Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 248 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas with the audio player below.

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On this week’s episode, our critics look at hip-hop icon Kanye West’s much-anticipated, musically and lyrically abrasive new album, Yeezus, with Slate’s Forrest Wickman. The Gabfest crew is then joined by a Superman expert, Pop Culture Happy Hour panelist Glen Weldon, to look at Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder’s dark reimagining of the Superman myth. Finally, the gabbers talk about ambivalence: Is it possible that intellectual paralysis is fruitful after all?

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

• Kanye West’s Yeezus.
• The premiere of the songs “Black Skinhead” and “New Slaves” on Saturday Night Live.
• West’s recent interview with the New York Times.
• Critic Sasha Frere-Jones reviews Yeezus, for The New Yorker.
• Critic Steven Hyden reviews Yeezus, for Grantland.
• Iconic hip-hop producer Rick Rubin.
• Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon.
• Rapper Chief Keef.
• Nina Simone’s version of “Strange Fruit.”
• Dana Stevens’ review of Man of Steel, for Slate.
• Guest Glen Weldon’s book on Superman.
• Glen Weldon’s review of Man of Steel.
• NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast.
• Alyssa Rosenberg on “villain design” for ThinkProgress.
• Ian Leslie’s piece on ambivalence in Slate.
• The study cited on the relationship between ambivalence and body movement.
• John Keats’ idea of “negative capability.”
• Author Elizabeth Hardwick’s 1959 essay “The Decline of Book Reviewing.”

Endorsements:

Dana: The Twitter feed “@WarnerArchive,” which features old photos from classic Warner Bros. movies and stars.

June: Slate contributor Seth Stevenson’s excellent dispatches from the Whitey Bulger trial.

Stephen: Elliott Smith’s cover of Big Star’s “Nighttime,” and the greatest artist who ever lived, Shakespeare.

Outro: “Nighttime,” by Elliott Smith

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Mike Vuolo and Chris Wade. Our intern is Sam McDougle.

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