Culture Gabfest

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison are joined by Buzzfeed’s Scaachi Koul to discuss her recent piece, “Why Bo Burnham, Jenna Marbles, and Shane Dawson All Logged Off.” They talk about the cesspool that is YouTube fandom, how precisely Bo Burnham articulates the problems of constant internet consumption, and the three ways logging off may be possible: deleting your content, apologizing a lot, and getting a Netflix special. Plus, a short explanation of the online phrase touch some grass. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.  Shane Ferro, former economics journalist and current public defender, stops by to talk about how Magic Mike is a film about the gig economy and the precarity of freelance work in a post Great Recession world.  Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you can binge the whole season of Decoder Ring right now, plus ad free podcasts, bonus episodes, and much more. On this episode, we explore the misunderstood history of Muzak, formerly the world’s foremost producers of elevator music. Out of the technological innovations of World War I, Muzak emerged as one of the most significant musical institutions of the 20th century, only to become a punching bag as the 1960’s began to turn public perceptions of popular music on its head. By the 80’s and 90’s, Muzak was still the butt of jokes, and was trying to figure out a new direction as they happened to employ many players in Seattles burgeoning grunge scene. This is the story of how different ideas about pop music butted heads throughout the 20th century, including inside Muzak’s offices.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to intimacy coordinator and director Marcus Watson, who oversees the performance of intimate scenes for film, TV, and theater. In the interview, Marcus discusses the increasing prevalence of his role in recent years, especially since the beginning of the #metoo movement. He also details the conversations he has with performers and directors in order to establish boundaries for scenes that involve things like kissing and simulated sex.  After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas discuss the awkwardness of performing and directing intimate scenes.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Marcus talks about how his job has affected the way he watches movies and TV shows.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Cheyna Roth. Listeners can read Isaac’s article about Owen Wilson here: https://slate.com/culture/2021/06/owen-wilson-loki-mobius-actor-sadness-addi

On Wednesday, Britney Spears spoke in court against her current conservatorship, which began in 2008. In recent years, fans have speculated that Spears was being controlled against her will by her father through this conservatorship, and started the #FreeBritney movement in an attempt to break her out of it. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle break down the history of Spears’ conservatorship, the conspiracy theories that arose around #FreeBritney, and what the pop star’s statement changes. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Slate staff writer Karen Han is joined by Slate’s movie critic Dana Stevens to spoil Luca, the new animated film from Pixar.  Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, a young boy named Luca is experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: he is a sea monster from another world just below the water's surface. Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Podcast production by Morgan Flannery.  Hosts Karen Han is staff writer at Slate. Dana Stevens is a movie critic at Slate and you can read her review here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Police violence and protests were the sounds of summer 2020, and Black musicians from across the spectrum lent their voices to the moment. In honor of Black Music Appreciation Month, entertainment and music reporter Jewel Wicker talks with Jason Johnson about the tradition of popular music mixing with protests --from The Staple Singers, to Beyoncé, to DaBaby-- and which songs will have staying power. Guest: Jewel Wicker, entertainment and music journalist Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily, John and David discuss the post-pandemic workforce, Tucker Carlson, and student wins at the Supreme Court. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Ben Smith for the New York Times: “Tucker Carlson Calls Journalists ‘Animals.’ He’s Also Their Best Source.” Slate: “David Plotz and Tucker Carlson Debate Scott Brown, Health Care, and More” Andrew Van Dam for the Washington Post: “The Seven Industries Most Desperate for Workers” Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport John Dickerson for 60 Minutes: “Colleges and Universities Prepare for Fall Classes in the Middle of the Coronavirus Pandemic” The Sound Scene Festival: an annual free and interactive audio arts festival organized by the D.C. Listening Lounge, an audio collective of Washington-based sound artists and enthusiasts. Here’s this week’s chatter: John: Steve Rathje, Jay J. Van Bavel, and Sander van der Linden for the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences: “Out-Group Animosity Dr

