Culture Gabfest – Details, episodes & analysis

This week, Julia and Steve welcome guest host Sam Adams to deconstruct the aggravating, yet strangely charming, table tennis phenom on the make that is Marty Supreme. Played with “BDE off-the-charts” (Steve’s words) by Timothée Chalamet, the unceasingly shameless hustler may just be an avatar for our age.

Speaking of avatars, we can’t avoid discussing Avatar: Fire and Ash, the latest installment of James Cameron’s immersive mega-franchise. Once again, the big blue folks peopling Pandora drew boku bucks at the box office… but do the Avatar films have any “cultural impact”? And what does “cultural impact” even mean? New Yorker staff writer Michael Schulman steps into the cultural cage match to debate this long-simmering internet argument.

On this week’s bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, the hosts take up a listener question about “cultural bran muffins,” the bits of culture you know would be good for you if only you could get them down. The hosts confess their bran secrets.

Endorsements

Steve: The essay "Two Pins and a Lollipop" about Judy Garland by Bee Wilson in the London Review of Books.

Sam: The album Penthouse by the band Luna, particularly the song  "Chinatown."

Julia: Slate's beloved annual tradition Movie Club which for its 2025 edition gathers film critics Bilge Ebiri, Alison Wilmore, Justin Chang, and our very own Dana Stevens for a rollicking exchange about the year in film.

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Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com. 

Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.

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In the waning moments of 2025, Julia, Dana, and Steve say goodbye to the year that was with a beloved annual end-of-year tradition… our listener call-in show! And you delivered some great queries, dear listeners. 

The hosts tackle questions about everything ranging from under-dramatized historical eras to Wuthering Heights to wedding registry etiquette. They also zoom out to grapple with a fundamental philosophical question underlying this whole show’s existence and take a cue from Las Culturistas Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers for some Schimpfen und Toben.

No endorsements this week. But for listeners in the New York area, don’t miss Steve when he joins Booker Prize-finalist Ben Markovitz for a conversation about his new novel The Rest of Our Lives on January 5, 2026 at the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble.

For Slate Plus subscribers, the hosts delight in answering an additional listener question in an exclusive bonus episode. They share their ideal cultural outings with their co-hosts.

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Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com. 

Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s show, Steve, Dana, and Julia pull up proverbially barstools at Sardi’s to discuss Richard Linklater’s latest film Blue Moon, which is about one night in the life of Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart. As played by a transformed Ethan Hawke, Hart is witty, needy, and totally captivating.

Next, they travel Down Cemetery Road by way of a conversation about the new conspiracy series starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson based on a novel by Mick Heron of Slow Horses fame. Finally, they turn to a piece of real estate that may forever live in infamy as “The Pussy Palace” thanks to Lily Allen’s brutally honest and stunningly well-crafted album West End Girl.

On an exclusive bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, the hosts take up the issue of biographical pictures—aka biopics— and Slate’s recent package Portrait Mode about the ubiquitous film genre.   

Endorsements:

Dana: Lily Allen’s song “The Fear”— to listen to and perform at karaoke.

Julia: A boule of chocolate sourdough bread from the bakery of Milo & Olive in Los Angeles. 

Steve:  Roberto Bolaño's novella By Night in Chile and Ella Fitzgerald singing “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” on the album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book.  

Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com. 

Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s show, the panel returns to 1985 and reviews The Greatest Night in Pop, Netflix’s star-studded documentary about how “We Are the World” (a charity single performed by USA for Africa, a supergroup comprised of the most popular artists not only of the time, but arguably, ever) came to be and the legendary night it was recorded. Although it features cameos from Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, and more, the documentary manages to be quite modest in its ambition. Then, the three discuss Rustin, director George C. Wolfe’s biopic about Bayard Rustin, an advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. whose legacy has often been glossed over. Rustin stars a fantastic Colman Domingo as its titular lead and is a celebratory example of the importance of telling gay/queer stories with queer creatives above and below the line of production. Finally, it’s the Slate True-Crime Canon! Cheyna Roth, contributor to the Canon and author of Between Two Wars: A True Crime Collection: Mysterious Disappearances, High-Profile Heists, Baffling Murders, and More joins to break down the monstrous endeavor. 

(Roth’s other book is Cold Cases: A True Crime Collection)

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses Super Bowl LVIII and analyzes the advertisements, Usher’s half-time performance, and the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce love story at the center of it all. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Outro music: "Self Made Woman" by Katharine Appleton

Endorsements:

Dana: Her perfect plane movie, Dumb Money, which features a superstar cast that’s always in-sync. 

Julia: Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane, an “all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history.” 

Steve: A liquidus piano album by Mary Lou Williams, Zodiac Suite. The 1945 album seamlessly mixes classical and jazz influences throughout 12 pieces, each named for a different astrological sign. 

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

Hosts

Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s show, Extreme Friends of the Pod and co-authors of The World Only Spins Forward, Isaac Butler and Dan Kois, fill in for Dana Stevens and Julia Turner. The hosts begin by dissecting The Zone of Interest, filmmaker Jonathan Glazer’s audacious movie about the Holocaust that’s told through the lens of Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig as they live their somewhat ordinary lives in a compound outside of Auschwitz. The film has garnered both praise and severe critique from critics, many of whom are split on Glazer’s detached aesthetic and imaginative approach to depicting genocide. The Zone of Interest has racked up five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Then, the three dive into Nyad, the (maybe?) true story of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, as she attempts to swim unassisted from Cuba to Florida. Annette Bening stars in the titular role alongside Jodie Foster, both of whom are up for Oscars (Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively). Finally, what is a good director, anyway? What does it look like, what does it mean, and is there a difference between producing, screenwriting, and directing – or is it some strange amalgamation of all three? These questions come from a listener, Emily, and the panel attempts to answer them. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses their film preferences while airborne, inspired by David Mack’s essay for Slate, “What Makes a Perfect ‘Plane Movie’?”

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Outro music: "Pull Me Out" by Mike Stringer.

Endorsements:

Isaac: Dheepan (2015), an exquisitely directed movie from filmmaker Jacques Audiard. In it, three Tamil refugees must pose as a family to flee war-torn Sri Lanka but land in a Paris suburb blighted by drugs. 

Dan: For anyone in or heading to New York, check out Cole Escola’s play “Oh Mary!” The comedian stars as a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln and takes place in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. (You can also find Escola’s episode of Slate’s Working podcast here.) 

Steve: Rebecca Solnit’s meditation on the Bay Area, loneliness, and the human impulse towards succession: “In the Shadow of Silicon Valley” for the London Review of Books. 

Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. 

Hosts

Isaac Butler, Dan Kois, Stephen Metcalf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From our friends at Life and Art, a culture podcast of the Financial Times:

This week, we return to an old comfort classic: the 2003 Nancy Meyers romcom Something’s Gotta Give, starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. In it, two middle-aged people fall in love, but only after one heart attack, two younger lovers, some unexpected midnight pancakes and ample bickering. Does the movie still work today? How has the way we depict aging in film changed? And do we miss Nancy Meyers movies? Joining host Lilah Raptopoulos is comedian Negin Farsad, host of the podcast Fake the Nation, and FT senior corporate finance correspondent Eric Platt. This is one of his favourite movies.

https://podcasts.apple.com/lu/podcast/life-and-art-from-ft-weekend/id1179847741

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On this week’s show, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe and Sam Sanders, host of Vibe Check fill in for Dana Stevens and Julia Turner. The hosts begin with a subversively brilliant Oscar contender, American Fiction, which is Cord Jefferson’s adaptation of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure. The filmmaker’s debut racked up five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and stars Jeffrey Wright as Thelonius “Monk” Ellis, a frustrated writer, in this heartfelt family melodrama encased in biting satire. (Catch Sam’s conversation with Cord Jefferson here.) Then, the three tread into familiar territory and dissect In the Know, Mike Judge’s (Beavis and Butthead, Silicon Valley, King of the Hill) latest show on Peacock which satirizes the world of public radio, specifically NPR, through the stop-motion animated lens of its third most-popular host, Lauren Caspian (voiced by Zach Woods). Finally, Oscar season is officially upon us, and with Oscar nominations, comes invariably, Oscar snubs. The panel explores this year’s nominees, and who may or may not have gotten the short end of the stick. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses a fun interactive from The New York Times, “The Menu Trends That Define Dining Right Now.” 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Outro music: “Bloody Hunter” by Paisley Pink

Endorsements:

Sam: An album he loves and owns on vinyl, Chameleon (1976) by the American singing trio Labelle. It’s pure R&B funk dazzle. 

Nadira: A threefold music endorsement: Midnight Dancer (1979) by the Philly soul group Silk, Spotify’s “create radio” function, and a compilation of Barbara Ackland’s greatest hits. 

Steve: A gorgeous, lofi home recording of Sandy Denny singing her classic, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.” 

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.

