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Slate Podcasts

New York Times critic Dwight Garner says “The Slate Culture Gabfest is one of the highlights of my week.” The award-winning Culturefest features critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner debating the week in culture, from highbrow to pop. For more of Slate’s culture podcasts, check out the Slate Culture feed.Want more Culture Gabfest? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Culture Gabfest show page. Or, visit slate.com/cultureplus to get access wherever you listen.
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Culture Gabfest

Hark, the holiday season is upon us—and with it the most solemn of festive traditions: a gift guide! In this video and podcast special, Slate hosts Dana Stevens, Chris Molanphy, and Willa Paskin beam-in from their collective hearths to deliver unto the internet their favorite gifts for culture lovers this holiday. In addition to sharing gifts, they also discuss the cultural artifact that is the “holiday gift guide,” and its history going back to the early 20th century, up to the modern day. See the entirety of the 1910 gift guide Our Special Holiday Gift-Book from Greenhut-Siegel Cooper, and Esquire’s ultra-mod gift guide from 1961. 

Check out our gift recommendations below: 

Dana Stevens’ Cozy Movie Night-In: 

 
The Salbree Collapsible Silicone Microwave Popcorn Popper & Amish Country Popcorn
 
L'agraty Chunky Knit Blanket Throw
 
The Adventures of Antoine Doinel, The Criterion Collection Box Set

Chris Molanphy’s Hit Parade Collection: 

 
The Beatles’ Revolver CD Box Set
 
Mad Men Blu-Ray Box Set 
 
Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year, by Michaelangelo Matos

Willa Paskin’s Fruit-Themed Trompe-l'œil Housewares:

 
Cantaloupe-shaped bowls in the style of Bordallo Pinheiro
 
4-Pack Orange-Shaped Candle Stocking Stuffer
 
Cherry-Shaped Toilet Brush

 

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The Slate Culture Gift Guide

This is a special preview of this week's Slate Plus episode. To get the full episode, another one like it every single week, and unlimited reading on Slate.com, subscribe to slate plus at Slate.com/cultureplus and help us keep the lights on. 

When you have Jad Abumrad in the studio, you don’t let him leave without squeezing as much quality audio from him as possible. So, inspired by Jad’s own natural curiosity, we dedicated our bonus episode this week to responding to one of the foremost practitioners of American radio’s questions about our little ol’ show. What follows is a wide-ranging conversation between Julia, Dana, Steve, and Jad about the current cultural landscape, the role of criticism, and the vital need for art in a time of inhumane political realities.

 

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Slate Plus Preview: Jad Abumrad Inquires How We Make the Gabfest

On this week’s show, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion sits in for Julia Turner. First, the hosts examine Dahomey, an audacious new documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Mati Diop (Atlantics.)‌ With a one hour, eight minute run time, Dahomey is an incredibly rich text in a very small package, and contemplates the repatriation of 26 royal treasures plundered from the Kingdom of Dahomey as they journey back to their homeland, which now lies within the Republic of Benin.

Then, the three dive into Netflix’s Death, Let Me Do My Special, a one-woman show performed and written by Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.)‌ The special is perceptive, macabre, and whimsical, as Bloom reflects on the pandemic years and the loss of her close friend and collaborator, Adam Schlesinger. Finally, what is Mark Zuckerberg wearing?‌ That is the question Brendon Holder asks in a recent Substack essay and that is bewildering the panel. Is the Meta CEO simply trying to beat the dweeb allegations through oversized t-shirts and a boyish haircut? Or is there something more sinister going on here?

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the role TV plays in their lives, inspired by a recent mega-article published by GQ, “How to Watch TV.” 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Dana:‌ The AOC‌ and Tim Walz Twitch stream, specifically, the moment when Walz calls Tony Hinchcliffe a “jackwad” following a racist comment. 

Rebecca:‌ The Voyage Home by Pat Parker.

Stephen:‌ Todd Gitlin’s 2001 essay, “Unsafe in any state.”

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

 

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Can Stolen Artifacts Return Time?‌

On this week’s show, the panel falls for Anora, a new movie from writer-director Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project) that’s as arrestingly tender as it is sexy, funny, and unpredictable. The whirlwind Cinderella story won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, and will likely become an Oscar frontrunner due to its star-making performances and humanistic depiction of life on the margins and sex work. One host calls it “the best American movie in the past 25 years.” 

Then, the three discuss Matlock, a gender-swapped reboot on CBS starring Kathy Bates. With huge viewership numbers and decent critical success, is the quirky legal procedural proof that network television is so, so back?‌‌ Finally, our trio turns their attention to Hearing Things, a new site for independent music journalism run (and owned by) a group of former Pitchfork writers.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the hosts explore their thoughts and feelings about Halloween costumes. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Steve:‌ “Two Don Quixote Lyrics”‌ by W. H. Auden.

