Jad Abumrad loves a butterfly knife and a good springy pillow
News Source
β’2026-10-17T10:30:00-04:00
π° What Happened
The Verge runs a weekend questionnaire asking people about the tools and gadgets they use. This week's guest is Jad Abumrad, the creator of Radiolab and host of Dolly Parton's America and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man.
He picks a flat, springy travel pillow as his most indispensable tool, and says he hates the giant fluffy hotel pillows. For apps, he loves the Fantastical calendar and a 15-year-old audio app called Granite. His favorite gadgets are a 1997 flip phone and a butterfly knife.
π The Backstory
Radiolab started as an experimental NPR show and helped change what a podcast could sound like. Instead of two people chatting, it told reported stories with original music and cinematic sound, much of it made by Abumrad himself.
He left Radiolab in 2022, handing it to Latif Nasser and Lulu Miller. Since then he has composed for film, theater and dance, and he teaches at Vanderbilt University.
π― Why It Matters
It is a look at how a celebrated audio maker actually works day to day, and a reminder that simple tools and good sleep still matter more than flashy tech.
The Verge runs a weekend questionnaire asking people about the tools and gadgets they use. This week's guest is Jad Abumrad, the creator of Radiolab and host of Dolly Parton's America and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man.
He picks a flat, springy travel pillow as his most indispensable tool, and says he hates the giant fluffy hotel pillows. For apps, he loves the Fantastical calendar and a 15-year-old audio app called Granite. His favorite gadgets are a 1997 flip phone and a butterfly knife.
Radiolab started as an experimental NPR show and helped change what a podcast could sound like. Instead of two people chatting, it told reported stories with original music and cinematic sound, much of it made by Abumrad himself.
He left Radiolab in 2022, handing it to Latif Nasser and Lulu Miller. Since then he has composed for film, theater and dance, and he teaches at Vanderbilt University.
It is a look at how a celebrated audio maker actually works day to day, and a reminder that simple tools and good sleep still matter more than flashy tech.