, but you can download songs / videos for all ages for free, and it's available in (no exaggeration) 1.081 languages.
I use to be a huge reader. One of the rentals we lived in as a kid had a den with bookshelves. THAT was my bedroom. Saying that, having ADHD means needing to do more than one thing at a time and for me it’s Audible! I read your books but I also listened to them. Well the one in which I’m eagerly awaiting a sequel to lol. I go in cycles, like I do my art. All or nothing. Right now I’m on a Stephen King roll. His newer books. I’ve read all the older ones a few times. I’m listening to one he wrote with his son Owen. Here’s the rub though, if the narrator sucks no matter how good the book is, it will suck. James Marsten (of Buffy fame) is probably my favorite but James Patterson is great also. There’s a gal reading “Sleeping Beauties” and I can’t remember her name, but she has the characters down really well. I guess they’re not narrator’s as much as voice actors. So, King. Before that it was another author and all he wrote, etc. Here’s my thing though, 90% of the listening I do is ONLY in the car. Didn’t set out that way but now it’s a habit. Luckily for me 99% of the time I drive alone so I don’t have to be respectful to others, lol.
I love using audiobooks to multitask! What used to be reading time is now reading and be productive time. It's the only way my chores get done. Stephen King books were the first ones I listened to back when I first got into audiobooks. It was the only upside to those long nights driving around as a reporter.
Have you read his latest book with Holly? He just released a book called...Holly. LOL. Shes my favorite King gal so when I heard he was releasing a booth with just her name I actually squeed. Out loud. I’m trying to remember the name of the first one...Mr. Mercedes I think. If you haven’t read (ie, listened) to them your missing out.
I am considered elderly, (by everyone but myself), so I just listen to the radio. Oldies stations, specifically. I have never listened to a podcast or an audiobook. My son loves them, but they don't appeal to me. I like to read a book in my imagination, that is, I imagine all the different characters' voices in my head. A narrator would defeat that. I don't go on long trips, an hour to my daughter's house is about all I can do.
My family go on road trips pretty frequently. My husband and I bounce around between music, audio books and your newsletter. I introduce him to them a while back and now we will listen to them together, relating to the struggles of parenting. We currently have 3 kids, the 4th is up in the air. Recently, while dealing with our oldest 2, it has been an absolute no.
If you don't think "we're never, ever having another kid," are you even a parent? Be warned: sometimes the fourth one comes whether you plan on them or not.
To be honest, much of the time I don’t listen to anything. My brain has been overworked and I thoroughly enjoy the downtime to just let my thoughts all work themselves out. I have a new car now though that I’ve not yet taken on a road trip so it may change. I can plug in my phone and manage it from an app in my car giving me all of my Pandora choices. Plus the car has Sirius (sp?) and that gives me great choices too. Haven’t checked it out yet, but if I can listen to/watch YouTube TV it will be football!
Haven't done an extensive road trip in a while. But while on errand runs (which constitutes many short road trips), I've been listening to K-pop on satellite radio. Don't understand a word of Korean (well, maybe one of them but it's NSFW), but am enjoying getting familiar with the many groups out there.
When I had a car I’d usually listen to international music - Malavoi, Ali Hassan Kuban, Cesaria Evora, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Lazaro Ros, Leonard Cohen and others like them or scan the dial for good Mexican or Cuban music (I live in Florida ). So many rockers, too - U2, Tom Waits, The Doors, Jimi, Janis, The Boss, John Mellencamp (Johnny Cougar in his younger years), Jose Feliciano.
I spend 60-70% of my drive time alone, and love listening to audiobooks. Especially multi-book series with great readers - Davina Porter (Outlander), the guy who read all but one or two of The Saxon Stories (Last Kingdom series), and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is BRILLIANT (Rivers of London series), among others. Oh, and James Breakwell - I’ve listened to some of his books too! I’ve tried podcasts (including a dozen or so Wrong & Wrongers), but find I zone out with those, no idea why. When my kids are in the car, it is usually Swedish hip-hop...some of which is okay, and some of which makes me want to turn the volume off.
Mainly audiobooks and I eyeball read and listen all the time. I have several podcasts I love, but tend to forget them- they are good when I only have a short time to listen.
We listen to Decoder Ring and Mobituaries, although there are very few new ones. We’ve been together 25 years and it’s the only 2 listens we can agree on.
