It's Been a Minute
NPR
Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry.THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDSIt’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today.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
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 8, 2021 • 36min
The Capitol, Mobbed
With the pro-Trump insurrection at the U.S. Capitol this week, at the same time that Congress was set to certify the presidential election results, 2021 is off to a rocky start. Sam checks in with NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis and NPR White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe on the Capitol breach and the week in politics.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jan 5, 2021 • 28min
Why 'Better Things' Pamela Adlon Is Everyone's Mother
Sam revisits his conversation from 2020 with actress Pamela Adlon. Adlon is the writer, star, director and co-creator of the acclaimed comedy-drama Better Things on FX. The series follows Adlon's character, Sam, as a divorced actress, raising three kids in Los Angeles - all things that mirror Adlon's real life. Sam talks to Adlon about her career, seeing your parents as real-life people, and the awful, crazy, beautiful experience of being a parent yourself.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jan 1, 2021 • 31min
Claudia Rankine On The Uneasy Conversations Between 'Just Us'
After a year that offered many moments of reflection—from the coronavirus pandemic, to protests for racial justice, to the long election season—acclaimed poet Claudia Rankine's latest book offers a framework to process it all. That book is called Just Us: An American Conversation, and in this episode, we revisit her chat with NPR's Audie Cornish. In the book, Rankine has conversations about race with friends and strangers—and learns about herself in the process.You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 29, 2020 • 39min
Presenting 'Fresh Air': Aaron Sorkin on 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'
Sam sits in the Fresh Air host chair to talk with writer and director Aaron Sorkin. His latest film The Trial of the Chicago 7 covers the events at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago when several prominent anti-war activists were accused of conspiring to start a riot.Wanna show your love for 'It's Been a Minute'? Support your local NPR station: donate.npr.org/samLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 25, 2020 • 26min
The Best — And Worst — Of Christmas Culture
Sam shares holiday recommendations with Audie Cornish, co-host of All Things Considered and Consider This, and Bob Mondello, NPR's film critic. They discuss not only their holiday favorites, but also the holiday things they hate. And yes, they'll discuss Love Actually.Wanna show your love for 'It's Been a Minute'? Support your local NPR station: donate.npr.org/samLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 22, 2020 • 26min
The Best Things That Happened to You
This year has been hard for pretty much everyone, but that still hasn't stopped people from getting married, having babies, starting new jobs, and telling us all about those milestones and celebrations in voice memos on our show.So in the spirit of the season, we picked a few of our favorite 'Best Things' from 2020 and called up the people who sent them: a listener who found the courage to make a new friend, a son who got the chance to reunite with his mom, and a woman who decided to donate her kidney... to a complete stranger.Wanna show your love for 'It's Been a Minute'? Support your local NPR station: donate.npr.org/samLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 18, 2020 • 30min
The Year in Celebrity Culture with 'Who? Weekly'
Without movies or TV shows to shoot or music to record, celebrities were restless in 2020 and eager to connect with a public that, at least for a while, couldn't care less about them. Sam wraps up the year in celebrity culture with Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger, co-hosts of the podcast Who? Weekly, and breaks down how a pandemic changed our relationship with the rich and the famous. Stuck in quarantine, it turns out that stars really are just like us... and often a little worse. Wanna show your love for 'It's Been a Minute'? Support your local NPR station: donate.npr.org/samLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 15, 2020 • 32min
'I Can't Wait To Hate Tour Again': Phoebe Bridgers On Her Breakout Year
Songwriter Phoebe Bridgers has had a big year, but it's also been bittersweet. With four Grammy nominations for work on her acclaimed 2020 album Punisher, Bridgers, like most touring musicians, has been stuck at home. She talks to Sam about her love/hate relationship with touring, how she aims for the universal in the specificity of her lyrics, and her hopes for music—and everyone—in 2021... or whenever the pandemic ends. Watch the extended video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/nTmW6jr_hd0 Wanna show your love for 'It's Been a Minute'? Support your local NPR station: donate.npr.org/samLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 11, 2020 • 37min
The Internet Culture Of Quarantine, Plus Selena's Legacy
Coronavirus has transformed pop culture and placed its creation in the hands of anyone who has social media. Sam chats with E. Alex Jung, a writer at New York Magazine, about pop culture's shift this year to the internet. Then, Sam talks to Alex Zaragoza, senior staff writer for culture at Vice, about her beef with the new Netflix series Selena: The Series and the exploitation of Selena. Wanna show your love for 'It's Been a Minute'? Support your local NPR station: donate.npr.org/samLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Dec 8, 2020 • 30min
Pod Fatigue: How Coronavirus Lockdown Has Tested Friendships
Are you sick of the friends and family you've been stuck with? Sam teams up with Anna Sale, host of the WNYC podcast Death, Sex & Money, to explore how our pandemic 'pods' are being tested by the coronavirus. In this episode, Sam digs into friendships under strain. Then, head on over to the Death, Sex & Money podcast feed for Anna's look at how two people stuck apart during the pandemic have fallen in love. Wanna show your love for 'It's Been a Minute'? Support your local NPR station: donate.npr.org/samLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
