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Culture Gabfest: The Talented Mr. Quibi Apr 15, 2020

Show notes

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner analyze the latest way to watch television: Quibi. Next, they bring on Slate music critic Carl Wilson to talk about the legacy of the late songwriter John Prine. Finally, the panel dives into The Talented Mr. Ripley,Dana’s comfort watch pick for this week.

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

On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Saturday Night Live’s recent “at home” show.

Outro Music: 'Apocalypse' by Cigarettes After Sex

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.

Endorsements

Dana: John Dickerson’s interview with John Prine from February 2019.

Julia: Jim Dale’s audiobook narration of the Harry Potter series—except for his voice of Hermione.

Steve: The Lucksmiths. Again.

The music of Cigarettes After Sex.

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Working: Why Maira Kalman Loves to Work on Lots of Projects at Once Apr 12, 2020

Show notes

This week, host Rumaan Alam talks with the multitalented artist Maira Kalman. Kalman is an illustrator, writer, artist, and designer known for her playful and witty illustrations in children's books like Fireboat and Why We Broke Up as well as her work for the New York Times and the New Yorker.

They talk about what the perfect day of work looks like for the artist, how to stay creative in times of crisis, and her latest project: an illustrated edition of The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas.

Afterward, Rumaan and Isaac Butler talk about the ways in which they’re trying to remain creative. Rumaan has been watching the Met’s release of “Nightly Met Opera Streams,” a free series of encore Live in HD presentations streamed on the company website, and Isaac recommends picking up a copy of the book And Then You Act: Making Art in an Unpredictable World,by theater director Anne Bogart to combat creative roadblocks during this time of great uncertainty.

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

Podcast production by Morgan Flannery.

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Thirst Aid Kit: The Smoldering Appeal of Shazad Latif and Manny Montana Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

Shazad Latif and Manny Montana have paid their dues and it’s time to give them the recognition they deserve. From Spooks to Penny Dreadful to Star Trek: Discovery, Shazad has shown he has the range. But it’s as Ash Tyler that his vulnerability and yearning leave us utterly captivated. Manny Montana has been working his way to Good Girls since 2008, and his character Rio is worth the wait. Manny makes Rio vibrate with barely-controlled passion, keeping us on the edge of our seats. Yes, Shazad and Manny are thirst-worthy, but they’re both incredibly talented as well, and we’re ready to watch their stars rise.

Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Thirst Aid Kit each week. Sign up now to listen and support our show.

In this week’s Slate Plus, Bim leads “Explain Yourself,” as she tries to convince Nichole, notorious for her love of a long-haired man, to give sexy bald men a chance. With such compelling evidence as Boris Khodjoe, Sir Patrick Stewart, Corey Stoll, and more, can Bim win her case?

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Decoder Ring: Unicorn Poop Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

How did poop get cute? On this episode of Decoder Ring we trace the rise of cute poop from the original Japanese poop emoji to more modern poop toys which rely on the Youtube algorithm to get seen and sold.

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work.

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Culture Gabfest: Will Restaurants Survive? Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner are joined by Jen Agg to talk about the fate of the restaurant industry. Next, they bring on New York Times Magazine contributing writer Jody Rosen to discuss the passing of Adam Schlesinger. Finally, the panel dives into Julia’s favorite movie and comfort watch—Sneakers.

On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses their results to the Statistical "Which Character" Personality Quiz.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.

Outro Music: “All Kinds of Time” by Fountains of Wayne

Endorsements

Jody: The singer Bill Withers, particularly his albums Naked & Warm and ’Justments.

Jonathan Cecil’s audiobook reading of P.G. Wodehouse’s Uncle Fred in the Springtime.

Dana: Interview with Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn on the Ringer podcast “The Watch.”

Julia: “Nutmeg” from A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!

Steve: The songwriter Marty Donald of The Lucksmiths found here in Steve’s Spotify playlist.

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Working: How Divergent Author Veronica Roth Learns From Criticism Apr 05, 2020

Show notes

Welcome to the revamped Working. We’re pivoting to creativity! New hosts Rumaan Alam, Isaac Butler, and June Thomas will be talking to writers, musicians, designers, YouTubers, and other people with creative jobs about how they spend their days.

