Slate Culture

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Laura Stassi is back in the host seat. Laura, host of the podcast Dating While Gray, still can’t get over what the heck is going on in 72-year-old Gerry Turner’s love life. Gerry is the first lead for The Bachelor spinoff The Golden Bachelor. While Gerry and the group of women vying for his heart are seniors over 65 years old, many of the age-old Bachelor franchise tropes are still being put to use. What is it about reality TV dating that forces the stakes to be so high? To figure this out, Vulture TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk joins us. In Slate Plus: Kathryn VanArendonk on a reality show focused on business connections – Project Greenlight: A New GenerationIf you liked this episode, check out:  The Waves recaps The Golden Bachelor Why Did The Golden Bachelor Have to Be Like This? Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts Isaac Butler and June Thomas discuss confidence and what it took for them to feel self-assured in their own creative strengths. June knows she is a wizard of copy editing, while Isaac has faith in his prowess as a writer, but it took them both years of hard work to get there. At the beginning of a career it can be hard to feel self-assured in your work, but keeping in mind that every artist has endured periods of self-doubt, and avoiding comparisons to finished pieces can help jump start your own creative confidence.Do you have a question about creative work? Leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com.  Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the panel begins by diving into Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, a glittery and extremely fun concert movie starring the singer-songwriter-producer-mogul that’s already become the highest grossing concert documentary of all time. Then, they discuss Beckham, a surprisingly candid four-part docu-series on Netflix directed by Fisher Stevens that chronicles the footballer’s meteoric rise to stardom and paints an intimate portrait of his home life with Victoria Adams, a.k.a. Posh Spice. Finally, the three dissect “Why Culture Has Come to a Standstill,” a provocative essay authored by Jason Farago, the New York Times critic at large. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel embraces sweater weather with a discussion inspired by Amanda Mull’s essay for The Atlantic, “Your Sweaters Are Garbage.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements:Dana: One of Dana’s favorites from the New York Film Festival this year is Anatomy of a Fall (which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes!) Directed by Justine Triet, this murder mystery thriller becomes a psychological study of a marriage when a suspicious tragedy strikes a family living in the French Alps. “It’s the kind of film you want to see then immediately debate over drinks with friends.”Julia: A fantastic piece of writing on Insider, “The Great Zelle Pool Scam” by Devin Friedman, that uses the funny personal essay form–some reporting, a few confessions, observational humor, and the occasional insight–to levy an attack on Zelle, a massive, poorly regulated major part of our financial infrastructure. Stephen: “Picasso’s Transformations” an essay by the art critic Jed Perl, published in The New York Review of Books (which is celebrating its 60th anniversary). Outro music: “Lonely Calling” by Arc De SoleilPodcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slate.com/cultureplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Candice answer a question from a listener about a viral pesto recipe. Susi Vidal, a 25-year-old food influencer, posted a simple recipe for pesto on September 1st. Since then, the introduction to her video which goes “Call me crazy but I’ve never liked store-bought pesto” has been used as a launching pad for wild stories about everything from terrible breakups to long-lost parents.Earlier in the episode, Bobbi Althoff makes a return.This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.Episode Syllabus- https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR74sXE8/- https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR74Hec6/- https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR745Htc/- https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR74DHk1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judging from teen dramas on Netflix, the slow dance seems to be alive and well. But when you talk to actual teens, it’s clear this time-honored tradition is on life support. In this episode, we trace the history of slow dancing from its origins in partner dances like the waltz to the modern “zombie sway” seen at middle-school dances and high-school proms. Plus, former slow dancers offer up stiff-armed, nostalgia-soaked stories about a rite of passage that’s fading fast.Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. This episode was edited by Zakiya Gibbons. Derek John is executive producer. Joel Meyer is senior editor/producer. Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director.Thank you to Benjamin Frisch and Carlos Pareja. Special thanks to everyone who shared their slow dancing stories, including Ralph Giordano, Matt Baume, Meryl Bezrutczyk, Ari Feldman, Ava Candade, Eileen Zheng, and Harper KoisHere’s the article by Kyle Denis that we mentioned in the episode: The Death of the Slow Dance? How the One-Time Rite of Passage Has Evolved for Gen Z. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends.If you’re a fan of the show, we’d love for you to sign up for Slate Plus. Members get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads. Their support is also crucial to our work. So please go to Slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and special guest Pablo Torre of Pablo Torre Finds Out are joined by Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim to talk about the Ohio State wrestlers speaking out against their former coach Jim Jordan. They also discuss the journalism ethics brouhaha over the Braves’ Orlando Arcia lightly mocking the Phillies’ Bryce Harper. Finally, they assess the rivalry between NBA newsbreakers Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania. Jim Jordan (4:22): He claims he knew nothing about Richard Strauss’ sexual abuse. A group of Ohio State wrestlers say that’s not true. Braves-Phillies (26:37): How a locker room joke became an off-field and off-field controversy. Woj vs. Shams (45:57): Should we care about them and the transactions they report? Afterball (1:04:00): Josh on the Asian-American tennis players you need to know, including Mackenzie McDonald and Jessica Pegula. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Patrick Page, a broadway performer whose current one-man show All the Devils Are Here digs into the complex psyches of multiple Shakespeare villains. In the interview, Patrick discusses his passion for playing Shakespeare roles, his process for researching characters, and the importance of being a good listener as an actor. After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas talk about some specific acting exercises. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Patrick shares his experiences with vocal training. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Kevin Bendis.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim dive into the decades-long transformation of LinkedIn from a website for digital resumes to a social networking platform whose devotees have earned the name LinkedIn Lunatics. Founded in 2003 and sold to Microsoft for $26 billion in 2018, LinkedIn has become an inescapable feature of the job hunt. But while the site is ostensibly founded on professionalism, in recent years its fomented its own particular and peculiar brand of terminal onlineness.This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HEY! HO! LET’S GO!! Is this chant: (a) a movement of disaffected hipsters, (b) walkup music for a baseball player, or (c) a really catchy bop? How about all of the above?The legendary New York nightclub CBGB was the birthplace of punk. But it was also the future of pop: the Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, Blondie. To varying degrees, these acts either became hitmakers, tried to reshape their music for the charts, or influenced generations of future multiplatinum stars.Honestly? Their music was pretty infectious from the jump, even if it was too advanced for the ’70s hit parade. The music we called punk contained multitudes: the improvisatory jazz-rock of Television. The demented anthems of the Ramones. The quirky funk of Talking Heads. The stylistic eclecticism of Blondie—who scored four No. 1 hits in four different genres.Join Chris Molanphy on a journey back to New York’s dirty days to try to answer: When did CBGB punk morph into chart pop?Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Tracy Clayton (co-host of Pineapple Street Studios’ Back Issue) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about coworkers who beg for baked goods, a husband who has a troubling amount of fun with his friends, and a boyfriend who said I love you way too soon (maybe?)If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months. Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices