{"podcast":{"title":"Culture Gabfest","slug":"culture-gabfest-830145","podcast_index_feed_id":830145,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/69612bcd1f21449d6dec2ccb","website_url":"https://slate.com/podcasts/culture-gabfest","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/69612bcd1f21449d6dec2ccb/show-cover.jpg","author":"Slate Audio","episode_count":870,"summary":"New York Times critic Dwight Garner says “The Slate Culture Gabfest is one of the highlights of my week.” The award-winning Culturefest features critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner debating the week in culture, from highbrow to pop. For more of Slate’s culture podcasts, check out the Slate Culture feed. Get more Culture Gabfest with Slate Plus! Join to unlock weekly bonus episodes—plus ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from our show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/cultureplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/culture-gabfest-830145"},"episode":{"title":"The Drama Surrounding The Drama Edition","slug":"the-drama-surrounding-the-drama-edition","published_at":"2026-04-08T07:10:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/culture-gabfest-830145/the-drama-surrounding-the-drama-edition","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/culture-gabfest-830145","url":"https://shows.acast.com/culture-gabfest/episodes/the-drama-surrounding-the-drama-edition","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/69612bcd1f21449d6dec2ccb/e/69d550b6e257f11e0312f128/media.mp3","summary":"What’s the worst thing Steve, Dana, and Julia have ever done? And would you still love them if you knew the answer to that question? That’s not a subject for today’s episode, but these three do get into The Drama , the dark, polarizing rom-com directed by Kristoffer Borgli starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson which is animated by such disquieting inquiries. Next, it’s time for elk meat, Montana golden hour, and feckless city slickers as our hosts take on Taylor Sheridan’s latest The Madison. Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, our hosts agree it’s an effective Western soap opera but is its Red State agitprop worth the price of admission? Finally… there’s good boy. With their curly mop tops and wet eyes, doodle dog hybrids have nuzzled their way into Americans’ hearts. What does that say about us? The hosts discuss these questions and more raised in a recent New Yorker piece by John Seabrook, How Doodles Became the Dog du Jour . In a bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, they have a spoiler-rich conversation divulging all of The Drama’s dirty secrets. Endorsements Dana : The latest from children's book author (and Dana's partner) Rowboat Watkins, Mousestache, Mooosestache about a riotous world overrun with mustaches.  Julia : The memoir The Wanderers by immigration journalist Daniela Gerson detailing her unlikely family history. Steve: Book three of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay and the work of singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith, including his cover of Bob Dylan's \"Tight Connection to My Heart\" and his self-titled debut album .   -- Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com .  Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch. Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed thr…","meta_description":"What’s the worst thing Steve, Dana, and Julia have ever done? And would you still love them if you knew the answer to that question? That’s not a subject…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3727,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/culture-gabfest-830145/episodes/the-drama-surrounding-the-drama-edition/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/culture-gabfest-830145/the-drama-surrounding-the-drama-edition.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}