Culture Gabfest9 Jul 2025

Sorry, Straight White Male Novelist Edition

On this week’s show, Julia and Dana are joined by June Thomas for a decidedly feminist discussion. They start with Sorry, Baby, the debut feature from writer, director, and actor Eva Victor, about a young academic’s life after a terrible trauma. The panel debates whether the film— which was a Sundance hit for A24 — is a tart, surprising traumedy or a frustratingly evasive experiment.

Next, they get into Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print, the HBO documentary about the pioneering feminist magazine. Finally, they take up a recent New York Times piece to determine whether the straight white male novelist is a thing of the past—and if we should care. Steve hops on the call to offer his token male perspective, naturally.

In an exclusive plus bonus episode, the feminist discourse continues with a conversation about the oft overlooked fashion designer Claire McCardell, who is the subject of a recent biography Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson and book review by our very own Julia Turner.

Endorsements:

Dana: The essay “It’s Only An Island If You Look At It From The Water” by Elizabeth Cantwell in Bright Wall Dark Room about the film Jaws on its 50th anniversary.

June : The action film Heads of State starring John Cena and Idris Elba, or “Mamma Mia! with explosions.”

Julia - The new book Empire of the Elite by Michael Grynbaum about the magisterial publishing reign of Condé Nast. (Recently excerpted in the New York Times.)

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Episoder(869)

You’re My Obsession Edition

This week, we’ve got an all-guest-host panel with Gabfest faves Isaac Butler, Sam Adams, and June Thomas guiding the discourse… straight to hell. In this case, hell is the romantic relationships depic...

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Lord of the Sheep Edition

On this week’s show, our panel of Dana, Steve, and Sam Adams are on the case. The case: is the movie Sheep Detectives a real movie and is it any good? The answer: it’s a star-studded cozy murder myste...

13 Mai 59min

Somehow, Miranda Priestly Returned Edition

This week, Julia Turner and Dana Stevens are joined by Slate’s own Rebecca Onion to discuss The Devil Wears Prada 2, BEEF season 2, and the NYT’s best living songwriters package with Slate’s music cri...

6 Mai 57min

Michael Jackson Moonwalks the Box Office Edition

This week, Dana, Steve, and Nadira Goffe assess if we as a culture can ever really escape Neverland— namely, the gigantic and fraught legacy of Michael Jackson. They unpack the biopic Michael. Directe...

29 Apr 58min

Mother Troubles Edition

Steve, Dana, and Julia convene once more for a rousing Gabfest. First up, it’s Mother Mary. David Lowery’s strange psychodrama centers on a pop star, played by Anne Hathaway, reuniting with her estran...

22 Apr 1h 2min

Richard Pryor: The Truth Teller Who Changed Comedy Forever | From Big Lives

Richard Pryor redefined comedy by telling the truth, even when it scorched him.Today, we’re sharing a preview of a new podcast, Big Lives, and a special episode about Pryor.Every week, hosts Kai Wrigh...

17 Apr 43min

There Are No Small Parts Only Miniature Wives Edition

On this week’s show, Dana, Steve, and Dan Kois get into cultural topics of various scales. First, they examine The Christophers, the latest film from Steven Soderbergh. The small scale two-hander star...

15 Apr 57min

The Drama Surrounding The Drama Edition

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 in...

8 Apr 1h 2min