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ICYMI: Encore: Did TikTok Find Gabby Petito, or Exploit Her? Aug 27, 2022

Show notes

While authorities searched for missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito, she was everywhere to be found on TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram. Content creators, some well-intentioned and others simply chasing clout and clicks, turned the story of Gabby’s apparent death into the latest in true crime drama. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle talk about the murkiness of the true crime internet and the ethics of using tragedy for clicks. They’re joined later in the show by Haley Toumaian, a TikTok creator and novice true crime podcast host who says the rapid pace of the news genre means sometimes getting things wrong in front of an audience of millions and willfully sharing misinformation.*

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.

This episode originally aired on September 22, 2021.

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What Next: How Serena Transcended Tennis Aug 27, 2022

Show notes

After winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and over $100 million in prize money, this month Serena Williams announced the end of her professional tennis career. While her on-court accomplishments and longevity put her in the sporting pantheon, her cultural impact is just as remarkable.

Guest: Amira Rose Davis, assistant professor of Black studies at the University of Texas Austin and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down.

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 supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hit Parade: Still Billy Joel to Me Part 2 Aug 26, 2022

Show notes

So, sure—Billy Joel’s first Top 40 hit, way back in 1974, was “Piano Man,” and the nickname stuck. But for a guy who became famous sitting behind 88 keys, few of his biggest hits are really piano songs. In fact, on all three of his No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, keyboards are not the primary instrument.

The truth is, Joel isn’t the Piano Man, he’s the pastiche man. He has openly admitted to borrowing genre tropes, vocal styles, and even specific song hooks from his Baby Boom-era heroes, from Ray Charles to the Beatles to the Supremes. He’s been a jazzy crooner, a saloon balladeer, an anthem rocker, even a pseudo-punk. And on his most hit-packed album, he literally tried on a different song mode on every single—and was rewarded for it. This month, Hit Parade breaks down the uncanny success of pop magpie Billy Joel, the guy who would try anything for a hit: the next phase, new wave, dance craze, any ways.

Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch and Kevin Bendis

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A Word: Ballers and Shot Callers Aug 26, 2022

Show notes

Are you ready for some football! After decades of being kept out of the quarterback position, more Black quarterbacks are creating success and finding stardom in the NFL. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by ESPN’s Jason Reid, author of “Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America.” They discuss how the business and politics of race have changed for football’s most sought after players, and what challenges remain for Black quarterbacks.

Guest: Sports writer Jason Reid, author of “Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America”

Podcast production by Yanii Evans

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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Working: Recharging In-Between Projects Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

On this edition of Working Overtime, hosts Isaac Butler and Karen Han discuss the many complicated emotions that can sometimes creep up after a big project comes to an end. They also share tips for managing those emotions and finding ways to recharge before the next project starts.

Do you have a question about creative work? Call us and leave a message at 304-933-9675, or email us at working@slate.com.

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews.

Link to Atlassian Work Check

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The Waves: Why Jane Austen Still Slaps Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by culture writer Anna Nordberg to talk all about Jane Austen. The romance novelist may have written her seven books well over a century ago, but as Cheyna and Anna discuss, her work still endures in popular culture. They talk about why Austen’s characters are even more modern than the men and women we see on screen today and why some of the men are kind of meh. Later in the show, they talk about what makes an endearing Jane Austen adaptation, and why Netflix’s Persuasion fails so miserably.

In Slate Plus, are Jane Austen’s proposals feminist?

Recommendations:

Anna: The 1995 Sense and Sensibility adaptation starring Emma Thompson.

Cheyna: The music of Cosmo Jarvis. Plus a dedication to a beloved professor, Dr. Brent Chesley.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario, and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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ICYMI: Encore: How a Harry Potter Fanfic Took Over the Internet Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

The realm of fan fiction is a wild, magical place to be, especially if that fan fiction is set at Hogwarts. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison talk about All the Young Dudes, an extensive Harry Potter fan fiction that has inspired a fandom all its own, and just how that fandom came to be. But first, they chat about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and spend time listening to the first line of some listeners’ NaNoWriMo novels.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis, Daniel Schroeder, and Derek John.

This episode originally ran on November 20, 2021.

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Culture Gabfest: Sandman vs. Predator Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

This week, Dana and Julia hold down the fort in Steve’s absence while Slate’s book critic, Laura Miller, fills in as a third host. First, the panel breaks down the Neil Gaiman adaptation that no one thought would happen, The Sandman. Then, the panel discusses the new installment in the Predator franchise: Prey. Finally, supplemented by Laura’s great piece on the author, the panel attempts to answer: Who is Colleen Hoover?

In Slate Plus,the panel discusses pairs of notable people that they’d like to see in conversation with one another.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements

Dana: Pulling a Julia with a food endorsement: Off-Script’s Samin-Nosrat-inspired thyme pistachio pesto.

Julia: More Summer Strut afterglow: “I Wish That I Could See You Soon” by Herman Dune.

Laura: The New Zealand comedy series, Wellington Paranormal, which is a spin-off of the original What We Do in the Shadows film. Specifically: season 4 episode 3, “The Coolening.”

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe.

Outro music is "Forbidden Love" by OTE.

Slate 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.

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Hang Up: I Guarded LeBron Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Vinson Cunningham are joined by Defector’s Maitreyi Anantharaman to discuss the WNBA playoffs. Dion Wright also joins to explain what it was like to guard LeBron James. Finally, they talk about Isiah Thomas’ “No Crime Day,” the subject of the first episode of Slate’s One Year: 1986 podcast.

WNBA (2:48): CanSue Bird lead the Seattle Storm to a fifth title?

Dion Wright (23:39): Howit felt to go viral for going up against one of the greatest of all time.

No Crime Day (42:20): A conversation about basketball and athlete activism in the 1980s.

Afterball (1:05:56): Stefan on the agony and ecstasy of watching Pete Carril’s Princeton teams.

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Political Gabfest Reads: Life on Europa Looks Too Much Like America Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

David Plotz talks with author Mat Johnson about his new novel Invisible Things. Johnson’s novel tells the story of a group of astronauts that land in a bubble colony on Jupiter's biggest moon.

They talk about the challenges of writing satire when reality feels fake, how mediocre people rise up by sucking up, and why we need to look at the invisible things in our daily lives.

Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

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