Listen to Slate's show about the week in culture.

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 17 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner by clicking the arrow on the audio player below: You can also download the program here, or you can subscribe to the weekly Culture Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss the cultural impact of the financial meltdown, the death of author David Foster Wallace, and the latest Microsoft ads from that lovable comedy duo Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned in the show:

Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in the Oliver Stone film Wall Street.
Jim Cramer's take on the financial crisis in New York magazine.
Michael Lewis' book Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street.
Bob Rafelson's 1970 film, Five Easy Pieces.
Slate's "Obit" for David Foster Wallace.
A David Foster Wallace essay from Harper's, "Democracy, English, and the Wars over Usage."
The second Microsoft ad featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates.
The newer Microsoft "I'm a PC" ad campaign.
Slate's ad critic's assessment of Crispin Porter & Bogusky, the advertising firm behind the Seinfeld/Gates ads.

The Culture Gabfest weekly endorsements:

Dana's pick: David Foster Wallace's essay "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again."
Julia's pick: the Emmy-Award winning show 30 Rock.
Stephen's pick: Edmund Wilson's book, To the Finland Station.

You can reach the Culture Gabfest at culturefest@slate.com.

Posted by Amanda Aronczyk on Sept. 24, 2008 at 12:00 p.m.

Sept. 10, 2008

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 16 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner by clicking the arrow on the audio player below: