Anna talks with her WNYC colleague Nancy Solomon about her new podcast, Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery . New Jersey politics is not for the faint of heart. But the brutal killing of John and Joyce Sheridan, a prominent couple with personal ties to three governors, shocks even the most cynical operatives. The mystery surrounding the crime sends their son on a quest for truth. Dead End is a story of crime and corruption at the highest levels of society in the Garden State. EVENT: ...
Apr 29, 2022•6 min•Ep. 343
After hearing from more than 200 listeners about their siblings, it's clear that the people we spend our childhoods with aren't the easiest ones to act like adults toward. This episode first aired in 2015. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter , and follow the show on Twitter , Face...
Apr 27, 2022•45 min•Ep. 342
TikTok star William White has a large and devoted fanbase of middle-aged women lusting after him as he lip-syncs to ‘80s songs. But things have taken a darker turn recently, as his fans have started turning on each other. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle talk with journalist Jessica Lucas , who reported on White’s fanbase in a recent piece for Input . They discuss why these women are so obsessed with him, the alarming culture that has sprung up around him, and how he’s used his following fo...
Apr 27, 2022•24 min
This week, the panel begins by assessing Nicolas Cage’s satirical cinematic metaverse in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent . Then, the panel is joined by co-host of Slate’s Working podcast, Isaac Butler, to discuss the final season of Better Call Saul . Finally, the panel is joined by Washington Post columnist Will Oremus to break down Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter. In Slate Plus, Steve corrects a mistake and the panel discusses their relationships to imaginary places. Email us...
Apr 27, 2022•58 min
When we think of method acting, we tend to think of actors going a little over the top for a role – like Jared Leto, who allegedly sent his colleagues dead rats when he was preparing to be The Joker, or Robert De Niro refusing to break character on the set of the movie Raging Bull . But that’s not how method acting began. On this episode of Decoder Ring: we look at how “The Method” came to be so well-known and yet so widely misunderstood. It’s a saga that spans three centuries and involves score...
Apr 26, 2022•42 min
Vinson Cunningham, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the decline of the Brooklyn Nets and the rise of the New Orleans Pelicans. They also discuss Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, and they review the HBO series Winning Time , on the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers. NBA playoffs (3:55): What’s gone wrong for Brooklyn? What’s going right for New Orleans? Wimbledon (25:34): Is there any logic to banning individual Russian athletes? Winning Time (49:08): What the show gets...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 17 min
In the past few years, trend pieces have flooded the internet telling us that Gen Z is a bunch of “puriteens” and not having as much sex as the rest of us. Looks like we’ve got a new moral panic on our hands. On today’s show, You’re Wrong About ’s Sarah Marshall joins Rachelle to talk about the hand-wringing reasons people think the youth aren’t engaging in sex, why our society is so obsessed with the sex lives of teenagers, and how Gen Z might just have the healthiest relationship with sex yet,...
Apr 23, 2022•28 min
Three people involved with Club Penguin Rewritten , a fan-made remake of a popular Disney game, were arrested last week by the City of London police because they were infringing on Disney’s copyright. On the show today, Rachelle and Allegra talk about the history of Club Penguin , growing up on browser games, and what this news could mean for other fan-created remakes of now-defunct games. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 20, 2022•27 min
This week, the panel begins by entering the multiverse of Everything Everywhere All At Once . Then, the panel dives into Apple TV+’s newest spy drama Slow Horses (based on books that were reviewed by Slate’s own Laura Miller ). Finally, the panel talks about music’s next big thing: British indie-rock duo Wet Leg’s newest self-titled album. In Slate Plus, the panel discusses a Gawker article from Rachel Connolly, titled “The ‘Pity Me!’ Personal Essay .” Email us at culturefest@slate.com . Endorse...
Apr 20, 2022•58 min
In the early 2000s, an arms race broke out in the world of men’s shaving. After decades with razors that had only one blade and then decades with razors that had only two, the number of blades rapidly spiraled up and up and up. It’s a skirmish sometimes referred to as The Razor Blade Wars, and it was a face-off about innovation, competition, capitalism, masculinity, and most of all, how strange things can become after you’ve created something that’s the best a consumer can get — and then you hav...
