Creepy And Kooky, Mysterious And Spooky.

Now that I actually have some time to listen to stuff as I drive to and from work, I've taken the opportunity to check out some podcasts that have been on my 'to listen' list for a while.

I've quickly become a fan of Eerie X, a podcast which, according to their website,  "discusses human subcultures and the oddities of our world. From the strange to the supernatural, the obscure to the absurd, the paranormal to the peculiar and the uncommon to the unthinkable. Eerie X, flogging the sacred cows of humanity."

Yup, that's right up my alley. 

When I was a kid, my Dad bought a book from Readers Digest which I devoured. I must have read it hundreds of times. Strange Stories, Amazing Facts is a collection of scientific, historical and paranormal oddities and mysteries. I still have it, and although some of the scientific stuff has dated, the rest of it holds up really well. I still haven't found a more recent book to supersede it. I also have a copy of A Book Of Beliefs, an overview of religions, sects, cults and beliefs. Together, these two books are great for dipping into, and pretty much sum up a major area of fascination for me.

So it should be no surprise the second podcast on my playlist is produced by a friend of mine with similar interests. Meat Mutant has developed into a show worth a regular listen. Joe and Emma, a couple of ex-Catholics and now staunch athiests from opposite sides of the world, broadcast their own form of irreligiosophy.

Then, of course, there's the speculative fiction podcasts that I've been planning on listening to for the longest time. I know some of these broadcasters personally, and the names involved speak for themselves. Galactic Suburbia, presented by Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce and Tansy Rayner Roberts, is about to hit its 100th show. Congratulations on the Hugo nomination. An associated podcast, Galactic Chat, is a series of interviews with people within the speculative fiction field, while the Coode Street Podcast consists of conversations between Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe.

OK, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I simply never had time to sit and listen to these broadcasts.  But I'm loving what I've listened to so far and I'm really enjoying my driving time each day.

I'm sure there are lots of great podcasts out there, and I'm certainly open to recommendations.