Culture Gabfest
Slate Podcasts
3 Listeners
All episodes
Best episodes
Top 10 Culture Gabfest Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Culture Gabfest episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Culture Gabfest for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Culture Gabfest episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Can Babes Make Childbirth Funny?
Culture Gabfest
05/22/24 • 57 min
On this week’s show, the hosts begin by reviewing Babes, Pamela Adlon’s (Better Things, Louie) directorial feature debut starring Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau. Through raunch-comedy and body horror, Babes explores childbirth and pregnancy through a refreshingly unromanticized lens, but does it succeed as a drama? Then, the three switch gears and turn to Interview With the Vampire, AMC’s Anne Rice adaptation that’s now in its second season. What a weird show! The series–starring Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac and Eric Bogosian as the titular cynical interviewer–brings the novel’s queer subtext to the surface, and is camp in every sense of the word. Finally, the trio is joined by Mikael Wood, the Los Angeles Times’ pop music critic to discuss Billie Eilish’s latest album, Hit Me Hard and Soft. (You can read Wood’s review here.) Produced with her brother Finneas, Hit Me Hard and Soft offers a new way of thinking about the 22-year-old, and features songs like “Birds of a Feather” and “Lunch,” a fun, lusty track about being into girls.
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a question from long-time listener, James: “What things that you love have you been introduced to by advertising?”
Email us at [email protected].
Endorsements:
Dana: This week’s endorsement comes with a brag: Dana’s daughter is going to Julliard! Through that, they discovered the wonderful documentary, Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy.
Julia: Two clarifications and an extremely sumptuous sweater recommendation. First, the fashion Substacks mentioned on a previous episode were I Want to be Her!, Girls of a Certain Age, and Blackbird Spyplane. Second, a wool sweater from Dana Lee Brown.
Stephen: The Time of the Last Persecution, an album by the English singer-songwriter Bill Fay, released in 1971.
Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Kat Hong.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 Listener
Indiana Jones and the Lady From Fleabag
Culture Gabfest
07/05/23 • 57 min
This week, the panel begins by examining the final Indiana Jones crusade (probably), Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny. Then, they debate Boots Riley’s daring new television show, I’m a Virgo. Finally, the trio considers Turner Classic Movies and the fate of the beloved TV network.
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel dives into the reliably controversial Agnes Callard’s latest piece, “The Case Against Travel.”
Email us at [email protected].
Endorsements:
Dana: “The Joy of Traveling Solo” — Inspired by this week’s Slate Plus segment, Dana endorses writer Andre Acimen’s piece in Town & Country about the joys of being in a new place alone.
Julia: Raiders of the Lost Ark Story Conference Transcript — Over five days in January 1978, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Lawrence Kasdan came together to brainstorm what would later become the Raiders of the Lost Ark screenplay. The entire story session transcript has been published in its entirety.
Stephen: “A Sort of Buzzing Inside My Head” — A beautifully written piece by Jessica Riskin for The New York Review that explores ChatGPT’s relationship to the Turing Test and what it tells us about the meaning of “intelligence.”
Outro music: “Spinning the Wheels” by Dusty Decks
Podcast 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
1 Listener
Cool Cats and Kittens
Culture Gabfest
04/01/20 • 74 min
This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf is joined by Slate senior editor Sam Adams and Slate podcast producer Daniel Schroeder discuss the wildness of Tiger King. Then, Steve teams back up with Dana Stevens and Julia Turner to talk about one of his favorite comfort watches: Paddington 2. Finally, the panel analyzes celebrity in the age of coronavirus by exploring the two recent telethons respectively hosted by Elton John and James Corden.
On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Bob Dylan’s newest song.
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.
Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.
Outro Music: "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" by Julie London
Endorsements
Dana: The singer Julie London
Julia: Hoosker Doosker Tug of War game
Steve: “They Survived the Spanish Flu, the Depression and the Holocaust,” by Ginia Bellafante in the New York Times
“A Star in a Stoneboat,” by Robert Frost
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 Listener
The Bear's Second Course
Culture Gabfest
06/28/23 • 59 min
This week, the panel begins with the question: is The Bear’s second season even better than its first? Then, the trio discusses Jennifer Lawrence’s new “sex” comedy, No Hard Feelings. Finally, they examine an essay by Jonah Weiner of Blackbird Spyplane, “Is Ssense hurting the cool-clothes eco-system?” about the online clothing emporium that’s growing like a weed.
