Slate Articles

The Culture Gabfest: Luhrmania Edition

Stephen Metcalf — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:08:35 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 243 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas with the audio player below.

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And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here:

The sponsors of today’s show are Stamps.com and Shutterstock.com. Go to Stamps.com and use the promo code “CULTUREFEST” for your no-risk free trial and bonus offer. Go to Shutterstock.com and use the offer code “SLATE5” for 30 percent off new accounts.

Culturefest is on the radio! “Gabfest Radio” combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show—listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, our critics discuss director Baz Luhrmann’s over-the-top 3-D film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, The Great Gatsby. They then review Maron, comedian Marc Maron’s new sitcom on IFC, and Slate’s David Haglund guests to discuss Maron’s new show and his popular podcast. Finally, the Gabfest crew joins the chorus of criticism surrounding Joel Stein’s piece of trolling trend journalism, the recent Time cover story “Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation.”

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

The Great Gatsby, review from Dana Stevens for Slate.

A previous Gatsby film attempt, starring Robert Redford.

David Edelstein’s review of the film, for New York.

Kathryn Schulz for New York on despising F. Scott Fitzgerald’s canonical novel.

Gatz, the word-for-word theater production of The Great Gatsby.

Le Grand Meaulnes by Henri Alain-Fournier.

David Haglund for Slate on the evolving career of comedian Marc Maron.

Marc Maron’s popular podcast, WTF.

The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Louie, and Portlandia

Marc Maron guests on the Gabfest, from July 2011.

The Culture of Narcissism, by Christopher Lasch.

Tom Hawking for Flavorwire, on Joel Stein’s Time story.

Noreen Malone for New York on millennials, and Robin Henig for the New York Times on twentysomethings.

Robin Marantz Henig and Samantha Henig discuss their book Twentysomething on Slate’s “Afterword” podcast.

Doree Shafrir for Slate on “Generation Catalano,” and My So-Called Life, the TV show that inspired that generational name.

Endorsements:

Dana: Why Man Creates, the 1968 animated educational short created by the renowned graphic designer Saul Bass.

June: Emma Brockes’ book on her mother’s early life, She Left Me the Gun: My Mother’s Life Before Me.

Stephen: Economist Brad Delong’s blog post “Moby Ben, or, The Washington Super-Whale: Hedge Fundies, the Federal Reserve, and Bernanke-Hatred”: A primer on hedge fund managers’ ill will toward Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, and why the Fed is enraging the trading community.

Outro: "Crazy in Love" by Emeli Sandé

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sam McDougle.

Follow us on Twitter. And please Like the Culture Gabfest on Facebook.

The Culture Gabfest: This Is a Movie About Hope Edition

Stephen Metcalf — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:34:58 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 242 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas with the audio player below.

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And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here:

The sponsors of today’s show are Stamps.com and Audible.com. Go to Stamps.com and use the promo code “CULTUREFEST” for your no-risk free trial and bonus offer. Get a free audiobook from Audible’s collection of more than 100,000 titles and a subscription to a daily audio digest when you sign up for a 30-day free trial at www.audiblepodcast.com/culturefest.

Culturefest is on the radio! “Gabfest Radio” combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show—listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, our critics discuss Iron Man 3: typical summer tent-pole action fare or serious meditation on PTSD and the war on terror? They then dissect Steven Soderbergh’s State of Cinema address, today’s movie-going psyche, and the complicated relationship between art and commerce. Finally, the Gabfesters enter the world of the versatile (and pretty blue) stand-up comic Amy Schumer by way of her new Comedy Central series, Inside Amy Schumer.

