Slow Burn and Dolly Parton’s America

It is easier to spot differences and similarities when it comes to listening to music; however, it is a difficult task when listening to podcasts. Slow Burn, hosted by Joel Anderson, talks about the murders of hip-hop’s most influential artists, the Notorious B.I.G and Tupac, while Dolly Parton’s America, hosted by Jad Abumrad, describes different parts of Parton’s iconic life. While both the podcasts productions are very similar and are based on musicians, the podcasts have different types of narratives and interviewing questions.

Without an organized production, the podcast wouldn’t be as successful. Luckily in both Slow Burn and Dolly Parton’s America, they had a production value that was captivating throughout the season. For example, in Slow Burn, they played the artist’s music and explained lyrics that correlated with what happened in the singer’s life. With the artist’s music in the transitions and the editing, both podcasts allowed Tupac, Biggie, and Dolly’s stories to come to life.  

When brainstorming an idea for a podcast, one of the most important steps is coming up with a topic. In the previous seasons of Slow Burn, the topics were political, discussing events like the Watergate scandal and Clinton’s impeachment. However, in the third season, they discussed the mysterious deaths of Tupac and Biggie. When it came to Dolly Parton’s America, covering Dolly Parton as one of music’s greatest artists was the perfect topic. Understanding Dolly’s life and understanding the murders of Tupac and Biggie prove to be essential themes that music lovers will enjoy.

In a podcast, the most essential part is storytelling. In Slow Burn, Anderson began each podcast with a story about either Tupac or Biggie; then, it included real-life recordings of the event. Afterwards, Anderson interviewed friends of Biggie or Tupac to see what their point of view was. However, in Dolly Parton’s America, it jumped straight into the interview with Dolly. When Dolly discussed a major event, like writing her song, “I Will Always Love You” or her relationship with her father, it transitioned to old recordings of Dolly talking about the event. Abumrad followed up to see if her perspective on the experience changed. The narratives in each podcast are unique to themselves and made the listening amusing.

In both podcasts, the hosts used different interviewing techniques with different sources. In Slow Burn, Anderson interviewed people like Easy Moo Bee, Danny Boy Steward, and Chico del Vec. Anderson made sure to ask the intriguing questions about the nights leading up to their deaths and their actual death day. It was harder for Anderson to understand the truth because he wasn’t able to interview Tupac and Biggie. Meanwhile, in Dolly Parton’s America, Abumrad had Parton answer all the intriguing questions regarding her music career, friendship with Kenny Rogers, and personal life. Although the questions were different, both hosts acquired the information they needed to make an engaging podcast. 

In conclusion, In Slow Burn, hosted by Joel Anderson, and in Dolly Parton’s America, hosted by Jad Abumrad, the podcasts displayed different narratives and interviewing techniques; however, they had similar productions and are based off of music’s icons. When breaking apart the podcasts, it was easier to understand what makes a podcast engaging or repetitive.