Ty Listens to The "Ear Hustle" Podcast

Entering season 6, “Ear Hustle” is finding a great groove and is becoming one of the best podcasts available.

I was late to this pod. I heard one of the co hosts, Earlonne Woods, on a different pod a few years back and decided then that I was going to listen. I gobbled up the previous seasons. When I started listening, Woods was still in jail. They did, and still do, stories of what life is like inside San Quentin. I was fascinated. I never really dug this deep into prison life stories. I have watched movies and TV shows, but those were all hyper superficial. It was the cliché stuff. Shows like “Orange is the New Black” and “Oz” seemed like a good representation to me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. There is violence and very crazy stuff that happens in prison, but not like the Hollywood version according to these prisoners. Life seemed boring and pretty redundant. It seemed very structured and very quiet, for the most part. There were stories from certain people who dealt with abuse and violence inside, but those were few and far between. I thought this was interesting. It gave me a new outlook.

Earlonne Woods eventually got released, and that’s when this pod took an even bigger leap, and it really soared. They still have a person inside, he goes by the nickname New York, and we still get stories from the inside, but with Woods out, we are getting stories about prisoners that have been released. That’s equally fascinating. Some are doing well, others are struggling a bit and some are back in jail. There’s a few great stories about these guys. There’s one about a guy who got a job as a trash collector in a strip mall in San Francisco. The job doesn’t sound glamorous, but the way the gentleman describes it, you’d think he was a head honcho at a big corporation. He was thrilled to be doing something on the outside. There was another one, a sad one, about an addict who keeps relapsing and keeps ending up back in jail. Mind you we are still getting stories about guys in jail. There’s been excellent ones about music, taking care of animals, letters and the food. When the pandemic hit I thought that might have been the end, but they kept at it and kept making new episodes. They all had to be about guys who were released, but they also found new angles. There is an episode about kids who stay at a camp where they have incarcerated parents. That was powerful. They did a cooking competition. That was fun. They found ways to keep doing it and do it well.

They have released the first two episodes of season 6, and both are excellent. The first was them catching up with a few former guests. They were also able to get a mic back inside and have New York talk to people. The most recent episode was about visits in the age of COVID. It was eye opening.

This pod just gets better and better with each new season. I look forward to listening to “Ear Hustle” more than the other pods I regularly listen to. I highly recommend checking it out. Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods are great hosts, and New York does fine work as well. Check this pod out. You will really enjoy it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Listens to the Podcast "Ear Hustle"

Awhile back on the podcast I mentioned that I was currently getting caught up on a different podcast called "Ear Hustle". today I got totally caught up, and I have to tell you, this is one of the best, most informative, eye opening and true story telling I have ever listened to.

I was first interested in this particular pod when I heard one of the co hosts, Earlonne Woods, on another podcast I enjoy called "Without Fail". Hearing his story, hearing how they got "Ear Hustle" started, hearing how he was doing now that, spoiler alert, he has been released from jail, I was totally in for it all. I then heard that his other co host was a visual artist and a volunteer at the prison named Nigel Poor. I looked her stuff up, I thought she seemed cool, so I immediately subscribed later that day to "Ear Hustle".

It took me awhile to get going, I do listen to tons of other stuff, but once I got started, I just could not stop listening. I would try to listen to at least three episodes a day. The episodes are no more than 45 minutes long, so while this wasn't too hard, I do have two younger kids, so I had to find free time to listen. I would listen on runs, during races, on my way to play basketball or during quiet time in my house. I was, and still am, hooked.

The stories are so real because they come from real inmates. They are personal. They are dark. Some are funny at times. Both Nigel and Earlonne are excellent hosts. They really know how to talk to one another and other people. The new co host who comes in season four, after Earlonne was released from prison, he calls himself New York, is just as good as the other two. This show knows exactly what it is doing, and they do it so damn well.

There are so many things I have learned, as a suburban white dude, about prison that I have never thought. I have also found out that a lot of the urban legends about prison are pretty far fetched. But also, there are still some things that ring true. Prison seems boring and repetitive. It seems dour. People do get sick and tired of doing the same thing all the time. Well, some people do. Others appreciate the structure, or at the very least, they need it. One of the biggest things I have gotten out of this show is that these prisoners, some who have done some heinous things, are people, and they are capable of rehabilitating themselves. Earlonne was arrested for armed robbery, and I respect him and his story more than people who have never served time. Some of the guys that come on and talk about their stories, what they did was awful, but I feel empathy for the ones that sound like they have changed. I just listened to an episode about a guy that got off death row, and he really seems like he has changed for the better. The season four finale was a harrowing story of anger, violence, forgiveness and redemption. It nearly brought me to tears. While still in prison, the stories Earlonne and Nigel told, and had people tell them, were wonderful and eye opening. I feared that may change when Earlonne got released, but New York kept the stories from the inside going, and having Earlonne talk to guys that got out, and how they are doing now, it is a great blend.

"Ear Hustle" is one of the best put together podcasts that is out there right now. It is also one of the most original, and coolest ideas for a podcast. After getting caught up, I have told my wife that I am inclined to go and volunteer my time at a prison. I don't know what I would do, but I want to do something because this show has made me realize that I have something to offer, and I shouldn't shy away from prisoners. They are people. People who made terrible choices, but people nonetheless. I am so excited for season five, and I don't have to wait too long. It comes back early March, the 5th I want to say, and you better believe that I will be waiting with bated breath.

I cannot recommend "Ear Hustle" enough. It is truly wonderful.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.