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

An Iron Man 3 review and Spoiler Special from Dana Stevens for Slate.
Previous Shane Black movies including Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Last Action Hero, and the Lethal Weapon movies.
Chris Heath’s April 2013 profile of Robert Downey Jr. in GQ.
The transcript and video of Steven Soderbergh’s State of Cinema keynote from the San Francisco Film Festival.
Richard Brody for The New Yorker online on Soderbergh’s address.
Aisha Harris for Slate on Soderbergh’s upcoming HBO movie about Liberace and his 1989 movie Sex, Lies, and Videotape.
Dan Kois’ Slate “Completist” column about Soderbergh’s movies.
Tim Burton’s 1989 movie Batman and the 2011 Iranian drama A Separation.
“Steven Soderbergh on Quitting Hollywood, Getting the Best Out of J-Lo, and His Love of Girls” in New York.
Filmmaker Shane Carruth.
Jason Zinoman on Amy Schumer for the New York Times.
Stand-up comic Sarah Silverman.

Endorsements:

June: Graeme Wood ‘s “Subu Must Die: How a Nation of Junkies Went Cold Turkey,” in the New Republic: The story of how the nation of Georgia miraculously cleaned up its epidemic needle-drug addiction.

Dana: BBC Radio 4’s podcast Tweet of the Day. Each episode presents the song and story of a different bird.

Stephen: Shane Black’s 2005 movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang; delightful from beginning to end, it will make you like Val Kilmer.

Sally: The podcast Professor Blastoff. Co-hosted by comedians Tig Notaro, Kyle Dunnigan, and David Huntsberger, Professor Blastoff is an hourlong discussion, ostensibly about topics like science, religion, and philosophy, but really a weekly chance to listen to funny people who are best friends shoot the breeze and joke around.

Outro: “I Love It” by Icona Pop featuring Charli XCX

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

Follow us on Twitter. And please Like the Culture Gabfest on Facebook.

The Culture Gabfest: But Mostly Pain Edition

Stephen Metcalf — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:06:36 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 241 with Stephen Metcalf, Brian Stelter, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas with the audio player below.

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And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here:

The sponsors of today’s show are Stamps.com and Audible.com. Go to Stamps.com and use the promo code “CULTUREFEST” for your no-risk free trial and bonus offer. Get a free audiobook from Audible’s collection of more than 100,000 titles and a subscription to a daily audio digest when you sign up for a 30-day free trial at www.audiblepodcast.com/culturefest.

Culturefest is on the radio! “Gabfest Radio” combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show—listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, our critics discuss Michael Bay’s new movie Pain and Gain, which has some humor, little humanity, and no warmth. The ‘Festers are then joined by New York Times media reporter Brian Stelter to discuss his new book about the battle for morning TV dominance. Finally, our co-hosts ponder Amazon’s new TV pilots and whether its crowdsourcing model could herald a change in TV content.

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

A few of Michael Bay’s movies: Bad Boys, Transformers trilogy, Armageddon, and The Rock.
The TV show Burn Notice.
Director Stephen Soderbergh.
“Notes on the Auteur Theory” by Andrew Sarris
Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV, by Brian Stelter.
Amazon’s original TV pilots
June Thomas for Slate on whether Amazon’s new pilots can transform TV.
Willa Paskin on Amazon’s comedy pilots for Salon.
The musical Web series from Joss Whedon, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

This week’s Audible suggestion: Just Kids written and narrated by Patti Smith

Endorsements:

Dana: The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Matilda, currently playing on Broadway.

June: The amazing FX series The Americans.

Stephen: New York’s sports talk radio station WFAN, which handled the coming out of NBA player Jason Collins exquisitely.

Outro: “Top of the Morning,” by Bing Crosby

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

Follow us on Twitter. And please Like the Culture Gabfest on Facebook.

The Culture Gabfest: A Rhythm of Liquids Edition

Stephen Metcalf — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:26:37 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 240 with Mason Currey, Bryan Lowder, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas with the audio player below.

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And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here

The Culture Gabfest is on the radio! Gabfest Radio combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show—listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, author Mason Currey sits in to talk about his new book on the daily routines of creative people and how the coffee vs. booze dialectic played out among the artists and writers he profiles. The Gabfesters then discuss Rectify, the new series from the Sundance Channel about a man released from prison after 19 years on death row. Does the show’s flouting of narrative convention and its lack of the usual trinkety TV thrills make up for some of its heavy-handedness? Finally, Slate culture editorial assistant Bryan Lowder returns to the Culturefest to discuss his Slate series about the camp aesthetic. Our critics ponder the distinction between camp and campy and the oft-blurred line between camp and kitsch.

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

Mason Currey’s new book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work and the blog that lead to it, Daily Routines.
Mason Currey’s series for Slate on the daily rituals of artists and writers.
The relocation to a Dublin gallery of Francis Bacon’s studio.
Mike Hale on Rectify for the New York Times.
Bryan Lowder’s Slate series, “Postcards From Camp.”
Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay “Notes on Camp,” which brought the concept of camp to the mainstream.
The video for Annie Lennox’s song “No More I Love Yous.”
The classic campy movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The production of The Testament of Mary now playing on Broadway, which stars Fiona Shaw.
The Joan Crawford movie Trog.
The literary theorist Roland Barthes and the cultural critic Wayne Koestenbaum.
Director John Waters’ kitchsy sensibilities.
This week’s Audible suggestion is Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, narrated by Michael Kitchen.

Endorsements:

Dana: Buster Keaton’s 1920 short One Week, a masterpiece of American cinema and an allegory about love and marriage with jaw-dropping stunts.

June: “Writing in the Dark: Confessions of a Literary Night Owl,” Kathryn Schulz’s 2012 essay for New York about doing her best writing in the middle of the night, which inspired June to wonder if it’s possible to live an upside-down life.

Stephen: New York’s interview with the founding editor of the New York Review of Books: “In Conversation With Robert Silvers.”

Outro: “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

Follow us on Twitter. And please Like the Culture Gabfest on Facebook.

The Culture Gabfest: The Mason-Dixon Needs Some Fixin’ Edition

Stephen Metcalf — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:36:22 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 239 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas with the audio player below:

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And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here:

The sponsors of today’s show are Shutterstock.com and Audible.com. Go to Shutterstock.com and use the offer code “SLATE1” for 30 percent off new accounts. Get a free audiobook from Audible’s collection of more than 100,000 titles and a subscription to a daily audio digest when you sign up for a 30-day free trial at www.audiblepodcast.com/culturefest.

Culturefest is on the radio! “Gabfest Radio” combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show. Listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, Slate’s Aisha Harris sits in to discuss the Brad Paisley-LL Cool J collaboration “Accidental Racist.” Our critics ponder whether this song about white guilt in the New South is mawkish, racist, or both. Then, Slate’s technology columnist Farhad Manjoo joins the conversation to provide insight into bitcoin, the peer-to-peer digital currency that is an anti-authoritarian’s dream come true. Finally, the ’festers debate the new HBO newsmagazine show Vice, from its macho posturing to its potential to bring current affairs of import to otherwise disaffected millenials.

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

Aisha Harris for Slate on “Accidental Racist.”
“The Not-So-Accidental Racism of Post–Civil War Songs About the South,” by Rebecca Onion for Slate.
The 2012 shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
Jody Rosen for Slate on where to start with Brad Paisley.
“Ebony and Ivory,” the 1982 collaboration between Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.
The Atlantic’s Ta-Nehisi Coates on why “Accidental Racist” is actually just racist.
Slate’s Farhad Manjoo on the bitcoin bubble.
Why bitcoin is popular with libertarian hipsters and criminals, by Annie Lowrey.
The three-minute video that answers your bitcoin questions.
“Bitcoin, Explained” by Adam Serwer and Dana Liebelson for Mother Jones.
Satoshi Nakamoto’s 2009 paper explaining bitcoin: “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.”
Lizzie Widdicombe’s profile of Vice Media for The New Yorker.
Norman Mailer’s Miami and the Siege of Chicago: An Informal History of the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 1968.
Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail, by Hunter. S. Thompson.
“Kony 2012,” the viral video of the Stop Kony campaign.
Willa Paskin on Vice for Salon.
Vice’s masterminding of the operation that brought Dennis Rodman to North Korea.
This week’s Audible suggestion: Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed.

Endorsements:

Dana: The piece of music that musicians want played at their funerals, to be listened to when you’re ready to sit, look out the window, and weep: Schubert’s “String Quintet in C Major,” performed by Isaac Stern, Pablo Casals, Milton Katims, Alexander Schneider, and Paul Tortelier.