Apr 19, 2022•36 min
Vinson Cunningham, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the epic Game 1 of the Nets-Celtics series. They also talk about the Minnesota Timberwolves, young playoff stars, and Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai. Finally, the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh joins for a conversation about near-perfection at the start of the baseball season. Nets-Celtics (3:05): Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and a whole lot more. NBA playoffs (26:39): What we’re watching this postseason. Baseball (49:02): The sadness of two perfect ...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 15 min
The Black Menaces are a group at Brigham Young University who have recently gained popularity on TikTok for their videos in which they ask their fellow students about political and social issues. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison talk to Rachel Weaver and Nate Byrd, two members of the Black Menaces , about what it’s like to film these interviews, how they’ve been received on campus and online, and what it’s like to be a Black student at BYU. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Hosted o...
Apr 16, 2022•26 min
Five years ago this month, Hit Parade launched on the Slate podcast network. What have we learned in that half-decade? And what episodes did you love the most? We asked you to vote—and the results may surprise you. Sure, you enjoyed our shows about Madonna, Nirvana, Whitney, Mariah, Bruce, Stevie and Janet. But even more than that, you loved our nerdy deep dives about the producers behind “Le Freak”…the rules for One-Hit Wonders…the college-rockers from Athens, Ga.…the man behind Meat Loaf…the s...
Apr 16, 2022•50 min•Ep. 127
"Sex is a much more copacetic and enjoyable experience when it is about the experience rather than results." This is the third episode of a three-part series about ED and Viagra. If you missed the previous episodes, about relationships impacted by ED and the origin story of Viagra, go back and take a listen. Are you new here? Make sure to subscribe to Death, Sex & Money so you don't miss any new episodes. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter , and follow the show...
Apr 13, 2022•32 min•Ep. 341
Another day on the internet, another online challenge to laugh at. Even the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary is getting in on it. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison talk about the Abbott Elementary episode that so perfectly skewers all the adults posting their challenges online, the reemergence of the water cup challenge, and what’s really at the root of online challenge culture. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 13, 2022•27 min
This week, the panel is joined by June Thomas, co-host of Working (Slate’s podcast on the creative process). They begin by digesting HBO’s Julia Child series, Julia , starring one of June’s favorites: Sarah Lancashire . Then, the panel dives into the world of AI with After Yang . Finally, the panel answers Dana’s very important question: is Chris Pine the Robert Redford of our time ? In Slate Plus, the panel discusses their favorite Canadian cultural products. Email us at culturefest@slate.com ....
Apr 13, 2022•55 min
Decoder Ring is coming back with a new season featuring a whole new set of questions…and some good surprising answers. Like, how did razors come to have such a ridiculous amount of blades on them? Did one line from Paul Giammati in the movie Sideways really change Americans’ wine buying habits? And why is our understanding of method acting wrong? You can hear these episodes and more on the new season of Decoder Ring. Launching April 19, 2022. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on ...
Apr 12, 2022•1 min
Vinson Cunningham, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the death of quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Slate’s Jim Newell also joins to discuss Tiger Woods’ dramatic return at the Masters. Finally, they assess the Los Angeles Lakers’ terrible season. Dwayne Haskins (1:29): How should we talk about athletes who die young? Tiger Woods (24:57): What comes after his miraculous comeback? Lakers (47:58): What went so horribly wrong? Afterball (1:08:17): Stefan on major leaguers who went for 7-for-7 in a si...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 14 min
In February, Etsy emailed its sellers to announce that it would be taking a larger cut of their money, even while announcing in the same email that the company’s profits were up. A group of sellers reacted to this increase by starting a movement for sellers to strike on April 11-April 18, 2022. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison explain how we got to this standoff and what the strikers’ demands are , and then speak with an Etsy seller about the news, the experience of banding together with ...
Apr 09, 2022•26 min
How Welsh coal miners and a pants-dropping presentation eventually led to the invention of Viagra. If you missed the first episode in our Hard series, go back and take a listen. And look out for the finale next week, when we meet people for whom Viagra opened up a deeper conversation about their bodies and what it means to have good sex. Are you new here? Make sure to subscribe to Death, Sex & Money so you don't miss any new episodes. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at deathsexmoney.org/ne...
