The Gist

Unearthing a Cult Classic

Comedy writer Mike Sacks on the 40th anniversary of the Dixie-fried action caper Stinker Lets Loose.

Cover art from Stinker Lets Loose 40th anniversary edition.

Mike Sacks

Listen to Episode 789 of Slate’s The Gist:

Subscribe in iTunes RSS feed ∙ DownloadPlay in another tab
Slate Plus
members: Get your ad-free podcast feed.

Mike Sacks is not just a comedian; he’s also a comedy historian. This summer, he’s unearthed a rare artifact, the cult classic, Dixie-fried action movie Stinker Lets Loose. “Some famous people have cited this movie as a big influence on them,” says Sacks, citing Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. “You can hear it in some of his lyrics, for sure.” A 40th-anniversary novelization of Stinker is available now, with an intro by Sacks.

For the Spiel, why does Donald Trump keep saying stupid things to the New York Times, a newspaper he purports to hate?

Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook.

Email: thegist@slate.com
Twitter: @slategist