Decoder Ring
Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters.
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76
How Preppy Became Streetwear
Ralph Lauren’s modern Ivy style was remixed by ’Lo-Heads.
32 min
77
The New Age Hit Machine
How a PBS pledge drive turned Yanni and John Tesh into rock stars.
24 min
78
The Butt and the Bustle
It may be old-fashioned, but the bustle still has a lot to tell us about race, sex and power.
41 min
79
The Truth About #TheDress
An unassuming photo of a party dress showed how seeing is believing.
32 min
80
Fall 2022 Teaser
Decoder Ring's upcoming season.
1 min
81
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime Pt. 2
Did a trench-coat wearing dog’s catchy anti-drug anthems actually work?
42 min
82
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime Pt. 1
The unlikely origins of the trench-coat wearing bloodhound who tackled personal safety, guns and drugs.
32 min
83
Slate Plus Exclusive: The Making of This Season
1 min
84
The “Sex” Scandal That Made Mae West
Before she hit the big-screen, the sultry actress starred in a 1927 tabloid trial.
41 min
85
The First Alien Abductees
The alien abduction narrative started right here on Earth.
36 min
86
The Most Famous Poet No One Remembers
Searching for Rod McKuen.
43 min
87
The Mall is Dead (Long Live the Mall)
For a supposedly dying place, the mall keeps hanging around.
40 min
88
Summer 2022 Teaser
Decoder Ring's upcoming season.
1 min
89
The Storytelling Craze
How storytelling became a product.
35 min
90
“We Got Ourselves a Convoy”
How a fake country star gave voice to frustrated truckers across America.
29 min
91
The Sideways Effect
How one movie changed Americans’ wine drinking habits.
33 min
92
The Madness Behind ‘The Method’
Isaac Butler on how method acting became so widely misunderstood.
42 min
93
“F--k Everything, We're Doing Five Blades”
The story of how razors came to have so many blades.
36 min
94
Spring 2022 Teaser
Decoder Ring's upcoming season
1 min
95
Custer's Revenge
Custer's Revenge is widely considered one of the worst video games ever made.
41 min
96
The Fame That Got Away
Today on Decoder Ring: Three stories about fame, and one about monkeys.
37 min
97
Truly Tasteless Jokes
What's the difference between garbage and a girl from New Jersey?
43 min
98
The Philosophy of Vampires
In literature, the choice to become a vampire is a metaphor for transformative experiences.
31 min
99
You Just Lost The Game
When you think about the game, you lose the game.
21 min
100
The Alberta Rat War
Rats live wherever people live, with one exception: the Canadian province of Alberta.
37 min