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel dives into former New York Times film critic—and current Book Review critic—A.O. Scott’s recent piece, “Everyone Likes Reading. Why Are We So Afraid of It?”
Email us at [email protected].
Endorsements:
Dana: Access and Engagement Curator at the Brontë Parsonage Museum — The Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth is hiring! Dana thinks someone out there must be perfect for this wonderful job: a part-time Access and Engagement curator at the former home of the Brontë family and where Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall were written. Applications close on Sunday, July 2nd.
Julia: Cédric Grolet on Instagram — The French pastry chef (who works as executive pastry chef at Le Meurice in Paris) posts beautifully shot baking videos to his Instagram and TikTok. In them, he demonstrates how to make fruity, complex pastries at a huge scale. The result is perfection.
Stephen: “Cancelled” by Amia Srinivasan — Published by the London Review of Books, “Cancelled” is philosopher Amia Srinivasan’s exploration of the role of fee speech on campus. In it, she asks “Who gets to speak?” and details the ways academic freedom is currently being suppressed.
Outro music: “Zero Gravity” by ELFL
Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Jared Downing. 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
1 Listener
Tom Cruises Off a Cliff
Culture Gabfest
07/19/23 • 62 min
This week, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe fills in for Julia. The panel begins by discussing Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Tom Cruise’s latest romp against rogue A.I. Then, the trio review Wham!, a bittersweet and perhaps hollow documentary following the ‘80s English pop duo’s rise to fame. Then, they explore Spill, a new image-based platform claiming to be the next “Black Twitter” and its role in the current social media landscape.
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the lost art of handwriting, inspired by this piece in The Atlantic: “How Handwriting Lost Its Personality” by Rachel Gutman-Wei.
Email us at [email protected].
Endorsements:
Nadira: Adele’s tribute to George Michael — The singer’s performance of “Fastlove” at the 2017 Grammy’s is far from perfect, but it’s exactly those flaws and her raw emotion that makes this rendition so moving.
Also, NewJeans! Nadira adores this shapeshifting K-pop girl group and the ways they evoke nostalgia using Y2K visuals and hip hop elements. Stream their latest songs “Super Shy” and the self-titled “New Jeans.” (She also likes “Ditto” and “Attention”)
Dana: Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?” — Longtime Billie Eilish fan, Dana, recommends the pop star’s most recent music video, which was directed by Eilish and beautifully captures the melancholy of a doll’s role. It’s also a bit of free promotion for the upcoming Barbie film, which uses “What Was I Made For” in its final scenes.
Stephen: George Michael, “Waiting for That Day” — Stephen will never forget the day when he, free from the bias against Wham! and pop music he grew up with, finally realized that George Michal was a musical genius. This song about loss and an inherent sadness is especially moving.
Outro music: Adele's tribute to George Michael at the 2017 Grammys.
Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Audio engineering by Merritt Jacob. Production assistance by Kat Hong.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 Listener
Barbenheimer Blockbuster Bonanza
Culture Gabfest
07/26/23 • 56 min
This week, the panel begins by examining Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s hot pink, record-breaking movie about the iconic Mattel doll. Then, the trio dives into Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which chronicles the life of the “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” and explores whether the film achieves its aims. Finally, they are joined by Slate’s Chris Molanphy to discuss the controversy behind country singer Jason Aldean’s latest song, “Try That In A Small Town.”
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel is once again joined by Chris Molanphy to discuss all things Summer Strut. With the annual show just weeks away, the four pull back the curtain to detail their processes, weird observations, and more.
Email us at [email protected].
Endorsements:
Dana: In line with her theme of the week, “Yay movies and go, go, go to the theater,” Dana highly recommends Theater Camp, a delightful film by Ben Platt and Molly Gordon.
Julia: Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for zucchini pasta with crispy capers and pistachios isn’t the sort of thing Julia would normally endorse (for one, it’s extremely laborious and you will need to fry individual basil leaves), but it’s vegan, a showstopper, and completely worth it.
Stephen: In honor of the late singer, Stephen recommends two Tony Bennett albums: “The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album” (1975) and “Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall” (1962).
Outro music: “Last Sunday” by OTE
Podcast 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
1 Listener
Does The Apprentice Make Trump Sympathetic?
