Aug 22, 2016 7:00 AM

Stephen King's Batman Story and 4 More Podcasts You Must Hear

Political satire, stalkers, and the Voodoo Queen of Manchac Swamp.

Image may contain Human Person Face and Text

Plug in your earbuds and take a seat, because Dr. Clock is here to help you pass the time on that morning commute. For this week's roundup of the best podcasts, we've got tales of a prince buried alive in New Orleans, a stalker from a Harry Potter fan site, and a Stephen King story involving Batman and a trip to Applebee's gone wrong—plus, Malcolm Gladwell on whether political satire actually works.

Melissa Anelli has a stalker who has been targeting Anelli and her family for the past eight years—ever since finding her on the Harry Potter fan site she runs in 2008. Since then, she’s regularly made graphic death threats to Anelli and her family through postcards, letters, and phone calls. It’s a harrowing story of fandom, and how one person can turn a safe space into a place of fear. [Listen here.](http://thisiscriminal.com/episode-48-eight-years-8-12-2016/)
Lore
Lore, "Everything Floats"
This week, *Lore*, a podcast exploring the history behind folklore, ventures into a city that’s home to plenty of tall tales and urban myths: New Orleans. Learn about NOLA’s original Voodoo Queen from Manchac Swamp, a mansion flooded with blood, and a prince buried alive. [Listen here.](http://www.lorepodcast.com/episodes/40)

Panoply Media
Revisionist History, "The Satire Paradox"
In an era of Stephen Colbert, *Saturday Night Live* impressions, and one presidential candidate who often seems to be parodying himself, Malcolm Gladwell asks: Does political satire work? In 1988, British comic Harry Enfield created the crass, self-satisfied character Loadsamoney to mock Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher—but Enfield doesn’t think it made any difference. In the season finale of *Revisionist History*, Gladwell talks about what political satire can accomplish, covering archival audio of Tina Fey talking about her Sarah Palin impression and a pointed Israeli sketch show. [Listen here.](http://revisionisthistory.com/)
If you’re a fan of Stephen King, or a fan of NPR’s *Selected Shorts*, take a listen to the fiction podcast’s new spinoff, *Too Hot For Radio*, which includes all the NSFW themes banned from the airwaves. In the first episode, Stephen Lang reads a Stephen King story about Batman, Alzheimer’s, and a post-Applebee’s altercation. Plus, an interview with Stu Tinker, a resident of Bangor, Maine who leads tours of the spots that inspired King.

Short Cuts
Short Cuts, "The Clock"
Comedian Josie Long stays awake through a full 24 hours to bring listeners beautifully produced stories of the shifting texture of time: the moment when a bomb explosion disrupted an ordinary day in Oklahoma City in 1995; Dr. Clock, a horologist who spends his workday passing the hours; how time can lengthen and shorten at the end of one’s life. [Listen here.](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06j1xzb)

Comments

Charley Locke writes about growing up and growing old for publications including The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, and WIRED. ... Read More

Writer

Topicshorror podcasts stephen king

The WIRED Guide to Los Angeles for Business Travelers

A tech industry guide to where to stay, eat, work, and play while visiting LA.

Jordan Michelman

Breathe Easy Thanks to the Best Air Purifier for Every Home

Protect your home against dust, pets, allergies, and more with the best air purifiers, tested firsthand.

Molly Higgins

The Romance Scammer Who Made a Small Fortune Posing as a WWE Superstar

In this excerpt from WIRED Book Club pick The Yahoo Boys, journalist Carlos Barragán traces one scammer’s journey from flop to fortune.

Carlos Barragán

The Best Duffel Bags for Commuters and Chronic Overpackers

Need to schlep some stuff? These field-tested duffels can handle your baggage.

Louryn Strampe

The Creators of Hacks Really, Really, Really Hate AI

Ahead of the hit show’s finale, cocreators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello talk about media consolidation, the perils of censorship, and why they find AI “deeply disturbing.”

Katie Drummond

The Best Travel Toiletry Bags for Every Trip

Our team evaluated a ton of toiletry bags to find the best storage, organization, and design options for all your essentials.

Kat Merck

Quell the Heat With Our Favorite Window Air Conditioners

These are the AC units we’ve trusted to cool our homes for months, if not years.

Matthew Korfhage

Margo’s Got Money Troubles Won TV’s OnlyFans Wars

Unlike Euphoria, the Apple TV show wants to humanize the experience of sex workers rather than catastrophize the extremes of the profession.

Jason Parham

The Best Meal Kits of 2026, Tested by a Former Restaurant Critic

Here are the best meal kits in 2026, including Martha Stewart’s delivery box, a GLP-1–supportive plan, and a budget-friendly option.

Matthew Korfhage

The AI IPO Race Heats Up, DOGE Whistleblower Sues Elon Musk, and Instagram Gets Hacked

On Uncanny Valley, we dive into the IPO bonanza that the top AI companies are embarking on to the point where some real estate listings are looking for not just regular old cash, but Anthropic stock.

Brian Barrett