It's Been a Minute

NPR
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  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY
It's Been a Minute Podcast
IT'S BEEN A MINUTE+

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Has it been a minute since you heard a thought-provoking conversation about culture? Brittany Luse wants to help. Each week, she takes the things everyone's talking about and, in conversation with her favorite creators, tastemakers, and experts, gives you new ways to think about them. Beyond the obvious takes. Because culture doesn't happen by accident.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

  1. Gen Z asks: what is school for? Plus, rebranding gentrification

    1 DAY AGO

    Gen Z asks: what is school for? Plus, rebranding gentrification

    It's September, which means millions of young learners across the country are dusting off their backpacks and heading back to school. But a new study from Gallup and The Walton Family Foundation has shown that students are less engaged, and feel less challenged than last year, and about half of them have no plans to get a Bachelor's degree right after high school. Host Brittany Luse is joined by Karin Klein, education reporter and author of Rethinking College: A Guide to Thriving Without a Degree, and NPR Education Desk correspondent and Senior Editor Cory Turner to parse through what has next generation feeling despondent and if we need to rethink the purpose of high school. Then, Brittany is on the housing hunt, but she's found that even outside major urban areas, small cities across the country are rapidly gentrifying. Richard E. Ocejo, author of Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City, joins Brittany to look at what happens when big city gentrifiers move to town and how some of them have rebranded gentrification. Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    40 min

  2. 4 DAYS AGO

    The SMACKDOWN: Video Games vs. Journalism vs. Robert Frost

    Who will win today's cage match? Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in Concord, New Hampshire, the Granite State, and debates with New Hampshire Public Radio reporters Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, the hosts of the excellent podcast Civics 101. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    30 min

  3. AUG 30

    Chappell Roan and celebrity hazing; plus, MrBeast's entertainment charity

    After Chappell Roan posted about how some fans have been making her feel unsafe, there's been speculation around whether the singer is really 'cut out to be a pop star.' But are the critiques fair? Brittany sits down with Kelsey McKinney, who wrote about the controversy for Defector, and Dr. Mel Stanfill, author of Fandom is Ugly. They discuss modern fandom, how Chappell Roan framed it as a conversation about gender and what people misunderstand about celebrity. Then, Brittany looks at the how charity is changing. Traditional charitable giving is down in the US and some non-profits have declared that we're in the middle of a "generosity crisis." At the same time, a new genre of online viral videos has emerged: feel-good 'charity' content. And nobody does it bigger than MrBeast. Brittany is joined by journalist Max Read to understand the MrBeast phenomenon and break down the generational divides these videos reveal. Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    47 min

  4. AUG 28

    The rise of the Pumpkin Spice Latte

    It's been 21 years since Starbucks debuted the first pumpkin spice latte in 2003. Since then, it's become a cultural phenomenon greater than itself: it's shorthand for fall, for basicness, for femininity, and even for white culture. In this episode from last year, we explore why the PSL became so powerful — and how food trends garner so much meaning. Host Brittany Luse chatted with Suzy Badaracco, food trend forecaster and founder of Culinary Tides, to discuss the $500 million dollar industry, and how little miss pumpkin spice has held on to her cultural power. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    15 min

  5. AUG 23

    "The Squad" loses two members; plus, Colman Domingo shines in 'SING SING'

    As the dust settles on the DNC, host Brittany Luse takes a look at the challenges facing a group of progressive democrats commonly known as "The Squad." Incumbent Reps. Cori Bush in Missouri and Jamaal Bowman in New York lost their seats this summer to candidates whose campaigns received funding from pro-Israel PACs. Brittany is joined by POLITICO Congress reporter Sarah Ferris and Capital B News national politics reporter Brandon Tensley to understand how these PACs are impacting progressives in Congress. Then, Brittany talks to Colman Domingo about his new film, 'SING SING,' which follows the emotional lives of a group of incarcerated actors working together to stage an original musical. Colman stars alongside a cast of real-life formerly incarcerated actors, and connects with Brittany over experiencing new versions of masculinity and paving the way for a new kind of Hollywood star. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    35 min

  6. AUG 20

    The SMACKDOWN: Maya Angelou vs. Harvey Milk vs. MC Hammer

    Who will win today's cage match? Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in San Francisco, California, the Bay Area, and debates with KQED reporters Pendarvis Harshaw, host of Rightnowish, and Olivia Allen-Price, host of Bay Curious. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    28 min

  7. AUG 16

    The SMACKDOWN: The Peanuts vs. Prince vs. Dungeons & Dragons

    Who will win today's cage match? Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. This episode Brittany lands in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, the Twin Cities, and debates with Minnesota Public Radio reporters Kyra Miles and Jacob Aloi. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    30 min

  8. AUG 13

    Does 'weird' work for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz?

    Ever since Minnesota governor and Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz called Republicans "weird," we've seen other Democrats embrace this name-calling strategy and deploy it in interviews and in memes online. We've also seen Republicans lobbing the "weird" moniker right back at Democrats. To get into how "weird" this all is, Brittany chats with NPR culture reporter Andrew Limbong and NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben about this new political strategy and redefining "normalcy" in 2024. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    23 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
8,687 Ratings

About

Has it been a minute since you heard a thought-provoking conversation about culture? Brittany Luse wants to help. Each week, she takes the things everyone's talking about and, in conversation with her favorite creators, tastemakers, and experts, gives you new ways to think about them. Beyond the obvious takes. Because culture doesn't happen by accident.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

Information

  • Creator
    NPR
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2024
  • Episodes
    774
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2015-2021 NPR - For Personal Use Only
  • Show Website
    It's Been a Minute
  • Provider
    NPR

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