Pod-Alization: The Football Family; Lalalaletmeexplain; The Compulsive Storyteller

 When Family and Football don't mix

The Playcallers, a new podcast series that explores the innovation, competition and sometimes even self-destruction inside the NFL’s youngest coaching family, is out now.

Hosted by The Athletic’s NFL reporter Jourdan Rodrigue, The Playcallers takes listeners inside the real story of how the league’s most popular offensive system evolved through NFL head coaches Shanahan, McVay, Matt LaFleur and Mike McDaniel, and its personal and professional impact on these coaches, and many more in their breakneck pursuit of play-calling “perfection.”

The series contains hours of exclusive interviews with over a dozen head and assistant coaches, former players and analysts across the league. Listeners of this documentary-style series will get an unprecedented look inside these coaches’ minds, and hear them speak openly and candidly about all things football … and each other. Listeners will also come away with an understanding of how football evolves and changes, and how ideas — and people — clash to mold the sport.

The five-episode series is now available to stream on “The Athletic Football Show” podcast feed.

You can listen to the first episode here.

 We all can use advice about sex. Can't we?

 It's Not You It's Them...But It Might Be You. With Lalalaletmeexplain is a brand new Sony Music podcast launching on Monday, July 17th.

‘Lala’, best known by her pseudonym 'LalalaLetMeExplain', is an anonymous sex & relationships expert, qualified social worker, as well as OK! Magazine’s relationship advice columnist and a Sunday Times best-selling author. She’s built a huge online fanbase, drawing over 230 thousand social followers with her straight-talking, hilarious, but sound advice on dating, love, sex, relationships, and more.

Lala is now taking her advice to the next level with her new podcast. Having experienced the depths of the dating world herself, Lala's advice stems from a place of personal experience and expertise. She will also be joined by some special guests along the way to unpick listeners dating dilemmas. Episodes are released three times a week featuring a blend of Lala's unfiltered highly sought-out wisdom and captivating anecdotes set to entertain, inform and help spread self-love.

Lala first arrived on the scene in 2017 when she started an anonymous blog 'La, la, la, let me explain'. Working in the public and voluntary sector, Lala realized she was helping vulnerable people deal with their unhealthy relationships but wasn't applying her expertise to her own life. What began as a personal project - a space to reflect on her own experiences – turned into a viral UK success due to her straight-talking, informative approach to giving advice. Ever since, she's been on a mission to help empower and support women.

Listeners can expect a wide range of discussions and advice, from difficult conversations around sexual assault to hot topics around sex education and no-holds-barred red flag alerts, as well as hilarious instant 'ick' reactions.

 I must admit, this new podcast sounds unique, and I can't wait for July 17th so that Lalalaletmeexplain can, well, explain.

 

The Compulsive Storyteller

 The Compulsive Storyteller  is hosted by Gregg LeFevre, and his life has always been about telling stories, including his public art works all over America that tell the forgotten stories of small towns and big cities. The stories he tells on his podcast, The Compulsive Storyteller podcast, are more personal. In each episode, he brings you an offbeat story or two from his life, in under 20 minutes. 

Episodes of The Compulsive Storyteller transport listeners into a world of scam artists, altercations with the police, and LeFevre's memories of his mother, his childhood, and his life-long love for sculpture, the visual arts, and New York City. 

The Compulsive Storyteller is more than just a podcast—it’s an invitation to explore the depths of the human experience through the power of storytelling and a cinematic experience for the ears.

Each episode is meticulously produced, creating a rich tapestry of sound that envelope listeners and transports them into the heart of each narrative. LeFevre excels here in his podcast with sound quality, recording ambient sound that layers his narratives, and choosing background music that adds to the tale he is spinning.

The podcast markets itself this way: "The Compulsive Storyteller proves that truth can be stranger than fiction. With impeccable attention to detail, LeFevre brings his unforgettable characters to life, making them relatable, empathetic, and deeply engaging."

 

But I tend to disagree. After listening to numerous episodes, I find that LeFevre's gift is not in retelling some incredible, once-a-in-a-lifetime, "you had to be there," story. No, his narrative genius is in his ability to recount the mundane, and the ordinary yet strange events that we all encounter on a daily basis. 

LeFevre's storytelling acumen is not derived from his animated voice and rush of emotion. On the contrary, LeFevre beguiles his listeners with the matter-of-fact-ness of his tone, his slightly nasal vocal quality, and the grounded realism of his tales.

Some of my favorite episodes include Tin Can Ladies, who are older Asian women who collect cans from the trash, and Hospital M.A.S.H., where LeFevre spent time as an inpatient at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City, where the patient care could be worse than the food. 

These are not stories that you and I would encounter in our lives on a regular basis. I don't typically drive around the city with expensive art and make deliveries to fabulously wealthy people. But LeFevre constructs an "everyman" quality into these stories as to entice listeners regardless of background.

 Gregg LeFevre is a successful public artist and podcaster. His 200+ permanent public artworks are installed all over the world and have been reviewed in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and more. A longtime New Yorker, he created Manhattan’s largest public art work - Library Walk, a series of illustrated bronze insets featuring quotes from world literature set in the sidewalk for two blocks leading to the main branch of the NY Public Library.

 

I recommend The Compulsive Storyteller for two reasons.  First, as Monty Python once intoned, "Now, for something completely different." And the podcast overflows with uniqueness. Second, LeFevre infuses his tales with sharp observations about life, focuses intently on the background music, and the ambient sounds, which give his tales a virtual reality experience. Like any good storyteller, LeFevre isn't just telling you a story, he's creating the sense that you're experiencing the story with him. 

 

Never been to New York City? Listen to The Compulsive Storyteller. You'll save on luggage fees, skip the humiliation of flying on Frontier Airlines, and receive a free tour of city sights most tours ignore.