Julia:‌‌ Hampton Heights, an excellent novel by Supreme Friend of the Pod (SFOP)‌ Dan Kois.

Dana:‌ In honor of her new oven, a recipe for Roasted Cod and Potatoes. Also in honor of Dana’s recent appliance upgrade, an oven recipe from Julia and Stephen respectively:‌ Sheet-Pan Sausages and Brussels Sprouts With Honey Mustard and Roasted Kale and Sweet Potatoes With Eggs.

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. 

Disclosure: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anora Pole Dances to The Oscars

On this week’s show, Julia and Stephen are joined by Slate writer and senior editor, Sam Adams. Why do we tell fictional stories about real people?‌ The panel ponders this question as they discuss two biopics: The Apprentice and Saturday Night. The Apprentice is an uncanny portrait of Donald Trump, a young striver under the tutelage – and spell – of his mentor, Roy Cohn. But does the film offer any new information or ideas? Saturday Night, on the other hand, is the often obnoxious tale of the frenetic 90-minute countdown before Saturday Night Live’s first broadcast in 1975. Finally, the panel is joined by The Atlantic staff writer Charlie Warzel to discuss his recent and prescient piece, “I’m Running Out of Ways to Explain How Bad This Is.”

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses f*cking profanity, a conversation inspired by a listener question from Jonathan. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Sam: Separated, a documentary by Errol Morris. (Read Sam’s review here.)

Julia: Ten, Nine, Eight, a wonderful children’s book by Molly Bang. 

Steve: Laura Miller’s book review of Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell for Slate. 

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does The Apprentice Make Trump Sympathetic?

On this week’s show, Dana and Stephen are joined by Supreme Friend of the Podcast (SFOP) Isaac Butler, author of The Method:‌ How the Twentieth Century Learned to‌ Act. The trio first explores The Wild Robot, DreamWork Animation’s handcrafted, lovingly made film that’s the surprise of the year. Lupita Nyong’o voices ROZ, an old-fashioned robot powered by supremely advanced A.I. who must learn about and adapt to her new wild surroundings.

Then, they dissect Nobody Wants This, a new Netflix series starring Kristen Bell (who plays a sex podcaster) and Adam Brody as a hot rabbi. Although there are obvious charms, the show’s “will they, won’t they” rom-com beats can often feel, at best, gratingly familiar, and at worst, bizarre and unthoughtful, particularly in its portrayal of Jewish women. 

Finally, the Criterion Collection, is “a catalog so synonymous with cinematic achievement that it has come to function as a kind of film Hall of Fame,” writes Joshua Hunt for The New York Times. The panel dives into the wonderful world of ‘Closet Picks,’ a viral video format in which celebrities and movie buffs head into the Criterion Collection stockroom and pluck high-quality DVDs and Blu-rays off its shelves while explaining their personal significance. 

Also mentioned in this episode:‌

 • “
The Wild Robot Has an Intelligence That’s Anything But Artificial • ” by Dana Stevens for Slate.
 • “
‘Nobody Wants This’ Pits Jewish Women Against ‘Shiksas.’ Nobody Wins. • ” By Jessica Grose for The New York Times.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel extols the joys of being on the ground. Inspired by Chris Black’s column for GQ, “How I Learned to Love a Layover,” the trio discusses how they spend their time in airports. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Dana:‌ “Abbas Kiarostami’s Childhood Films,”‌ a collection of 17 films by the renowned Iranian filmmaker made about or for children.

Isaac:‌ The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, directed by Isao Takahata.

Stephen:‌ “The Song That Connects Jackson Browne, Nico and Margot Tenenbaum”‌ by Bob Mehr for The New York Times.

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. 

 

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The Wild Robot’s Big Heart

On this week’s show, the hosts are joined by a very special fourth panelist: Wesley Morris, a critic at The New York Times and the host of The Wonder of Stevie, a new podcast on Audible. First, the quartet explores The Substance, a lurid, monstrous body horror flick by writer-director Coralie Fargeat. Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading Hollywood icon who is so repulsed by the idea of aging, that she purchase a black-market drug known as “the substance.”‌ The film caused a commotion at Cannes this year, where audience members reportedly walked out in disgust and the remaining crowd gave it a 13-minute standing ovation. Then, the panel dives into The Wonder of Stevie with its host. The new six-part Audible series explores the career of Stevie Wonder and “uncovers the untold story of an extraordinary artistic journey that shaped the greatest creative era in popular music history.”‌ On the show, Wesley is joined by guests including Barack and Michelle Obama, Questlove, Smokey Robinson, and more. Finally, the hosts discuss A.I. slop and the onslaught of online garbage and language model detritus. This conversation was inspired by Max Read’s piece for New York Magazine, “Drowning in Slop.”‌

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Wesley Morris sticks around for a classic Slate spoiler special, and joins the hosts in dissecting The Substance and the film’s controversial, bloody, and borderline nauseating third act. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Dana: Stevie Wonder and Gilbert Gil performing live in Brazil in 1995.

