Bloodthirsty Vegetarians Podcast Review

Tucson, AZ

Okay, so in between doing laundry, washing dishes, and other miscellaneous stuff, I've been listening to a bunch of episodes of my only regular podcast listen so far- Bloodthirsty Vegetarians- and I thought I'd give John and Rich a shout out or props or whatever it is that people do these days. My blog got mentioned this morning on XM Radio (more about that later), and the last time that happened I got an order of magnitude more hits that day than ever before so I want to make sure to post this today and share the love.

So how did I find Bloodthirsty Vegetarians?
I don't know exactly. I was kicking around the idea of doing my own podcast, and in the early research phase I started listening to a few podcasts to see what the schtick was. I was sort of poking around some podcast directory, but I don't recall how I landed on BV in particular. What I do remember is that I opened it up because the name gripped me, and I was immediately struck by the sound quality which was far and above that of other podcasts I had sampled. Now back in June when I found them, I think they only had one little sampler show up so there wasn't much to go by.

Now, fastforward to October- I get a nice little e-mail from Rich at the address I put up on the PoddyTalk website. Unfortunately, I almost never remember to check that e-mail address, and it took me a while to get back to him. But this is what got me to start listening to them regularly. It's a little bit of a pain in the ass for me to download podcasts since I have dial-up at home, but now I have this on my list of stuff to download when I'm somewhere with high speed access.

What is the show about?
Hard to say exactly. John explains here. I guess I think of it sort of as a variety show- maybe a non-libertarian audio analog to Sunni's Salon (which I doubt either John or Rich has ever seen- I'm not saying they're copying) minus interviews plus discussion plus a featured wine.

Some things that stand out for me:

It's called Bloodthirsty Vegetarians. Both of the hosts are vegetarians. There's some information and there are some anecdotes relating to vegetarianism on the show. But this is not some rabid rampage against meatatarians- I think few if any omnivores would feel unwelcome, and if you do, you probably have some chip on your shoulder which isn't Rich's or John's fault so get over it already.

John and Rich clearly have a great rapport, but they don't always agree on everything. And they wrestle with some tough topics from time to time. When they don't agree I can feel some tension, but I never feel like one of them is going to break a wine bottle over the other's head or anything like that. I do not watch or listen to TV or radio talk shows because I just can't stand the hyperemotional and hyperabusive way they operate. That is no way to live, and it's no way to treat people. It does not nourish my soul to be bombarded by constant screaming, hateful invectives, and unthinking barrages of words strung together as a substitute for reasonable discussion. I really think that John and Rich set a great example here for how people should behave when they disagree.

That said, I do disagree with them. A lot. But you know what? If you only listen to people you agree with all the time, you are missing so much brain and soul food. You aren't exposed to knew ideas or to old ideas from new points of view. You miss opportunities to reconsider your ideas and either revise them or recommit to them more confident in why you hold them. Inbred mental masturbation just isn't satisfying or useful for me, and I'm happy to listen to Rich and John even if they are wrong half the time. ;-) They really get me thinking, and get my blood moving.

But if social commentary and political discussion don't get you going, it's still worth tuning in. That's not the whole show- it may not even be half the show now that I think about it. Books, music, film are all sources of discussion, and I've added one movie and one featured musician to my list of things to check out further.

The music is particularly interesting. They find a lot of interesting stuff- this is not anything you'd normally find on your FM radio, and probably not on satellite either. It is clear that some love and effort have gone into the selections, and it's a real treat to hear some of these little gems you probably won't find anywhere else.

And then there's the wine. Most shows find the hosts popping the cork (or unscrewing the lid- I guess I don't really know for sure) on a bottle of something or other which is a really nice touch. I believe there's even a sort of beginner tutorial wine guide and glossary on different types of wine on their blog (which contains not just shows, but also other posts by the hosts and comments from listeners).

And beyond all that, the show can be pretty funny as well. I almost choked on some pineapple when I heard the opening for one of their episodes- you'll probably know which one I'm talking about if you hear it :-)

If you decide to give Bloodthirsty Vegetarians a listen, I have two recommendations. First, listen to a more recent episode. The show has definitely blossomed over the last few months, and the first shows aren't really representative of what it is today. Second, pick an episode that is at least 40 minutes. There are a few episodes with John absent, and while Rich does a great job solo, you really aren't getting a representative listen without John there as well.