Dan is definitely a bit long-winded at times, but for me, podcasts work best when the person behind the mic has a real persona that you can relate to. I tune in to Dan Carlin because he's a smart, insightful guy, but I also just love to listen to him talk and feel that I am connecting to someone when I do. To that end, I actually enjoy the intros and asides as much as the historical content of the episode!

I feel that Ira Glass (This American Life), Jad Abumrad (Radiolab) and Roman Mars (99 Percent Invisible) all have this same effect.