Slate Culture Feed

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.Hotel Art used to be one of the ultimate symbols of bad taste, it was often ugly, kitschy, and strange. Today, the art you find in a hotel is far less likely to be the result of one individual's poor taste, and much more likely to have passed through an entire industry designed to help place art into hotels. Hotel art is now almost universally pleasant, if anodyne. How did this happen? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Those falsettos, those white suits, those toothy smiles: You think you know the Bee Gees. But their story goes back much further than the ’70s, and it’s full of twists. From their roots as an eclectic harmony band in Australia and their first wave of Beatlesque fame, through their domination of the disco revolution and their years as an punchline, the Bee Gees stayed alive because of the Gibb brothers’ harmonies and especially their impeccable songs. This month, Hit Parade traces the influence of the brothers Gibb on virtually every popular genre, from pop to R&B, rock to easy-listening, country to…yes, even hip-hop. Email: hitparade@slate.com   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Turner, Dana Stevens, and Gabriel Roth discuss the new season of the podcast Serial, the recent spate of post-#metoo essays by disgraced men, and the Amazon show Forever.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Jim Newell to talk about Tiger Woods’ first win in five years. Plus, Lee Jenkins explains why he left Sports Illustrated to take a job with the Los Angeles Clippers’, and Jonathan Hock discusses his documentary 14 Back.Tiger Woods (1:19): It had been 1,876 days since Woods won a golf tournament. Why did it mean so much to see him back on top of the game he’s dominated for decades?Lee Jenkins (22:10): SI’s longtime lead NBA writer decided to leave that gig to become the Clippers’ executive director of research and identity. Why’d he make the move? Also, what’s an executive director of research and identity?14 Back  (42:15): Jonathan Hock’s latest film is about the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and the classic one-game playoff in 1978 in which Bucky Bleeping Dent played a starring role.Afterballs(1:03:00): Stefan on Bucky Dent’s bat and Josh on an American star in Australian Rules Football. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For one of our earliest episodes, I spoke with Jane Fonda about living her life in the public eye. This week, we're bringing you that conversation again. Get your tickets for our live event in New York City on October 1st with poet Nikki Giovanni: https://bit.ly/2xlV2VPSubscribe to our weekly email newsletter! Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss Vontae Davis’ mid-game retirement and Le’Veon Bell’s holdout, Outside Magazine’s Alex Hutchinson talks about Eliud Kipchoge’s new marathon world record, and Aaron Gordon assesses The Athletic as a business and editorial venture.Vontae Davis and Le’Veon Bell (1:25): Davis’ sudden exit from the league and Bell’s refusal to suit up without getting a long-term contract show the limits of player solidarity in the NFL.Eliud Kipchoge (21:27): The 33-year-old Kenyan has won 10 of the 11 marathons he’s entered. Alex Hutchinson explains what makes him so great and how he destroyed the world record.The Athletic (39:31): Will the new media outlet save sports journalism or destroy it? Aaron Gordon’s non-hot take: The answer is somewhere in between.Afterballs(59:47): Stefan on live retweets of high school football carnage and Josh on the pleasures of airplane mode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and guest host Vann Newkirk of the Atlantic are joined by the New Yorker’s Louisa Thomas to discuss Serena Williams and the 2018 U.S. Open final. They’re also joined by Slate’s Derreck Johnson to assess LeBron James’ HBO series The Shop.Serena Williams (1:02): What happened in the 2018 U.S. Open final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, and how we should think about the confrontation between Williams and chair umpire Carlos Ramos.The Shop (44:50): LeBron’s new show debuted with an episode featuring Snoop Dogg, Draymond Green, and Jon Stewart. Is it any good?Afterballs(1:04:05): Vann on men’s doubles and Josh on eight-peats. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've been following eight listeners as they've dated this summer—this week, we do a final check-in as the warm weather winds down.Go back and listen to the entire series at deathsexmoney.org/hotdates. And we know that sometimes, being single can be more fun than it seems! Head on over to our interactive Google spreadsheet where you can share the ways you treat yourself well when you're on your own, and see how other listeners do.Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter! Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.And follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by Deadspin’s Laura Wagner to discuss Colin Kaepernick and Nike. Mark Leibovich also joins to talk about his new book on the NFL, Big Game. Finally, they interview the Washington Post’s Dave Sheinin about his piece on a baseball player who came agonizingly close to making the majors.Kaepernick and Nike (1:21): How cynical should we about this alliance between athlete and corporation? And how surprising is it that Nike struck a deal with the leader of the NFL’s social justice protests?Big Game (16:15): Mark Leibovich spent years chatting with NFL owners and chasing commissioner Roger Goodell and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Here’s what he learned.Brian Mazone (38:14): What goes through a baseball player’s mind when he comes up just short of his lifelong dream?Afterballs (51:46): Stefan on his baller mom and Josh on turnover props. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think you know music? Hit Parade is back with a new episode of The Bridge. This month, we honor Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, who died on August 16th. If you’d like to be a contestant on an upcoming show, sign up for a Slate Plus membership here, and enter as a contestant here. You can also enter to play if you’re already a Slate Plus member. Want your question featured in an upcoming show? Email a voice memo to hitparade@slate.com.  Podcast production by Danielle Hewitt  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.