Gastropod and More of This Week’s Best Podcasts

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From bras to breakfast foods, it’s time for another roundup of podcast episodes that tickled my ears. Need more suggestions? Peruse the archive.

DEAD POETS SOCIETY CHANGED ETHAN HAWKE’S LIFE.

Nerdist, Episode 625

In a candid discussion with host Chris Hardwick, the actor discusses his recent films (Boyhood, Predestination) along with his early work in movies like Explorers and Dead Poets Society. He says filming Dead Poets changed his outlook and “has become the ethos of my life.” Now that Robin Williams is gone, however, he says, “I couldn’t watch the film now. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to watch it again.”

THE WORD ‘BRASSIERE’ DATES BACK TO 1907.

The Allusionist, Episode 2

In this rather, er, uplifting episode, host Helen Zaltzman delves into the evolution of the bra from a constraining corset to a more comfortable piece of body armor. (“Brassiere” is a French word for armor; people began shortening it to “bra” in the 1930s.)

SOME COLD CASES WILL ALWAYS BE COLD CASES.

The Memory Palace, Episode 64

This riveting installment connects a murder mystery from the past with a conversation topic in the present: Serial. I won’t give any more away, except to say the story involves an elevator.

ANNE RICE LOVES BON JOVI.

KCRW’s Guest DJ Project, Jan. 21 episode

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The Interview with the Vampire author shares a somewhat surprising playlist that includes Tina Turner, Linda Ronstadt, and, yes, Bon Jovi. “While I was writing Prince Lestat, every morning I’d get up and put on [It’s My Life],” she says, adding that she even wrote the band into a scene.

AMY SCHUMER IS TOO NERVOUS TO MEET ANI DIFRANCO.

The Moment with Brian Koppelman, Jan. 19 episode

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Schumer covers a lot of ground in this 90-minute conversation, including how she believes her success is the result of several small personal goals. She also names celebrities she has been nervous to meet—Gloria Steinem and Sarah Silverman among them—and how a couple times she has turned down the chance to meet one of her heroes, singer Ani DiFranco.

YES, SOME TODLERS EAT KIMCHI FOR BREAKFAST.

Gastropod, Jan. 20 episode

Today’s typical American breakfast may include cereal and juice, but that wasn’t always the case—and it still isn’t true in many parts of the world, where folks chow down on everything from sautéed greens to spicy cabbage in the morning. The episode investigates whether breakfast really is the most important meal and offers several tips, like why it may be best to delay that first cup of coffee until about 9 a.m.

EVEN PODCASTERS EXPERIENCE BURNOUT.

StartUp, Episode 12

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From the outside, it may seem like all is well at Gimlet Media, the new podcasting company profiled in this series. But as we learn this week, some employees are experiencing serious burnout from working around the clock and are wondering if relief is anywhere in sight.