I’m a pretty easy person to please. But one thing that annoys me to no end is the wasteland of radio. I used to love listening to talk radio because my parents didn’t allow cable in the house. At only 23 years of age it’s not like I’ve lived through the golden age of the medium but there was a time when people actually held long conversations and told interesting stories. Now we get blathering talking points and mindless phone calls from Gus in Naperville. Thanks to podcasts we now have a return to long-form storytelling and I want to share my favorite one out there: The Tobolowsky Files.
A lot of you might know his name but you definitely remember the face. Tobolowsky is the ultimate “That Guy.” He’s had memorable roles in dozens of films (most notably Groundhog Day) and through his career has picked up an enormity of stories.
Thanks to an appearance on a movie review podcast and a bright idea by the show’s host he’s now put out 40 episodes of incredible material. Tobolowsky riffs on almost any subject matter. It can range from the typical Hollywood insider stuff to his musings on bedtime stories or the concept of Halloween. He’s one of the most compelling storytellers I’ve ever listened to. It doesn’t matter what he and host David Chen speak about, I just want more of it. Another great part of the podcast is very little is scripted. There is some pre-show banter and Tobolowsky will just get on a train of thought and run with it. That kind of spontaneity is refreshing in an era of pre-packaged glossy interviews.
So for those of you who have long and boring commutes to work, need something to listen to before bedtime or like me are always in search of a good story I say check out this podcast.
PS: Apologies for the length or crappy writing in advance.