What do Chloe Bailey, Nina Simone, and Vice President Kamala Harris have to do with one another? We’re here to help you figure that out. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison talk about how a cover of Simone’s “Feeling Good” turned into a story that ultimately felt anything but. But first, they examine Rachel Lindsay’s recent comments about the Bachelor franchise.  Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Derek John, and Jasmine Ellis. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Dana and Steve are joined by Slate staff writer Karen Han. First, the panel discusses the Pixar movie Luca. Next, they talk about the first two episodes of Marvel’s TV show Loki. Finally, the panel is joined by Willa Paskin and Benjamin Frisch, the host and producer of Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast, to discuss the making of the new season. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about whether seeing movies in the theater is a tradition worth preserving. Email us at culturefest@slate.com Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Cleo Levin. Outro music is "Eightball" by Gabe Nandez. Endorsements Dana: The playlist of the music found in James Baldwin’s apartment, “This Giant Prehistoric Rhino Was the Biggest Land Mammal to Walk the Earth” by Jack Guy and Zixu Wang for CNN Karen: Try making ice cream at home Steve: The writing of Janet Malcolm in the New York Review of Books and The New Yorker Further Reading “How Gay Is Pixar’s Luca?” by Marissa Martinelli for Slate “The Many Contradictions

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.  Joanne Lipman, author and journalist, joins to talk about the 2005 film Thank You For Smoking. They discuss the terrible trope of female reporters sleeping with their sources, The Marlboro Man, and “moral flexibility.”  Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To say that hydration is an invention is only a slight exaggeration. Back in the 1970’s and ‘80s, no one carried bottled water with them, but by the ‘90s it was a genuine status object. How did bottled water transform itself from a small, European luxury item to the single largest beverage category in America? It took both technological innovation, but even more importantly it took savvy marketing from brands like Gatorade and Perrier to turn the concept of hydration, and dehydration into problem they could solve via their wares. Today, hydration has branched out from athletics to wellness to skincare, but the actual science behind all of it is pretty sketchy. If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you can binge the whole season of Decoder Ring right now, plus ad free podcasts, bonus episodes, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host June Thomas talks to Spanish-language journalist and broadcaster León Krauze, who works primarily as a local news anchor in Los Angeles but also hosts a radio show and writes for outlets like Slate and the Washington Post. In the interview, León discusses the process of figuring out which topics and stories matter most to his community. He also describes what it’s like to have a hyperlocal focus and explains why his Los Angeles broadcast might differ from Spanish-language news in other parts of the country.  After the interview, June and co-host Rumaan Alam discuss the skill it takes to be bilingual, and they reflect on a point León made about the difference between audio and visual media.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, León shares some of the biggest misconceptions about the Latinx community in the U.S.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. If you enjoy this show, pleas

From “woke bae” to “woke-a-cola,” the word woke has taken the internet and mainstream media by storm. But how many people who use the word actually know what it means? On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison (but, really, mostly Rachelle) explain the decades-old origins of the word, and how its meaning has evolved as it’s gone from being sung as a call to “stay woke” by the likes of Erykah Badu and Childish Gambino to being wielded as a slur by the likes of Mike Huckabee. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Derek John, and Jasmine Ellis. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s be clear: Rap has always been musical. But back in the day, rappers generally, well, rapped: talked in cadence over a beat. Fans judged MCs primarily by their rhymes and rhythms, not their melodies. Now? Rappers are mostly singers: MCs from Drake to DaBaby slip seamlessly in and out of melody. Some hits that appear on Billboard’s Rap charts feature literally no rapping. When did this change? In this episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy walks through the history of hip-hop—from Gil Scott-Heron to Lil Nas X—to trace the evolving role of melody in rap’s conquest of the charts. The broadening of rap to include more female MCs, from Queen Latifah to Lauryn Hill, had a lot to do with it. But all roads lead through rap-and-B’s power couple, Jay-Z and Beyoncé. The pivot point may have been when Queen Bey realized she could sing with triple-time flow like the baddest MC.   Podcast production by Asha Saluja. Hit Parade episodes are now split into two parts, released two weeks apart. For the full episode right n

