Communicore Weekly has passed twenty episodes and has made itself a mainstay of my podcast listening week. Technically it is a vid-cast, but I download the audio only version. So there are some features such as the “Fantastically Fuzzy Photo” which are lost on me since I only hear them describe the photo instead of watching it. And I am sure with it being a vid-cast there are other graphics and production that honestly are just lost on me as an audio only consumer. My thoughts about this podcast are based on the audio presentation alone.
The show is hosted by two nerdy Disney enthusiasts. George Taylor is the force behind Imaginerding, a go to site for Disney books. Taylor is one of the inspirations for my own blogging. If he can post book reviews and I’m reading those books too, why couldn’t I be another voice by reporting on Between Books? Jeff Heimbuch blogs for MiceChat, like Taylor, and shares Taylor’s love of books and Disney history. The two have good chemistry, sharing common interests and at humorously times knocking each other down as any guy would do with a good guy friend.
Did I mention Communicore is short! I am comparing its length typically around ten minutes to a podcast that I am listening to right while writing, one that is topping out at two hours for one topic. With Communicore you can expect 5 or 6 topics within minutes. Now I do think there is a place for a longer podcast, and there are plenty of them that I listen to. But it is nice to have a podcast that can provide a lot of variety quickly. I feel comfortable starting an episode of Communicore Weekly when I know I only have 20 minutes before my next meeting, where the longer podcasts would not be an option out of fear that I would get involved and then have to leave it behind for hours. With Communicore I know I am going to get some Disney goodness quickly.
The content itself fits my own personal interests. George and Jeff like books and history. And so do I! Features on the show include “This Day in Disney History” which highlights a historical event, “George’s Book of the Week” which as one expects is a book review, and the “Five Legged Goat” in which the hosts describe a hidden tribute or homage within the parks. Some of the more unexpected segments include “Bathroom Break” in which the hosts describe some of their favorite Disney bathrooms and “Fantsically Fuzzy Photo” in which viewers/listeners submit their own unfocused photo, well at least I assume they are out of focus.
Along with the regular weekly show they have also released “In the Hot Seat” episodes which feature interviews with authors like Ridley Pearson and Leonard Kinsey. These episodes are longer than the weekly show and are a nice treat for book lovers.
I know I have mentioned length a few times. But I do find it important. If you have not tried a Disney podcast yet, Communicore Weekly may be a good place to start a new obsession. The length allows you to not invest a lot of time into sampling a Disney podcast but still provides you a lot of information in that short amount of time. And as many Disney enthusiasts urge us to slow down in the parks, maybe now I will walk a little slower through the bathrooms. That won’t be awkward right?
You have to watch the video version! I have been watching since the first episode and it is a highlight in my week. Very cute and fun graphics, gobloads of great photos and video clips, really informative and interesting bits of history. The "five-legged goats" and "Disney History" segments are some of my favorites, loads of obscure yet terribly entertaining and interesting tidbits of information. I learn something every week, and get a real kick out of the meanings and connections found in seemingly unnoticed details. Along with all this "nerdology" you get fun segments like the "bathroom breaks" and "fantasically fuzzy photos" just to keep it light and playful.
ReplyDeleteI want to, I really do. But I do most of my podcast listening during the workday so I can tear through a lot of audio quickly but not video. So I am really glad they release an audio version too.
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