Slate Culture Feed

In this jumbo-sized summer strut special, Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, Dana Stevens, and Chris Molanphy discuss the songs of the summer and our annual summer strut playlist. Find the playlist at slate.com/culturefest or facebook.com/culturefest. The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans. They give you confidence when it comes to refinancing your existing mortgage or buying a home. Go to RocketMortgage.com/Culture to get started. And by the AT&T original series Mr. Mercedes, based on the bestselling Stephen King novel. Mr. Mercedes premieres August 9th at 8 PM eastern/pacific on Audience Network. Watch it on DIRECTV or DIRECTV NOW. Learn more at att.net/MrMercedes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and Ben Mathis-Lilley are joined by Daniel “Progressive Liberal” Harnsberger to chat about his wrestling persona. The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis also discusses Jamie Horowitz and Fox Sports, and Nick Greene analyzes NBA free agency. The Progressive Liberal (1:27): Professional wrestler Daniel Harnsberger joins to describe the inspiration behind his character, whether he’s critiquing the Democratic Party, and what it’s like to be the bad guy in wrestling. Jamie Horowitz (19:01): Bryan Curtis, editor-at-large of the Ringer, comes on the show to assess what the sacking of Fox Sports 1’s Jamie Horowitz means for the channel and FS1’s lineup of debate-based programming. NBA (35:04): Nick Greene joins to discusses Kevin Durant’s massive pay cut, and whether anything can be done about the massive exodus of talent from the East to the West. Afterballs (54:04) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss Sophia Coppola's new film The Beguiled, the Netflix documentary Get Me Roger Stone, and the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Open Account, a podcast that gets personal about making, losing and living with money. Created by Umpqua Bank and hosted by SuChin Pak, download and subscribe to Open Account wherever you get your podcasts.And by Boll and Branch. Right now, get 50 dollars off your first set of sheets plus free shipping by going to BollandBranch.com and using promo code culture.And by University of California Press, publishers of Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas by Rebecca Solnit & Joshua-Jelly Schapiro. Explore New York’s hidden histories, wherever books are sold.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf to discuss his return to basketball in the BigIG3, his protest of the national anthem, and how Tourette's Syndrome affected his career. Golden State Warriors President Rick Welts also comes on the show to discuss being openly gay in the NBA and how the franchise is grappling with its status as the league’s supervillain. Finally, Slate’s Henry Grabar explains what makes Miami’s new, David Beckham–-backed stadium deal so great and why Las Vegas’ plans for a new NFL stadium will hurt the city and its taxpayers.More information at slate.com/hangup.Sign up for Slate Plus at slate.com/hangupplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Elton John came out as bisexual in 1976, it was a really big deal. It was covered on the evening news. There were angry letters and a decline in sales. And for a generation of queer musicians, like George Michael, it was a lesson: Be careful what you reveal about your sex life to the public. On this episode, we look at the friendship, collaboration, and chart rivalry of the two British icons, who collided on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week in 1988—and later topped the chart together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hundreds of you told us about feeling duped, overwhelmed, and ashamed of your student debt. But we also heard stories about how some of you took back control. Here's how you did it.Explore more than 1,000 of your stories about student loans, find out where you fit in the student loan landscape and get resources for dealing with your debt at deathsexmoney.org/studentloans.Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for audio picks, letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.Follow the show on Twitter @deathsexmoney and Facebook at facebook.com/deathsexmoney.Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Turner, Dana Stevens and Steven Metcalf discuss Netflix's wrestling comedy GLOW, Lorde's album Melodrama with critic Carl Wilson, and Mattel's Ken Doll reboot and if/why it's so funny.  The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Sun Basket, delivering fresh, organic ingredients and quick, healthy recipes to your door. Choose from Paleo, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and Family options. Find out more at SunBasket.com/cultureAnd by Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans. They give you confidence when it comes to refinancing your existing mortgage or buying a home. Go to RocketMortgage.com/culture to get started. And by AT&T. Enjoy unlimited entertainment with unlimited data from AT&T. Don’t settle for any unlimited data plan. Only the AT&T Unlimited Plus plan comes with HBO included. Learn more at att.com/unlimited.  After 22 gigabytes of data usage, AT&T may slow speeds. Credits for HBO start within two bills. Channels available subject to change.  Charges, other usage and restrictions apply. See att.com/unlimited for details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More Americans are taking out more student loan debt and taking longer to pay it back. But we're not talking about the impact that it has on our lives. Until now. Explore more than 1,000 of your stories about student loans, find out where you fit in the student loan landscape and get resources for dealing with your debt at deathsexmoney.org/studentloans.Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for audio picks, letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.Follow the show on Twitter @deathsexmoney and Facebook at facebook.com/deathsexmoney.Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Joel Anderson of BuzzFeed to discuss the NBA draft. Graphic designer Todd Radom also joins to debate the merits of updating the NBA logo. Finally, they chat about the perils of playing sports while old. NBA Draft (2:00): Assessing the latest news on the pro basketball transaction wire, including the implications of the blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade, whether it’s time for the Celtics to go all-in, and whether the 76ers’ rebuilding process has finally paid off.NBA Logo (18:43): Todd Radom comes on the show to assess whether it’s time to modernize the league’s Jerry West-inspired design or if the logo is too iconic to tinker with.Playing Sports While Old (33:41): A bunch of players got hurt during the debut of the BIG3 three-on-three league. Is it too sad to watch old people play basketball?Afterballs (43:12): Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Metcalf, June Thomas, and Christina Cauterucci discuss the new horror film It Comes at Night, the TNT Niecy Nash vehicle Claws, and Beth Ditto's new album Fake Sugar. The Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Lexus.Experience the first-ever 5.0 liter, V8 LC 500 with 10-speed Direct-Shift transmission and the first-ever Multistage Hybrid LC 500h. Experience Amazing. And by Winc. Get wines that are tailored to your palate delivered right to your door! Go to TryWinc.com/CULTURE and you’ll receive 20 dollars off your first order, plus complimentary shipping. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.