June: In light of the death of Margaret Thatcher, the contentious 1987 movie Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, about a bohemian couple in 1980s London.

Stephen: Russell Brand for the Guardian on the death of Margaret Thatcher, an essay full of wit, self-awareness, and sensitivity. Also, “When Dickens met Dostoevsky,” Eric Naiman’s essay for the Times Literary Supplement on the massive literary hoax about the supposed meeting of Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Outro: “For Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

Follow us on Twitter. And please Like the Culture Gabfest on Facebook.

The Culture Gabfest: Pop Rocks in a Fanny Pack Edition

Stephen Metcalf — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:39:01 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 238 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas with the audio player below.

Subscribe in iTunes ∙ RSS feed ∙ Download∙ Play in another tab

And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here:

Culturefest is on the radio! “Gabfest Radio” combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show—listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, our critics discuss the life and legacy of film critic Roger Ebert and his place in the hearts of movie lovers everywhere. Then, after watching National Geographic Channel’s miniseries The ‘80s: The Decade That Made Us, they reflect on the gnarliest decade of them all. Finally, the Culturefesters talk about the Great British Class Survey, which claims to reveal England’s real class system.

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

Dana’s remembrance of Roger Ebert in Slate.
Roger Ebert’s letter to the aspiring film critic Dana Stevens.
The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker, by Roger Ebert.
Ebert’s writing, including his contributions to Slate, his fire hose-like Twitter feed, and his memoir Life Itself.
Matt Zoller Seitz on Roger Ebert for Vulture.
“Roger Ebert: End of Message,” by Ali Arikan, for Indiewire’s Press Play.
Wesley Morris on Ebert for Grantland.
Politico’s chief political writer Roger Simon on Ebert’s influence on his life and career.
“Roger and Me,” by Alan Zweibel for The New Yorker.
David Carr on Roger Ebert for the New York Times.
Some of Dana’s favorite writing by Ebert: “ 'Who’s Gonna Get Me a Beer?’ An Interview With Lee Marvin,” (1970); “Nil By Mouth,” (2010); “Roger Loves Chaz,” (2012); “My Name Is Roger, and I’m an Alcoholic,” (2009); “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” (2000); “Robert Mitchum: ‘One of the Greatest Movie Stars Was Rin Tin Tin. It Can’t Be Too Much of a Trick.’ ”, (1993).
“Explore the ’80s,” an interactive site by National Geographic Channel.
The Great British Class Survey.
The Guardian’s Martin Kettle on social class and party politics in England.

Endorsements:

Dana: The newly redesigned RogerEbert.com.

June: The novel Lionel Asbo: State of England, by Martin Amis.

Stephen: Mucinex and Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class, by Barbara Ehrenreich

Outro: “I Wanna Be Rich” by Calloway

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

Follow us on Twitter. And please Like the Culture Gabfest on Facebook.

The Culture Gabfest: Auteurs Gone Wild Edition

Stephen Metcalf — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:14:32 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 237 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas with the audio player below.

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And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here:

The sponsors of today’s show are 23andme.com and Stamps.com. Go to 23andme.com/Slate for your $99 personal genetic profile. Go to Stamps.com and use the promo code “CULTUREFEST” for your no-risk free trial and bonus offer.

Culturefest is on the radio! “Gabfest Radio” combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show—listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, our critics ponder Michael Cimino’s epic and extravagant Heaven’s Gate, the legendary flop that sank its studio but has found acclaim with a new director’s cut three decades after its brief initial release. Then, Slate editorial assistant Bryan Lowder joins them to discuss Gaybros, the online and IRL community of gay men with traditionally manly hobbies. Finally, in light of Amazon’s acquisition of the social reading site Goodreads, the Culturefesters discuss the art of book recommending and share their go-to recommendations.

