Podcast Review -- The Dorktones Podcast

One of the best things about the Internet is that things linger on after death (it can also be the worst thing depending on how you look at it). "The Dorktones Podcast" was absolutely my favorite music podcast of all time, and I was very sad when the Dorktones -- a trio of maniac Dutch music geeks -- called it quits.

For over two years they cranked out a weekly music podcast that was a real pleasure to listen to. The Dorktones are also a three-piece combo (I suspect they also have day jobs), and they basically played the music they liked, and the music that influenced them. Which meant that on any particular episode you could hear 50's R&B, early sixties Beat recordings, Euro pop from the 1970's, proto-punk, psychedelica, garage bands (both old and new), hard bop jazz, reggae, Northern soul, country and western swing, and a heaping helping of Frank Zappa (and Del Shannon, too).

I discovered a lot of great artists listening to the Dorktones podcast, from Brue and Terry, The Prisoners, The Tony Jackson Group, Wynonie Harris, The Bristols -- and even the Dorktones themselves!

Now if this was a radio show, then you would have to take my word about how awesome this program was. But it's not. The Dorktones have left their website up, and all 87 episodes of the Dorktones podcast are still available for download -- for free.

So you can still enjoy this amazing program. I'm grateful to the Dorktones for putting on their little show as long as they did, and I'm doubly grateful that I still have an opportunity to share them with others.

And remember -- you don't need an iPod to listen to a podcast. Just download to your computer and enjoy.

- Ralph

Day 202 of the WJMA Web Watch. (If anyone suggested WJMA play any of the tracks the Dorktones do, the program director would probably faint dead away.)