Cloves and Fedoras: "The Habitat" is a Must Listen Podcast
/
Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture. Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.
I just recently finished a podcast that was recommended to me by my wife called "Habitat". It was amazing. I was so intrigued by this show.
The podcast is a true story about 6 people that are sent to live a habitat that is meant to simulate if/when we send astronauts to me Mars. The selection of the people, their life before the habitat, their time in the habitat, the explanation of the habitat, the fights, the romance, their life after the habitat, and what they are doing now, it was all so wonderfully done.
My wife just told me about it on Monday, and I finished it all today. Now, there are only 7 episodes, and none of them clock in any longer than 32 minutes. I love that about this podcast. They got their story in, and they got it in tight. I appreciate that stuff. The story was truly amazing. It was a story that I know find myself asking how I would react in their situation.
So, without spoiling much, "Habitat" is about 6 people that are selected to live in a room that is the size of half a tennis court to simulate what life would be like for astronauts if they ever go to Mars. The people picked are not astronauts, rather people who may have had dreams of being one. But, they are hyper athletic people and they are outgoing and very smart. While listening, you get that from the way they speak and interact. What I really liked about the show was how these people, who figured they would become best of friends throughout this experience, really showed their true colors even before they were put into the habitat. They go on a hike in the very first episode, and they are immediately bickering with each other and already taking sides. They are already forming cliques, and they haven't even stepped foot into the tiny space all 6 of them will share for the next year. I like that because that is so true. Taking 6 random people, who have their own interests and ways about going about their day, then jamming them in a room that is so tiny will cause tension. It is just the human way. Of course after getting into the habitat, the stuff from the hike continued to rear its ugly head. People paired off. People talked badly about other people. People passed judgement on one another. People did things that made other people annoyed and angry. In a way, it was kind of nice to see these hyper athletic, super smart people have the same problems that regular everyday people have.
I have been imagining myself in this scenario, as I said, and I know for a fact that I wouldn't be able to make it the whole year. Give me 5 random strangers that I don't know, I am bound to find a problem I have with at least one of them and just focus on that for 365 days. An example, one of the people on "Habitat" bring their didgeridoo, calls it a "dige", and plays it loudly from time to time. That would drive me nuts. There is another person who is constantly playing his ukulele, and while it sounds nice on the podcast, I put myself in that room, and that would boil my blood after awhile. There is another guy that announces everything he does at every moment. Again, I would go bonkers. But that is one of the many reasons I loved the podcast. It was true and it was real. These were real people that had real problems.
Another thing I liked was how they were forced to live like astronauts. That meant that they had to eat, dress, use the restroom, clean and take exceptional care of themselves the whole time. They also had to do all the mundane stuff that astronauts have to do, like list the foods they ate, and what they do at every moment when they were able to go out in full space gear. That was cool too, getting to hear these people talk about, and complain about how bizarre and weird it was to wear these space suits. Most of the 6 involved had grand ideas about being an astronaut, but after living through "Habitat", they all seemed to come to the conclusion that it is a lonely and boring job. The episode where they focus strictly on the suits was tremendous.
I was fully into this show from start to finish. I loved every moment. I feel like it is a better version of the first season of "Serial", which I thought was great. The host, Lynn, has a great way of speaking on mic, and she seems like a great journalist. I highly recommend this show for everyone. I'm not much for science and space exploration, but "Habitat" is more of a human story than a space story. But, there is still a good amount of space talk, and I learned a ton of things I never knew before. Go listen to "Habitat". It is a very, very good podcast.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was already to join the habitat, until they told him no Michigan football for a year. That is too much to give up.
Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.
SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.