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Slate Plus Exclusive: The Making of This Season
Episode 56
Host Willa Paskin talks about topics versus narratives, translating fabulists, and creating a sound landscape for the world of Mae West.
Slate Plus m…
4 years, 1 month ago
The “Sex” Scandal That Made Mae West
Episode 55
In the early 1930s, Mae West’s dirty talk and hip swiveling walk made her one of the biggest movie stars in America. But before West hit the big-scre…
4 years, 1 month ago
The First Alien Abductees
Episode 54
When you think of an alien abduction, what do you picture? Humanoid creatures, medical experiments, lost memories retrieved through hypnosis? That na…
4 years, 2 months ago
The Most Famous Poet No One Remembers
Episode 53
Rod McKuen sold multiple millions of poetry books in the 60s and 70s. He released dozens of albums, was a regular on late night, and was even nominat…
4 years, 2 months ago
The Mall is Dead (Long Live the Mall)
Episode 52
What do we lose if we lose the mall? 70 years into their existence, these hulking temples to commerce are surprisingly resilient and filled with cont…
4 years, 2 months ago
Summer 2022 Teaser
Decoder Ring is coming back with a new season featuring a whole new set of questions.... Like, is the shopping mall really dying? How did a poet who …
4 years, 2 months ago
Summer 2022 Teaser
Decoder Ring is coming back with a new season featuring a whole new set of questions.... Like, is the shopping mall really dying? How did a poet who …
4 years, 2 months ago
The Storytelling Craze
Episode 51
When did everyone become a storyteller? Decades after George Lucas and Steve Jobs made storytelling a big business, every company now wants to tell “…
4 years, 4 months ago
“We Got Ourselves a Convoy”
Episode 50
In the 1970s, a song about protesting truckers topped the music charts in multiple countries, and kicked off a pop culture craze for CB radios. In ea…
4 years, 5 months ago
The Sideways Effect
Episode 49
In 2004, the indie flick Sideways was released in just four theaters, but it had a big impact, earning five Oscar nominations and $110 million worldw…
4 years, 5 months ago