Listen up, Maggots!

Ha, I made you think this post was going to be about The Sarge, didn’t I? Well, guess again. It’s more about the listening and less about the larva. In this post I’ll take a look at my favorite Joe related podcasts and the gear I use to listen to them.

Let’s start with the gear I use. I got an HP 840 G3 issued from my employer. It’s a compact, yet powerful laptop that serves me well. I work with large Excel files, datasets and accounting software. And I’m lucky that I can listen to music or podcasts during work. So all things considered, the little laptop packs some serious punch because it can multi-task really well.

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I work for a company that is a Certified Microsoft Partner, so I steer clear from iTunes. I’ve used it before, but since I got my Spotify account, I rarely listen to music via other media (cd, mp3,…). You could argue that Spotify now has support for podcasts as well, but I’ve been using Grover Podcast for over a year now and it’s a small app with one purpose and it just works well. The interface is clean and simple, search for a podcast, subscribe and listen or create a playlist. Easy peasy. Get Grover podcast in the Microsoft Store and try for yourself.

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For 2 years, I had been using a Philips Bluetooth headset, but just 2 months after the warranty stopped, so did the headset. It wouldn’t connect to my computer anymore. So I started shopping for new headphones. I wanted a new set that had Noise Canceling this time around considering that there are now a lot more employees at the firm and the noise levels have been increasing a lot lately. I also didn’t want to put up a lot of money for them. I’d rather spend my money on Joes ?. I had a free month of Amazon Prime (in Germany, we don’t have a localized Amazon here) and I started browsing. Last week, I stumbled upon the AUSDOM ANC-8 for just under €50. A steal if you ask me. I read and watched some reviews and decided to pull the trigger. The arrived – as promised – one day later and after charging them for about 2h, I was ready to try them out.

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For the money, these are the best ANC headphones out there. I can’t compare them to the likes of Bose or Sony, but compared to regular headphones, they are sublime. If you work at a large office with lots of open spaces, you know how noisy that can be. The buzzing of overhead fluorescent lights, people talking, the droning of the air conditioning,… All these noises in the background can be disturbing. The moment I put on the headphones, the sounds go silent. If you then turn on the ANC, it’s quiet. Very quiet. Until you start playing the music that is. The sound is very heavy with ANC off, but quite clear when you turn it on. They are over-ear headphones so that helps too, but they are not too heavy on your head and I can say that I can comfortably wear them for several hours without discomfort. I got my headphones from Amazon where I got the best price-fast delivery combination, but when you look online, you can find several sites that offer these great headphones.

Before we start with the podcasts, Let me state that nobody asked and/or paid or gave me something to write this. I just want to share my love for these podcasts and the Joe community as a whole. It’s us that keep the brand on life support, if we give up and pull the plug, it will probably all be over. Now, let’s get started on my favorite podcasts, in no particular order.

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First up is the only podcast where Joe talks about Joe – sometimes with an extra Joe, but always with an interesting guest – Joe on Joe! The shows discussing the Sunbow and DIC cartoons are always fun to listen to. Just try and get that intro out of your head for the rest of the day. Every guest on the show gets a choice to join the Cobra ranks or the Joe team and even receive a fitting codename. Joe’s comic book knowledge makes Wikipedia look like a Moleskine, still in it’s plastic cover. His Patreon-only episodes are dedicated to the comic books (I’m not a patreon yet, so I’ll have to judge them by every 5th episode that get’s released in the regular feed), and they are filled with details and bits of knowledge about the comics and the timeframe you just can’t put together yourself.

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Next up we have the Real American Headcast. They have a strong format of discussing one comic book and one episode of the Animated Series. With some banter before, in between and afterwards. They always make a point of working in the comments and likes from their listeners and truly involve the Joe community into each episode. Oh yeah, they do have a thing for The Mighty Kwinn… And frequently let Manfred Mann do their thing. Just so you know. And we all know what knowing is, right?

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GI Joburg is next. What can I say about these guys? They are a fun bunch to say the least. Be sure to check out their YouTube channel as well for hilarious video’s. Better strap in before you start listening, cause you might be in for a long ride. These global Joe fans tackle every issue with a great sense of humor and down-to-earthness. Their journey to Joecon last year is just one of the highlights from the shows.

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We end this list in and with The Full Force. The podcast presented by Christopher ‘I need to fill in a good nickname here’ McLeod, joined a lot by Justin ‘And another one here, how does he do it every time’ Bell. Give this show a listen if you want to keep up-to-date with all news surrounding our favorite brand and it’s manufacturer. They deliver the news even before the presses are starting! There may be a Full Force spy in the ranks of Hasbro feeding them information, or maybe they are just that good. Who’s to say?

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What’s a track list without a Bonus track you say? Not a very good one. So here it is. The Rap Viper himself has a very entertaining podcast called Weekend at Burgie’s. Lots of talk of nostalgia, vintage stuff and every episode something Joe sneaks in. And sneak is just snake spelled backwards, or is it? Have you bought your copy of the Welcome to Cobra Island CD yet? If not, hurry up and do it. Serpentor COMMANDS it! And while your at it, check out his other albums! They are AWESOME! I’m still hoping the Welcome to Cobra album will be released on vinyl someday. That artwork on a 12 inch would look awesome, I have an unused IKEA Gladsax laying around waiting for this 🙂

I hope you give these podcasts a try (if you haven’t done so already) and enjoy listening to the shenanigans of these awesome collectors, connoisseurs and just very cool people.

My interests aren’t limited to G.I.Joe, so I have about 50 other podcast I listen to. From Star Trek to Formula 1, from Xbox gaming to Ted Talks. A wide range of subjects and a lot of hours of good quality casting out there. If you need any tips on those, let me know and I can send the full list – which may contain some Dutch ones 🙂

Until next time!

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

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