The Herle Burly

Irreverent and yet biting political insight with some really amazing guests. I mean who else gets Francis Donald and Brian Mulroney on the same show? At least once an episode one of the three regulars say something that results in whatever I am drinking ending up on the floor. Funny and yet insightful and brutally true - a land where the politically correct pods fear to tread.

When interviewing a politician, there is no accountability, no questions that require details and David just lets them speak their talking points.

I regularly listen to Hurly Burly and appreciate the different viewpoints. David clearly has his priors, but long as you’re aware of that (ditto with some of his guests, who aren’t always politically aligned with him), you’ll do well to listen. This is mostly politics with very little policy, so keep that in mind and look elsewhere for that. The constant barrage of cloying, disingenuous telecom ads is the only real issue I have. I’m totally cool with podcast advertising in general; creators need to monetize. But we all know who listens to this podcast and we all know how captured Canada’s regulatory environment is when it comes to telecoms. It feels like nearly every time I tune in, I receive a distasteful reminder that companies like Telus are buying the opportunity to whisper talking points into the ears of Canada’s most politically engaged. These are borderline political ads and where/how they’re presented is too close to an endorsement for comfort. This damages the host’s credibility. Please, avoid ads which are thinly veiled but direct appeals to party staffers and regulators. Or at least run ANY ads but telecom brand ads. Sell me bookkeeping software or mattresses, or tell me how proud I should be to drink Canadian macrobrews and eat Ontario cheese. But if I hear one more “this podcast was brought to you by digital connectivity, that’s why Telus cares about Indigenous communities” placement I’m either going to scream, take this podcast out of my regular rotation, or both, I just can’t take it.

I love this wide ranging podcast about music, politics, and culture. Herle is smart and funny, and he sets the table for his guests to roll deep on storytelling and sharing their insights. It’s like listening to a playlist of deep cuts from your favorite band. Its at once familiar and also brings surprising new depths to things you thought you already knew.