Culture Gabfest

Madison and Rachelle pour one out for Yahoo Answers. To remember the site’s important place in internet history, they’re joined by J.T. Sexkik, the creator of the infamous video “How Is Prangent Formed.” They talk to him about his earliest memories of the question-and-answer forum, its wildest moments, and what the internet is losing with its demise. Plus, we exorcise our IKEA shopping demons with a little help from TikTok comic Scott Seiss. 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

Episode Notes This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the Oscars in a pandemic year. Then the panel dives into the Bob Odenkirk action flick Nobody. Finally, the group discusses the allegations of workplace harassment against the producer Scott Rudin, as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the fallout surrounding sexual assault allegations against Blake Bailey, who published a biography of Phillip Roth earlier this month. Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Jasmine Ellis. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.com Endorsements Dana: Call My Agent! and the accompanying French podcast Julia: Sheet-Pan Sausages and Brussel Sprouts With Honey Mustard recipe from the New York Times Steve: Sturgill Simpson, specifically his NPR Tiny Desk concert and “The Woman Who Shattered the Myth of the Free Market” by Zachary D. Carter in the New York Times  Further Reading  “Scott Rudin, As Told by His Assistants” by Anne Victoria Clark, Jack

This week, host Rumaan Alam talks to author Stuart Gibbs, who writes mystery novels for young readers. Stuart’s work includes the FunJungle series and other collections like the Spy School and Charlie Thorne books. In the interview, Stuart discusses his career beginnings and the literary agent who encouraged him to try writing for a younger audience. He also talks about his writing process, getting pointers from his own kids, and how he’s able to produce multiple titles per year.  After the interview, Rumaan and co-host June Thomas talk about Stuart’s unique relationship with his readers.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Rumaan’s son shares what he loves about Stuart’s books.  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, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and

On this episode, Madison and Rachelle discuss how the phrase “body positivity” has lost all meaning. They talk about how the body-positivity movement started as a way to advocate for fat acceptance, including with respect to such tangible issues as healthcare and employment, but how the phrase has been co-opted into memeable soundbites on TikTok and Instagram that serve no real purpose beyond gaining likes and follows. (At least Lizzo gets it.) They also share how an excessive focus on body-consciousness has followed them their whole lives, and examine why the recent focus on “body positivity” on social media has distracted from actual issues. Plus, they run down what happened with Demi Lovato and that frozen yogurt shop. 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

This month, Christina, Bryan, and Rumaan are first joined by Diana Souhami, whose new book, No Modernism Without Lesbians, tells the story of Sylvia Beach, Bryher, Natalie Barney, Gertrude Stein, and the artistic community they built in Paris between the wars. Then June Thomas joins them for a discussion of the recent spate of period dramas featuring women in love. Why can’t the women in these films get a little electricity or running water? Items discussed on the show:  Dan D’Addario on Colton Underwood’s coming out, in Variety Daniel Schroeder on what Underwood’s coming out revealed about the Bachelor franchise, in Slate “Transgender Childhood Is Not a ‘Trend’,“ by Jules Gill-Peterson in the New York Times  No Modernism Without Lesbians, by Diana Souhami Saturday Night Live’s take on lesbian period dramas Ammonite Carol Portrait of a Lady on Fire (and Slate Spoiler Special episode) The World to Come Gay Agenda Bryan: The Lady and the Dale on HBOMax Rumaan: Julie Mehretu’s exhibit at the Whitney Museum, and

On this episode, Madison and Rachelle talk to Rolling Stone senior writer EJ Dickson about PissTok, a new TikTok trend in which people are making jokes about urination kinks. She recently reported on the videos, which have attracted tens of millions of views, for her magazine. They discuss how kink has become memified, what this says about the rise of sex positivity in mainstream discourse, and whether or not it’s a step in the right direction. Also, Madison places a call to Apple support. 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

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the Oscar-nominated documentary Collective. Next, the group is joined by June Thomas, senior managing producer of Slate podcasts, to discuss Law & Order: Organized Crime. Finally, the panel dives into Substack, the newsletter platform journalists are flocking to. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the Oscars. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.com Endorsements  Dana: The Narcotic Farm  Julia: Party Down  Steve: Anne Briggs, particularly this song Further Reading Charlie Warzel’s recent Twitter thread on Galaxy Brain Outro Music "What Do You Want From Me" by OTE Slate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week host June Thomas talks to TV writer Jed Mercurio, who created the hugely popular UK police procedural Line of Duty and recently executive produced the drama series Bloodlands. In the interview, Jed explains what an executive producer does and discusses some of the signature qualities of his work. He also tells the story of how he became a practicing doctor before trying his hand at writing for television.  After the interview June and co-host Isaac Butler talk about Jed’s career pivot. Then they get some creative wisdom from writer Roxane Gay.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Jed talks about why British TV writers rarely work in U.S. writers rooms. 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, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and y

In this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher discuss the latest development in the world of The Bachelor and how it all plays into the show’s relationship with social media. First they dig into the news that former Bachelor Colton Underwood has come out as gay on Good Morning America. Then they get into the show’s love-hate relationship with Instagram, examining how the series has become a launchpad for influencers and explaining how social media has become its public editor, leading to everything from this year’s casting of the first Black Bachelor to to host Chris Harrison’s ouster. If you would like to read more about Underwood and his season of the show, check out our producer Daniel Schroeder’s piece on the subject. 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

