Slate Culture Feed

Music fans in 2019 are gobsmacked that the No. 1 song in America is not only a Christmas song but a 25-year-old recording: Mariah Carey’s holiday perennial “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Even more amazingly, it’s the first Christmas song to top Billboard’s Hot 100 in 61 years , since “The Chipmunk Song” in December 1958. This leads to so many “whys”: Why were there no Christmas No. 1s for six...

The musician on her "run and gun" days in the early '90s, and the two affairs that shaped her adult life. Sign up for our newsletter at  deathsexmoney.org/newsletter , and every Wednesday we'll send you podcast listening recommendations, listener letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Follow our show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Email us any t...

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner talk to TV critic Willa Paskin about the state of the medium, discuss Mariah Carey's surprise Christmas number one hit, and discuss the Peloton ad that has the internet atwitter. This episode is brought to you by Everlane. Check out your personalized collection today at everlane.com/culture.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Undefeated’s Lonnae O’Neal to talk about Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri also joins to discuss baseball free agency. Finally, author Damon Young chats about the rise of Bronny James.   Lamar Jackson (01:24):  What’s the   larger significance of this particular black quarterback?   MLB free agency (18:4...

In this mid-month mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by The Bridge producer Asha Saluja to discuss the  most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade , an exhaustive analysis of the top-charting singles of the 2010s. Chris tells Asha why Beyonc é , indisputably one of the decade’s most influential artists, didn’t make it into the episode. Then Chris and Asha talk about a few...

At an annual pilgrimage back to a former Japanese American incarceration site, we hear from people reliving complicated childhood memories, and descendants looking for answers. For more about Japanese American incarceration and the language we use to talk about it now, check out this episode from the NPR podcast Code Switch, called " America's Concentration Camps? " Sign up for our newsletter at ...

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner discuss The Marriage Story, speak with author Simon Doonan about the death of the department store window display, and debate whether social media killed our sense of time - and the 2010s as a decade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Banner Society’s Spencer Hall to discuss the college football playoff. The Athletic’s Wosny Lambre also joins to talk about the surging Los Angeles Lakers. Finally, the Wall Street Journal’s Louise Radnofsky explains skaters’ strange obsession with Schindler’s List.   College football (01:53):  Why Clemson is mad, how LSU got good, and other playoff-relat...

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. Nick Spark fell down a rabbit hole tracking down the origins of Murphy’s Law, the ubiquitous phrase that says “If it can go wrong, it will go wrong”. On this episode of Decoder Ring, we follow Nick on his journey while taking a few detours of our own t...

At a live show in Washington, D.C., Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by NPR’s Gene Demby to discuss the state of sports media. Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper-Nelson also joins to talk about her comeback as a mother. Finally, Demby, Lindsay Gibbs, and Dave McKenna ponder ethical dilemmas in sports.   State of sports media (01:38):  How have our consumption habits changed since the death o...

There's the cliche: someone cheats, crockery is thrown, lawyers are called. But your stories about cheating were much more varied, with some unpredictable conclusions.  If you like this episode, check out this week's episode of the Aria Code podcast , from our friends at WQXR. It's all about "Dove sono," the aria about infidelity from The Marriage of Figaro, and includes a conversation with sex ad...

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner discuss Knives Out, speak with New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie about Watchmen, and remember Clive James with Adam Gopnik. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Your life will be greatly enhanced by spending time with dying people," Anne Lamott says. "Death is not the enemy. Snakes are."  Sign up for our newsletter at  deathsexmoney.org/newsletter , and every Wednesday we'll send you podcast listening recommendations, listener letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Follow our show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story...

All decades of pop music swing between trends and fads—but the 2010s was swingier than most. From the maximalist EDM of the early ’10s to the downbeat hip-hop of the late ’10s, the pop pendulum oscillated more widely than you may remember. The same decade that gave us Adele’s stately balladry, Katy Perry’s electro-froth and Taylor Swift’s country-to-pop crossover also gave us the Weeknd’s bleary i...

Julia Turner and Stephen Metcalf talk with guests about Gogglebox, a show that lets you watch Brits watch TV, Bon Appetit's "Gourmet Makes" on YouTube, and the best nonfiction books of the past 25 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin interviews the Athletic’s John Hollinger about his career inside and outside the NBA. Topics discussed include the rise of Luka Doncic, how Hollinger came up with player efficiency rating, his tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies, and trading Marc Gasol.   Luka Doncic (02:15):  How the 20-year-old became a star and how he could keep getting better.   PER (07:55):  The birth of the NBA’s mo...

Hasan Minhaj was drawn to comedy because of its "radical honesty." But that hasn't always translated well to his personal life.  Don't miss our weekly newsletter! Sign up at  deathsexmoney.org/newsletter  and we'll send you weekly audio picks, behind the scenes updates and letters from our listener inbox.  Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Ema...

Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, and Stephen Metcalf are live in at the Granville Island Stage in Vancouver to discuss The Irishman, Schitt's Creek, and creepy ads that follow you around. In Slate Plus: Questions from the live audience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Nate Jackson to discuss Colin Kaepernick’s workout and Myles Garrett’s helmet smash; the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh assesses the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scheme; and Asif Kapadia talks about his documentary  Diego Maradona . Kaepernick and Garrett (02:58):  Did Kaepernick hurt his chances to play in the NFL? And what should we make of Garrett’s burst of...

In this mid-month mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Ned Raggett, freelance music writer for All Music Guide and The Quietus and expert on the ’80s U.K. bands celebrated on the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade . Chris and Ned discuss what they call the “holy quartet” of British postpunk bands—The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode and New Order—and Ned weighs in...

Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, and Stephen Metcalf are live in Los Angeles to discuss Parasite with the LA Times critic Justin Chang, happiness in the modern world, and Dickinson from Apple TV+, with showrunner Alena Smith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Domestic violence. The ripples of the financial crisis. A new immigrant's dashed hopes. This is what we heard about two years ago after we asked, "Why'd you start driving for Uber?" Sign up for our newsletter at  deathsexmoney.org/newsletter , and every Wednesday we'll send you podcast listening recommendations, listener letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Follow our show on Twitter,...

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Banner Society’s Spencer Hall to discuss LSU’s win over Alabama; by Slate’s Joel Anderson to chat about the NCAA going after Ohio State’s Chase Young and Memphis’ James Wiseman; and by the New York Times’ Lindsay Crouse to talk about runner Mary Cain’s allegations of abuse against Nike and coach Alberto Salazar.   LSU-Alabama (02:17):  How the Tigers brok...

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. Jenna Karvunidis invented the gender reveal party, but now she has regrets. On this episode of Decoder Ring, we explore the pink and blue world of the gender reveal party, and how Jenna's small barbecue celebration turned into a global phenomenon that'...

Angela worked in the collections industry for 15 years. Now, she's banned from the industry for life⁠—and is getting collection calls after falling behind on her own bills.  We're still collecting your stories about the moments where race became a flashpoint in a friendship. Is there a conversation you had that you’re still thinking about? Something you couldn’t work through with a friend? Write u...