It’s Pride month, which means Outward is feeling particularly festive! Christina, Bryan, and Rumaan are joined by musician Julien Baker to discuss her feelings about Pride, queerness, fluidity, and ways of interpreting queer art. Then Jillian Hanlon, a trans cop in upstate New York, joins to offer her take on the recent debate over cops at Pride. Items discussed on the show: Skittles go gray for Pride month. A Twitter thread about kink at Pride. Out in the Country: Youth, Media, and Queer Visibility in Rural America, by Mary Gray Julien Baker interview on Working Julien Baker on the Queerology podcast The October 2018 Outward episode that includes interviews with members of No Justice No Pride and Reclaim Pride “A Mistep by the Organizers of Pride,” by the New York Times’ Editorial Board “The New York Times Doesn’t Know What Pride Is For,” by J. Bryan Lowder, in Slate Gay Agenda Christina: Drew Gregory’s interview with Daniela Sea in Autostraddle Bryan: Hola Papi, by John Paul Brammer Rumaan: You are enough,

This week Dana and Steve are joined by Monica Castillo, arts and culture reporter for Colorado Public Radio, to discuss In the Heights. Next, Atlantic staff writer Sophie Gilbert comes on to talk about HBO’s Hacks. Finally, Dana and Steve dive into Liz Phair’s new album, Soberish, with the expertise of Slate music critic Carl Wilson. In Slate Plus, Dana, Steve, and Carl talk about Gen X musicians and how they’re aging gracefully—or not. Email us at culturefest@slate.com Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Outro Music: "Any Other Way" by Particle House Endorsements Dana: The soundtrack to Bo Burnham’s Inside Carl: Clairo’s single “Blouse” and the series Feel Good (especially the placement of “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers) Steve: Herzog by Saul Bellow Further Reading “In the Heights Fumbles Some of Its Changes, but It Still Soars” by Dana Stevens for Slate “’In the Heights’ Film Review: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Stage Hit Becomes a Screen Celebration” by Monica Castill

On today’s episode, Madison is joined by producer Daniel Schroeder to talk about people accusing Billie Eilish of queerbaiting on Instagram. Then discuss the way TikTok seems to be replacing Craigslist as the spot for finding missed connections, but are the videos real? To find out, Madison interviews Val and Kaycie, two women who reconnected and became friends via TikTok after they met at a rooftop bar. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder & Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a brand new season of Decoder Ring! On this episode, we investigate the wild world of soap operas through the lens of one legendary, decades-long, ripped-from-the-headlines storyline. that dared to combine the melodrama of soaps with a serious examination of sexual assault, and how that soap turned an award-winning story about believing victims into a redemption arc for the rapist at its heart. This is the story of those who made it happen: the producers, actors, writers, and the soap opera machine itself: the perpetually moving, forever-churning, complex system that create the miracle that is the daily soap opera. If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you can binge the whole season of Decoder Ring right now, plus ad free podcasts, bonus episodes, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Isaac Butler talks with Joi McMillon, an award-winning film editor and longtime collaborator with filmmaker Barry Jenkins. Her latest project, The Underground Railroad, tells the story of a woman’s escape from a Georgia plantation in the 1800s. They talk about how McMillon came to be an editor, her approach to her work, what it’s like to edit the same scene over and over again, and how she gets through it. Afterward, Isaac and co-host Rumaan Alam discuss what they found most surprising about the interview and discuss how they plan to implement Joi’s tactics into their own work. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com. Podcast production by Morgan Flannery. Host Isaac Butler   Follow @Working on Twitter / Slate Working on Facebook / Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices