Culture Gabfest

Slate’s critics debate the week in culture, from highbrow to pop.

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About the Show

New York Times critic Dwight Garner says, “The Slate Culture Gabfest is one of the highlights of my week.” The award-winning Culturefest features Slate culture critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner debating the week in culture, from highbrow to pop.

Hosts

Culture Gabfest “Aristocrats at Sea” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Happening, Our Flag Means Death, and Kim Kardashian’s Marilyn Monroe-inspired Met Gala appearance.

Culture Gabfest “Hamlet on Steroids” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on The Northman, Russian Doll Season 2, and the new social media app BeReal.

Culture Gabfest “Nick Cage Smooches Good” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Better Call Saul Season 6, and Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover.

Culture Gabfest “Wet Leg, Floppy Fingers” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Everything Everywhere All at Once, Slow Horses, and British indie rock duo Wet Leg.

Culture Gabfest “Do Androids Dream of Chris Pine?” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Julia, After Yang, and Chris Pine.

Culture Gabfest “The Godfather Is Great, but Is It Cake?” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on The Godfather’s 50th Anniversary, Netflix’s Is It Cake?, and musical plagiarism.

Culture Gabfest “Weirdest Oscars Ever” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on the 2022 Oscars, Winning Time, and Disney’s response to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Culture Gabfest “Drive My Batmobile” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on The Batman, Drive My Car, and elongating movie runtimes.

Culture Gabfest “Licorice Dystopia” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Severance, Licorice Pizza, and the video essay boom.

Culture Gabfest “Silicon Valley Pricks” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on The Dropout, Parallel Mothers, and pickup trucks.

Culture Gabfest “The Very Worst Person in the World” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on The Worst Person in the World, The Trojan Horse Affair, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s cultural cachet.

Culture Gabfest “New Jackass, Old Tricks” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Jackass Forever, Nightmare Alley, and the upcoming Vibe Shift.

Culture Gabfest “Exploiting Pamela Anderson … Again?” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Pam & Tommy, Flee, and friendship in middle age.

Culture Gabfest “Book Twin Powers, Activate!” Edition

In this taping of a special live event, Steve interviews Dana and Isaac Butler about their new books.

Culture Gabfest “Double Double Rogan in Trouble” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on The Tragedy of Macbeth, the Neil Young-Joe Rogan-Spotify controversy, and the rebranding of the classic M&M’s marketing.

Culture Gabfest “Fool’s Gold” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on The Gilded Age, Music Box: Listening to Kenny G, and the battle between old music and new music.

Culture Gabfest “Crushing Responsibility” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on The Lost Daughter, Abbott Elementary, and Wordle.

Culture Gabfest “We’re All Gonna Die” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Don’t Look Up, the life and legacy of Sidney Poitier, and Lost & Found: A Memoir by Kathryn Schulz.

Culture Gabfest “Station 2022” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Station Eleven, Joan Didion’s legacy, and Movie Club 2021.

Culture Gabfest “Annual Call-In Show: 2021” Edition

Steve, Dana, and Julia answer listener questions on our annual call-in show.