I listen to music oldies, Beatles, show CDs, and Ed Sheeran. I love the idea of audio books and own many, but I find I can’t concentrate on driving, even in long rural stretches of the Interstate. I start making mistakes like not practicing good 18-wheeler manners.
I love to listen to Sirius XM stations 80s, 90s, Hits1, Classic Rewind, and Carrie’s Country when I am driving alone. However, when my husband and I are driving together we listen to podcasts. My husband is in the computer software industry so we listen to some of those types of podcasts and gaming podcasts. Mostly I like them, but sometimes they can be pretty boring so if we are on a long car ride, I just sleep.
I commute to my studio several days a week, in Atlanta traffic, so it can take 15 - 45 minutes one way. I just re-listened to the Audible version of Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic, which tells the story of the insane man who shot President James Garfield in 1881 and the medical care that killed him almost three months later. I cried. Something about knowing the story made me appreciate how it was told so much more. For a change of pace, I am now listening to Colson Whitehead’s Crook Manifesto, which makes me smile with virtually every sentence and phrase. The narrators or better, voice talent, of both are phenomenal.
When I need another kind of uplift, I sing along with Frank Sinatra, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Richard Hawley or Van Morrison thanks to Amazon Prime.
Usually sports podcasts (football & basketball mostly), but if it’s music, I normally listen to Jimmy Buffett. Non-sports podcasts I listen to The Always Sunny pod, Is This Good?, Office Ladies & Couple Friends with Jenna Kim Jones. If my three girls are in the car, it is often Taylor Swift.
On long trips, I listen to autobiographies, typically comedians or people that interest me. Shorter trips, an hour or 2, podcasts like Smartless, Handsomepod, Sibling Revelry, etc.
Jazz, local public radio stations are preferred. Sometimes I’ll switch to country music if I’m driving through rural areas, preferably stations with farm reports. I also have a zillion albums on my iPhone I can link to the car radio...
When I get tired of music, I've been listening to various podcasts: Maintenance phase, Books Unbound, NPR Rough translation, NPR pop culture happy hour, You're wrong about.
I can't listen to audio books. Mostly I put together Spotify playlists. They usually include Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel, End of the Line by the Traveling Wilburys, some Bonnie Raitt and Richard Thompson.... Or classical playlists. Then there is my "Dental Distraction" playlist that I listened to with headphones while undergoing a bone graft. Highly recommend.
Loved the "Who Sh@t" podcast. Hilarious. I'm keeping an eye out for a follow up. Tbh, I didn't think it would gain an American audience (Aussie here - we get most British humour).
Almost exclusively, I listen to music. Some audio (mostly "old-time radio" programs), many cds (I usually have several dozen in my car), but I prefer to flip through the FM dial, listening for old favorites and new discoveries.
I traveled all the time for about 5 years. Audiobooks were my favorite, although genre changed with my moods. I learned I couldn't listen to anything too deep or too funny. I listened to Anathem by Neal Stephenson and kept wanting to pull over and Google obscure math terms. On the other hand, I listened to Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson and almost wrecked the car at least three times because I was laughing so hard that I was crying and blinded by tears. I have also been known to get so involved in good stories that I've missed exits, run stop signs...and now that I read this back, I'm realizing that audiobooks in the car might not be the *safest* option for me...
This is a real danger. A book needs to be good enough to hold your attention but not so good that it takes all of it. Try sticking to mediocre books from now on.
For those same reasons I cannot audiobook. Books pull me in and my road concentration vanishes!
My son (8) has recently decided Imagine Dragons is his absolute favorite, so if he is in the car, we listen to that. I prefer books on Audible or crime podcasts. My husband prefers metal & rock music. It's not unusual to find that the passengers have headphones on while the driver listens to their choice.
Headphones have stopped so many arguments in my car. We end up with six different people listening to six different things, with the driver controlling the car's audio.
Imagine Dragons is pretty awesome. I tried listening to audiobooks on one vacation 2 years ago and found out that it puts me to sleep, even though the book was engaging. Not a good thing when I'm the driver.....
Do you even have to ask? Wrong & Wronger and Ten Minutes to Save Your Marriage of course!
I am genuinely surprised to see this answer. I sometimes forget those have any listeners at all (other than my mom, who listens to Ten Minutes but not Wrong and Wronger on long car trips). Thanks!
