Necessary & Sufficient

The thing I really love about Evan's discussions with guests--on topics ranging from baking soda to chickens--is that they never falls into the trap of being too factual and impersonal. There's always a little give and take as guests realise they know way more about the surprise topics than they ever gave themselves credit for. It's wonderful to hear them warming to each topic, guided by the soothing tones of Forman. Really great project and podcast. :)

[Full disclosure: I've appeared as a gues... more

Forman has such a fun & refreshing approach to the conversation of two seemingly similar words. None of his guests are pretentious & I always find myself thinking about the discussion long after it’s over. High five!

Parsing out the distinctions between related concepts was a skill beaten into my brain from a young age by my English professor parents, so I appreciate where this show is coming from. I love to hear humanities types talk ruminate on high-falutin' ideas, art theory in particular, so I'm definitely a committed listener and recommend that you become one, too.

I've listened to three of the podcasts and they are interesting, but--and this may not reflect his real personality at all, or his intentions--at points the host comes across as trying to showcase his own depth and thoughtfulness via the conversations with his guests. Additionally, I've tried to play several more episodes but have encountered errors every time. I've never had this happen with other podcasts.

necessary & sufficient is the podcast i wait most longingly for every week. it would be an oversimplification to say it's just two people talking about two words since evan does such a great job preparing open ended and engaging questions, but the conversations are so natural it does seem like two people are just chatting.

Evan Foreman is a critical and entertaining host that picks apart topics that at first seem banal but are full of rich possibilities. Each guest receives an envelope with two words (that they open at the beginning of the show) and then together - the host and guest dig into the topic. Smart, weird, nerdy, and fun - the podcasts are great for thinking about concepts/words/ideas we take for granted.

Great selection of guests that really engage the oft esoteric and ofter entertaining discussions.

Like so many things in life, I wade into each episode of N&S with trepidation. Though some thrill me off the bat, the episode titles often seem to hold little promise.

But man, I urge you to click and listen, because the devil is in the details.

Evan Forman mines the corners of each pair of concepts, extracting the gems with the help of a stream of erudite, witty, well-spoken guests, each hand-picked for their topic. The concepts range from the arcane to the banal, and each exploration leave... more

Not sure what search terms I entered to find this podcast, but have had lots of fun listening in on Evan and his guests. It's a unique format where the guests take time to flesh out ideas and terms which we might otherwise think are interchangeable. The topics are often high-minded, but the host/guests are never pretentious. Yay.

This is a great little podcast - discussing words and how they relate ot one another. Evan has a gtreat voice, and a sharp mind - he and his guests manage to wheedle as much meaning out of these words as possible. Fascinating, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Forman sends his guest two words in an envelope and engages them in conversation about the ideas they conjure. Many guests are his friends so there is an existing rapport, and in some cases Forman uses his guest as an opportunity to talk about ideas he's already considered. This is somewhat sly, in that his guests don't have any time to prepare and the hook is looking for their extemporaneous response. The conversations are engaging, smart, and a pleasant starting point for interesting dialogues... more