Culture Gabfest
New York Times critic Dwight Garner says “The Slate Culture Gabfest is one of the highlights of my week.” The award-winning Culturefest features critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner debating the week in culture, from highbrow to pop. For more of Slate’s culture podcasts, check out the Slate Culture feed.
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501
You and Your Strange Ways Here in Hollywood Edi...
In a special live show in Los Angeles, Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens try to bridge the gulf between West Coast culture creators and East Coast critics. The Gabbers talk with actors Jenny Slate and Natasha Lyonne;...
90 min
502
That Balloon Dog Didn't Make Itself Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens take a tour the Jeff Koons exhibit at the Whitney Museum with curator Scott Rothkopf, and discuss the myth of the self-made man with Slate's John Swansburg.
67 min
503
If Bono Were a Chess Piece Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf and Julia Turner discuss U2 with Slate music writer Carl Wilson, the ignored world of competitive chess with Seth Stevenson, and Shonda Rhimes and representation with Slate's TV critic Willa Paskin.
53 min
504
"Oh, Grow Up!" Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss A.O Scott's article which asks, "Who or what killed adulthood?", fingerprint words, and whether Apple Watch is the beginning of our wearable future.
54 min
505
Talk of Shame Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens answer listeners calls from the Slate retreat at Mohonk Mountain.
60 min
506
Vancouver, France Edition
On this week's Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and David Haglund discuss Whit Stillman's Amazon pilot "The Cosmopolitans," the online gaming and spectator sport TV channel Twitch.tv, and whether it's good to be against the against...
50 min
507
Mmmm...Simpsons Edition
On this week's Culture Gabfest, Julia Turner, John Swansburg, and David Haglund discuss FXX's Simpson's marathon, the independent twist-filled romance The One I Love, and the Ice Bucket Challenge craze.
63 min
508
Precision of Language Edition
On this week's Slate Culture Gabfest, Slate critics Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, and guest Dan Kois discuss the film The Giver, ironic misandry, and the makings of a memorable movie soundtrack.
53 min
509
The Culture Gabfest: Good Night, Robin Williams...
Slate critics Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, and guest John Swansburg discuss the inestimable actor and comedian Robin Williams' career, Cinemax's the turn-of-the-century hospital drama The Knick, and the weather.
55 min
510
The Culture Gabfest: Not That Gomorrah Edition
Slate critics Steve Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss Marvel's latest franchise movie Guardians of the Galaxy, whether plagiarism is that big of a deal, and the intricacies of writing a new Gabfest theme song with composer Nick Britell.
53 min
511
The Culture Gabfest: The Dumb Culture Gabfest E...
Slate critics Julia Turner, Dana Stevens, and Dan Kois discuss the Nathan Fielder's absurd advice on his Comedy Central TV show "Nathan For You," Blake Lively's lifestyle website Preserve, and the surprising literary power of children's books.
60 min
512
The Culture Gabfest: Ape Not Kill Ape Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss the dark and violent sequel Dawn of the Apes, whether potato salad caused Kickstarter to jump the shark, and the timelessness of Weird Al Yankovic.
47 min
513
The Culturefest: Migrating Buns Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss Richard Linklater's new movie Boyhood, whether E!'s plastic surgery reality show Botched actually has a moral universe, and whether Tinder is as female-friendly as it bills itself...
47 min
514
The Culture Gabfest: Babbling Brooks Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and guest June Thomas discuss the action blockbuster and political allegory film Snowpiercer, the campy and catty British TV import Vicious, and David Brooks tells us that we should all strive to be deep.
47 min
515
The Culture Gabfest: Grief Sandwich Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and guest John Swansburg discuss the rom com spoof They Came Together, the rapturously dark HBO show "The Leftovers," and The Onion's new clickbait parody website Clickhole.
47 min
516
Slate Culture Gabfest: Summer Strut 2014 Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss ABC Family's radical TV show The Fosters with Slate's June Thomas, the ethics of landmark conservation, and the results of this year's listener callout for summer songs that will...
50 min
517
The Culture Gabfest: This is Sparta Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss if the movie 22 Jump Street is too self aware to be any good, whether poetry can go mainstream, and how to predict your song of the summer with Slate's Chris Molanphy.
53 min
518
The Culture Gabfest: Re-Stephening Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner and Dana Stevens discuss the film Obvious Child, a movie that is radically blase about abortion, whether adults should be embarrassed to read Young Adult literature, and the case for bringing Home Economics...
47 min
519
The Culture Gabfest: "Ow, Your Cheekbone!" Edition
Slate critics Julia Turner, Dana Stevens, and Mike Pesca discuss Disney's Sleeping Beauty re-make "Maleficent," faking cultural literacy, and NY magazine's music critic Jody Rosen joins the gabbers to discuss "Oh, You Kid," what he deems the "first...
47 min
520
The Culture Gabfest: Sadness as the Bread Edition
Slate critics Julia Turner, Dana Stevens, and Dan Kois discuss HBO's new film The Normal Heart, commencement speeches, and the new 9/11 Memorial Museum.
63 min
521
The Culture Gabfest: We Are All Going to 100% D...
Slate critics Julia Turner, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas discuss Showtime's heady Gothic series Penny Dreadful, Chipotle's move to serve literature along with its burrito bowls, and net neutrality with Slate's David Auerbach.
48 min
522
The Culture Gabfest: I Dig Your Directionless F...
Slate critics Julia Turner, Dana Stevens, and David Haglund discuss the unexpectedly gripping real-time car ride movie Locke, the philosophical cartoon hit Adventure Time, and Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace by Nikil Saval.
45 min
523
The Culture Gabfest: Live from Montreal Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens are live in Montreal this week as part of the 16th Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival. This week the gabbers discuss the Canadian Sci-Fi thriller Orphan Black, the...
52 min
524
The Culture Gabfest: Gild This Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss French economist Thomas Picketty and his intellectual blockbuster, "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," comedian John Oliver's weekly fake-news show, and spring cleaning with...
57 min
525
The Culture Gabfest: GGMFTW Edition
Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss Scarlett Johansson as a man-eating femme fatale in the arthouse horror flick "Under the Skin," the legacy of Gabriel Garcia Marquez with journalist and critic Paul Berman, and why...
44 min