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Hit Parade | Material Girl in an Imperial World Edition Part 1 Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

In the late 1980s, the English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys dominated the U.K. pop charts and staged an invasion of the American charts. Years later, founding member Neil Tennant dubbed this streak of creative and commercial supremacy the group’s “imperial phase”—a term that eventually caught on among music critics and pop fans.

So, what does it take for an artist to achieve imperial dominance? Why might Fleetwood Mac in the 1970s or The Weeknd in the 2010s qualify, while Cher or Lizzo don’t quite fit the bill? Are there rules for imperial phases?

Hit Parade’s Chris Molanphy says yes—he’s got chart rules for determining when an artist is at peak imperiality. And he says Madonna’s late ’80s streak of hits might be the ultimate imperial phase.

Join Chris as he dissects the most regal artists across the decades, defining what makes them imperial—and he walks hit by hit through Madonna’s biggest phase, which may remain unmatched.

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.

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Dear Prudence | I Have Enough Friends and Don’t Want More. Help! Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

Guest Prudie Kristen Meinzer is joined by Lori Gottlieb – a psychotherapist, an Ask the Therapist Columnist for The New York Times, and a bestselling author. Together, they answer questions about being honest with a friend about their mental health, how to politely turn down an offer of friendship, and getting family to understand and respect boundaries during a divorce.

Want more Dear Prudence? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/prudie-plus to get access wherever you listen.

This week’s podcast is produced by Maura Currie, Vic Whitley-Berry, and Daisy Rosario.

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Care & Feeding (After Dark) | Modeling Healthy Love Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

On this episode: Elizabeth, Lucy and Zak get together for our annual After Dark episode. This year, Lucy’s got a question about showing affection in front of the kids… and figuring out how to demonstrate what a healthy relationship looks like without making it weird.

If you want to catch up on last year’s After Dark episodes, do it: we talked about sex and did couple’s counseling.

And after that discussion, we’ll of course circle up for a round of triumphs and fails.

Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get to hang out with us on the Plus Playground every week for a whole additional grab-bag of content — and you’ll get an ad-free experience across the network. And you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus – or try it out on Apple Podcasts.

Podcast produced by Maura Currie, with special thanks to babysitter extraordinaire Rosemary Belson this week.

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What Next | The Award for Messiest Oscar Contender Goes To… Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

As Donald Trump’s campaign of trans panic and anti-Latin American sentiment buoyed him back to the White House, Emilia Pérez looked like a film to meet the moment. Then audiences started actually seeing it and...yikes.

Guest: Michael Schulman, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears.

Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Decoder Ring | The Scratch-Off Ticket’s Instant Win Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

You may never have thought very hard about scratch-off tickets, but that’s part of their power. They’re a form of gambling that’s simply a pedestrian part of American life. But not so long ago, they were risky and innovative, the killer app of their time and the must-play game of the state lottery. In this episode, Ian Coss, host of the new podcast series Scratch & Win, is going to walk us through the history of the scratch-off ticket: its invention, its popularization, and its connection to the explosion in gambling that’s now all around us.

This episode of Decoder Ring was produced by Katie Shepherd. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin, Evan Chung and Max Freedman. Derek John is Executive Producer. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.

Scratch & Win is a production of GBH News. It is produced by Isabel Hibbard and Ian Coss and edited by Lacy Roberts. Its editorial supervisor is Jenifer McKim with support from Ryan Alderman. Mei Lei is the project manager, and the Executive Producer is Devin Maverick Robins.

If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, please email us at DecoderRing@slate.com. And you can also now call us at our Decoder Ring hotline — that number is 347-460-7281. We love hearing your ideas, and we especially enjoyed all the messages we got about our last episode on the ’90s swing craze. Keep ‘em coming! And even better, tell your friends to check us out.

Want more Decoder Ring? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Decoder Ring show page. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Culture Gabfest: The SNL 50th Anniversary Industrial Complex Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s show, the hosts reflect on 50 years of music, culture, and comedy with the 50th anniversary of SNL and QuestLove’s new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. For that, the team is joined by Jason Zinoman, critic at large for culture at The New York Times.

Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow – where we follow the adventures of an unlikely group of animals led by a curious black cat.

Finally, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe joins to talk about Kendrick Lamar’s “double whammy” of a Super Bowl halftime show. Read her article reflecting on the performance here.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel invites Jason Zinoman back to discuss his article on standup comedy’s move to soften the punchline in exchange for a long, humor-infused setup.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements:

Dana: Henry IV playing at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York and K.D. Lang’s SNL performance of Johnny Get Angry in 1989 (audio only, as the video performance has been removed) or this other performance of the song (with visuals) on UK’s Channel Four from 1991

Julia: Vulture critic Craig Jenkins’ halftime show review – Kendrick Lamar Is Not Your Savior and Pom Pom maker

Steve: Pope Francis’ letter to Vice President J.D. Vance

Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry.

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ICYMI: The Brilliance of “Montoya, Por Favor” Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim dive into two internet stories they can’t stop thinking about. First, they explain how Montoya from Temptation Islandbecame 2025’s crash-out king and created one of the first great international memes of the year. Then, they recap the journey of Onijah Andrew Robinson, an American who spent months in Pakistan after a catfish-gone-wrong, and used local media to become TikTok’s latest obsession.

This podcast is produced by Alexandra Botti, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay.

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Outward | A Trans Military Member Speaks Out Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Christina Cauterucci speaks with Sasha Buchert, Counsel and Nonbinary and Transgender Rights Project Director at Lambda Legal, and Geirid Morgan, a trans Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, about the Trump administration’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. Sasha walks us through Lambda Legal’s case challenging the ban and the broader constitutional implications, while Geirid shares her personal experience navigating shifting policies, coming out while in service, and the uncertainty that trans service members continue to face.

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How To! | Have the Best Sex of Your Life (Encore) Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Ever since she started taking a new medication a few years ago, Meme is worried that she’s lost her sex drive. She still has a great relationship with her husband, but she isn’t interested in sex the way that she used to be, and she’s worried it’s hurting her marriage. On this episode of How To!, we bring on sex educator Emily Nagoski, author of Come as You Are, to coach Meme through how to revamp her sex life. For busy couples, you should actually schedule a time on your calendar to be intimate. “Think of like when you were dating…that was date sex,” Emily reminds us. She then breaks down the myths that so many of us have internalized about sex, and shares surprising tips to help anyone—no matter their age or relationship status—have better sex.

If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Save Your Marriage.”

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rachael Allen, and Rosemary Belson.

Want more How To!? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the How To! show page. Or, visit slate.com/howtoplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Death, Sex & Money | After Sobriety, Chasing Goosebumps Instead of Highs Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

When the poet and writer Kaveh Akbar likes something, he really likes it. As a high school student, he got hooked on poetry. In college, it was alcohol. This week, Kaveh talks to Anna Sale about the factors that led to his sobriety, and he explains exactly how he manages a life that’s full of healthy, wonderful obsessions as well as problematic ones.

Kaveh’s critically acclaimed novel Martyr! is now available in paperback. You can read about his temporary fixation on collecting basketball cards in GQ.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus.

And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com.

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