This week, June talks with author Veronica Roth, who wrote the first draft of her novel Divergent when she was a senior at Northwestern University. She had sold more than 32 million books by the time she was 26, and next week, at the ripe old age of 31, she’ll publish her seventh novel, Chosen Ones.

They talked about identifying your natural writing style, how to find the perfect person to offer feedback on your work, and making the switch from writing YA fiction. You’ll also hear how Kate Winslet helped her create more believable villains.

Afterward, Rumaan and Isaac talk about their own experiences with the workshopping process and the readers whose feedback they trust most—for Rumaan that’s Lynn Steger Strong, author of Hold Still; for Isaac that’s Sally Franson, author of A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out, and Catherine Nichols.)

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

Podcast production by Morgan Flannery.

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 now at slate.com/workingplus

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Spoiler Special: Tiger King Apr 03, 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, Sam Adams is joined by Slate’s Television Critic Willa Paskin to spoil Netflix’s hit documentary series Tiger King. The hit series is an increasingly sordid tale of wild characters conning each other out of zoos. The show’s standout character is Joe Exotic, whose charisma and personality are made for reality television. He has a long time feud with Carole Baskin, who runs the nonprofit Big Cat Rescue and is actively trying to shut private zoos down. Will Carole succeed? What happens when Joe tries to hire someone to murder Carole? And when will anyone focus on the questionable conditions forced on the big cats?

You can read Sam Adams’ review here and his story about the artists behind Joe Exotic’s music here.

You can read Willa Paskin’s piece about Carole Baskin here.

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

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.

Email us at spoilers@slate.com.

Podcast production by Rosemary Belson.

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Thirst Aid Kit: Thirsting In Place Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

We’ve all been sheltering in place for some time now, which has given us ample time to think about who our ideal quarantine buddies would be. Who would our Thirst Buckets like to be holed up with in a cabin made for two? The Thirst Object field was diverse: constant TB-favourite Tessa Thompson came up, as did Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, Westworld’s Rodrigo Santoro, and even Jidenna’s sweet musical stylings (among other things)... No drabbles this week but Nichole and Bim also revealed their own choices for optimal quarantine activities. A fun time is had by all!

In this week’s Slate Plus, we draw your attention to men’s forearms aka the modern equivalent of a delicate Victorian ankle — is there a body part more laden with meaning? A revealed forearm, tanned, hairy, lightly-veined and solid… it does things to a person, you know?

Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Thirst Aid Kit each week. Sign up now to listen and support our show.

Follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs and so much more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Remember, you can send us your own (short) drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: Cool Cats and Kittens Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf is joined by Slate senior editor Sam Adams and Slate podcast producer Daniel Schroeder discuss the wildness of Tiger King. Then, Steve teams back up with Dana Stevens and Julia Turner to talk about one of his favorite comfort watches: Paddington 2. Finally, the panel analyzes celebrity in the age of coronavirus by exploring the two recent telethons respectively hosted by Elton John and James Corden.

On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Bob Dylan’s newest song.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.

Outro Music: "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" by Julie London

Endorsements

Dana: The singer Julie London

Julia: Hoosker Doosker Tug of War game

Steve: “They Survived the Spanish Flu, the Depression and the Holocaust,” by Ginia Bellafante in the New York Times

“A Star in a Stoneboat,” by Robert Frost

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Hit Parade: La Vida Loca Edición Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

Hit Parade takes you back to the turn of the millennium when, for a couple of years, it seemed like a Latin pop star was topping Billboard’ Hot 100 every few weeks: Ricky Martin. Jennifer Lopez. Enrique Iglesias. Marc Anthony. Carlos Santana. Shakira. This wave of Latin crossover was hard-fought and a long time coming—from “La Bamba” to “Macarena,” Spanish-language hits in the 20th century had been treated like novelties by record buyers and radio programmers.

The Latin boom of 1999 changed all that—but did it go far enough? How did we get from the slick Spanglish of “Livin’ la Vida Loca” to the Spanish-first success of “Despacito” and “Mi Gente”? And how did Ritchie Valens and João Gilberto prepare America for J.Lo and Shakira triumphing at the Super Bowl?

Podcast production by Justin D. Wright.

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work.

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