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Working: Writers Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn on Their Longtime Partnership Aug 14, 2022

Show notes

This week, host June Thomas talks to writers Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn, whose Significant Objects project explores how and why physical items can take on meaning and value. In the interview, Rob and Joshua talk about how their partnership was born and explain why they’re such compatible collaborators. They also discuss their proclivity for balancing lots of projects, and Joshua explains something he calls the “virtuous circle of procrastination.”

After the interview, June and co-host Karen Han share lessons they’ve learned about collaborating on creative projects.

And here’s June’s contribution to Rob and Joshua’s “Project:Object.”

https://www.hilobrow.com/2020/05/04/movie-objects-12/

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

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 Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus.

Thanks to Atlassian Work Check

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ICYMI: Was Black Twitter a Mistake? Aug 13, 2022

Show notes

Exclusively Black spaces online have faded away as platforms with wider audiences have taken over, but what, if anything, has been lost with those spaces? On today’s show, Rachelle is joined again by Nadira Goffe to discuss their own experiences growing up online as Black women, and they speak with Dr. Meredith D. Clark, a professor at Northeastern University who studies Black online spaces, about Black online history, how and why we interact the way we do, and what it means to know that non-Black people are watching.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.

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Hit Parade: Still Billy Joel to Me Part 1 Aug 12, 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: Designing Wakanda Aug 12, 2022

Show notes

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres in theaters this November. The franchise has provided a showcase for African Americans across the entertainment industry, including those behind the scenes. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with one of those rising creatives, conceptual artist Phillip Boutte Jr. Boutte left an acting career for film design, working on several sci-fi blockbusters. They discuss how Black Panther has helped change the dynamic for African American film professionals who had struggled to get a foothold in Hollywood.

Guest: Production designer Phillip Boutte Jr., co-founder of 9B Collective, the first Black owned conceptual artist incubator in the industry.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

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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The Waves: Live. Laugh. Lexapro. Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by the managing editor of Future Tense, Mia Armstrong. This week is all about selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of drugs commonly used to treat depression and anxiety. Shannon and Mia discuss their own experiences with their mental health and SSRIs. Then they dig into the cultural narrative around using medication for anxiety and depression,a recent study disproving an old adage about depression, and why SSRIs might be overprescribed to women.

Why Has the Misleading “Chemical Imbalance” Theory of Mental Illness Persisted for So Long? by Sahanika Ratnayake

In Slate Plus, is marrying young feminist?

Recommendations:

Shannon: Guided meditations from UCLA Health.

Mia: Counting backwards from 100 by seven to help calm down while you’re feeling anxious.

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

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

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Working: Moving to a New City Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

On this edition of Working Overtime, co-host June Thomas gets some advice from co-host Karen Han about moving to a new city as a freelance writer. First they talk about how important it is to engage with your new city’s art scene and cultural institutions. Then they discuss ways to build a new supportive community and how to stay in touch with former collaborators.

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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ICYMI: What Makes a Good Internet Boyfriend? Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

Everybody loves indulging in thirst online. On today’s episode, Rachelle is joined by Slate’s Nadira Goffe to discuss exactly what makes internet thirst so much fun. They talk about the qualities of a good internet boyfriend, when thirsting can go wrong, and how much these thirst objects really owe us.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.

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Culture Gabfest: Is The Resort a White Lotus Ripoff? Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

This week, the panel begins by discussing Peacock’s latest mystery series The Resort. Then, the panel takes a more light-hearted turn with Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. Finally, the panel is joined by author and Slate editor Dan Kois to discuss his recent Slate piece about “The 50 Greatest Fictional Deaths of All Time.”

In Slate Plus, the panel talks about movie and television credits.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements

Dana: A suggestion from Carl Wilson (and in memory for Olivia Newton-John) a cover of the Olivia Newton-John song, “A Little More Love” by Juliana Hatfield, which is a track on an entire album of Newton-John covers titled Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John.

Julia: More from Recipe Julia: the Six Seasons cookbook recipe for peperonata.

Steve: The song “Watch the Sunrise” by Big Star.

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

Outro music is "Bloody Hunter" by Paisley Pink.

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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Decoder Ring: The First Alien Abductees Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

When you think of an alien abduction, what do you picture? Humanoid creatures, medical experiments, lost memories retrieved through hypnosis? That narrative was largely unknown until Betty and Barney Hill went public about their own alien abduction in the 1960s. Betty Hill’s niece, Kathleen Marden, recounts how the story went viral and her aunt and uncle became unwitting celebrities. And professors Susan Lepselter, Chris Bader, Joseph O. Baker and Stephanie Kelley-Romano explain how the Hills’ alien abduction changed science fiction forever.

Thanks to Eric Molinsky for bringing us this story that originally aired on his terrific podcast Imaginary Worlds. Eric’s got a lot more stories like this one so subscribe wherever you listen.

Decoder Ring is written by Willa Paskin and produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director.

If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com

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Hang Up: Vin Scully in His Own Words Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

Josh Levin, the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham, and Slate’s Henry Grabar take an audio tour of Vin Scully’s broadcasting career. They also discuss the documentary NYC Point Gods. Finally, Josh interviews tennis players Maxime Cressy and Daria Saville.

Vin Scully (2:36): Eight moments from 66 years in the booth.

NYC Point Gods (33:11): Is the new basketball documentary worth watching?

Tennis (48:33): Conversations with two of the most fascinating players on tour.

Afterball (1:16:42): Josh on the Shammgodd—or is it the Pooh Allen?

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