[krick]

I tried to listen BTB a couple of times, and while the topic and overall worldview they try to project is very interesting to me, the hosts of the podcast and the style of it makes it really hard and unpleasant to listen, and when after finishing a 4-hour long series on some person I ask myself: "So, what have I learned?" I often find that I really don't have anything to say in response. Except for 5-minute worth of basic biography facts from wikipedia (which I usually have to check anyways, to get a clearer picture) the rest mostly is hosts exchanging remarks like "geez, man, get a life! haha… what an asshole!" while the hosts being in fact the most disgusting assholes I ever heard, distastefully trying to make fun of most mundane, sensible life facts and decisions.

I really wish there was something like BTB, but from… you know, better people.

[thunfischbrot]

You put into words what I could not articulate. Having tried to get into it several times as well, I concluded they were going for a fast-paced conversation well-suited for a bar, not for substance.

[areoform]

What's interesting is that I've had the opposite experience! A lot of Behind The Bastards episodes are well cited and well researched. Robert often reads multiple books on a topic before presenting something, and often quotes researchers/historians whole paragraphs at a time. It's something that I've learned a lot from.

The joking banter and tone helps it go down for me. I wouldn't be able to listen to these things otherwise. It's depressing to know the some totality of what we've done to each other.

[boppo1]

Age of Napoleon isn't the same topic at all, but it's exactly the opposite tone. I've been glued to it lately. If you don't already know about Napoleon, this will probably scratch an itch for you.

[gloryjulio]

Yes. That's why I avoid podcast. It's such a waste of time, and for what. Hope we have a good summary service. Maybe the new LLMs could help with that

[nicbou]

You would like The Rest Is History more then. Two pleasant chaps talk about history with only light banter, and they're both historians.

If you want banter, but not the mean and forced kind, The Dollop is a much better Behind The Bastards.

[Yemeth]

Thx for the analysis. This 'dudebro friends casual talk'-style makes a lot of podcasts hard to listen to – even when the topics are interesting.

I get it. A well moderated podcast is hard work. Throwing random Wikipedia facts at each other is easy to do and long term listeners love all the in-jokes and the atmosphere of 'friends having fun'.

Thankfully there are lots of well researched podcasts with a more 'professional' style.

[pitaj]

Simply based on the people on Reddit and such that recommend this podcast, I knew that it was not for me.