Best podcasts of the week: How Joni Mitchell changed music – and America

Picks of the week

Joanne McNally Investigates … Did Furbys Spy on Us?
BBC Sounds, episodes weekly
Why were 90s cuddly speaking toys Furbys banned from the Pentagon? Is it possible that they were really a secretive listening device for the Chinese government? The latest fun, self-aware “investigation” from the comic sees her calling up aviation authorities and heading to the house of a Furby collector who dries their skins on her washing line. An enjoyably daft yarn. Alexi Duggins

Question Everything
Widely available, episodes weekly
S-Town and The Trojan Horse Affair’s Brian Reed launches a new show to look at journalism’s place in the modern world. It’s inspired by the response to S-Town, which saw him having to prove in court that his podcast counted as journalism. An admirable, open-hearted wrestle with a vital question – with an impressive first episode that sees Reed face one of his biggest critics. AD

Night Shift
Widely available, episodes weekly
Jake Adelstein goes back to his Missouri home town where the local hospital saw a surge in patient deaths in the 1990s. This is a depressing tale of a place smelling of “soap and cigarettes” that provided solid care until it was hit by a rise in “code blue” alerts. Adelstein delivers the story without exploitation. Hannah Verdier

The Road to Joni
Widely available, episodes weekly
Carmel Holt travels around the US exploring the cross-demographic, cross-generational appeal of Joni Mitchell. She meets Joni fans including Hozier, Esperanza Spalding and Don Was and asks how they got into Joni and where Joni took them. It’s affectionate and cheerfully digressive; a fine tribute to an utterly singular artist. Phil Harrison

Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators
Widely available, episodes weekly
Fancy a pay rise? Take a tip from expert negotiators who share their “cool deals” with host Jim Sebenius. Proving that negotiation is anything but boring, lawyer John Branca tells how he helped Michael Jackson get hold of his master recordings, traditionally held by the record company. HV

There’s a podcast for that

This week, Charlie Lindlar chooses five of the best podcasts about the future , from a climate-conscious show to a watchful eye on the excesses of tech titans

How to Save a Planet
“What if there was a show about climate change that left you feeling … energised?” So asked Gimlet’s climate change podcast, hosted by Alex Blumberg and his “crew of nerds”, that focused on environmental solutions now and in the future. The podcast ended two years ago – but fortunately (or unfortunately?) the themes Blumberg and friends delve into with positivity and optimism remain relevant. Should you get rid of your lawn? How can you buy less stuff? And is fast fashion really that bad for the planet? Listen on and find out.

Managing the Future of Work
Wait, come back! Yes, this podcast is about as business-focused as you would expect from a show produced by Harvard Business School. Yes, there are episodes about HR databases, supply chains and AI in the workplace. But, thanks to their faculty of engaging hosts and know-it-all guests, there’s a deep back catalogue of genuinely usable, relevant investigations into the way our work is changing our lives, and vice versa. Start with computer scientist and author Cal Newport on the “productivity deficit”, and you’ll be hooked.

Plain English
Less fixated on tech and more on human nature, this politics and culture podcast from journalist Derek Thompson quickly became a personal favourite when it started in 2021. The substance provided not just by Thompson’s guests but by the host himself makes every episode a rewarding back-and-forth that always leaves you smarter than when you started. Thompson has a knack for giving a name to social phenomena you had sensed but couldn’t quite put your finger on. Appropriately for this theme, the very first episode – on the metaverse, NFTs and everything in-between – is titled “The Future Is Going to Be Weird As Hell”.

Your Undivided Attention
Produced by the Center for Humane Technology, this show keeps a watchful eye on the ever-expanding and unregulated tech space, and wonders if we’re really using our advancements for good. Host Tristan Harris, a former design ethicist at Google, was a convincing talking head in The Social Dilemma, the excellent Netflix documentary exploring social media’s manipulation of our minds, and continues his clearheaded thinking here alongside guests including author Yuval Noah Harari, Kara Swisher and Esther Perel, who comments on technology’s impact on intimacy.

The Future of Everything
And if in doubt, head to the Wall Street Journal’s catch-all podcast that covers just about everything else. From modern bookshop design to the Tesla Cybertruck’s impact on how cars are made to the scientists building synthetic breast milk, this longrunning – and award-winning – podcast covers the cutting edge of technological advancement. There’s arguably too much about AI for many listeners, but surf through the show’s significant archive and you’ll find enough to fill a commute – all in digestible 15-minute episodes.

Why not try …

• From family group chat etiquette to supporting a child through their first period, This Is So Awkward is there to hold parents’ nervously sweaty hands.
  

• Two indie rock drummers present a pod all about football fandom, in Away Days with Woody and Piers .

• Keep the summer of sport going by tuning into Runpod: Going For Gold , featuring interviews with Tanni Grey-Thompson, Tessa Sanderson and more.

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