Slate Culture Feed

Latest Episodes:

Culture Gabfest: Live From the High Line Edition Jun 12, 2019

Show notes

The Culture Gabfest is live from The High Line in New York City to discuss the movie Late Night with Inkoo Kang, the life and work of Dr. John with Chris Molanphy, and King Lear with Isaac Butler.

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Decoder Ring: Chuck E. Cheese Pizza War Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

The King was an animatronic lounge singer who performed in Chuck E. Cheese locations in the 1980's and early 90's, but then he disappeared. The King was a victim of a conflict known as the pizza wars, when Chuck E. Cheese faced off against its rival, Showbiz Pizza for pizza arcade supremacy. The foot soldiers in the pizza war were the animatronic bands that staffed each location—including The King. This episode is a chronicle of the pizza war, with the founder of Chuck E. Cheese, Nolan Bushnell, it's rival, Showbiz Pizza's Aaron Fechter, the people who designed the characters and animatronics, and the people who continue loving these characters, like Jared Sanchez, who continue to create work with these once discarded creatures.

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Spoilers: Always Be My Maybe Jun 07, 2019

Show notes

This week on Spoiler Specials, Marissa Martinelli, Inkoo Kang and Heather Schwedel spoil Always Be My Maybe starring Ali Wong and Randall Park. What is the movie’s stance on food authenticity? What did they think of the Keanu cameo? Is it weird that Netflix references Netflix in its own movies?

Podcast production by Danielle Hewitt. Engineering by Merritt Jacob.

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Culture Gabfest: All This Science I Don't Understand Edition Jun 05, 2019

Show notes

Dana Stevens and Stephen Metcalf are joined by a rotating third chair of Slatesters to discuss Rocketman with Forrest Wickman, HBO's Chernobyl with Sam Adams, and the podcast Headlon: Running From COPS with Inkoo Kang.

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Spoilers: Fleabag May 31, 2019

Show notes

This week on Spoiler Specials, Marissa Martinelli, Inkoo Kang and Heather Schwedel spoil the Amazon Prime Original series Fleabag. Is the hot priest really that hot? Should there be a season 3? Is the show deserving off all of the hype? All that and more, in spoiler filled detail.

Podcast production by Danielle Hewitt. Engineering by Cameron Drews.

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Culture Gabfest: Barbie Body Dream Sequence Edition May 29, 2019

Show notes

Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss the movie Booksmart, what it's like to lose 250 thousand dollars on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on the occasion of its cancelation with Slate's Justin Peters, and Dana's new podcast Flashback with K. Austin Collins. In Slate Plus: the panel picks their favorite TV show endings.

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Spoilers: Booksmart May 24, 2019

Show notes

This week on Spoiler Specials, Dana Stevens, Jeffrey Bloomer and Christina Cauterucci spoil Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart. Does the movie push to teen comedy genre forward? Is the high school depicted in the film realistic? How accurate are the queer characters in the film? Listen to them discuss!

Podcast production by Danielle Hewitt. Engineering by Merritt Jacob.

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Culture Gabfest: Fourth Wall of the Fourth Wall Edition May 22, 2019

Show notes

Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, and Stephen Metcalf discuss the new, third film in the John Wick saga, the second season of Amazon's Fleabag, and the New York Times package on generation X and the concept of generations as a useful metric. In Slate Plus, the panel each recommend a piece of gen X art.

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Flashback: Wanda (1970) May 19, 2019

Show notes

In the second episode of Flashback, movie critics Dana Stevens and K. Austin Collins discuss the 1970 film Wanda, directed by Barbara Loden.

This podcast will soon be available for Slate Plus members only. Visit slate.com/flashback to sign up and subscribe now.

Production by Chau Tu.

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Spoilers: John Wick III May 17, 2019

Show notes

This week on Spoiler Specials, Sam Adams, Forrest Wickman, and Matthew Dessem discuss the action movie John Wick III. Does the laughable extremism of the violence in the movie, excuse the actual violence in the movie? Are stunt dogs really that talented or was that CGI? What was that ending and does it even matter?

Podcast production by Danielle Hewitt.

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