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Thirst Aid Kit: A Bottle of Matthew Rhys-ling Sep 10, 2020

Show notes

Matthew Rhys’ energy is complex and layered, like a roasted pepper: there’s spice, there’s heat, and there’s smoke. In Rhys, there is a balance of all our favorite things — superb eye and face acting, characters that know how to yearn, tightly coiled power in a stern shell, and talent as deep as a Welsh valley. We talk about his career-defining work as a weary spy on The Americans, his turn as an older Mr Darcy in Death Comes To Pemberley, his laughter on The Wine Show and Archer, and so much more besides. Top notes of Château Rhys are: intense knowingness and barely banked passion. Pour us a glass, and leave the bottle.

On this week’s Slate Plus, Nichole makes Bim break down something that has escaped her all these years: the appeal of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Pride and Prejudice itself. Bim, despite being shocked to her marrow, obliges.

Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. You can also send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: Horrors Real and Imagined Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

On this week’s episode, Steve is joined by guests hosts Laura Miller, a books and culture columnist for Slate, and Jamelle Bouie, a columnist for the New York Times and Slate’s former chief political correspondent. The panel takes on Lovecraft Country, HBO’s new horror series. Next, they talk about Charlie Kaufman’s enigmatic I’m Thinking of Ending Things. And finally, the panel dives into the “is NYC over?” debate.

In Slate Plus, the hosts talk about a George Washington University professor’s recent confession that she falsely claimed a Black identity.

Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Culture Gabfest each episode, and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work.

Endorsements:

Laura: The Silver Arrowby Lev Grossman

Jamelle: The Way Back, a sports film starring Ben Affleck

Steve: “What Ails America” by Timothy Snyder in the New York Review of Books, adapted from his new book, Our Malady: Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Diary

And finally, please check out Jamelle’s cereal reviews for Serious Eats.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.

Outro Music: Bloody Hunter by Paisley Pink

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Working: Kimberly Drew on the Life-Enhancing Power of Art Sep 06, 2020

Show notes

This week, host Rumaan Alam talks about the importance of museums with writer and art advocate, Kimberly Drew, whose Tumblr blog Black Contemporary Art set her apart as one of the most promising young voices in the visual art world. It also led to a job as social-media manager at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the interview, Kimberly discusses her new book, This Is What I Know About Art, and talks about the role art has played in peoples’ lives during the pandemic.

After the interview, June and co-host Rumaan Alam talk about which museums they’re excited to go to when institutions reopen.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com.

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 Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. It’s only $35 for the first year, and you can get a free two-week trial. Sign up now to help support our work.

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Spoiler Special: I'm Thinking of Ending Things Sep 04, 2020

Show notes

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Slate’s Dana Stevens and Matthew Dessem spoil I’m Thinking of Ending Things. Charlie Kaufman starts the film following a young couple, Lucy (Jessie Buckley) and Jake (Jesse Plemons) driving on a snowy evening to meet and have dinner with Jake’s parents. Lucy is already second guessing the trip since she doesn’t know if she wants to stay with Jake, who oddly seems to physically react when she thinks about breaking things off with him. Kaufman intersects their journey with the experiences of a janitor at a high school. Things start to get weird when the couple arrives at Jake’s childhood home. As the movie progresses, the characters become untethered from time and the film calls into question if Lucy and Jake even exist. And what does the janitor have to do with anything?

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at spoilers@slate.com.

Podcast production by Rosemary Belson.

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work.

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Thirst Aid Kit: The Sweet Thirst of Sweet Magnolias Sep 03, 2020

Show notes

Thirst is a broad church—did you know that? Which is why we can cackle like dirty aunties at filthy innuendos but also relish the pure PG-13 sweetness of a show like Sweet Magnolias. *Stefon from SNL voice* This show has everything: the long term female friendship of Helen, Maddie, and Dana Sue PLUS smouldering looks between exes; the exploration of something new after a drought; on-off entanglements that cancel out good judgment; all wrapped in a SFW picnic basket of subtle, Southern thirst-language and behaviour. We break down what the show gets right, and why we are craving it so much in 2020.

Our Plus segment brings back “Explain Yourself” with special guest (and former TAK producer) TK Dutes. TK breaks down her love for Sampha and Niecy Nash, but she didn’t have to do much to convince us to feel the same way.

As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: Bogus Journey Sep 02, 2020

Show notes

This week Steve, Julia, and Dana take a trip to the Bill and Ted universe and share their thoughts on the latest addition, Bill and Ted Face the Music. Then Wesley Morris from the New York Times joins the show to pay tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman. And finally, Dana shares the group's final comfort pick, Days of Heaven.

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Working: How Kurt Andersen Succeeds in So Many Creative Fields Aug 30, 2020

Show notes

This week, host June Thomas talks to novelist, journalist, editor, and radio host Kurt Andersen, who talks about the curiosity and drive that has fueled so many of his creative pursuits. He also discusses his latest nonfiction book, Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America, and he ponders the legacy of Spy magazine, a publication he co-founded in the 1980s.

After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler discuss the difference between generalists, who know a little bit about a lot of topics, and specialists, who have a specific area of expertise.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

And 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 Working. It’s only $35 for the first year, and you can get a free two-week trial. Sign up now to help support our work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thirst Aid Kit: The Naughty Bob Ross (feat. Marc Rebillet) Aug 27, 2020

Show notes

Okay. You might be saying “who?” but trust us. Marc Rebillet’s rising star is one to watch. Using a loop machine, a keyboard, and a strong WiFi connection, Marc live-streams his way across platforms and into that delightful intersection where humor, undeniable talent, and thirst meet. He improvises songs based on suggestions from his audience which means sometimes he sings about processing grief and sometimes he sings about buttholes. We love a man with range.

In our Plus segment, we try to break down the lure of musicians. Why do we love guitar players and drummers so much? Why does Nichole want you to give those who play brass instruments a chance? What is it about drummers’ forearms that Bim wants you to know? Become a Slate Plus member and find out!

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Spoiler Specials: I May Destroy You Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Slate’s Television Critic Willa Paskin is joined by Vulture Staff Writer Angelica Jade Bastién to spoil I May Destroy You. Michaela Coel is at the heart of this series. Besides writing and producing the show, she directed many episodes and plays the main character, Arabella Essiedu. Coel covers consent, rape, friendship, and empathy, in a complex, yet compelling, way that really humanizes Arabella.

Arabella is a young writer and influencer working on her second book when her drink was drugged and raped while at a bar in London. The series follows her as she works through the aftermath of her assault. Does Arabella regain her full memories of her sexual assault? Will she be able to finish her book? Will she accept the help from another acquaintance who she believes to have raped her? How does she use fantasy to imagine a better resolution for herself than reality can give her?

You can read Willa’s review here.

You can read Angelica’s review here.

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at spoilers@slate.com.

Podcast production by Rosemary Belson.

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Working: The Pulitzer Won’t Change Playwright Michael R. Jackson Aug 23, 2020

Show notes

This week host Isaac Butler traces the creative origins of Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer-winning musical A Strange Loop. In the interview, Michael talks about his early songwriting attempts and the gradual process of turning a monologue about his experiences as a young, Black gay man into a one-man show and then turning that one-man show into a “proper musical.”

After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas discuss Michael’s distinction between an “autobiographical” work and a “self-referential” work.

In Slate Plus, Michael talks about two celebrity encounters, one with Liz Phair, whose music inspired a lot of his work, and one with Tyler Perry, whose work was satirized ruthlessly in A Strange Loop.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

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