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

The Heaven’s Gate Criterion Collection Blu-ray.
Peter Biskind’s book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood.
P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.
United Artists, the film studio founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks.
From Slate, Bryan Lowder’s “Meet the Gaybros,” about the Reddit-based community.
Reddit’s r/gaybros subgroup.
Stacey Lambe on “The Growing World of ‘Gaybros’ ” for BuzzFeed.
Amazon’s acquisition of Goodreads.
Jennifer Egan’s 2010 book A Visit From the Goon Squad.
Culturefester book recommendations: The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley (Dana), I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (Stephen), and People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished From the Streets of Tokyo—and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry (June).

Endorsements:

Dana’s pick: Matt Debenham’s podcast “What Are You Reading?” Past guests have included Dana Stevens, Bill Corbett, and Julie Klam .

June’s pick: John McPhee’s 1969 book The Crofter and the Laird, about returning to his ancestral homeland in the Scottish Inner Hebrides.

Stephen’s pick: The well-paced, snappy, funny movie that’s a friggin’ delight, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Outro: “Recommendation” by Little Dragon.

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

Follow us on Twitter. And please Like the Culture Gabfest on Facebook.

The Culture Gabfest: Sprang Braake 4eva Edition

Dana Stevens — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:56:12 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 236 with Dana Stevens, John Swansburg, and June Thomas with the audio player below:

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And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here:

The sponsors of today’s show are 23andme.com and Stamps.com. Go to 23andme.com/Slate for your $99 personal genetic profile. Go to Stamps.com and use the promo code “CULTUREFEST” for your no-risk free trial and bonus offer.

Culturefest is on the radio! Gabfest Radio combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show. Listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, our critics discuss Phil Spector, David Mamet’s HBO movie about the music producer’s murder trial, from its soggy, static scenes to its intense wig action. The Culturefesters then ponder Spring Breakers: Does Harmony Korine’s latest movie offer ecstatic freedom and transcendence or merely a lecherous camera focused on bikini-clad gyrations? Finally, they discuss Lew Wallace, the disgraced Civil War general and author of the best-selling novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

Los Angeles Times reporter Harriet Ryan on HBO’s Phil Spector.
Troy Patterson for Slate on Phil Spector.
Dana Stevens’ Slate review of Spring Breakers.
The movies of writer/director Harmony Korine.
The rapper RiFF Raff.
Spring Breakers’ costume designer Heidi Bivens on selecting wardrobe for the movie.
John Swansburg on “The Passion of Lew Wallace” for Slate.
The 1880 book Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, by Lew Wallace, and its 1959 film adaptation Ben-Hur.

Endorsements:

June’s pick: The British soap opera Coronation Street, which has been on the air for more than 50 years (and is the best TV show in the history of the world) and is now available on Hulu.

John’s pick: James Salter’s forthcoming novel All That Is.

Dana’s pick: The 2009 documentary The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector, available in nine parts on YouTube.

Outro: “Spanish Harlem” by Ben E. King

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

Follow us on Twitter. And please Like the Culture Gabfest on Facebook.

The Culture Gabfest: I Remain Your Ever Fond Servant Edition

Dana Stevens — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:54:41 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 235 with Dana Stevens, John Swansburg, and June Thomas with the audio player below:

Subscribe in iTunes ∙ RSS feed ∙ Download ∙ Play in another tab

And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here:

The sponsors of today’s show are Shutterstock.com and Stamps.com. Go to Shutterstock.com and use the offer code “SLATE3” for 30 percent off new accounts. Go to Stamps.com and use the promo code “CULTUREFEST” for your no-risk free trial and bonus offer.

Culturefest is on the radio! “Gabfest Radio” combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show—listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, our critics discuss Jane Campion’s new Sundance Channel miniseries, Top of the Lake, from its portrayal of rural New Zealand to its unseemly male characters and Campion’s trademark lingering on uncomfortable moments. Then, writer Geeta Dayal joins in to discuss David Bowie’s first new album in 10 years, The Next Day, and to explore Bowie’s cultural legacy. Finally, the Culturefesters debate email signoff etiquette. Should “cheers,” “best,” and “xoxo” be eliminated from our correspondence for all time? Or are they useful codes that help us communicate?

