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. 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. 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

Culture Gabfest

Cool Cats and Kittens

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Dana Stevens rejoins Stephen Metcalf and Julia Turner from her book leave for a few segments. First, Steve and Dana chat with Slate’s books and culture columnist Laura Miller about The Plot Against America. Next, Steve, Dana, and Julia talk about the power of walking, particularly in this time of quarantine, and the literary history that precedes the activity. Finally, Steve and Julia chat with Slate staff writer Dan Kois about the 1996 film Big Night, a delicious comfort watch. On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel checks in with each other about how they’re doing during this time of quarantine.  Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.  Outro Music: “Higher Love” cover from Kygo & Whitney Houston  Endorsements Dana: “Kasha is the new nutmeg.” Patti LuPone’s basement tours. Julia: “Higher Love,” the Whitney Houston and Kygo remix. Steve: “Buh Black Snake in New England,” by Benjamin Anastas in Oxford American. 

Walking into the Abyss

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and guest host and Slate staff writer Dan Kois talk about the film Spenser Confidential, starring Mark Wahlberg on Netflix. Next, they discuss Reply All’s recent episode “The Case of the Missing Hit.” Finally, the panel is joined by Dana Stevens to lay out how they approach culture during this time of quarantine. How much do we lean into escapism?  On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel takes on Steve’s own “missing hit” mystery. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.  Outro Music: Lost Something in the Hills" by Sibylle Baier. Endorsements Dana: Colour Green by Sibylle Baier. Dan: The “Sondheim at 90” package by the New York Times.  The album Side by Side by Sondheim.  Julia: The poem “My Heart Leaps Up” by William Wordsworth. Steve: Always Narrating: The Making and Unmaking of Umberto Eco by Costica Bradatan in the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Viral Songs and Quarantine Culture

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and guest host and Slate staff writer Dan Kois talk about Kelly Reichardt’s film First Cow. Next, they bring on Slate television critic Willa Paskin to discuss the latest episode of her podcast Decoder Ring, which dives into the real-life bookstore battle behind You’ve Got Mail. Finally, the panel dives into Molly Fischer’s feature in the Cut on the millennial aesthetic.  On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses the cancellation of Woody Allen’s memoir.  Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Additional production help by Rosemary Belson. Outro Music: "Party All The Time" by Eddie Murphy Other items discussed on the show:  “I Made the Oily Cakes From First Cow,” by Dan Kois in Slate.  “Bookstores That Live Only in the Mind,” by Dan Kois in the New York Times. Endorsements Dan: The March Badness bracket of songs. Julia: Print out your cooking recipes. Steve: “Reading Richard Rorty in Tehran” by Samuel Thrope in the Nation. 

Cows and Capitalism

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and guest host and Slate staff writer Dan Kois talk about the hit Netflix dating reality show Love Is Blind with Slate podcast producer Daniel Schroeder. Next, they discuss tomboys, jumping off of a recent New York Times op-ed. Finally, the panel takes on the coronavirus, analyzing the epidemic through various pieces of culture.  On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses a New York Times op-ed from an editor whose ex-boyfriend is now dating Lady Gaga.  Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Additional production help by Rosemary Belson. Outro Music: 'Shattered & Hollow' by First Aid Kit Endorsements Dan: The graphic memoir Tomboy by Liz Prince. Pitchfork’s Sunday Reviews. Julia: The viral video where a camera falls from an airplane… Steve: “No Ghost in the Machine” by Mark Halpern in the American Scholar. The album Stay Gold by First Aid Kit. Hosts Stephen Metcalf Julia Turner Dan Kois Social Media @slatecultfest on Twitter https://twitter.com/slatecultfest @slateculturepodcasts on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/slateculturepodcasts/

Is Love Blind?

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and guest host and Slate staff writer Dan Kois talk about Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Next, they discuss Taylor Swift’s documentary Miss Americana. Finally, the panel dives into “garbage language” a.k.a corporate buzzwords—unnecessary or effective?  On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses a contentious subject—whether Leonardo DiCaprio was already a star before Titanic? Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Additional production help by Rosemary Belson. Outro Music: 'The Man' by Taylor Swift Endorsements Dan: Reading Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies before The Mirror & the Light, the third book in the trilogy, is released March 10.  Julia: Golden State by Ben H. Winters. Steve: “Reading Sade in the Age of Epstein” by Mitchell Abidor in The New York Review of Books.  

Portrait of Taylor on Fire

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf is joined by two guests hosts: Sam Anderson, New York Times Magazine staff writer and author of Boom Time, and Dan Kois, Slate staff writer and author of How to Be a Family. First, the panel discusses The Assistant, the indie film with heavy Harvey Weinstein overtones. Next, they dive into Hulu’s reboot of High Fidelity, starring Zoë Kravitz. Finally, the panel breaks down the work of Jenny Odell, including her book How to Do Nothing and her recent Paris Review essay “The Myth of Self-Reliance.” On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Dan Kois’s recent Slate story on a New Zealand fantasy masterpiece—an article that catalyzed the book’s publication in the U.S.  Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Additional production help by Rosemary Belson. Outro Music: ‘Lonely World’ by Moses Sumney Endorsements Dan: The writing of Charles Portis, including True Grit and Norwood. Sam: John Cage’s performance of “Water Walk” on “I’ve Got a Secret” in 1960 (as Jenny Odell recommends). Steve: Seeing Parasite a second time.  “The Professor of Denial” by Amanda J. Crawford in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Moses Sumney’s Aromanticism

