Slate Culture Feed

A special Hit Parade announcement: Like many media organizations at the moment, Slate is getting hit pretty hard by what's going on with the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to continue doing our work, providing you with all our great podcasts, news and reporting, and we simply cannot do that without your support. So we're asking you to sign up for Slate Plus, our membership program. It's just $35 for the first year, and it goes a long way to supporting us in this crucial moment.As part of this effort, we're going to be making Hit Parade episodes available to Slate Plus members only. This will begin with the full-length episode coming on April 30. To listen to that episode in full, and episodes in future months, you'll need to become a Slate Plus member. This is the best way to support our show and our work, and we hope you will pitch in if you can. Your membership will also give access to everything on Slate.com, you'll get ad-free versions of this and other shows, and you'll get bonus segments and bonus episodes of other Slate podcasts. Plus, once you become a member, you can sign up to do trivia with Chris Molanphy on Hit Parade—“The Bridge” episodes.Please sign up today at slate.com/hitparadeplus. We thank you for your support.In this mini-episode of Hit Parade, originally aired on Facebook as part of Slate Live’s Q-Tip Mondays series. host Chris Molanphy is joined by Eduardo Cepeda, music editor at Remezcla. They discuss the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade about the history of Latin pop on the Billboard charts. Eduardo tells Chris about balancing his fandoms for mainstream American music with his family’s Spanish-language music in his younger years, and offers a critical lens to the Anglophone crossover attempts of the stars of the turn-of-the-millennium Latin pop boomita. Then Eduardo gives Chris a brief history of reggaeton, and shares his current artists to watch within the genre. Next, Chris quizzes a Slate Plus listener with some music trivia, and the contestant turns the tables with a chance to try to stump Chris with a question of his own. Then, Chris teases the upcoming full-length episode of Hit Parade, which will look at the career of piano man and master of pastiche Billy Joel.Podcast production by Asha Saluja.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We check in with Alana Duran, who has lupus and received a donor kidney several years ago from her new girlfriend at the time, Lori Interlicchio. What are you noticing about physical touch and intimacy right now? Whether you're partnered or single, we want to know how touch—or a lack of it—is making you think about your romantic life. Tell us about it at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org.Sign up for our newsletter today at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter. And follow our show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner analyze the latest way to watch television: Quibi. Next, they bring on Slate music critic Carl Wilson to talk about the legacy of the late songwriter John Prine. Finally, the panel dives into The Talented Mr. Ripley, Dana’s comfort watch pick for this week.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.On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Saturday Night Live’s recent “at home” show.Outro Music: 'Apocalypse' by Cigarettes After Sex Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. EndorsementsDana: John Dickerson’s interview with John Prine from February 2019.Julia: Jim Dale’s audiobook narration of the Harry Potter series—except for his voice of Hermione.Steve: The Lucksmiths. Again.The music of Cigarettes After Sex. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the latest on sports and the coronavirus. They also talk with the Athletic’s Ethan Strauss about his new book on the Golden State Warriors, The Victory Machine. And the Hang Up and Listen Quarantine Magazine Club convenes to discuss Bill Russell’s “How I Psych Them.”The pandemic (03:48): ESPN televising HORSE and Major League Baseball’s insane plan to restart the season.The Victory Machine (23:36): The decline and fall of the Warriors’ basketball dynasty.Quarantine Magazine Club (44:29): A conversation about a classic Sports Illustrated piece about sports and psychology.Afterballs (01:01:46): Stefan on SI’s 1963 profile of Bill Russell and Josh with some sports trivia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the things writer Tayari Jones has learned in isolation is mastering different forms of connection, from re-learning how to teach her college students over Zoom to sending money to friends in need. The simplest way she's connecting? Greeting cards! "People love to receive cards and I have so many of them and I just imagined that if people are at home alone feeling isolated, wouldn't it be nice to get a card even if it's the wrong holiday?"In that spirit, this weekend we're asking you to send a greeting card to someone in your life. Send us pictures, record a voice memo and email us at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org by Monday morning.Sign up for our newsletter today at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter. And follow our show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did poop get cute? On this episode of Decoder Ring we trace the rise of cute poop from the original Japanese poop emoji to more modern poop toys which rely on the Youtube algorithm to get seen and sold.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner are joined by Jen Agg to talk about the fate of the restaurant industry. Next, they bring on New York Times Magazine contributing writer Jody Rosen to discuss the passing of Adam Schlesinger. Finally, the panel dives into Julia’s favorite movie and comfort watch—Sneakers. 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.On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses their results to the Statistical "Which Character" Personality Quiz.Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Outro Music: “All Kinds of Time” by Fountains of Wayne EndorsementsJody: The singer Bill Withers, particularly his albums Naked & Warm and ’Justments. Jonathan Cecil’s audiobook reading of P.G. Wodehouse’s Uncle Fred in the Springtime. Dana: Interview with Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn on the Ringer podcast “The Watch.”Julia: “Nutmeg” from A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!Steve: The songwriter Marty Donald of The Lucksmiths found here in Steve’s Spotify playlist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I'm just a lucky guy," John Prine told me in our 2018 interview. We will miss him.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the push to bring football back and the psychology around restarting sporting events with crowds. Hurdling champion Dawn Harper-Nelson also joins to discuss how her life has changed now that the Olympics have been postponed.NFL (4:04): Donald Trump wants games to start back up again by August or September. Is that realistic? Dawn Harper-Nelson (26:25): Our live show guest from December returns for an update on her life and her training now that the Summer Games are off the calendar for 2020.Afterballs (47:24): Joel on Bobby Bowden, Stefan on Fountains of Wayne’s “All Kinds of Time,” and Josh on a 1948 race between old baseball men. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Songwriting icon Bill Withers died this week at 81 years old. Today, we revisit my conversation with him—from the very first episode of Death, Sex & Money. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.