Culture Gabfest – Détails, épisodes et analyse

On this week’s show, the hosts are joined by a very special fourth panelist: Wesley Morris, a critic at The New York Times and the host of The Wonder of Stevie, a new podcast on Audible. First, the quartet explores The Substance, a lurid, monstrous body horror flick by writer-director Coralie Fargeat. Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading Hollywood icon who is so repulsed by the idea of aging, that she purchase a black-market drug known as “the substance.”‌ The film caused a commotion at Cannes this year, where audience members reportedly walked out in disgust and the remaining crowd gave it a 13-minute standing ovation. Then, the panel dives into The Wonder of Stevie with its host. The new six-part Audible series explores the career of Stevie Wonder and “uncovers the untold story of an extraordinary artistic journey that shaped the greatest creative era in popular music history.”‌ On the show, Wesley is joined by guests including Barack and Michelle Obama, Questlove, Smokey Robinson, and more. Finally, the hosts discuss A.I. slop and the onslaught of online garbage and language model detritus. This conversation was inspired by Max Read’s piece for New York Magazine, “Drowning in Slop.”‌

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Wesley Morris sticks around for a classic Slate spoiler special, and joins the hosts in dissecting The Substance and the film’s controversial, bloody, and borderline nauseating third act. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Dana: Stevie Wonder and Gilbert Gil performing live in Brazil in 1995.

Julia:‌ Today on Trail, Rusty Foster’s spin-off newsletter miniseries about hiking the Appalachian Trail with his son.

Stephen:‌ British singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya’s album, My Method Actor.

Wesley: Vote for your favorite songs of the past 25 years, and add to WXPN radio’s definitive list of the “885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century.”‌

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

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On this week’s show, two of our favorite Slate-sters, Nadira Goffe (culture writer)‌ and Dan Kois (author of Hampton Heights), fill in for Dana Stevens and Stephen Metcalf. The trio first pays a visit to Gotham, and reviews Max’s The Penguin, an odd, unevenly paced mob show that doubles as DC Comics intellectual property. Sporting a prosthetic face, Colin Farrell reprises his role as the titular character (also known as Oz Cobb) and adds a new layer of humanity to the villainous Penguin. Then, the three discuss Sundance darling My Old Ass, a charming coming-of-age film by writer-director Megan Park, in which teenage Elliot (played by Maisy Stella) meets her future self (Aubrey Plaza) while tripping on shrooms. Finally, the panel tackles Am I The Asshole?‌‌ and explores the classic Reddit forum’s many pleasures.

Mentioned in this episode:‌

• Colin Farrell’s Long Waddle to The Penguin (Isaac Butler, Slate.)
• 
  

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses Robert Caro’s The Power Broker with staff writer Henry Grabar, who in his essay, “Read Another Book,” offers a counterpoint to the weighty tome: maybe it’s OK to skip this one. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Nadira: Sean Wang’s film Dìdi; a playlist of metaphorically violent songs, inspired by Charli XCX’s “Sympathy is a Knife.”‌ (Also, if anyone has any intel on “Life Is a Death Wish”‌ or Golden Age Ensemble, please reach out!)

Dan:‌ Thank Goodness, an extremely funny video game.‌ Available on most gaming platforms. (He also strongly recommends watching this video about the game’s developers!)

Julia:‌‌ ColorKu, a vibrant and beautiful puzzle game.

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

On this week’s show, the panel gets swept up by Twisters, and begins by discussing director Lee Isaac Chung’s standalone sequel starring Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. (For the record, the original 1996 disaster flick, Twister, is a near-perfect, Gabfest-approved comfort watch). Sure, Chung’s reboot isn’t as weird as the original, and the modern-day renderings of completely plausible natural disasters are alarming, but Twisters did what it was supposed to do: deliver a good, generic summer movie where Glen Powell can be, well, Glen Powell. (Read Dana’s review! And Sam Adam’s take on the film’s approach to climate change.) Then, the three dissect Sorry Not Sorry, a documentary from the New York Times that examines Louis C.K.'s public fall from grace in 2017 and the comic’s recent comeback, but disappointingly offers little new insight. Finally, the trio tackles gambling and its increasing presence in modern life, inspired by an essay by Christine Emba for The Atlantic. “Suddenly, gambling seems to be everywhere,” Emba writes. “This sort of vice creep, a societal normalization of what used to be seen as unsavory habits—gambling, smoking marijuana, watching porn—is accelerated by people’s addiction to devices, in this case giving casual bettors the tools to become compulsive wagerers and easing the way for gambling to become a constant part of life.” 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses a recent New York Times interactive and dives deep into their relationships with the grocery store.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements:

Dana: Inspired by today’s gambling segment, Dana endorses Owning Mahowny, director Richard Kwietniowski 2003 film based on the true story of a Toronto bank employee (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who embezzled more than $10 million to feed his gambling addiction. 