Gender Swap

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner break down the Oscars and Bong Joon-ho’s historic win. Next, the discuss Star Trek: Picard with Slate associate editor and Trekkie Marissa Martinelli. Finally, they dive into a recent New York Times Magazine article on the way television imagines New York City.  On the Slate Plus segment this week, the fashion of the Oscars.   Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Outro Music: Eminem Performs 'Lose Yourself' at Oscars 2020 Endorsements Dana: Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar acceptance speeches, as Dana wrote about in her recent Slate piece “Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar Night Had All the Genre-Bending Twists of His Movies.” Julia: “Chasing Colombia’s ‘cocaine hippos’” by Peter Rowe in the Los Angeles Times. Steve: “The Seriousness of George Steiner” by Adam Gopnik in the New Yorker. “An Evening With George Steiner (1929-2020)” by Kinton Ford in n+1.

Parasite Without a Host

`This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner dive into Ford v Ferrari before the Oscars this weekend. Next, they discuss Netflix’s reality show The Circle with Slate’s editorial director—and Circle-enthusiast—Laura Bennett. Finally, they analyze the controversy surrounding Jeanine Cummins’s American Dirt with Los Angeles Times staff writer Daniel Hernandez. On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Super Bowl ads with Slate’s Justin Peters.  Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Outro Music: ‘The Circle Theme (Netflix)’ by Patrizio Knight   Hosts Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner Endorsements Dana: “‘Jojo Rabbit’ Captures the Horror and Absurdity of our Trumpian Moment,” by Masha Gessen in The New Yorker. Julia: The Good Wife. Steve: Cheer (specifically, La’Darius’s brother’s face). “The Money Behind Trump’s Money,” by David Enrich in The New York Times Magazine.

Boingity Boing Music

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner untangle the oddity that is Jojo Rabbit, discuss whether Netflix’s sport docu-series Cheer lives up to the hype, and talk to Slate’s music critic Carl Wilson about this year’s Grammys.  On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Kobe Bryant and the reactions to his death. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Outro Music: Lizzo's "Cuz I Love You" & "Truth Hurts" 2020 Grammy Performance Endorsements Dana:  ‘Gigi Bryant Was a Great Basketball Player’ by Josh Levin Julia:  ‘The Rise of the Dancefluencer’  by Makeda Easter Steve:  ‘The Myth of Self-Reliance’ by Jenny Odell

Making Mat

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner dive into Honeyland, Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s Academy Award-nominated documentary following a beekeeper in Macedonia. Next, they chat about Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time. Finally, Slate’s Laura Miller joins the panel to discuss Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror and the role—and critiques—of the modern female essayist. On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Oscar nominations.   Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Outro Music: The Futureheads’ cover of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.” Hosts Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner Endorsements Dana:  Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror audiobook.  Julia:  Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing.  Steve:  Ian Rankin’s “Inspector Rebus” book series. The Futureheads’ cover of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.”

Half for Me, Half for You

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas discuss Sam Mendes' film 1917, the new installment in the UP documentary series, 63 UP, and the British royal phenomenon that has become known as Megxit.

"Royal Pain In The Arse" Edition

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner dive into Little Women, writer-director Greta Gerwig’s adaption—perhaps the best adaption yet—of Louisa May Alcott’s novel that follows the lives of the four March sisters. Next, they discuss the risky jokes, heartfelt speeches, and weird red carpet looks of this year’s Golden Globes. Finally, they chat about The Movie Club, Slate’s annual conversation among film critics led by Dana about this year in film.  On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel spoils the ending to Little Women.  Endorsements Dana:  Atlantics, a Cannes Grand Prix-winning film by French-Senegalese director Mati Diop, streaming on Netflix. Julia:  A withdrawal of a previous endorsement—the book The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow—because of its sexist treatment of women.  The Marvel supervillain M.O.D.O.K. Steve:  The German-Austrian comedy-drama Toni Erdmann, directed, written, and co-produced by Maren Ade. Available for rent on Amazon Prime. Outro Music: It’s Romance by Alexandre Desplat from the Little Women Original Motion Picture Soundtrack  Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.

The Secret Mailbox

Dana Stevens hosts a selection of a few of our favorite Slate Plus bonus segments, offering them to our regular listeners for the first time. You'll hear Steve, Julia and Dana talk about the new live action CATS, discuss impactful nonfiction with Slate's Laura Miller, remember critic Harold Bloom, and decipher what went wrong with Jill Abramson's Merchants of Truth.

"Welcome to Slaht Ploos, Books and Cats" Edition

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner take listener call-in questions, including what books, music, and beverages they would take to a well-appointed Alpine cabin and much, much more.

"Call Us, Definitely" Edition

New York Times critic Dwight Garner says “The Slate Culture Gabfest is one of the highlights of my week.” The award-winning Culturefest features critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner debating the week in culture, from highbrow to pop. For more of Slate’s culture podcasts, check out the Slate Culture feed.

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Culture Gabfest

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