I'm honored to be listed in the same reply as Howard Stern. Although I suspect there might be a slight difference in our audience sizes.
I just found out about 10 minutes last week, so I’m adding it to my list. On car rides, is music or comedy.
Interesting that you can even hear the radio with your crowd in the van... 🤔
I've become very good at tuning out the screaming.
We have 4 kids, yesterday there was so much fighting over song choice, that I let them each pick a song. Family life today is a good podcast although it makes me cry a lot. I prefer laughter, had no idea Mr Breakwell had audio.
In my family currently we blast our favourite playlists, bands and tracks on Spotify, but before it became a thing, we were travelling with CD's and audiobooks in our car speakers. We turn on radio only to check if there are any accidents and sometimes to listen to some news.
But all of this is depending on each family member. My mum likes to listen to one polish radio station that has only news and programs dealing with social affairs. With my dad they also listen to BBC World News to learn on global events and have more contact with the English Language. If I or my brothers can select what we'll listen, nowadays we pick our favourite bands (mostly metal such as Rammstein or Sabaton). Before we had phones, we were asking dad to buy some audiobooks, and that's how we fell in love with detective novels by Maciej Słomczyński/Joe Alex and diaries of polish fighter pilot Bohdan Arct.
Rammstein and Sabaton are both amazing bands. If I'm ever in Europe, I'm riding with you.
Want to share my wanderings blasting symphonic metal in the outdoor market then? xD
Thanks!
Road trips for us have always been a special time to converse with each other without the distractions of the real world. Occasionally we will listen to rock n' roll oldies or sometimes just drive along in silence but we soon are back to yakking. We've had 51 years together, so over those years we've talked of our pre-married lives, future plans, the kids, retirement, and now we talk of our final plans. Maybe we are missing out on not playing the radio or music or whatever, but what we do works for us.
That sounds way better than anything you could hear over the air!
Why of course: "Sycophants' Delight- The Complete James Breakwell Audio Newsletter Collection".
My condolences. My wife considers that to be a form of torture.
Driving time is singing time! It's great for the voice, and it keeps the subconscious part of my brain occupied so my main attention can be on the road. I love my eclectic collection of MP3s - you never know what will come up next. It could be opera, 80s rock, Gilbert and Sullivan, Celtic music (often in Irish or Scots Gaelic), a capella choral, Shakira, Enya, or a song about dinosaurs.
Your car sounds like a fun place. My voice would give out. Also, everyone else would jump out of the car as soon as I started singing.
We sound as if we have a lot in common! I'm currently listening to Willie Nelson and Sinéad O'Connor!
It really depends on my mood. I love audiobooks, podcasts (usually history or true crime) or sometimes songs (if I need more help staying awake on 65 in Indiana). I only listen to the murder/true crime ones if alone or all other occupants of the car are using their own headphones because one time we were on a family road trip and I was yelling at the radio, "Everyone knows you can't fully burn a body!" and I got some REALLY strange looks from my family members.
It is a well-known fact that I-65 is the second most boring road in America. (The first is I-74 through Illinois.) Anything that keeps you away is a good idea in my book.
Away... or awake? (Indiana doesn't seem hostile!)
Too much water. Plus dentistry.
I can’t listen to audio books. I start out fiercely listening, enjoying even only to mentally tune back in “x” amount of time later to realize I stopped listening how long ago? I also have a terrible issue with ear worm songs. They get so dinged dang stuck in my head and it drives me bonkers. So if I’m alone I listen to Japanese rock because I don’t speak the language and it doesn’t get caught in my head. But my favorite thing to listen to with hubs is conversation with each other. Even after 45 years of marriage we still have so much to talk about. And at one time there was a reimagined radio murder mysteries shows. Those I could somehow pay attention to.
I also like listening to music in languages I don't understand, but only when I write. That way the words in the song don't interfere with the words I put on the page. Props to you for still having things to talk about with each other. If only everyone could have that kind of a relationship.
I can't drive, but I do play music while I do my errands, with my Bluetooth speaker in my lap in my powerchair. I find it safer to have a speaker rather than headphones, or else I can't pay attention to the traffic *and* stay calm (I'm autistic, and crowds can often overload me if I don't have something familiar to pay attention to).