Julia: An open call! Please send Julia your recommendations for great children’s books that discuss the weather or the changing seasons to culturefest@slate.com. (And read Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson!)

Stephen: “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo,” a set of 118 woodblocks by 19th century Japanese landscape master Utagawa Hiroshige, which is currently on display at the Brooklyn Museum through August 4th. 

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. 

Hosts

Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf

This week, Nadira Goffe sits in for Julia as the panel begins by reviewing the Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever. Then, a discussion about the Selena Gomez documentary, My Mind & Me. Finally, they chat about Gen Z’s impact on the midterms and the election of Maxwell Alejandro Frost. 

In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the art they resisted at first, but came to love.  

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements 

Dana: I will recommend Spielberg, a 2017 documentary about Steven Spielberg that I happened to watch on HBO because I was reviewing his new movie The Fablemans which is auto-biograohical or semi-autobiographical and has a lot of stuff about his childhood. So naturally I went back to try and what his actual childhood was like. Low and behold, this doc about Spielberg is really good. Available to stream on HBOMax.

Nadira: I was inspired by the Selena Gomez documentary to bring something that is a piece of celebrity journalism. The 15K word piece Frank Sinatra has a Cold by Gay Talese is one of my favorite pieces of journalism ever. There’s a really fun version on Neiman Storyboard with annotations both by someone interviewing Gay Talese and then Gat Talese responding to those questions. Also, I don’t know how familiar you are with Moses Sumney but he is a queer Ghananian-American artist from California who makes, I’d describe it as etherial avant-garde jazz rock. He’s so good. The lack of performing during the pandemic pushed him to make a sort of live conceptual concert film called BLACKALACHIA that he released last year. I saw him perform a live version of this concert film arrangement earlier this year in Brooklyn and it was one of the top 10 live shows in my life. 

Steve: In the forthcoming New York Times Magazine, but it’s already up on the web, there is a longform interview with Brian Eno. The thing about Eno is, talk about someone who deserves the elder statesman label! He’s just stayed so vital and he’s such an intellectual. It’s a great interview. I could go on and on about Eno. 

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.

Outro music is "Any Other Way" by Particle House.

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In this episode of The Relentless, we look at how the people we surround ourselves with can help us move fearlessly on the road to success. Host Kristen Meinzer is joined by two inspiring guests who know that turning visions into reality means pushing past fear and, to do that, you need a solid support system.

First, she talks to Aida Rodriguez, a comedian, writer, and actor, whose career took off when she stopped listening to critics and started aligning with people who resonated with her authenticity. Aida is unafraid to be vulnerable in her comedy, often talking about her own life story from surviving two kidnappings to experiencing homelessness. With an HBO stand-up special under her belt and another HBO comedy series in the works, Aida’s comedic talent is undeniable, but the real key to her success lies in the trusting relationships she’s built with people who help her stay fearless.

Later in the episode, we hear from Dan Kruse. As President of the number one CENTURY 21 affiliate in the world, Dan takes an immense amount of pride in the support network he’s built for his agents and brokers. If he’s succeeding, so are they. 

Guests

Aida Rodriguez: Comedian, Writer, and Actor

Dan Kruse: President, CEO, and Owner of CENTURY 21 Affiliated in Madison, Wisconsin

This week, the panel begins by reviewing the Weird Al biopic, Weird. Then, a discussion about the entire run of Derry Girls. Finally, Matt Levine joins to explain crypto. 

In Slate Plus, the panel takes on a listener question and talks about comfort food. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements

Dana: A movie I saw a couple of weeks ago that is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. If you can see it will depend on where you are but keep your eyes open for this Hindi-language documentary called All That Breathes. 

Julia: I’d like to recommend an Instagram account and that Instagram account is by the name of Hot Dads of Picture Books and it is what it says. It’s basically somebody curating pictures of smokeshow dads from picture books. I can’t attest to its future longevity but I appreciate its commitment to the bit. 

