I’m not a fan of podcasts. I’ve tried, I really have. But I struggle to stomach self-appointed gurus full of empty words, life advice and nonsense. People who need two hours to say something they could have said in a couple of minutes. And even then, it often turns out they’ve said nothing at all. Clearly, I’m not the target audience for all these experts on success, happiness, entrepreneurship and life in general, convinced that the world needs to hear their opinion. But the other day I came across the podcast The Curse of the Good Villas on Val 202.
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And I devoured every episode released so far in one go. No skipping, no speeding up the playback and, above all, no sense that someone was wasting my time. Quite the opposite. When an episode ended, I wanted more. If you don’t happen to listen to podcasts, you can also hear it on Sundays on Val 202. At 8 pm.
Some of you may remember the iconic Good Villas advert from the previous millennium. Whoever is behind this project is probably a bloody good judge of the human soul, because they know how to keep listeners pinned to the car seat or the sofa at home, until you forget you need the loo or have to pick up the children from nursery.
The story begins in 1999, when twelve Slovenians win a lifelong monthly annuity of 100,000 tolars. Every month, for the rest of their lives. Erik Vrtačnik, a freelance investigative journalist, takes us into the story as he tries to unravel the mystery, travelling around Slovenia, seeking out interviewees and piecing the story together. And this is where the thing that impressed me begins. The storytelling, the dramatic structure, the sound, and the feeling that you’re listening to a proper piece of investigative journalism. The kind that makes you want to know what really happened.
One more interesting detail. The Curse of the Good Villas is not a conventional documentary investigation, but a scripted podcast made in the form of a mockumentary. Fiction rooted in real events and using the narrative devices of documentary journalism. Which means that not everything we hear is a real investigation into actual deaths. That’s precisely where its charm lies. The story is constructed so convincingly that, at times, you have to remind yourself you’re listening to fiction. Or are you?
A good podcast clearly doesn’t need drawn-out conversations, familiar faces and guests who are in a different studio every other week, saying the same things. It needs a good story, an idea, excellent execution and, above all, respect for the listener. Don’t underestimate them. Don’t sell them a fog.
I’m especially pleased that this kind of production is being made under the umbrella of public broadcaster Radio Slovenija. The Curse of the Good Villas is one of the projects selected through Radio Slovenija’s call for external authors and producers. Clearly, it’s possible here too to make something different, fresh and, above all, engaging. Something that can stand alongside foreign audio productions without the slightest embarrassment.
I’m not going to reveal any details, because that would spoil the pleasure of listening. But I can say that The Curse of the Good Villas reminded me how powerful radio can be when someone understands what it means to tell a story. No images, no video, none of the endless visual effects. Just sound, imagination and a story that draws you in.
If you haven’t yet listened to The Curse of the Good Villas, I recommend it. I can’t wait for the next instalment. That is probably the greatest compliment a podcast can get from someone who generally doesn’t listen to podcasts.
Bravo, Val 202. This is #top! Here’s the link to the Good Villas, or rather their curse – https://val202.rtvslo.si/podkast/prekletstvo-dobrih-vil/173252171