People often say “all good things come to an end”, and I can’t help feeling that sometimes they shouldn’t. Of course we can’t force the present to continue in it’s current shape or form, but we often take for granted what we have. The prompt for this avalanche of fond recollection and wistful regret is the news just slipped into the Twitter firehose by Molly Wood - that “Buzz Out Loud” will be no more after April 5th.
I began listening to podcasts during the time I worked in London. I sat on trains for the best part of 4 hours each day, and discovered the various shows created and presented by the likes of Leo Laporte, Molly Wood, John C Dvorak, Sarah Lane, Jason Howell, Rafe Needleman, and many more. They became early morning companions to the rising sun as I thundered across the countryside towards the city.
I didn’t realise I had favourites until TWiT launched “Tech News Today”, obviously competing with “Buzz Out Loud”. Yes, it was good, slick, professional, and all those other words, but it wasn’t entertaining. It took me a while to realise that for me it was all about Molly Wood. I’m not sure if it’s just because I’m a guy, or because of her humour, or her personality - I just became a huge fan.
The most memorable moment for me of the entire run of Buzz Out Loud has to be 5th October 2011, when they went on the air an hour after Steve Jobs death. You can listen to it here. Listening to Molly open the show caused a lump in my throat then, and did again a few moments ago when I hit play.
I’m going to really miss Buzz Out Loud. It leaves a void that cannot be filled - because it wasn’t about the show, or the subject - it was all about a particular group of people who worked well together, and were entertaining to listen to.
I don’t really have anything else to say.