Slate Culture Feed

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to talk about the NBA playoffs. Tennis player Noah Rubin also joins to discuss Novak Djokovic’s disqualification and life in the U.S. Open bubble. And finally, Dom Cosentino of theScore comes on for a conversation about the start of the NFL season.NBA playoffs (01:52): What’s gone wrong for the Bucks? Are the Clippers still title favorites? Should the Rockets build a statue of P.J. Tucker?U.S. Open (22:38): Did Djokovic deserve to get tossed out? What’s going on behind the scenes in pro tennis during the pandemic?NFL (47:56): What will the league’s social justice protests look like, and what will the Patriots and Bucs do on the field?Afterball (01:05:10): Stefan on Stefanos Tsitsipas tweeting his feelings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I have to keep coming until we've exhausted everything, and we definitely have to shut the door."Are you a new listener? Welcome! Check out our starter kit, which includes some of our favorite episodes of the show. It includes profiles of people like Bill Withers and Ellen Burstyn, stories about how race and class come up in our relationships, and some of our past series — like In New Orleans, which profiled five people who lived in the city during and after Hurricane Katrina. Follow our show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. And support our work at deathsexmoney.org/donate.And stay in touch with us! Sign up for our newsletter and we'll keep you up to date about what's happening behind the scenes at Death, Sex & Money. Plus, we'll send you audio recommendations, letters from our inbox and a note from Anna. Join the Death, Sex & Money community and subscribe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss Bill & Ted Face the Music, the decades-later sequel to the 1989 and 1991 originals. (This was also Dana’s first movie review for Slate after the pandemic’s monthslong disruption! Check it out here.) Next, the panel talks about Chadwick Boseman’s legacy with Wesley Morris, a critic-at-large for the New York Times who wrote about the late actor’s powerful approach to biographical moviemaking. Finally, they dive into Dana’s comfort pick—Days of Heaven.In Slate Plus, the hosts talk about moviegoing with Sam Adams, Slate’s very own writer who ventured into a newly opened theater to review Tenet.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Culture Gabfest each episode, and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work.Endorsements:Dana:Alex Winter’s Showbiz Kids, an HBO documentary about child stars.Julia:Plus One, starring Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid.https://www.amazon.com/Plus-One-Maya-Erskine/dp/B07RYT666RStephen:“American Fascism: It Has Happened Here,” by Sarah Churchwell in the New York Review of Books.“Ur-Fascism,” by Umberto Eco in the New York Review of Books in 1995.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Outro music: Spinning the Wheels by Dusty Decks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and special guest Vinson Cunningham of the New Yorker discuss the aftermath of last week’s NBA strike. They also talk about the life and legacy of Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson. Finally, the Athletic’s Lindsay Jones joins to assess the latest reporting on the toxic culture of the Washington football team.NBA strike (01:40): Why did the players decide to come back? What did they gain?John Thompson (21:51): How he changed college basketball.Washington Football Team (41:38): What will it take for the NFL to have a #MeToo reckoning?Afterball (01:04:30): Joel on Cliff Robinson and the 1990-1991 Portland Trail Blazers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First, we have a few announcements about the future of Hit Parade—and it’s good news for both Slate Plus members and non-Plus listeners. While the economic challenges of COVID-19 certainly haven’t abated, Hit Parade has attracted enough new Plus members to allow us to take some episodes out from behind Slate’s paywall starting in September.Starting next month, full-length Hit Parade episodes will debut in the middle of the month, not the end (our next full-length episode drops on Friday, September 18). If you are a Plus member, you’ll hear the whole show all at once, the day it drops. If you are not a Plus member, you will receive the first half of the episode mid-month, with ads, and you’ll have to wait a couple of weeks to hear the second half of the show, at month’s end. Finally, Hit Parade—“The Bridge” episodes will remain Plus-only.IAgain, thanks to many of you who signed up for Slate Plus just to hear Hit Parade, and of course the thousands of longtime Plus members. We plan to keep giving you the bonus content you expect. And a hearty welcome back to non-Plus listeners—we hope you’ll consider joining Slate Plus in the future, but you can also support Hit Parade by spreading the word about our episodes. And to sign up for Slate Plus to support the show, head over to slate.com/hitparadeplus.In this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by J.D. Ryznar, “Hollywood” Steve Huey, and Dave Lyons, creators of the web series Yacht Rock and follow-up podcast Beyond Yacht Rock. Not only did they invent the very term that inspired the latest episode of Hit Parade, they have kept the fire alive by refining what the genre means.The Yacht Rockers and Chris discuss the enduring legacy of the term they created—from why the name stuck, to how it was perceived by the various artists whose music it defined. (Boz Scaggs is reportedly not happy.) They also reveal songs they’d re-rate against their signature Yachtski scale, songs commonly tagged Yacht that are actually “Nyacht,” and how they curate the boundaries of the genre. They even offer a Hit Parade–exclusive announcement about what’s next for their smooth creation.Finally, Chris quizzes a Slate Plus listener with some music trivia, gives her a chance to turn the tables on him, and previews next month’s full-length episode.Podcast production by Asha Saluja.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin get together for a special podcast on NBA players’ decision to boycott playoff games after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. They discuss how the strike spread throughout the sports world, whether the NBA season will be cancelled, and how the pandemic might have factored into this unprecedented protest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and artist Akwaeke Emezi talks with me about their childhood in Nigeria, their brief stint in veterinary school, and how, these days, they've deemed themself "worthy of extravagance."Watch the video of this live conversation here, thanks to our friends at The Greene Space. For the first two conversations in this series, you can watch or listen to Michael Arceneaux here, and watch or listen to Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman here. And be sure to check out Akwaeke's home on Instagram. To find out about the next conversation in our series, and to get more recommendations from the Death, Sex & Money team, subscribe to our newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis discuss Luka Doncic’s spectacular performance for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA playoffs. They are joined by David Ubben of the Athletic to talk about the return of high-school football across the country. And Josh interviews Ethan Strauss of the Athletic about declining television ratings in the NBA.Luka Doncic (01:51): The 21-year-old Slovenian is already one of the best players in the NBA.High-school football (18:35): While colleges debate what to do, high schools are plowing ahead with football.NBA ratings (32:35): Are declining TV ratings a sign of big trouble for the NBA? Afterballs (51:41) Joel Anderson on rape allegations against football player Derrius Giuce. Stefan Fatsis on former NBA benchwarmer and youth-sports advocate Bob Bigelow, who died last week.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the USPS finds itself at the center of a political divide, we check in with a mail carrier who wrote to us earlier this year about being an essential worker at the height of the pandemic. Are you a new listener? Welcome! Check out our starter kit, which includes some of our favorite episodes of the show.Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. And support our work at deathsexmoney.org/donate.And stay in touch with us! Sign up for our newsletter and we'll keep you up to date about what's happening behind the scenes at Death, Sex & Money. Plus, we'll send you audio recommendations, letters from our inbox and a note from Anna. Join the Death, Sex & Money community and subscribe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss a recent video of twins’ listening to Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight” that went viral. Then, the panelists talk about John M. Barry’s The Great Influenza. Finally, they take on this week’s comfort watch—Network.In Slate Plus, the hosts break down The Daily’s recent two-part series on cancel culture.Endorsements:Dana: The accurate lime cordial recipe!Julia: Rodham by Curtis SittenfeldSteve: “Dickens in Brooklyn” by Jay Neugeboren in the New York Review of BooksPodcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Culture Gabfest each episode, and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.