The Big Listen ended production in May 2018. While this site is no longer updated, all the content remains available for archive purposes.
Comedian Chris Gethard loves stripes and strangers.
Comedian Chris Gethard’s star is on the rise. His HBO special, Career Suicide, has been lauded by critics. And his television show, The Chris Gethard Show, got picked up by cable outfit truTV for a third season. All that, plus a successful stand-up career, means that Gethard’s celebrity is growing.
But that increased fame means that Gethard is less able to move through the world as an anonymous guy. And that’s why he loves his podcast, Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People, so much.
The conceit of Beautiful/Anonymous is that a listener calls the show and can talk about whatever he or she wants. But Gethard can’t hang up first. On the show, he can just be a normal guy talking to a stranger on the other end of the line. It’s grounding, he says.
Sometimes the conversations are light and breezy. But sometimes they veer into intense territory. Like the episode Love Is Everywhere, where the caller was a mother ringing from the waiting room of a hospital where she was awaiting her sick daughter’s test results. The conversations are beautiful, in large part because Gethard’s empathy is on full display.
Call Me!
Do you have a podcast recommendation you’d like to share with us? We want to hear it! Give us a jingle on the Pod Line at 202-885-POD1 and leave a message. Then we’ll put you on the radio and you’ll be famous.
Thanks for reading, pals! ‘Til next time…keep listening, America.
Listen to the rest of the show!
This is just one segment from a whole show! Click here to explore the entire episode, including interviews with Esther Perel and the folks behind the podcast, Versify.
Most Recent Shows
Tegan & Sara, Podcast Super Fans (Encore)
Musicians Tegan and Sara are podcast obsessives. This episode, we take a peek at their extensive playlist, plus hear about their own idea for a podcast. Also, the hosts of the LGBTQ show Nancy share their funny and tragic coming out stories. And the Pakistani American host of Beginner walks us through all the things she never learned as a immigrant, like biking and swimming. Plus: saving podcasts for posterity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Keep reading...
The Big Listen Finale! (Encore)
This is the final episode of The Big Listen. Boo! Hiss! Our show is going off the air (read more on that here) and we’re shifting our focus to other projects. So this is last you’ll hear from us. But we’ve so enjoyed getting to share all the great shows we’re listening to with you. Thank you for spending some time with us. Keep reading...
Peering Into Nicole Drespel’s Inbox (Encore)
Over the course of your life, you’ve probably had at least a dozen email addresses. And I’m going to go out on a limb and say that at least a couple of those have been super embarrassing. Comedian Nicole Drespel can relate. Not only has she had deeply mortifying email addresses, but she’s also sent more than her fair share of ridiculous emails. Keep reading...