In his independent podcast Human/Ordinary, Sam Loy tackles ‘stories about our culture, our relationships, and the extraordinary feat of being alive’.

Each episode (ranging from 20-40 minutes) is a piece of gonzo audio documentary, with Sam directing his microphone towards tense and complex situations between people often at loggerheads. Sam is a dry, no-nonsense host, and doesn’t seem to bat an eyelid through some gruesome and uncomfortable scenes.

(Nerd note: upon hearing an excerpt of one of Sam’s unfinished stories, This American Life host Ira Glass described the writing as ‘spectacular’.)

Human/Ordinary looks at the messiness of people figuring out how to be, and finds that extraordinary stories can come from ordinary origins.