My Favorite Podcasts From Around the Lone Star State

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I love podcasts. As someone who considers herself a lifelong learner, being able to pop in my earbuds while I fold laundry and learn about social issues, culture, or politics, is pretty awesome. As a fifth-generation Texan, I especially appreciate that I can find podcasts that are created right here in Texas or that tell stories about people from around the Lone Star State. Here are some of my favorites:

Boomtown

 

 

 

 

Boomtown, by Texas Monthly, takes a deep dive into the Texas oil and gas industry with a unique perspective by a young man by the name of Christian Wallace who grew up in the heart of the oil patch. It explores stories of real people living in the boom and bust cycle that is so common in West Texas, with some fascinating stories of the big names that shaped the oil industry. You meet roughnecks, truckers, diner-owners, sex workers, and all kinds of people whose lives are shaped by what is happening with the price of oil and gas. Boomtown also doesn’t shy away from the tough questions about the environmental impact that this industry is having in the Lone Star State.

Both my grandfather and my father-in-law worked in oil and gas. This podcast helped me understand both of them and so many of my fellow Texans a lot better. This was one of my favorite podcasts of 2020.

KERA’s Think

Best podcasts in the lone star state

 

 

 

Think With Krys Boyd is a daily dose of smart people talking about seemingly random (but fascinating!) topics. Every weekday Krys Boyd interviews authors, newsmakers, and leaders about things you didn’t even know you needed to hear about. This morning I listened to a podcast about the role that real estate agents play in housing inequality. While this podcast isn’t devoted to discussing all things Texas, because the show is produced in Dallas, many of the topics will be of interest to people in the Lone Star state.

Tom Brown’s Body

podcasts from around the lone star state

 

 

 

Tom Brown’s Body, also produced by Texas Monthly, is about a story I can’t believe I never heard about at the time that it was happening in 2016. It chronicles the case of the death of a well-liked, seemingly happy teenager from the panhandle town of Canadian, Texas. Episode by episode you’ll change your mind on who was responsible for Tom’s death, from his friends to the town sheriff, to his mother, or his girlfriend.

Texas Standard

podcasts from the lone star state

 

 

 

Texas Standard is a daily podcast every Monday-Friday that focuses on news from around the Lone Star State. It often surprises me how much is going on in this state at any one time that I wouldn’t otherwise have known about if not for the reporting on this show. Plus I love how the host always says, “It’s Texas Standard time!”

All Crime No Cattle

podcasts from the lone star state

 

 

 

I like this true-crime podcast in small doses because it can be pretty grim. All Crime No Cattle is produced by a husband and wife team, Erin and Shea. The couple research true crime stories that occurred in the Lone Star State from as far back as the 1950s. While the crimes themselves can be upsetting, the backdrop and time period that the stories are set in is often my favorite part of the show. Two of the stories they tell are stories of crimes from the Coastal Bend that, as a non-native to Corpus, I hadn’t been familiar with:

The death of Wanda Jean Lopez and the story of the Two Carlos’s. 

The Flatline Murder

Houston Matters

 

 

 

Houston Matters is actually not a show that I’ve listened to yet, but it’s one my husband recommended. He said that the show discusses a lot of topics that would be relevant to anyone living in Texas, including current events, politics, and the environment.

Now it’s your turn! What are your favorite podcasts from around the Lone Star State?