8 content creators who’ve been helping me get through the pandemic
In 2020, we all developed coping mechanisms; I found a few entertaining and provocative content creators who kept me coming back for more.
8. The Nick Abbot Habit
I’ve been listening to Nick Abbot for a few years. He hosts a late-night show on the UK’s most prominent talk radio station, LBC (Leading Britain’s Conversation) — but his is different to the others. Where most presenters on the channel coax their audience into a rage as to inspire phone-ins, Nick makes them laugh.
In a bold move for the station, he sports a soundboard, knowing precisely when to roll out each jingle for maximum LOLs. His bitesize podcast has been especially good lately: The Nick Abbot Habit cycles through clips from his older shows and occasionally features new content. Give it a whirl for a funny way to stay up to date with UK politics.
7. Placeboing
There are many politically-inspired remixes on YouTube (Cassetteboy, Politics JOE, etc) but none are as much fun as Placeboing: whacky, deranged, refreshingly varied, good-humoured, and destructively catchy. If you don’t find yourself bopping away to If, Chauvinists, Sexists, Misogynists, or Ah, the French, you’ve plainly got no rhythm.
This meme-tastic musical content is a cunning mode of spotlighting politicians who slip up, lie, or simply exaggerate. My favourite mix— which I return to whenever I need an irrational giggle — is Joe Biden’s hour-long Why why why why why.
6. Plumbella
As the pandemic took off in early 2020 and everyone started locking down, I wanted something to do to pass the time. I remembered how much fun I used to have with The Sims 2 and downloaded The Sims 4 with immediate effect (it’s not as good, sorry).
In my hunt for house-building inspiration, I stumbled across Plumbella on YouTube who’s a devout Simstress: she’s naturally witty and oozes northern charm. She manages to make time fly, simply by just yapping on and being herself. Her task-based videos are fabulously unpredictable and feature chortle-worthy editing. If you’ve ever enjoyed The Sims, check her out.
5. Nexpo
Up late doomscrolling? Embrace the darkness of the dead of night and tune into the strangely soothing (and terrifying) sound of Nexpo’s voice. He’ll walk you through a seemingly endless supply of strange and unsettling stories from the weirdest, creepiest corners of the web.
I shot straight through his unsettling series of ‘Disturbing Things from Around the Internet’ and trashed my circadian rhythm doing so. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security —if he’s covering a balmy story about someone’s haunted Lego set or a telepathic hamster, it’ll usually be followed by something utterly blood-curdling and horrific. Enjoy!
4. Nerdrotic
With no bums on seats, film studios have been releasing films online — a controversial move to say the least. While your local picture house has been forced to close its doors for good, Hollywood celebs whine about how hard the pandemic has been (from inside their luxury mansions).
Nerdrotic’s host, Gary Buechler, is a former comic shop owner who routinely despairs at stories like these, the current state of pop culture, and so-called blockbusters (they’re in pretty bad shape). His unrelenting disdain for the new ‘woke’ Doctor Who and that abysmal Game of Thrones finale make for some truly entertaining rants.
3. Blaire White
She’s a controversial force majeure within the LGBTQIA+ community; Blaire White is a transgender woman who declares her pronouns as ‘that/bitch’. She’s not onboard the woke wagon (to put it mildly) and dismisses the idea that being a transgender person means anything other than having gender dysphoria and deciding, boldly, to cross the bridge between binaries.
I’m a clueless ‘cis’ bloke, so I’m always listening when transgender people speak up, whatever their stance. This is why I think it’s important that Blaire White — who has skin in the game — can take to YouTube, oppose the headlines, and tackle topics like J.K. Rowling’s ‘cancellation’ from a different angle.
2. Paymoneywubby
Paymoneywubby has a rare talent — he’s able to talk about extremely unsavory and controversial topics with wit and authority. He picks his stance and stands by it, strongly. It seems to me that he can confidently push the boundaries because, unlike many creators, he doesn’t just say stuff to try and get a laugh — he’s authentic; he believes what he’s saying.
He has a love-hate relationship with YouTube, therefore doesn’t upload videos very often (and when he does, he’ll guide you to his streaming content — which I’ve never really taken to). Nonetheless, he has enough shorter form content on his channel to keep you entertained.
1. So Farscape!
Those of you who know me are already aware that I think Farscape is the greatest science fiction story ever put to screen. However, it’s considered a cult classic and, for this reason, it’s hard to find people who know enough about it to discuss it online.
Khaki and K— are doing Farscape’s small but devoted fan base proud with their podcast, So Farscape!. They’re reviewing each and every episode of the show through to the end. On the one hand, they’re happy to take the piss out of Farscape’s early-noughties aesthetic, while on the other, they dig deep into its dramatic character work and timeless creativity. Recommended.
There you have it!
I’m always unearthing new content to enjoy — but then, aren’t we all! There are more podcasts than people on the planet. I’ll let you know when I find a bunch of others worth investing your time in. Hold tight.