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

David Haglund for Slate on why the miniseries is the ideal TV form.
For Slate, June Thomas on Jane Campion’s first miniseries, An Angel at My Table.
Troy Patterson on Top of the Lake for Slate.
Mike Hale’s review of Top of the Lake for The New York Times.
The TV shows The Killing and Twin Peaks.
Geeta Dayal on David Bowie’s new album The Next Day for Slate
David Bowie’s 2004 album Outside and his 1977 album Heroes.
The musicians Scott Walker and Kate Bush.
The movie The Man Who Fell to Earth starring David Bowie.
Cracked Actor, the BBC documentary about David Bowie.
The Victoria and Albert Museum’s “David Bowie Is” exhibit.
Matthew J.X. Malady on doing away with the email signoff for Slate.
Chris Gayomali for the Week on what your email signature says about you.
“This is Not the End of Email Etiquette” by Rebecca Greenfield for the Atlantic Wire.

Endorsements:

June’s pick: The BBC Radio 4 radio show and podcast Ramblings. On a recent episode host Clare Balding went on a walk and picked up litter with David Sedaris.

John’s pick: A History of Future Cities by Daniel Brook, a book that explores the creation of four Eastern cities that were built to mimic Western modernization.

Dana’s pick: Bach 360°, WQXR’s 10-day festival that celebrates the birthday of the composer J.S. Bach with more than 200 hours of his music.

Outro: “The Next Day” by David Bowie.

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

The Culture Gabfest: Meat Your God Edition

Stephen Metcalf — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:48:02 GMT

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 234 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and John Swansburg with the audio player below:

Subscribe in iTunes ∙ RSS feed ∙ Download ∙ Play in another tab

And join the lively conversation on the Culturefest Facebook page here:

Culturefest is on the radio! “Gabfest Radio” combines Slate’s Culture and Political Gabfests in one show—listen on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on WNYC’s AM820.

On this week’s episode, Slate’s editorial director John Swansburg joins Dana and Stephen to discuss the History Channel’s miniseries The Bible, its kitschy tableaus and diorama feel and how Mark Burnett interprets and retells the stories of the Bible. The Gabfesters then discuss the 2012 Vida Count and what can be learned and extrapolated from the tally of women published by major literary publications. Finally, our critics discuss a veritable wordpacalypse—the death of the pun and the rise of the neolexic portmanteau.

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

Touched By An Angel, the CBS series starting Roma Downey.
Survivor, the Mark Burnett-produced reality TV show.
The Akedah, or the account in the Book of Genesis of Abraham offering his son Isaac for sacrifice.
James Poniewozik for Time online on The Bible.
The 2012 Vida Count.
Roxane Gay on the 2012 Vida Count.
Ruth Franklin for the New Republic and Meghan O’Rourke for Slate on the 2010 Vida Count.
Recent cover stories from the Atlantic written by women: “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All” by Anne-Marie Slaughter, “The End of Men” by Hanna Rosin, and “All the Single Ladies” by Kate Bolick.
Simon Akam for Slate on the death of the pun.
“Bun in the Coven,” Dana’s review of Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part: I for Slate.
“Debbie Does Salad,” Nina Rastogi for Slate on whether vegetarians have better sex.
David Haglund for Slate on small businesses keeping the pun alive.
Charles Lamb’s 1826 essay on the pun, “Popular Fallacy IX: That the Worst Puns Are the Best.”
“Pun for the Ages” by Joseph Tartakovsky for the New York Times.

Endorsements:

Dana’s pick: You Are One of Them the forthcoming novel by Elliott Holt about the friendship of two girls in Washington, D.C. in the 1980’s, with a Cold War backdrop. And here’s Holt’s #TwitterFiction story, released tweet by tweet.

John’s pick: The brilliant sitcom Cheers, available streaming on Netflix.

Stephen’s pick: The Swedish pop bands Club 8 (dreamy, atmospheric, and melodic) and First Aid Kit (inspired by American roots music).

Outro: “Western Hospitality” by Club 8.

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

Follow us on the Culturefest Twitter feed. And please Like the Culture Gabfest on Facebook.