Steve: The wonderful Mimi Parker, drummer and vocalist of the band Low, has died. I really truly love their music so I’m endorsing both Low and their music but also very much the remembrance by Slate’s own Sam Adams. Low made this crazy, wonderful, spooky rock and roll music that I adore. 

Outro music: "Ruins" by Origo

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.

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This week, the panel begins by talking about Elon Musk taking over Twitter. Then, a discussion about the new film Aftersun. Finally, Angelica Jade Bastién joins to talk about her recent article about Brangelina. 

In Slate Plus, the panel takes on a listener question and talks about swap casting. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements

Dana: I know I’m constantly endorsing things on the Criterion Channel! They are streaming the noir films of 20th Century Fox all month long. I don’t know why noir has become associated with November. Maybe it goes with the shortening days and the gloomy shadows of November.

Julia: A slightly odd endorsement today. People really seem to think they can disrupt underwear. I don’t really know why. But, I have been a skeptic until now. Finally the platonic underwear has been designed. Knickey high-rise briefs. It’s just too good. 

Steve: The thing that’s given me the most joy is the Richard Wilbur poem Castles and Distances from 1950. I was in the mood for Wilbur and I found one I had never read before. It’s so cool. So sadly apposite to modern experience, especially with Elon Musk in the news and tech barons. 

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.

Outro music is "Lonely Calling" by Arc De Soleil.

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.

This week, the panel begins by discussing the new Martin McDonagh dramedy, The Banshees of Inisherin. Then, they look at composer Michael Giacchino's foray into directing with Werewolf by Night on Disney+. Finally, they reflect on the generational divide over emoji use.

In Slate Plus, the panel talks about Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, being the new face on a US coin.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements

Dana: Happened upon this endorsement because kept me up late watching. If you are a cult horror fan you are probably already familiar with Carnival of Souls. If you aren’t familiar, it has this feeling of creepy rightness that makes it worth watching. It’s all vibes.

Julia: A new work by a little singer-songwriter you may have missed…Taylor Swift’s new release, Midnights is out now. It’s sort of halfway between pop-Taylor and folk-Taylor. Check out the song Anti-Hero.

Steve: Everybody knows The Zombies, but you may have missed lead singer Colin Blunstone’s masterpiece of a solo record One Year. Blunstone reissued the album last year. His vocals are so precise and unexpectedly baroque. The album saved my life this Halloween from the poison of poptimism.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.

Outro music is "Haunted Playhouse" by Stationary Sign.

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.

This week, the panel begins by discussing Cate Blachett’s new film Tár. Then, they dig into the ways the Star Wars universe is expanded in the series Andor. Finally, Slate’s own Dan Kois joins the panel to discuss his recent feature on forgotten American poet Rod McKuen. 

In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the practice of reading out loud. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements

Dana: Sharing a musical endorsement after coming across a CD on the street by chance. Josquin Desprez’s choral religious work is wonderful thinking music, and this version is performed by La Chapelle Royale. 

Julia: A character in Tár inspires a revisit to the incredible New York Times obituary of Gilbert E. Kaplan written by Margalit Fox in 2016. 

Steve: Joining Dana with a music suggestion, enjoy the oddly bewitching charm of jazz pianist McKoy Tyner’s Nights of Ballads & Blues from 1963. 

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.

Outro music is "Break The Line" by Coma Svensson.

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.

This week, the panel begins by going Blonde as they dive into Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe biopic on Netflix. Then, the panel continues by chipping in on the reboot discussion, specifically through the lens of Hulu’s new show (you guessed it) Reboot. Finally, Slate’s music critic, Carl Wilson, joins the panel to explain the legacy of the late country music titan Loretta Lynn.

In Slate Plus, the panel discusses the on-going smear campaigns against cities and urban spaces—inspired by Henry Grabar’s Slate article titled “Fear City.”

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements

Dana: The 2006 movie The TV Set, directed by Jake Kasdan and starring Reboot’s Judy Greer, Sigourney Weaver, and David Duchovny.

Julia: A cookbook called Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings: A Baking Book by Yossy Arefi.

Steve:  Remembering the great French philosopher Bruno Latour who spent his work trying to explain how empirical statements come to be.

Podcast production by Yanii Evans. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe.