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Culture Gabfest

Slate Podcasts
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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.Want more Culture Gabfest? Subscribe to Slate Plus to 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 the Culture Gabfest show page. Or, visit slate.com/cultureplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Heathcliff, It’s Me Cathy Edition

    This week, Dana is joined by Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times film critic and host of the podcast Unspooled, as well as Jamelle Bouie, New York Times columnist and host of the podcast Unclear and Present Danger. They discuss love affairs, lustful, glamorous, and interspecies. First up, it’s the lustful as they take up Emerald Fennell’s bodice-ripping adaptation of “Wuthering Heights.” Starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the doomed duo Cathy and Heathcliff, the adaptation promises an over-the-top, camp spin on the Gothic tale but does it offer enough depravity to really deliver? Next, it’s on to the glamorous with the Ryan Murphy-produced, CK One-scented limited series Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette about the tragic love story of the political scion and New York fashion It Girl. Finally, they discuss all the interspecies hijinks and backstage chaos in the delightful revival of The Muppet Show. In an exclusive bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, the trio of cinephiles celebrate recent reporting that movie theaters are cool again. Endorsements Jamelle: William Wyler's 1939 version of Wuthering Heights starring Laurence Olivier— and while you're visiting the Criterion Channel, check out their collection Mervyn LeRoy’s Pre-Code Films. Amy: Gore Verbinski's new film Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, in theaters now. Dana: The patient, observant documentaries of the recently deceased filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, several of which are available to stream on Kanopy.  ---- Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com.  Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min

  2. 4 DAYS AGO · BONUS • SLATE PLUS ONLY

    Are Movie Theaters Cool Again?

    Cinephiles Dana and guest hosts Amy Nicholson and Jamelle Bouie revel in an unlikely trend recently reported in Vox: movie theaters are cool again. According to recent industry studies, members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha are seeing films in theaters at increasingly higher rates. Our panelists discuss why this is such good news for culture and even for democracy itself, the role of social media sites like Letterboxd play in fueling this trend, why you shouldn’t trust the rhetoric of streaming entertainment executives, and what’s the best regional movie theater chain in the San Antonio, Texas area.

    12 min

  3. 11 FEB

    Bad Bunny Spikes the Football Edition

    The sugarcane fields! La casita! Piraguas! Lady Gaga! Ricky Martin! An actual wedding! Bad Bunny’s immense and boisterous Super Bowl Halftime show brought a whole Puerto Rican universe to Levi’s Stadium and into American viewers’ homes. Julia and guest hosts Nadira Goffe and Rebecca Onion revel in the joyful spectacle and are joined by Slate writer Joshua Rivera to decode the inclusive politics of this party.  Next, the panel examines the bracing, anxiety-inducing film If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Starring a ferocious and funny Rose Byrne and directed by Mary Bronstein, it’s a jittery, intense portrait of motherhood. Finally, they discuss the hugely popular podcast The Rest Is History and ponder how two British dudes—Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook—talking about things like the Battle of Carthage captured so much attention and admiration. In an exclusive bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, it’s time for some Wednesday morning quarterbacking to size up the big game’s real players: the commercials. Endorsements Nadira: The new album of footwork music OVERTIME by the underground hip hop outfit usertime and Marsh crane as well as the new album URGH by the English–French noise rock band Mandy, Indiana. Rebecca: The novel The Director by Daniel Kehlmann and the 2011 appropriately moody Bronte adaptation Wuthering Heights directed by Andrea Arnold. Julia: The new cookbook by Joshua McFadden Six Seasons of Pasta — try all the absurd little steps at least once, the cheese gravel is good! --- Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com.  Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m

  4. 11 FEB · BONUS • SLATE PLUS ONLY

    Assessing the 2026 Super Bowl Ads

    For this bonus episode, Julia, Nadira, and Rebecca stuck it out through Super Bowl LX’s commercial breaks so you could refill your chips. Their report is not great. Not only was the subject matter of many of the ads bleak and dystopian— AI products, cryptocurrencies, and GLP-1 weight loss drug spots abounded—they were also kind of dull. The hosts share their feelings about the sorry state of affairs and also reveal a few bright spots in the night— those soda-drinking polar bears still got it!

    17 min

  5. 11 FEB • SLATE PLUS ONLY

    Bad Bunny Spikes the Football Edition

    The sugarcane fields! La casita! Piraguas! Lady Gaga! Ricky Martin! An actual wedding! Bad Bunny’s immense and boisterous Super Bowl Halftime show brought a whole Puerto Rican universe to Levi’s Stadium and into American viewers’ homes. Julia and guest hosts Nadira Goffe and Rebecca Onion revel in the joyful spectacle and are joined by Slate writer Joshua Rivera to decode the inclusive politics of this party. Next, the panel examines the bracing, anxiety-inducing film If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Starring a ferocious and funny Rose Byrne and directed by Mary Bronstein, it’s a jittery, intense portrait of motherhood. Finally, they discuss the hugely popular podcast The Rest Is History and ponder how two British dudes—Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook—talking about things like the Battle of Carthage captured so much attention and admiration. In an exclusive bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, it’s time for some Wednesday morning quarterbacking to size up the big game’s real players: the commercials. Endorsements Nadira: The new album of footwork music OVERTIME by the underground hip hop outfit usertime and Marsh crane as well as the new album URGH by the English–French noise rock band Mandy, Indiana. Rebecca: The novel The Director by Daniel Kehlmann and the 2011 appropriately moody Bronte adaptation Wuthering Heights directed by Andrea Arnold. Julia: The new cookbook by Joshua McFadden Six Seasons of Pasta — try all the absurd little steps at least once, the cheese gravel is good! --- Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com. Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.

    1h 3m

  6. 4 FEB

    The Boss Responds to Minneapolis Edition

    This week, Steve, Dana and guest host Sam Adams talk anti-authoritarian art in its many forms. First, they take up It Was Just an Accident, the Cannes Palme d’Or-winning film by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. Inspired in part by Panahi’s own experience being imprisoned for critiquing the Iranian government, his new film—made in secret from the regime— holds back little in its sharp political critique, rage, and… a surprising amount of comedy. Not surprising in its amount of comedy— but maybe in its frequently anti-authoritarian politics—is Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! The documentary series about the showbiz legend, produced by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, is a loving portrait of the long, unmatched, and revolutionary in its own way, career of Brooks. Inspired by the recent release “Streets of Minneapolis” by Bruce Springsteen, the panel dedicates its final segment to the state of protest music in 2026. Joined by music critic Carl Wilson, of the Slate and Crritic!, they discuss the long tradition and still potent power of singer/songwriters with acoustic guitars—and the many political artists who defy that stereotype. To hear some of the music they talked about, plus several more current protest songs, check out our 2026 Protest Playlist. In our bonus episode for Plus subscribers, the gang eulogizes the divine comic genius of Catherine O’Hara. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min

  7. 4 FEB · BONUS • SLATE PLUS ONLY

    Remembering Catherine O’Hara

    The world lost a singular comedic genius with the passing of the Canadian actress Catherine O’Hara. Steve, Dana, and Sam Adams share some of their favorite performances from the antic, unpredictable, and often remarkably grounded O’Hara. They delight in her sketches on SCTV, her heartfelt turn in A Mighty Wind, her brilliance playing drunk on Schitt's Creek and elsewhere, and wish the Crows Have Eyes 3: The Crowening was a real movie so we could see the brilliant choices she’d surely make in it.

    15 min

  8. 4 FEB • SLATE PLUS ONLY

    The Boss Responds to Minneapolis Edition

    This week, Steve, Dana and guest host Sam Adams talk anti-authoritarian art in its many forms. First, they take up It Was Just an Accident, the Cannes Palme d’Or-winning film by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. Inspired in part by Panahi’s own experience being imprisoned for critiquing the Iranian government, his new film—made in secret from the regime— holds back little in its sharp political critique, rage, and… a surprising amount of comedy. Not surprising in its amount of comedy— but maybe in its frequently anti-authoritarian politics—is Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! The documentary series about the showbiz legend, produced by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, is a loving portrait of the long, unmatched, and revolutionary in its own way, career of Brooks. Inspired by the recent release “Streets of Minneapolis” by Bruce Springsteen, the panel dedicates its final segment to the state of protest music in 2026. Joined by music critic Carl Wilson, of the Slate and Crritic!, they discuss the long tradition and still potent power of singer/songwriters with acoustic guitars—and the many political artists who defy that stereotype. To hear some of the music they talked about, plus several more current protest songs, check out our 2026 Protest Playlist. In our bonus episode for Plus subscribers, the gang eulogizes the divine comic genius of Catherine O’Hara. Endorsements Carl: The short essay series in HILOBROW Cahun Your Enthusiasm praising anti-fascist art, named for the surrealist and fierce Nazi resister Claude Cahun, which will feature a forthcoming essay by Carl himself. Also, the new album from Drew Daniel's experimental music project The Soft Pink Truth Can Such Delightful Times Go On Forever? and the accompanying essay by Daniel in The Quietus about creating art under fascism. Sam: Both the documentary Harlan County, USA and its soundtrack Harlan County, USA: Songs of the Coal Miner's Struggle. Steve: The new album No Love Lost to Kindness by New Zealand dream pop band Yumi Zouma and the essay "The New Yorker offered him a deal" by writer Naomi Kanakia in her Substack Woman of Letters. Dana: Listening to many iterations of the song "Bread and Roses," including the recent performance by Lucy Dacus at Mayor Zohran Mamdani's inauguration and the a cappella version by Mimi Fariña and Joan Baez, as well as learning about the song's long history. -- Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com. Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.

    59 min
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Hosts & Guests

About

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.Want more Culture Gabfest? Subscribe to Slate Plus to 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 the Culture Gabfest show page. Or, visit slate.com/cultureplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Channel
    Slate Podcasts
  • Creator
    Slate Podcasts
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    947
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ©2019 The Slate Group
  • Show Website
    Culture Gabfest
  • Provider
    The Slate Group LLC

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