Kylara's Fandom Fun

Lost Notes, produced by KCRW, and hosted by Solomon Georgio for season 1 and Jessica Hopper for season 2. Released weekly in a season format, with an approximate running time of 40 minutes. Started April 2018.

I like to think I have fairly eclectic taste in music. My mom was a fan of musicals and classical music (and grew up in the 40s and 50s), my oldest brother tended to lean into the soft rock of the ’70s, the younger of my two older brothers meanwhile got into punk and metal, while I grew up in the 80s with the pop explosion.

Additionally, at least where I grew up, in the late 80s there was an interest in the rock of the 50s, and my town was pure country where I couldn’t throw a stone without hitting someone who was into Charlie Daniels, Hank Williams Jr., or Dolly Parton. (One of my favorite moments from early college: coming across a guy who was rocking out — headbanging and everything — to Johnny Horton’s “The Battle of New Orleans”.) Meanwhile, my undergrad college had an alternative rock radio station that I helped DJ a time or two, and I briefly dated a guy who was seriously into Christian rock.

And I soaked it up. There are not many genres I don’t like. It helps that I’m a pretty passive listener: I’m not a big fan of concerts, and for the most part I listen while doing something else. I typically can’t just sit and listen to music.

Read the full review on my website.

The Hilarious World of Depression, produced by American Public Media, and hosted by John Moe. Released weekly in a season format, with an approximate running time of 60 minutes. Started December 2016.

I have depression. While not officially diagnosed, I know I either have depression or bipolar and have been aware of this since the late 1990s at least.

Unfortunately, I remain undiagnosed partially thanks to the high cost of psychiatric help in America. Since entering the workforce, out of the 20 places I’ve worked (not including internships, but including temp agencies), I’ve had company-provided insurance that wasn’t outrageously expensive at 5 of them, 1 of which didn’t even cover mental health.

Read the full review on my website.

Thrilling Adventure Hour, written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker; directed by Aaron Ginsburg. Released monthly, with an approximate running time of 30 minutes. Started November 2010. 

It all started because I’m a fan of Nathan Fillion.

I’m admittedly a fangirl geek, although it’s only recently that I’ve taken hesitant steps into the world of fandom, no thanks to being trolled a few times about a decade ago. I loved Firefly, the sci-fi western one-season wonder from Joss Whedon. Over at Whedonesque, a blog dedicated to not only news of Whedon but to cast and crew of the various Whedon blogs, there was a notice about Fillion guest starring on a podcast called Thrilling Adventure Hour (TAH).

As their own description states, TAH is written in the style of old time radio, and I was immediately sold on the concept. I’ve always been a fan of radio drama, ever since my brother got a cassette tape containing the episode of Abbott and Costello that had the “Who’s on First?” routine. This love transferred easily when I was first introduced to podcasts back in the mid-2000s, as I found productions such as the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, The Radio Adventures of Doctor Floyd, and most recently Welcome to Night Vale. 

Read the full review on my website.