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On this week’s show, Jamelle Bouie (Opinion columnist at The New York Times) sits in for Julia Turner. The hosts first begin with a trip to Ennis, a fictional Alaskan town at the heart of True Detective: Night Country, and review the fourth installment of the HBO Max anthology series. There’s a new showrunner at the helm, Issa López, who brings a desperately needed fresh take on the Lovecraftian True Detective format, along with the series’ two leads, played by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis. Then, the three dissect Origin, director Ava DuVernay’s ambitious feature film adapted from the nonfiction book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by the American journalist Isabel Wilkerson. In the film, we accompany Wilkerson (played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) as she develops her theory of formalized subordination based on race in America through the lens of the caste system. Finally, Pitchfork, the rockstar’s digital paradise and essential music review site, announced that it would be laying off most of its senior staff and be folded into fellow Condé Nast publication, GQ. What does that mean for both Pitchfork and the future of music criticism? Slate’s music critic, Carl Wilson, joins to discuss. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, it’s the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos, and the panel discusses the series’ incredible legacy along with what it means for the stories of Tony, Dr. Melfi, Carmela, and more, to hit a quarter of a century. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Outro music: “Ruins” by Origo.

Endorsements:

Dana: Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant, a nonfiction book about the “all-but-forgotten class struggle that brought nineteenth-century England to its knees.”

Jamelle: G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century, historian Beverly Gage’s biography of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.

Steve: Two reviews of Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson’s biography of the SpaceX/Tesla CEO: “Ultra Hardcore” by Ben Tarnoff for The New York Review and “Very Ordinary Men” by Sam Kriss for The Point. 

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.

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On this week’s show, Nadira Goffe sits in for Julia Turner. The hosts first begin by exploring an updated cult classic: Mean Girls, the movie musical version of the Broadway show based on the iconic 2004 film. The 2024 iteration stars Reneé Rapp as Regina George and Angourie Rice as Cady Heron. Then the three head to 17th century Edo-era Japan and review Blue Eye Samurai, an animated Netflix series about an ambiguously gendered, half-Japanese, half-white samurai (voiced by Maya Erskine) hell-bent on exacting revenge on the man responsible for their “monstrous” existence. Finally, consider the plight of January, a recent New York Times essay implores. The panel debates the merits of America's least-loved month and whether they agree with the assertion that the first 31 days of the year are the best. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discloses what books to read for self-reinvention, including Letters to a Young Poet and Nadira’s favorite Toni Morrison work. The conversation is based on Chelsea Leu’s piece for The Atlantic, “What to Read If You Want to Reinvent Yourself.” 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Outro music: “Lonely Calling” by Arc De Soleil

Endorsements:

Nadira: Embracing her tradition of endorsing music favorites, Nadira’s been loving Depression Cherry by Beach House, the indie duo’s 2015 studio album that’s dreamy, surreal, and comforting, and Cynthia Erivo’s sensational cover of “Alfie,” performed live at the Kennedy Center Honors for 2023 honoree Dionne Warwick. 

Dana: At the onset of every year, Dana chooses a mammoth book assignment for herself, and in 2024, that book was Middlemarch by George Eliot. She especially enjoys listening to the audiobook while hiking, which is narrated by the English actress Juliet Stevenson. 

Steve: Steve learned to Travis pick on the guitar! Thanks to a wonderful YouTube tutorial by Mike’s Music Method for the song “Blues Run the Game” by Jackson C. Frank. (And maybe if enough listeners request it, he might perform it for us…)

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.

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On this week’s show, the hosts are first joined by Slate’s Heather Schwedel to discuss Anyone But You, a paper-thin adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, whose combined good looks and star wattage aren’t enough to save the flimsily written rom-com. (Although, despite the film’s rocky start, it’s become a sleeper smash at the box-office.) Then, the panel explores Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron (which premiered under the name, How Do You Live?, in Japan), a beautiful and astoundingly thematic film made by one of the world’s greatest living animators, as he reflects on his life, work, and the nature of creation. Finally, the Golden Globes returned on Sunday, January 7th. The hosts ask: with a beefed up voting body and new network home, did the disgraced awards show manage to overcome its many scandals and untarnish its reputation? 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a listener question from Scott: are there any movies, TV shows, novels, books, albums, etc., that impacted you at a pivotal time in your life (not necessarily childhood) that you will not revisit due to the fact that it may not hold up? 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Outro music: “I Want a Change” by The Big Let Down

Endorsements:

Dana: Inspired by his incredible essay in The Intelligencer last week, Dana endorses Tom Scocca’s Substack, Indignity, which covers internet culture, the distortions of fame and identity, nature, the weather, daily news, and more. 

Julia: Do you use the right salt when you cook? The best fancy salt, according to Julia, is Carmargue Fleur de Sel, an exceptional French salt that comes in a sweet little tub with a cork lid. 

Steve: The earlier works of Dave Brubeck, one of the greatest jazz artists of all time, particularly the albums Interchanges ‘54 and Jazz Goes to College. Steve made a short playlist of his favorites, which can be found here. 

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.