We live in a celebrity-obsessed culture so I’m hesitant to come up with any reasons you should be paying more attention to celebrities talking about their lives. But there are three reasons I bring this up.

1. You probably listen to celebrity interviews anyway because we all do, so why not listen to the best?

2. Most celebrities aren’t born into the “hollywood elite” whatever you take that to be. Most are normal people (often from the midwest) who pursued a dream far enough that it took them all the way to wherever they’ve ended up.

3. You may have heard the critique that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. I think there’s a lot of truth to that which can be sobering to many of us when we consider how the mindsets of those around us end up affecting our own. That’s why I try to occasionally indulge myself in interviews with successful people or people whose lifestyle/virtues/accomplishments/relationships I admire. And a great way to do that is through the podcasting medium.

WTF with Marc Maron
WTF with Marc Maron is a weekly podcast hosted by stand-up comedian Marc Maron. If you don’t know his name, you’ll likely recognize him as the burnout director Sam Sylvia from Netflix’s hit series GLOW. Maron’s LONGform podcast (anywhere from an hour to three hours) is a beloved treasure with a loyal following and excellent interviews. You may remember the first podcast interview done with a sitting U.S. President was when President Obama came to Maron’s garage to record his podcast last year. I would consider this podcast the mainstream standard of celebrity podcast interviews.

Crybabies
Here’s how much a cryer I am: while listening to the Pina Colada song on a roadtrip with my girlfriend, I made fun of a mutual friend who’d recently posted a video of herself crying after realizing the lyrics to the song for the first time, (“How basic” etc.) only to find myself crying by the end of the song myself. So…yeah. Anyway, Crybabies is hosted by Susan Orlean and Sarah Thyre as they bring on artists to talk about the works of art, songs, movies, books, and YouTube videos that make them teary-eyed. It’s a great podcast since most of the guests are very self-deprecating and humorous about the whole ordeal, but they also play excerpts from the chosen pieces and a lot of people end up crying. Definitely worth checking out.

Here’s The Thing with Alec Baldwin
Who doesn’t love to hear Alec Baldwin talk? Here’s The Thing is a collection of unpretentious interviews with artists, policy makers and performers as Baldwin seeks to hear their stories and find out what inspires their creations, what decisions changed their careers, and what relationships influenced their work. Plus you have the soothing voice of Jack Donaghy the whole time.

Anna Faris is Unqualified
If it seems like every not-quite-A-List actor is hosting their own podcast these days…you’re right. They are. What makes Anna Faris’ podcast unique is the way she chooses to conduct it: she brings in famous celebrities to talk about their actual lives for a bit and then the two of them take relationship questions from callers. It’s a unique window into what I’m sure was the initial appeal of Twitter inasmuch as people can glimpse the true personality of a celebrity as they honestly try to lend someone some advice. Plus, it’s real people calling in and interacting. Previous episodes have included lovely interruptions from Anna and Chris Pratt’s son Jack in addition to a breakdown of how people make relationships work at that upper echelon of Hollywood. The podcast has been such a hit that Faris recently landed a book deal about some of the conversations she’s had on the podcast.

Off-Camera with Sam Jones
Coming from a guy you’ve undoubtedly never heard of, Off-Camera is surprising one of the best celebrity interview venues—hands down. Sam Jones has spent a career as one of the top photographers for magazines like Rolling Stone, GQ, and Vanity Fair and decided to pivot his personal connections to all the incredible artists, musicians, and skateboarders into his own unique interview series. When it first began, Off-Camera was the first interview series where the guests never had anything to promote; they just were there to chat. Jones’ research and personal interview style ends up provoking thoughtful interviews as generally press-averse celebrities open up about the turning points in their career. Personal favorites of mine include John Krasinski talking about the audition process of “The Office” and Matt Damon talking about the mindf*ck he experienced of being a regular guy who suddenly became famous overnight.