Apr 06, 2022•30 min•Ep. 340
This Sunday, the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical took home a Grammy. But how was it allowed to compete in the first place? On the show today, Rachelle is joined by our producer, Daniel , to discuss why the Grammys have become so internet-focused , and how the Bridgerton musical sprang from TikTok. Then, Rachelle speaks with University of Colorado law professor Kristelia Garcia about the legal issues that the musical’s creators might need to resolve after their win, and if Netflix can now call Brid...
Apr 06, 2022•27 min
This week, the panel begins by revisiting the iconic film The Godfather in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Then, the panel answers the question Is It Cake? as they cut into Netflix’s newest hit. Finally, the panel is joined by Associate Professor of Music Theory at the University of Memphis, Jeremy Orosz, to discuss forensic musicology and what counts as musical plagiarism—which he wrote about for Slate , using Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” lawsuit as a case study. In Slate Plus, the panel discus...
Apr 06, 2022•53 min
Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Kansas’ win over North Carolina’s in the men’s basketball title game, and the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings joins to talk about South Carolina’s win over UConn for the women’s title. Finally, they talk about Eric Church, and when it’s OK for sports to trump social and professional obligations. NCAA men (2:21): How the Jayhawks turned it around against the Tar Heels. NCAA women (22:16): How the Gamecocks steamrolled the Huskies. Eric Church (46:4...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 17 min
April Fool’s Day is every brand’s favorite holiday. Social media and PR teams get to make all the jokes their marketing department can come up with and face few repercussions. But it’s not all fun and games. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison talk about what nonsense the brands are up to this year, why we’re so easily taken in by internet hoaxes, and how skepticism can harden into something darker. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...
Apr 02, 2022•27 min
The early ’70s was a great time for R&B queens on the charts: Roberta Flack. Dionne Warwick. Patti LaBelle. Chaka Khan. They had come through the ’60s—Dionne as a smooth pop-and-B star, Patti as a girl-group frontwoman, Roberta as a cabaret pianist—and found themselves in a new decade with limitless possibilities. Flack turned folk songs into chart-topping, Grammy-winning R&B. Warwick shifted from Brill Building pop to Philly soul. LaBelle threw her insane voice at rock, funk and glam. A...
Apr 01, 2022•58 min•Ep. 125
In the first episode of a three part series, we focus in on people’s intimate lives and relationships that have been impacted by both erectile dysfunction—and Viagra—in ways that the cheeky public conversation about the drug has never quite captured. Come back next week for the wild story of how Viagra came to be, as we go back in time to tell the story of how medicine, science, money and marketing collided to create a Viagra explosion. Are you new here? Make sure to subscribe to Death, Sex &...
Mar 30, 2022•31 min•Ep. 339
On Sunday night, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars live broadcast after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. As soon as the internet figured out the slap wasn’t a bit, Twitter was deluged with takes. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle discourse about the discourse, discussing the neverending online take machine, how media narratives are shaped, and why we were all wondering if the slap was even real. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...
Mar 30, 2022•24 min
This week, the panel begins by breaking down everything that went down during the weirdest Oscars ever. Then, the panel is joined by author, professor, and Slate’s pop critic, Jack Hamilton, to discuss Adam McKay’s over-stylized docudrama about the 1980s Lakers, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty . Finally, the panel is joined by Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern to discuss Disney CEO Bob Chapek and his response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In Slate Plus, the panel discusses ...
Mar 30, 2022•56 min
Slate’s sports podcast on the NCAA basketball tournaments and U.S. soccer. Plus, an interview with Bomani Jones. NCAA basketball (3:26): After two weeks of upsets, it’s Duke, UNC, Kansas, and Villanova. World Cup (24:20): The U.S. men’s national soccer team is on the brink of qualifying after a 5-1 win over Panama. Bomani Jones (47:33): Joel interviews ESPN personality Bomani Jones about his new HBO show, “Game Theory With Bomani Jones.” Afterball (1:03:44): Stefan on watching last week’s U.S.-M...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 14 min
This week, Instagram announced the return of chronological feeds to the platform, allowing users to toggle between the standard algorithmic feed and two separate chronological ones. On the show today, Madison and Rachelle talk about these new changes, whether we really want newsfeeds with such a strict structure, and why, regardless of which way we go, we’re still at the will of the algorithm. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 26, 2022•26 min
