What’s a Plodcast?

How to walk, talk, and think at the same time.

There is a difference between a conversation and an interview. An interview is designed to glean information, challenge false assumptions, and perhaps even goad confrontation. Believe me, I know. I’ve performed thousands of interviews over my 33 years as a working journalist.

These podcasts are not interviews. Or at least, not the kind of interviews with which you are no doubt familiar.

This project grew out of the pandemic, when so many of us found ourselves going for long outdoor walks with trusted friends and acquaintances, simply as a way to prevent going stir crazy at home. We would talk about people we knew, places we love or longed for, ideas that quickened our pace. It’s the joy of walking with another. You both have something to do that takes minimal effort, you’re not staring eye to eye across a table, and you are free to opine on whatever crosses your mind.

People tell each other things on walks they may never raise in other settings. Nietzsche said “all truly great thoughts are conceived while walking”. Dickens, an inveterate pedestrian who walked a dozen miles a day, conceived his best novels while strolling. And whether you Walk on the Wild Side, Walk like an Egyptian, or just love Walking on Sunshine, you know walking is just that thing that makes you happy. Happier, if you have good company.

One last thing. I’m a Canadian who’s traveled and explored parts of every province and territory of this massive country. I have a deep love for the place, and I think it matters that people in one far-flung corner tell their stories to people who live in other far-flung corners. Spoiler alert: you will hear that there is much more that ties us together then separates us. I think we don’t hear that enough.

Thanks for listening.

d./

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