Slate Culture Feed

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Defector’s Drew Magary talk about the seeming decline of the Kansas City Chiefs. They also discuss who to root for in the World Series, the Houston Astros or the Atlanta Braves. Finally, they speak with Drew about his book The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage. Chiefs (3:54): What’s wrong with Patrick Mahomes and the former champs? World Series (25:47): Is the case against the Astros stronger than the case against the Braves? The Night the Lights Went Out (46:29): Drew on his traumatic brain injury and what came after. Afterball (1:07:00): Stefan on the history of the Atlanta Braves’ nickname. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why have so many young women developed tic disorders during the course of the pandemic? Well, apart from the obvious pandemic-related stressors, TikTok could be a big part of it. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison talk to science journalist Maddie Bender about her report for Vice unpacking this medical mystery. They discuss the correlation between exposure to Tic Tok, a subculture on TikTok where influencers share videos of their tic-related symptoms, and the rise of young women who have developed tic-like behaviors. Though social media could be a trigger for this phenomenon, they’ll discuss if TikTok could also be a part of the solution. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Derek John, and Samira Tazari.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I talk with the Succession actor over egg creams and omelets in New York City.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, sign up! Every Wednesday, we send out podcast listening recommendations, your stories from our inbox, and behind-the-scenes updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it a bones day or a no bones day? That’s the question that’s swept across TikTok, thanks to Noodle the pug. Each morning, owner Jonathan Graziano wakes up and checks if his geriatric pug has bones or not, a helpful way of predicting what sort of day we’re all going to have. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle interview Jonathan (and Noodle) about his sudden viral fame, how Noodle is handling such celebrity, and exactly what it means to have a no bones day.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Steve and Dana are joined by Karen Han. First, Slate’s music critic Carl Wilson chimes in to discuss Todd Haynes’s new The Velvet Underground documentary, which he wrote beautifully about for Slate. Next, the panel (minus Dana) is joined by Slate staff writer Rebecca Onion to review Mike Flanagan’s newest Netflix horror series, Midnight Mass—which she also wrote lovingly about. Finally, the panel (minus Dana) is joined by Vulture senior editor and host of the Good One podcast, Jesse David Fox, to discuss the Dave Chappelle controversy.In Slate Plus, the panel discusses media they loved when they were younger that they have since outgrown.Email us at culturefest@slate.com.EndorsementsDana: The book equivalent of Todd Haynes’s documentary, the first oral history Dana ever read and still one of the best she’s ever read to this day: Edie: American Girl by Jean Stein and George Plimpton. The oral history tells the story of actress and model Edie Sedgwick completely through testimony from people that were there, without any interstitial material. Karen: New World, the Korean crime drama film from Park Hoon-jung that stars Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae. The film features Lee as an undercover cop who is tasked with infiltrating the mob, but ends up caught between two worlds. It also stars a slew of great Korean actors including Hwang Jung-min and Song Ji-hyo. Steve: First, Netflix’s series The Chestnut Man, a dark, taught crime drama which takes place in Copenhagen. Then, a whole genre of YouTube videos taking you from raw audio of rehearsal to mastertape of Elvis’s songs, including “And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind”—though, Neil Diamond’s version of that one is better.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe.Outro music is “I’ll Be Your Mirror” by The Velvet Underground. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin talk with Slate’s Alex Kirshner about the split between LSU and its coach Ed Orgeron. They’re also joined by Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports for a preview of the 2021-22 NBA season. Finally, Stefan Fatsis speaks with Dave Zirin about his book The Kaepernick Effect. Orgeron (4:20): Why did LSU part ways with a championship-winning coach? NBA (29:53): What to expect from the Kyrie-less Nets and the LeBron/AD/Russ Lakers. The Kaepernick Effect (50:52): Looking back on five years’ worth of athlete protests. Afterball (1:12:00): Josh on erasing Derrius Guice’s records. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Mariko’s salmon rice bowl video has taken TikTok by storm, with fans praising its deliciousness and even claiming that her video helped heal their relationship with food. On this episode of ICYMI, Rachelle and Madison figure out where this story fits into the diet culture conversation and explain how the reaction to Mariko’s dish is about much more than just the ingredients she’s using. Of course, they weren’t about to talk about a viral recipe without trying it, so the hosts took to the kitchen to find out whether it really lives up to the hype.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Punk happened, past tense.” That’s what Boomer-era critics and true-believer punks told the younger generations. Punk’s whole reason for being was rejecting the mainstream. But punk wasn’t just a movement—it was also a genre. And 20 years after it first emerged, punk went from underground to overground, dominating the radio for the first time. In this episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy traces how punk traveled from Sid Vicious to strip mall, through the lineage of ’90s bands Green Day, Offspring and Blink‑182, and ’00s emo artisans Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco and their skinny-jeans-wearing, smarty-pants contemporaries. From the CBGB era to the current Billboard Hot 100, punk is no historical artifact—it’s still morphing and adapting. And for all its supposed opposition to convention, the dirty little secret is: Punk has always been catchy. Podcast production by Asha Saluja with help from Rosemary Belson.We have a special announcement! This year is the 25th anniversary of Slate. And for a limited time, we’re offering our annual Slate Plus membership at $25 off. As a Slate Plus member, you'll get to hear every Hit Parade episode in full, the day it arrives; plus Hit Parade—“The Bridge,” our bonus episodes, with guest interviews, deeper dives on our episode topics, and pop-chart trivia. Plus, you’ll get no ads on any Slate podcast, unlimited reading on the Slate site, and member-exclusive episodes and segments. This offer lasts until October 31st, so sign up now at slate.com/hitparadeplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a child, Christy Carlson Romano starred in Disney Channel’s Even Stevens and voiced the character Kim Possible on the eponymous cartoon. Then she faded from the spotlight—until recently, when she reemerged as a chaotic YouTube genius. On this episode of ICYMI, Rachelle and Madison talk to Vanity Fair’s Chris Murphy about his recent profile of Romano and unpack why her candid, low-lift YouTube videos actually have quite the keen understanding of what drives clicks.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Steve and Dana are joined by author and co-host of Slate’s Working podcast, Isaac Butler. First, the panel reviews Sally Rooney’s most recent novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You?. Next, the panel discusses the new poignant and hilarious television series Reservation Dogs. Finally, the panel dissects the viral NYT Mag article “Who Is the Bad Art Friend?” in a larger discussion about literary responsibility.In Slate Plus, the panel discusses the choice to give up on media you just don’t like and, alternatively, why some people don’t.Email us at culturefest@slate.com.EndorsementsDana: Devery Jacobs’s—the actress who plays Elora Danan on Reservation Dogs—beautifully written article “How Reservation Dogs Is Opening Up a Crucial Conversation About Suicide in Indigenous Communities.”Isaac: The 1996 romantic comedy and comedy of friendship from Nicole Holofcener, Walking and Talking, which is a perfect time capsule of ‘90s New York. Dana has written insightfully about the film, which has also been discussed on a previous episode of Gabfest.Steve: An essay from The New York Review of Books that blew Steve away from Jessica Riskin, titled “Nature’s Evolving Tastes” which talks about the misconstrued reactions to Darwin’s most politicized work Descent of Man.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe.Outro music is "200 Dont's" by ConditionalSlate Plus members get ad-free podcasts, a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest, full access to Slate's journalism on Slate.com, and more. Sign up now at slate.com/cultureplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.