Culture Gabfest
10/16/24 • 63 min
On this week’s show, Julia and Stephen are joined by Slate writer and senior editor, Sam Adams. Why do we tell fictional stories about real people? The panel ponders this question as they discuss two biopics: The Apprentice and Saturday Night. The Apprentice is an uncanny portrait of Donald Trump, a young striver under the tutelage – and spell – of his mentor, Roy Cohn. But does the film offer any new information or ideas? Saturday Night, on the other hand, is the often obnoxious tale of the frenetic 90-minute countdown before Saturday Night Live’s first broadcast in 1975. Finally, the panel is joined by The Atlantic staff writer Charlie Warzel to discuss his recent and prescient piece, “I’m Running Out of Ways to Explain How Bad This Is.”
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses f*cking profanity, a conversation inspired by a listener question from Jonathan.
Email us at [email protected].
Endorsements:
Sam: Separated, a documentary by Errol Morris. (Read Sam’s review here.)
Julia: Ten, Nine, Eight, a wonderful children’s book by Molly Bang.
Steve: Laura Miller’s book review of Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell for Slate.
Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.
Is Sinners Hollywood’s Salvation?
Culture Gabfest
04/23/25 • 70 min
On this week’s show, Julia, Stephen, and Dana are together and talk about Sinners with Slate Culture Writer Nadira Goffe.
Then, they talk about a new animated series from Ramy Youssef called #1 Happy Family USA. Finally, they take a listener's suggestion and listen to a few episodes of the new podcast, Good Hang with Amy Poehler.
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Nadira rejoins the panel to go deep on Sinners.
Email us at [email protected].
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The SNL 50th Anniversary Industrial Complex
Culture Gabfest
02/12/25 • 77 min
On this week’s show, the hosts reflect on 50 years of music, culture, and comedy with the 50th anniversary of SNL and QuestLove’s new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen...50 Years of SNL Music. For that, the team is joined by Jason Zinoman, critic at large for culture at The New York Times.
Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow – where we follow the adventures of an unlikely group of animals led by a curious black cat.
Finally, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe joins to talk about Kendrick Lamar’s “double whammy” of a Super Bowl halftime show. Read her article reflecting on the performance here.
Note: Pardon the brief audio issues during the Kendrick Lamar conversation.
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel invites Jason Zinoman back to discuss his article on standup comedy’s move to soften the punchline in exchange for a long, humor-infused setup.
Email us at [email protected].
Endorsements:
Dana: Henry IV playing at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York and K.D. Lang’s SNL performance of Johnny Get Angry in 1989 (audio only, as the video performance has been removed) or this other performance of the song (with visuals) on UK’s Channel Four from 1991
Julia: Vulture critic Craig Jenkins’ halftime show review – Kendrick Lamar Is Not Your Savior and Pom Pom maker
Steve: Pope Francis’ letter to Vice President J.D. Vance
Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Anora Pole Dances to The Oscars
Culture Gabfest
10/23/24 • 53 min
On this week’s show, the panel falls for Anora, a new movie from writer-director Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project) that’s as arrestingly tender as it is sexy, funny, and unpredictable. The whirlwind Cinderella story won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, and will likely become an Oscar frontrunner due to its star-making performances and humanistic depiction of life on the margins and sex work. One host calls it “the best American movie in the past 25 years.”
Then, the three discuss Matlock, a gender-swapped reboot on CBS starring Kathy Bates. With huge viewership numbers and decent critical success, is the quirky legal procedural proof that network television is so, so back? Finally, our trio turns their attention to Hearing Things, a new site for independent music journalism run (and owned by) a group of former Pitchfork writers.
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the hosts explore their thoughts and feelings about Halloween costumes.
Email us at [email protected].
Endorsements:
Steve: “Two Don Quixote Lyrics” by W. H. Auden.
Julia: Hampton Heights, an excellent novel by Supreme Friend of the Pod (SFOP) Dan Kois.
Dana: In honor of her new oven, a recipe for Roasted Cod and Potatoes. Also in honor of Dana’s recent appliance upgrade, an oven recipe from Julia and Stephen respectively: Sheet-Pan Sausages and Brussels Sprouts With Honey Mustard and Roasted Kale and Sweet Potatoes With Eggs.
Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.
Disclosure: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Culture Gabfest have?
Culture Gabfest currently has 744 episodes available.
What topics does Culture Gabfest cover?
The podcast is about News, Entertainment News, Podcasts and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Culture Gabfest?
The episode title 'Can Babes Make Childbirth Funny?' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Culture Gabfest?
The average episode length on Culture Gabfest is 57 minutes.
How often are episodes of Culture Gabfest released?
Episodes of Culture Gabfest are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Culture Gabfest?
The first episode of Culture Gabfest was released on Feb 10, 2010.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