If I need to concentrate on what's around me, I can't listen to an audiobook, much as I enjoy them. I tend to listen to those at home, usually if I have a tedious or routine task to accomplish, such as grinding in a video game that lacks voice acting, or sorting laundry. It leaves my hands free to do the task at... well, hand!... while my mind can be busy paying attention to a book.
If ever I'm in a car or a bus or coach, though, I have to have music I can sing along to, even if in headphones, because I get terribly motion-sick otherwise. Fortunately, I'm a chorister, so that doesn't mean torturing everyone around me! *laughs*
Sounds like you've worked out exactly what works for you. It's good to have a system.
Pretty much!
I am usually alone while driving so it’s audiobooks. Nothing too exciting so I still focus on traffic. Nice cozy murder works well
"Cozy murder" is a wild juxtaposition of words to me, but I must admit I still enjoy listening to a good one from time to time.
Christian broadcasting ✝️❤️
Very on brand.
Ooh, then you would love jw.org. It's not streaming, but you can download songs / videos for all ages for free, and it's available in (no exaggeration) 1.081 languages.
I use to be a huge reader. One of the rentals we lived in as a kid had a den with bookshelves. THAT was my bedroom. Saying that, having ADHD means needing to do more than one thing at a time and for me it’s Audible! I read your books but I also listened to them. Well the one in which I’m eagerly awaiting a sequel to lol. I go in cycles, like I do my art. All or nothing. Right now I’m on a Stephen King roll. His newer books. I’ve read all the older ones a few times. I’m listening to one he wrote with his son Owen. Here’s the rub though, if the narrator sucks no matter how good the book is, it will suck. James Marsten (of Buffy fame) is probably my favorite but James Patterson is great also. There’s a gal reading “Sleeping Beauties” and I can’t remember her name, but she has the characters down really well. I guess they’re not narrator’s as much as voice actors. So, King. Before that it was another author and all he wrote, etc. Here’s my thing though, 90% of the listening I do is ONLY in the car. Didn’t set out that way but now it’s a habit. Luckily for me 99% of the time I drive alone so I don’t have to be respectful to others, lol.
I love using audiobooks to multitask! What used to be reading time is now reading and be productive time. It's the only way my chores get done. Stephen King books were the first ones I listened to back when I first got into audiobooks. It was the only upside to those long nights driving around as a reporter.
Have you read his latest book with Holly? He just released a book called...Holly. LOL. Shes my favorite King gal so when I heard he was releasing a booth with just her name I actually squeed. Out loud. I’m trying to remember the name of the first one...Mr. Mercedes I think. If you haven’t read (ie, listened) to them your missing out.
I listen to Old Time Classics on Sirius or the old Sherlock Holmes cd's from the same site. Lots of excellent old shows.
I am considered elderly, (by everyone but myself), so I just listen to the radio. Oldies stations, specifically. I have never listened to a podcast or an audiobook. My son loves them, but they don't appeal to me. I like to read a book in my imagination, that is, I imagine all the different characters' voices in my head. A narrator would defeat that. I don't go on long trips, an hour to my daughter's house is about all I can do.
Nothing wrong with staying close to home. And there's a reason every car has a radio in it. Clearly you're not the only one who enjoys it.
My family go on road trips pretty frequently. My husband and I bounce around between music, audio books and your newsletter. I introduce him to them a while back and now we will listen to them together, relating to the struggles of parenting. We currently have 3 kids, the 4th is up in the air. Recently, while dealing with our oldest 2, it has been an absolute no.
If you don't think "we're never, ever having another kid," are you even a parent? Be warned: sometimes the fourth one comes whether you plan on them or not.
To be honest, much of the time I don’t listen to anything. My brain has been overworked and I thoroughly enjoy the downtime to just let my thoughts all work themselves out. I have a new car now though that I’ve not yet taken on a road trip so it may change. I can plug in my phone and manage it from an app in my car giving me all of my Pandora choices. Plus the car has Sirius (sp?) and that gives me great choices too. Haven’t checked it out yet, but if I can listen to/watch YouTube TV it will be football!
Haven't done an extensive road trip in a while. But while on errand runs (which constitutes many short road trips), I've been listening to K-pop on satellite radio. Don't understand a word of Korean (well, maybe one of them but it's NSFW), but am enjoying getting familiar with the many groups out there.