Julia:‌ Today on Trail, Rusty Foster’s spin-off newsletter miniseries about hiking the Appalachian Trail with his son.

Stephen:‌ British singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya’s album, My Method Actor.

Wesley: Vote for your favorite songs of the past 25 years, and add to WXPN radio’s definitive list of the “885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century.”‌

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

Disclosure: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Demi Moore Gives Substance to The Substance

On this week’s show, June Thomas (co-host of Slate’s Working podcast and the author of A Place of Our Own) sits in for Julia Turner. The panel first explores The Bear, now in its third season, and questions whether Christopher Storer’s beast has become too self-aware. Then, they discuss Fancy Dance, a profoundly moving film by Native writer-director Erica Tremblay starring Lily Gladstone that’s equal parts road movie, crime procedural, and family drama. Finally, the trio dives deep into their personal relationships with app culture, inspired by Mark Hill’s essay for Slate, “I’m Tired of Using An App For Everything.”

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a listener question from James: “As you get older, how do you keep yourself open to new interests, experiences, and ideas? To put it negatively, how do you avoid becoming an old crank?”

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

June: A particularly moving video that's making the rounds on social media, in which a large crowd of supporters gather at Carmarthen Railway in Wales to send off Plaid's Anne Davies and sing her the Welsh national anthem. 

Steve: "I Know It's Over" by The Smiths. 

Dana: Patti Smith reading Fernando Pessoa (or to be more precise, Álvaro de Campos) at the Casa Fernando Pessoa museum in Lisbon. 

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. 

Hosts

Dana Stephens, June Thomas, Stephen Metcalf

 

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Has The Bear Jumped the Shark?

On this week’s episode, the panel is first joined by Slate’s music critic, Carl Wilson, to puzzle over The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift’s much-anticipated 11th studio album. Stuffed with 31 tracks, the two-part album is a departure from the billionaire pop star’s otherwise perfectly crafted oeuvre: it’s messy and drippy, and at times, manic and frenetic. Is this secretly a cry for help? And more importantly, when did she find the time to record this thing? Then, the three explore Fallout, a post-apocalyptic drama series adapted from the extremely popular role-playing video game of the same name. Executive produced by Jonathan Nolan (Westworld, Person of Interest) and streaming on Prime Video, Fallout certainly achieves a high level of immersive world-building, but do the stories and characters fare the same? Finally, Becca Rothfeld, the Washington Post’s non-fiction book critic, joins to discuss her triumphant first book, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess, in which she rebukes the culture’s affinity for minimalism and makes the case for living in a maximalist world. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, it’s part two of the Ambition versus Contentment discussion (courtesy of a listener question from Gretel): How should a parent approach cultivating ambition in a child, if at all? The hosts discuss. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Outro music: "Ruins (Instrumental Version)" by Origo

Endorsements:

Dana: The Teacher’s Lounge, a film by German-Turkish director Ilker Çatak. It was a Best International Film nominee at the 96th Academy Awards. (Also, Ebertfest in Champaign, Illinois!)

Julia: Kristen Wiig’s Jumanji sketch on Saturday Night Live, inspired by Dana. 

Stephen: The British band Jungle, introduced to him by his daughter. A few favorite songs: “Back on 74,” “Dominoes,” and “All of the Time.” 

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. 

Hosts

Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf

 

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Taylor Swift’s Messy Maximalism

From our friends at Life and Art, a culture podcast of the Financial Times:

This week, we return to an old comfort classic: the 2003 Nancy Meyers romcom Something’s Gotta Give, starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. In it, two middle-aged people fall in love, but only after one heart attack, two younger lovers, some unexpected midnight pancakes and ample bickering. Does the movie still work today? How has the way we depict aging in film changed? And do we miss Nancy Meyers movies? Joining host Lilah Raptopoulos is comedian Negin Farsad, host of the podcast Fake the Nation, and FT senior corporate finance correspondent Eric Platt. This is one of his favourite movies.

https://podcasts.apple.com/lu/podcast/life-and-art-from-ft-weekend/id1179847741

 

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Life and Art, from FT Weekend: Comfort Watch: Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner take on the film Precious, the novel Black Dogs (about the fall of communism) and the nauseating, exploitative menace otherwise known as cute.
 

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Slate: The Culture Gabfest, Cute vs. Evil Edition

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