Culture Gabfest

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and guest host and Slate staff writer Dan Kois talk about the hit Netflix dating reality show Love Is Blind with Slate podcast producer Daniel Schroeder. Next, they discuss tomboys, jumping off of a recent New York Times op-ed. Finally, the panel takes on the coronavirus, analyzing the epidemic through various pieces of culture. On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses a New York Times op-ed from an editor whose ex-boyfriend is now dating Lady Gaga. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Additional production help by Rosemary Belson.Outro Music: 'Shattered & Hollow' by First Aid KitEndorsementsDan: The graphic memoir Tomboy by Liz Prince.Pitchfork’s Sunday Reviews.Julia: The viral video where a camera falls from an airplane…Steve: “No Ghost in the Machine” by Mark Halpern in the American Scholar.The album Stay Gold by First Aid Kit.HostsStephen MetcalfJulia TurnerDan KoisSocial Media@slatecultfest on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/slatecultfest@slateculturepodcasts on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/slateculturepodcasts/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and guest host and Slate staff writer Dan Kois talk about Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Next, they discuss Taylor Swift’s documentary Miss Americana. Finally, the panel dives into “garbage language” a.k.a corporate buzzwords—unnecessary or effective? On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses a contentious subject—whether Leonardo DiCaprio was already a star before Titanic?Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Additional production help by Rosemary Belson.Outro Music: 'The Man' by Taylor SwiftEndorsementsDan: Reading Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies before The Mirror & the Light, the third book in the trilogy, is released March 10. Julia: Golden State by Ben H. Winters.Steve: “Reading Sade in the Age of Epstein” by Mitchell Abidor in The New York Review of Books.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf is joined by two guests hosts: Sam Anderson, New York Times Magazine staff writer and author of Boom Time, and Dan Kois, Slate staff writer and author of How to Be a Family. First, the panel discusses The Assistant, the indie film with heavy Harvey Weinstein overtones. Next, they dive into Hulu’s reboot of High Fidelity, starring Zoë Kravitz. Finally, the panel breaks down the work of Jenny Odell, including her book How to Do Nothing and her recent Paris Review essay “The Myth of Self-Reliance.”On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Dan Kois’s recent Slate story on a New Zealand fantasy masterpiece—an article that catalyzed the book’s publication in the U.S. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Additional production help by Rosemary Belson.Outro Music: ‘Lonely World’ by Moses SumneyEndorsementsDan: The writing of Charles Portis, including True Grit and Norwood.Sam: John Cage’s performance of “Water Walk” on “I’ve Got a Secret” in 1960 (as Jenny Odell recommends).Steve: Seeing Parasite a second time. “The Professor of Denial” by Amanda J. Crawford in The Chronicle of Higher Education.Moses Sumney’s Aromanticism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner break down the Oscars and Bong Joon-ho’s historic win. Next, the discuss Star Trek: Picard with Slate associate editor and Trekkie Marissa Martinelli. Finally, they dive into a recent New York Times Magazine article on the way television imagines New York City. On the Slate Plus segment this week, the fashion of the Oscars.  Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Outro Music: Eminem Performs 'Lose Yourself' at Oscars 2020EndorsementsDana: Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar acceptance speeches, as Dana wrote about in her recent Slate piece “Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar Night Had All the Genre-Bending Twists of His Movies.”Julia: “Chasing Colombia’s ‘cocaine hippos’” by Peter Rowe in the Los Angeles Times.Steve: “The Seriousness of George Steiner” by Adam Gopnik in the New Yorker.“An Evening With George Steiner (1929-2020)” by Kinton Ford in n+1. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

`This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner dive into Ford v Ferrari before the Oscars this weekend. Next, they discuss Netflix’s reality show The Circle with Slate’s editorial director—and Circle-enthusiast—Laura Bennett. Finally, they analyze the controversy surrounding Jeanine Cummins’s American Dirt with Los Angeles Times staff writer Daniel Hernandez.On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Super Bowl ads with Slate’s Justin Peters. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Outro Music: ‘The Circle Theme (Netflix)’ by Patrizio Knight HostsStephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia TurnerEndorsementsDana: “‘Jojo Rabbit’ Captures the Horror and Absurdity of our Trumpian Moment,” by Masha Gessen in The New Yorker.Julia: The Good Wife.Steve: Cheer (specifically, La’Darius’s brother’s face).“The Money Behind Trump’s Money,” by David Enrich in The New York Times Magazine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner untangle the oddity that is Jojo Rabbit, discuss whether Netflix’s sport docu-series Cheer lives up to the hype, and talk to Slate’s music critic Carl Wilson about this year’s Grammys. On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Kobe Bryant and the reactions to his death.Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Outro Music: Lizzo's "Cuz I Love You" & "Truth Hurts" 2020 Grammy PerformanceEndorsementsDana: ‘Gigi Bryant Was a Great Basketball Player’ by Josh LevinJulia: ‘The Rise of the Dancefluencer’  by Makeda EasterSteve: ‘The Myth of Self-Reliance’ by Jenny Odell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner dive into Honeyland, Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s Academy Award-nominated documentary following a beekeeper in Macedonia. Next, they chat about Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time. Finally, Slate’s Laura Miller joins the panel to discuss Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror and the role—and critiques—of the modern female essayist.On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Oscar nominations.  Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Outro Music: The Futureheads’ cover of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.”HostsStephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia TurnerEndorsementsDana: Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror audiobook. Julia: Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing. Steve: Ian Rankin’s “Inspector Rebus” book series.The Futureheads’ cover of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas discuss Sam Mendes' film 1917, the new installment in the UP documentary series, 63 UP, and the British royal phenomenon that has become known as Megxit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner dive into Little Women, writer-director Greta Gerwig’s adaption—perhaps the best adaption yet—of Louisa May Alcott’s novel that follows the lives of the four March sisters. Next, they discuss the risky jokes, heartfelt speeches, and weird red carpet looks of this year’s Golden Globes. Finally, they chat about The Movie Club, Slate’s annual conversation among film critics led by Dana about this year in film. On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel spoils the ending to Little Women. EndorsementsDana: Atlantics, a Cannes Grand Prix-winning film by French-Senegalese director Mati Diop, streaming on Netflix.Julia: A withdrawal of a previous endorsement—the book The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow—because of its sexist treatment of women. The Marvel supervillain M.O.D.O.K.Steve: The German-Austrian comedy-drama Toni Erdmann, directed, written, and co-produced by Maren Ade. Available for rent on Amazon Prime.Outro Music: It’s Romance by Alexandre Desplat from the Little Women Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dana Stevens hosts a selection of a few of our favorite Slate Plus bonus segments, offering them to our regular listeners for the first time. You'll hear Steve, Julia and Dana talk about the new live action CATS, discuss impactful nonfiction with Slate's Laura Miller, remember critic Harold Bloom, and decipher what went wrong with Jill Abramson's Merchants of Truth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.