I just put my music on shuffle and drive. I'm GenX and music is life for me.
When I had a car I’d usually listen to international music - Malavoi, Ali Hassan Kuban, Cesaria Evora, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Lazaro Ros, Leonard Cohen and others like them or scan the dial for good Mexican or Cuban music (I live in Florida ). So many rockers, too - U2, Tom Waits, The Doors, Jimi, Janis, The Boss, John Mellencamp (Johnny Cougar in his younger years), Jose Feliciano.
Guess I’ve already tipped you off on my age.
I spend 60-70% of my drive time alone, and love listening to audiobooks. Especially multi-book series with great readers - Davina Porter (Outlander), the guy who read all but one or two of The Saxon Stories (Last Kingdom series), and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is BRILLIANT (Rivers of London series), among others. Oh, and James Breakwell - I’ve listened to some of his books too! I’ve tried podcasts (including a dozen or so Wrong & Wrongers), but find I zone out with those, no idea why. When my kids are in the car, it is usually Swedish hip-hop...some of which is okay, and some of which makes me want to turn the volume off.
Mainly audiobooks and I eyeball read and listen all the time. I have several podcasts I love, but tend to forget them- they are good when I only have a short time to listen.
We listen to Decoder Ring and Mobituaries, although there are very few new ones. We’ve been together 25 years and it’s the only 2 listens we can agree on.
Sirius radio, most often Broadway channel. Or audiobooks.
I listen to music oldies, Beatles, show CDs, and Ed Sheeran. I love the idea of audio books and own many, but I find I can’t concentrate on driving, even in long rural stretches of the Interstate. I start making mistakes like not practicing good 18-wheeler manners.
I love to listen to Sirius XM stations 80s, 90s, Hits1, Classic Rewind, and Carrie’s Country when I am driving alone. However, when my husband and I are driving together we listen to podcasts. My husband is in the computer software industry so we listen to some of those types of podcasts and gaming podcasts. Mostly I like them, but sometimes they can be pretty boring so if we are on a long car ride, I just sleep.
I commute to my studio several days a week, in Atlanta traffic, so it can take 15 - 45 minutes one way. I just re-listened to the Audible version of Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic, which tells the story of the insane man who shot President James Garfield in 1881 and the medical care that killed him almost three months later. I cried. Something about knowing the story made me appreciate how it was told so much more. For a change of pace, I am now listening to Colson Whitehead’s Crook Manifesto, which makes me smile with virtually every sentence and phrase. The narrators or better, voice talent, of both are phenomenal.
When I need another kind of uplift, I sing along with Frank Sinatra, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Richard Hawley or Van Morrison thanks to Amazon Prime.
Usually sports podcasts (football & basketball mostly), but if it’s music, I normally listen to Jimmy Buffett. Non-sports podcasts I listen to The Always Sunny pod, Is This Good?, Office Ladies & Couple Friends with Jenna Kim Jones. If my three girls are in the car, it is often Taylor Swift.
On long trips, I listen to autobiographies, typically comedians or people that interest me. Shorter trips, an hour or 2, podcasts like Smartless, Handsomepod, Sibling Revelry, etc.
Jazz, local public radio stations are preferred. Sometimes I’ll switch to country music if I’m driving through rural areas, preferably stations with farm reports. I also have a zillion albums on my iPhone I can link to the car radio...
Podcasts, unless I'm tired. Then I blast Green Day enough to keep me awake. Especially if I sing along.
When I get tired of music, I've been listening to various podcasts: Maintenance phase, Books Unbound, NPR Rough translation, NPR pop culture happy hour, You're wrong about.
I can't listen to audio books. Mostly I put together Spotify playlists. They usually include Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel, End of the Line by the Traveling Wilburys, some Bonnie Raitt and Richard Thompson.... Or classical playlists. Then there is my "Dental Distraction" playlist that I listened to with headphones while undergoing a bone graft. Highly recommend.
Loved the "Who Sh@t" podcast. Hilarious. I'm keeping an eye out for a follow up. Tbh, I didn't think it would gain an American audience (Aussie here - we get most British humour).
Rod Stewart, Greatest Hits
The Canadian Tenors
Almost exclusively, I listen to music. Some audio (mostly "old-time radio" programs), many cds (I usually have several dozen in my car), but I prefer to flip through the FM dial, listening for old favorites and new discoveries.