Podcast in review: Risk!

With the podcasting boom of the past decade, I can't think of any art form that has thrived better than true storytelling. Obvious examples include This American Life, The Moth and Spark London over 'ere in the old UK. Risk! (Yes the Panic! At the Disco explanation mark is appropriate)  adds its own unique twist as it focuses primarily on the more risque and taboo subjects such as sex, relationships, adultery and prostitution. "You would never hear this shit on NPR" says the shows creator Kevin Allison which could not be more appropriate.

With the adult themes discussed, Risk! takes you right out of your comfort zone, in a positive way. There is something quite refreshing about listening to people who have had more embarrassing sex lives than yourself and there is a lot to admire in the storytellers who dare step up on stage and describe their intimate details in public openly.

The host and founder of the podcast Kevin Allison is a comedian and storyteller who like the performers featured on the show, isn't shy about sharing intimate details about his personal life like his love for Asian boy toys and his role in the kink community. His own openness has created somewhat of a subculture for this particular brand of storytelling. Even established acts like Janeane Garofalo, Marc Maron and Simon Amstell have found their way on to previous episodes.

Allison himself is a charismatic presenter who displays a fantastic amount of enthusiasm for every storyteller and live show, which I'm sure is the least he can do, but it makes for a better podcast if the presenter introduces a theme, song, story or subject that they are genuinely passionate about. It's this enthusiasm that has garnered Risk! a great deal of success both in terms of its downloads and listens and its overall critical success as you can be certain that any countdown list of "The top 10 podcasts you MUST listen to this summer" by Buzzfeed or Vice will be sure to include Risk!

It is because of this success that Risk! still garners a lot of enthusiasm from its participants and its audience that has allowed it to get to 643 episodes and counting. A monumental achievement considering podcasting itself is a fairly new format.

I highly recommend Risk! as it is a first class podcast in terms of its subject matter, its atmosphere and even for its production which is fantastic. The only downside is that like WTF, past episodes are not available for free but if there is any podcast worth paying for, this podcast would be very high on that very short exclusive list. Bottom line is that people are inherently interesting and this is evident in the previously mentioned storytelling podcasts but Risk! is distinct and it should be celebrated and held in as high regard as any podcast around.