Welcome to Podcast Portal: a spontaneous column that will highlight podcasts of all genres that are lesser known or new shows that are worth giving a listen. With the medium continuing to grow, it is hard to acknowledge all of them. However, I am going to try and find as many noteworthy titles as possible to share and hopefully expand your mind to the greatest growing medium out there. If you have any podcast that you feel is worth adding to the Podcast Portal, please make sure to inform me whether through the comments or through an e-mail (information in sidebar).
SHOW: Kumail Nanjiani's The X-Files Files
HOST: Kumail Nanjiani
NETWORK: Feral Audio
EPISODE BEING DISCUSSED: "Episodes 1 and 2" with Devin Faraci
As evidenced by my high placement of his comedy album "Beta Male" last year on my favorite comedy albums of 2013, I am a fan of Kumail Nanjiani. His work has become somewhat prolific in the past few years with guest appearances on Portlandia and Harmontown podcast, hosting The In-Door Kids podcast, and being a regular on the HBO series Silicon Valley. The fact that he is still an unknown to the larger echelon is a little unbelievable. His ability to take nerd culture and make it accessible has played to his strengths and thankfully will continue to do so.
Then there is his latest podcast: Kumail Nanjiani's The X-Files Files. For many people over the age of 20, there is a certain respect that people have for the 90's fox sci-fi series that spawned Mulder and Scully as well as the launch of endless conspiracy theories and really weird TV. The unfortunate thing is that even the theme song is fading from newer generation's memories and the show's impact is fading.
That is where this podcast comes in. While this show may evolve into a recap of individual episodes, the premiere is set mostly with introductions. Basically, why should we care about The X-Files? Along with guest Devin Faraci, they geek out over the series broadly and even tackle their disappointment in the movies. Little is actually discussed of the aforementioned episodes and thus don't serve as an insightful compendium. However, Nanjiani's exposition on buying merchandise and bootleg videotapes all make his credibility that much stronger. He is passionate beyond belief. If there is a need to understand "Why is The X-Files important?," then this episode at least answers why. The conversations get into deep mythology and the show's overall progression, yet there isn't much spoilers here. Just two guys with way too much knowledge to divulge.
For a relatively short 70 minute program, a lot is packed into this. Provided that The X-Files interests you, this may be a worthwhile podcast. It is likely to continue to build on its format and remind audiences, hopefully those unfamiliar, of the show's importance. Nanjiani has charisma and an encyclopedic knowledge of the series. The only thing is that the humor isn't quite there yet (as the show is listed under "Comedy"). Maybe the guests will dictate the tone, but I am just curious to see if this show has any impact like either James Bonding, Mission Log or U Talkin' U2 to Me? or any of the increasing retro recap shows out there.
Rating: 4 out of 5
WORTH A SECOND GO?: The debut episode makes a great case for why The X-Files is important without dissecting the aforementioned episodes all that much. At best, we can expect the future episodes to be more specific to subject matter. So as long as you are willing to be committed to the show and interact regularly, this is likely going to be an effective use of your time. If nothing else, Nanjiani really knows his stuff and I wouldn't be surprised if this show starts becoming a phenomenon and getting a lot of cast and crew interviews somewhere down the line.
Comments
Post a Comment