The Bugle - Good Pod Almighty

In this post I'm going to be writing about perhaps my favourite podcast: The Bugle.

Hosted by John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman, the Bugle began life in late 2007 as a weekly catalog of the ludicrous, bizarre world of international politics...or as Andy describes it in each episode "An Audio Newspaper for a Visual World". Each week they'll present some of the biggest, most controversial and funniest things to have happened around the world and condense it into half an hour of 24-carat audio gold.

Andy and John balance each other out nicely; Zaltzman (based in London) is the main 'host' of the show and deals a line in surreal oddity and terrible (yet simultaneously fantastic) puns, whilst John (based in New York) is a little more cutting and bombastic. Having worked together for many years prior to the Bugle, the two have an obviously strong chemistry, and their back-and-forth banter is finely tuned. Just listen to their reunion show in Edinburgh and you'll see exactly what I mean.

The show is ostensibly a satirical podcast, and most of the stories focus on the ridiculous nature of politics and politicians around the world. Though hosted by two Brits and regularly covering British and American politics, Zaltzman and Oliver frequently branch out around the world in order to get to the absurd. It's a good approach, as you get coverage of the trivial and petty nature of British politicians contrasted with the truly maniacal and farcical behaviour of some proper despotic toss-pots, be they Russian, North Korean or otherwise.

Perfectly straddles the line between immaturity and levity. Yes, there are crude, lengthy and quite frankly hilarious stories about penises, but the main thrust of the show (ahem) is always on power and the misuse thereof. For example, perhaps the single most definitive story in the podcast was John's Fuckeulogy for Osama Bin Laden. It's hilarious, crude, and magnificent. 

I can proudly say that I've been a listener since Episode 1; although new episodes don't come out as regularly now (what with John's hectic schedule), it still remains one of the consistently strongest podcasts out there and well worth checking out.

New episodes of the Bugle are posted on Soundcloud and in iTunes, and if your appetite is whetted for more steaming hot bullshit, then head on over to this remarkably comprehensive Bugle archive.