Taylor Swift’s new album is a reboot of an old album: Fearless, her 2008 chart-topping juggernaut that made her the biggest star on the Billboard charts. But Fearless (Taylor’s Version)—filled with banjos, steel guitars and fiddles—is also a reminder for those who forgot: Swift was once the top act in country music, too. From Dolly Parton to Shania Twain, the Chicks to Faith Hill, no country artist has ever crossed over to pop the way Taylor did, utterly dominating one genre before she took over another.   In this episode, Chris Molanphy focuses on Taylor: the country years, dissecting how she gradually, step by step, became the new queen of pop one irresistible song at a time. She went from interviewing bigger stars on MTV’s red carpet one year, to being the talk of the Video Music Awards the next—even before Kanye took that microphone away from her. He told Taylor he would let her finish, but the game was already over. Swift had the most played song in the USA.   Podcast production by Asha Saluja, with help

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’s senior editor Allegra Frank is joined by Brow Beat nights and weekends editor at Slate, Matthew Dessem, to spoil Godzilla vs. Kong, the new action-packed sci-fi movie from director Adam Wingard.   Kong and his protectors go on a perilous journey to find his true home but soon find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla as he cuts a swath of destruction across the globe. But the initial confrontation between the two titans is only the beginning of the deeper mystery that lies within the center of the earth. Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Podcast production by Morgan Flannery.  Hosts Allegra Frank is a Senior Editor at Slate. Matthew Dessem is Slate’s Brow Beat’s nights and weekends editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Steve is joined by Slate senior editor Allegra Frank and writer/editor Dan Kois. The group first dives into the What Lies Below, the wild No. 1 movie on Netflix. Next, they discuss the Netflix series Worn Stories. Finally, the panel is joined by Slate music critic Carl Wilson to talk about Prince’s vault of unreleased music, as covered in Sunday's episode of 60 Minutes. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about how their parents influenced their music taste. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.com Endorsements Dan: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Allegra: serpentwithfeet’s DEACON Steve: “Averted Intimacies” by Elaine Blair in the New York Review Slate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher look at the way the COVID vaccines have seemed to develop online personalities. They discuss how the memes and merch inspired by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson can actually encourage vaccine hesitancy—which is all the more disappointing since there are actually some pretty informative TikToks out there about COVID-19. Next, they speak to a few Slatesters who might not have purchased vaxx merch but definitely made their own reckless online purchases, by buying things through targeted Instagram ads. Do these impulse buys ever bring us the joy we think they will? 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, Anna Szymanski, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.  For the season finale, Jolie Hunt, CEO of Hunt & Gather, joins Felix Salmon and Anna Szymanski to talk about the 80s classic Working Girl. They discuss the class dynamics at play, the actual business taking place in the film, and what makes it such an enjoyable fairytale. Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week host Isaac Butler talks to Anthony Fortenberry, chief nursing officer at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which has been serving the LGBTQ community in New York City for decades. In the interview, Anthony talks about all the creative challenges he and his staff have faced over the past year, from converting a hotel into a quarantine facility to making sure vulnerable people have access to vaccines. He also talks about the importance of flexibility and explains why managers need to model the behavior they advocate.  After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas reflect on some of Anthony’s creative wisdom.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Anthony talks about his cultural interests and some of the high points of his job.  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, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads o

In this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher start with a couple of High Speed Downloads: Madison summarizes the latest online drama surrounding self-help guru Rachel Hollis (featuring Harriet Tubman), and Rachelle chronicles the Kardashian fury that was unleashed after somebody posted an untouched-up photo of Khloe. Then, for their main segment, they speak with Dion Beary, a writer and online community builder who founded the Tumblr blog This Is White Privilege. They talk with Beary about where that blog began, its impact on online discourse, and why he stepped away. 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 this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher report from the latest front in the battle between millennials and Gen Z: the use of reaction GIFs. First, they trace this conflict back to its origins in skirmishes over middle parts and skinny jeans. Then they speak to culture writer Jenny G. Zhang, who recently encountered the fury of thirtysomethings scorned when she tweeted about what using reaction GIFs says about your age. 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

This week Steve and Dana are joined by Slate senior editor Allegra Frank. First the hosts discuss the Oscar contender Judas and the Black Messiah and the performances of its two stars, Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield. Then pop critic and UVA professor Jack Hamilton joins the show to offer his thoughts on Tina, the new documentary about the life of rock n' roll icon Tina Turner. After that, the hosts talk to Slate writer Rebecca Onion about her re-examination of The Beauty Myth, a modern feminist classic with an increasingly controversial author. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Steve, Dana, and Allegra talk about being evangelists for the art they like and discuss whether pushing your cultural taste on other people is a good or bad practice. Outro music: "Death Dance" by Luftmensch Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.com Slate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive sh

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Anna Szymanski, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.  Lizzie O'Leary, host of Slate’s What Next TBD, joins to talk about Margin Call, the 2011 drama about the financial crisis. They’ll talk about how realistic the film is, the nuanced depiction of the people behind the crisis, and Lizzie’s experience as a political reporter covering the real thing.   Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week host June Thomas talks to the activist photographer Joan E. Biren, also known as JEB. In the interview, JEB discusses the creation, funding, and printing of her 1979 photobook Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians, which was recently reissued by Anthology Editions. She also talks about the enduring legacy of the book and what it meant for lesbians to see themselves accurately represented in her work.  After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler reflect on JEB’s ability to create the art she wanted to see in the world.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, JEB explains why she doesn’t like words like capture and shoot to describe photography.  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, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be