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Slate Money: Movies: Parasite Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.

Dodai Stewart of The New York Times joins Emily and Felix to discuss the stunning winner of the 2020 Best Picture Oscar, Parasite. They discuss class solidarity (or lack thereof), how the film’s themes translate to America, and why only the rich can afford luxuries like planning, trust and using all their senses.

Email: slatemoney@slate.com

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck

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Decoder Ring: The Tootsie Shot Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

You know the Tootsie Shot. It’s that shot from the movies: a really busy midtown street, protagonist smack in the middle of it all, everyone going somewhere. It’s one of the most recognizable shots in film. It can be found in Working Girl, Midnight Cowboy, Wall Street, Heartburn, Elf, Bridget Jones’s Diary, The Devil Wears Prada, The Wolf of Wall Street, and so many more. This is a short, transitional moment that often comes in the middle of a montage and takes up 30 seconds max, and sometimes just two or three. It’s just someone walking down a crowded street. So why is it so sticky?

If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you can binge the whole season of Decoder Ring right now, plus ad free podcasts, bonus episodes, and much more.

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Working: Photographing New York’s Disappearing Storefronts Jul 18, 2021

Show notes

This week, host Rumaan Alam talks to photographers James and Karla Murray, who are on a mission to capture the unique charm of New York City’s storefronts and advocate for small businesses. In the interview, James and Karla explain what it was like to teach themselves the basics of photography while juggling multiple jobs. They also discuss the process of landing their first book deal and starting an Instagram account.

After the interview, Rumaan and co-host Isaac Butler talk about the small businesses in their own communities that enrich their lives.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, James and Karla explain how neighborhoods can change and evolve responsibly.

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.

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ICYMI: The NCAA Influencers Are Coming Jul 17, 2021

Show notes

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison turn the show into a sports podcast. First, they discuss the recent news in college sports that allows athletes like Sedona Prince to finally make money off their personal brands, a major shift after years of schools profiting off of students without compensation. Then, they talk about how even though the Olympics haven’t begun, they’re getting an early start on TikTok.

Olympic athletes to follow:

Women's rugby player Ilona Maher
Men's volleyball player Erik Shoji
Paralympic swimmer Anastasia Pagonis
Skateboarder Heimana Reynolds
Women's rower Kenny Chase

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.

Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month.

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Hit Parade: Tramps Like Us, Part 1 Jul 17, 2021

Show notes

Bruce Springsteen has been a legend so long, it’s easy to forget that, for his first decade, he had trouble getting a hit. Yes, even the legendary “Born to Run”: It missed Billboard’s Top 20. And yet, several of Springsteen’s songs became big hits for others: the song with the misheard lyric about “a deuce” that went to No. 1 for a British band. The song he couldn’t finish that became a hit for a punk priestess. The song he refused to let his record label hear that became a massive hit for the Pointer Sisters. The hit he almost gave away to the Ramones.

In his second decade, on the other hand, Springsteen wasn’t just a hitmaker—he was the archetype: the symbol of flag-waving American rock, even when the song was less patriotism than protest. Advertisers, other pop stars, President Ronald Reagan—everybody glommed onto Bruce, and virtually all of them got him wrong. Just in time for summer, Hit Parade takes on the Boss, pop star. How did Bruce Springsteen invent his persona and find his truth?

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The Waves: Did Gossip Girl Lose Its Bite? Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

On this week’s episode of The Waves, June Thomas, senior managing producer of Slate podcasts and a host of Working, talks with Willa Paskin, Slate TV critic and host of Decoder Ring, about the reboot of Gossip Girl. They discuss how the show messed up by making its characters too nice, why the teachers may be the most interesting part of the reboot, and whether Gossip Girl has finally figured out its class politics.

Recommendations

June: Reality competition show about ball culture, Legendary on HBO Max.

Willa: The Succession meets Agatha Christie new show, The White Lotus on HBO.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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

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Culture Gabfest: The Patriarchy Can F Itself Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

This week, Steve is joined by Allegra Frank, Slate senior editor, and Heather Schwedel, Slate staff writer. First, the panel discusses the new Marvel blockbuster Black Widow. Next, they talk about the AMC show Kevin Can F**k Himself. Finally, the hosts are joined by Alexis Nowicki to discuss her essay in Slate “‘Cat Person’ and Me.”

In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the rabbit holes they fell down during the pandemic.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Cleo Levin.

Outro music: "Stone Cookies" by Dusty Decks

Endorsements

Allegra:The cookies atCity Cakes.

Heather:The documentary Kid 90.

Steve:“This Woman’s Work: Alice Neel’s Portraits of Feminized Labor” by Jessica Fletcher in The Baffler.

DeFazio’s Pizzeria in Troy, NY

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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ICYMI: Wendy Williams Said What Now? Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle talk about two of the internet’s favorite subjects: cats and Wendy Williams. First, they talk about the story that made “Slate” itself trend on Twitter: the debate surrounding a Slate essay published last week in which writer Alexis Nowicki revealed that the 2017 New Yorker story “Cat Person,” which became the first work of short fiction ever to go viral, was based on her life. Then, Madison shares a listener letter that validates all of her suspicions about those TikTok missed connections. (It also happens to feature a cat.) Finally, they close out the episode with High Speed Downloads about two recent online controversies: one about a woman who faced a flood of hate for tweeting about feeding feral cats, and another about a tasteless segment from a recent episode of The Wendy Williams Show.

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.

Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month.

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Slate Money: Movies: The Fountainhead Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.

Michael Bierut, graphic designer and self-described “recovering Ayn Rand fan”, joins Felix and Emily to discuss the 1949 film adaptation of The Fountainhead. They cover the film’s remarkable architecture, the clunky, long-winded dialogue, and its surprising watchability--despite Ayn Rand’s insistence on controlling everything.

Email: slatemoney@slate.com

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck

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Decoder Ring: Who Killed The Segway? Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

In the year 2000, Dan Kois was a junior book agent working on selling a secretive book proposal called IT, a codename for what would eventually be revealed as the Segway personal scooter. This is the story of the invention and development of a potentially revolutionary device, how Dan may or may not have doomed it, how the hype got out of control, and how that speculation helped birth the modern internet.

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