A Podcast in Real Life

I had never given much thought to attending a live podcast. Okay, let's be honest, I don't think I had really even thought about a podcast being recorded in front of a live audience. Considering that I normally consume them in the car or through earbuds while walking/running this makes sense. Yet, when I heard that there was going to be a live podcast recorded locally I knew I wanted to check it out.

Oh yeah, and it didn't hurt that it was a really good podcast.

"Memory Wars" is a limited-run podcast co-hosted by Mallory Noe-Payne (a reporter with Radio IQ, a local NPR affiliate) and Michael Paul Williams (aka MPW, an opinion writer with the Richmond Times-Dispatch). I was familiar with MPW not only from his bylines, but also because he had spoken to the Bike Walk RVA Academy in which I was a participant back in 2019. He is well-known for being down-to-earth and brutally honest when necessary, traits which no doubt contributed to his 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary (awarded for his coverage of the protests in the wake of the George Floyd murder in 2020).

Mallory was not someone I was familiar with prior to the podcast, but over the course of five episodes I had developed a respect and admiration for her reporting style and her willingness to confront hard truths. She did the majority of the reporting and storytelling, and MPW provided context and commentary. Each worked their strengths.

For anyone who has not listened to "Memory Wars", this podcast was an exploration of Germany's response after WWII in comparison with the American response after the Civil War. It was sparked by a statement that has been often used when speaking about monuments to the Confederacy (something which Richmond had many of until very recently): 'there are no statues to Hitler in Germany.' I won't spoil the podcast for you because I think it is definitely worth a listen; however, Mallory discovers that this statement is indeed true.

I came away from this live event (and the podcast in general) with a few takeaways based on the content of the show. However, I also left there thinking about the possibilities for recording a podcast in public. The podcast I currently produce with Stephen could absolutely borrow from this style. After all, we are already exploring local communities. I can totally see us doing a live show from a coffee shop, brewery, or some other intimate location. This would give us the opportunity to incorporate local voices and to generate interest from people who may not have subscribed to our show but hear about the live performance.

I'm definitely glad I came out on this evening, and I'll be keeping an eye out for similar events in the future!