Slate Plus Exclusive: The Making of This Season

FromDecoder Ring

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Slate Plus Exclusive: The Making of This Season

FromDecoder Ring

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Length:

1 minute

Released:

Jan 9, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Host Willa Paskin and producer Katie Shepherd discuss how this season of Decoder Ring came together.

Slate Plus members have access to this whole interview. Sign up for Slate Plus to access this exclusive episode and support the show.
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Released:

Jan 9, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (97)

Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters.

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Baby Shark: Baby Shark is an megaviral YouTube video, an unstoppable earworm, a top 40 hit, a Eurodance smash, a decades old campfire song, and the center of an international copyright dispute. This month on Decoder Ring we explore the strange history and conflicted future of the song, what makes it so catchy, and how it came to be. by Decoder Ring
39 min listen
The Grifter: For over a decade, Brett Johnson was a cyber criminal, a scammer, and a con man, but now he's a good guy, helping companies stop people like who he used to be. His story is the stuff of a prestige TV anti-hero drama, but real life is more complicated than a story. by Decoder Ring
54 min listen
Clown Panic: The clown has existed in various forms for thousands of years, what changed and made us suspect and fear them? by Decoder Ring
38 min listen
The Stowe-Byron Controversy: When Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote an exposé of Lord Byron's incestuous affair in 1869, it nearly destroyed The Atlantic Monthly, and threw the reputations of two literary icons into chaos. by Decoder Ring
42 min listen
Murphy's Law: Nick Spark fell down a rabbit hole tracking down the origins of Murphy’s Law, the ubiquitous phrase that says “If it can go wrong, it will go wrong”. by Decoder Ring
39 min listen
Hotel Art: What Happened to Hotel Art? by Decoder Ring
33 min listen
The Johnlock Conspiracy: Decoder Ring explores the Johnlock Conspiracy, a fan theory about the BBC TV show Sherlock positing the inevitability of a gay romance between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. by Decoder Ring
53 min listen
The Karen: The Karen, a white woman who surveys, inconveniences, and terrorizes, service workers and people of color is a relatively new term in the culture, but her character type has been with us for centuries. by Decoder Ring
41 min listen
The Basement Affair: What are the real reasons people go on reality TV? by Decoder Ring
44 min listen
Bart Simpson Mania: In the early 1990's Bart Simpson became a breakout star while also becoming a target in the culture war, culminating in president George HW Bush speaking out against The Simpsons as an example of a degenerate American family. by Decoder Ring
48 min listen
Unicorn Poop: How did poop get cute? On this episode of Decoder Ring we trace the rise of cute poop from the original Japanese poop emoji to more modern poop toys which rely on the Youtube algorithm to get seen and sold. by Decoder Ring
38 min listen
Ice Cream Truck: Why is the ice cream truck business so bananas? by Decoder Ring
42 min listen
The Paper Doll Club: Paper dolls were a ubiquitous part of children’s lives for decades, and then they mostly disappeared. by Decoder Ring
39 min listen
The Laff Box: What happened to the laugh track? For nearly five decades, it was ubiquitous, but beginning in the early 2000s, it fell out of sitcom fashion. What happened? by Decoder Ring
33 min listen
Mystery of the Mullet: We track the rise and fall of the mullet, and the lexical quandary at its heart: who named the mullet? by Decoder Ring
51 min listen
Friend of Dorothy: When Peter Mac was young, he found solace from his troubles in the voice of Judy Garland. He's now been a Judy Garland impersonator for 17 years. by Decoder Ring
34 min listen
Gotta Get Down on Friday: Rebecca Black's music video for Friday was Youtube's most watched video of 2011, thrusting the thirteen-year-old Rebecca into a very harsh spotlight. by Decoder Ring
45 min listen
The Incunabula Papers: Ong's Hat, or The Incunabula Papers, is a conspiracy theory that arose on the early internet. Combining cutting edge science, mysticism, and obvious hokum, it intrigued thousands of people who tried to find out what it all meant. by Decoder Ring
54 min listen
Jane Fonda's Workout, Part 1: Jane and Leni: When Jane Fonda granted us an interview to talk about her famous workout tape, things didn't go as planned. by Decoder Ring
55 min listen
Chuck E. Cheese Pizza War: The King was an animatronic lounge singer who performed in Chuck E. Cheese locations in the 1980's and early 90's, but then he disappeared. by Decoder Ring
49 min listen
Tattoo Flash: Today, four stories about tattoos whose meanings have shifted with the passage of years, decades, or centuries. by Decoder Ring
51 min listen
Pillow Talk: Over the last half century the decorative pillow has been crowding out our sitting and sleeping spaces, multiplying across our beds and couches decade by decade. by Decoder Ring
31 min listen
The Philosophy of Vampires: In literature, the choice to become a vampire is a metaphor for transformative experiences. by Decoder Ring
37 min listen
The Shop Around the Corner: The 1998 romantic comedy You've Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan is about the brutal fight between an independent bookstore, The Shop Around the Corner, and Fox Books, an obvious Barnes & Noble stand-in. by Decoder Ring
39 min listen
Jane Fonda's Workout, Part 2: Hanoi Jane's VHS Revolution: How did Hanoi Jane become Exercise Jane? by Decoder Ring
51 min listen
The Great Helga Hype: In the summer of 1986, both Time Magazine and Newsweek ran blockbuster cover stories on the same subject: a secret cache of provocative, intimate paintings by Andrew Wyeth, one of America's most famous artists. by Decoder Ring
56 min listen
Sad Jennifer Aniston: Is Jennifer Aniston Having Brad Pitt's Baby!?? by Decoder Ring
44 min listen
The Metrosexual: In 2003, the word "metrosexual", meaning a well-groomed heterosexual man, exploded all over the English lexicon. It invaded the news, TV, and even American politics. by Decoder Ring
39 min listen
Truck Nutz: Truck Nutz are a brand name for the dangling plastic testicles some people affix to the bumper or hitch of their vehicle. by Decoder Ring
36 min listen
Gender Reveal Party: Jenna Karvunidis invented the gender reveal party, but now she has regrets. by Decoder Ring
41 min listen

More Episodes from Decoder Ring

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How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat: For more than a century, Americans have been obsessed with Mexican food – and changed it. by Decoder Ring
33 min listen
From ‘The Last Archive’: Building an Automatic Songwriting Machine by Decoder Ring
54 min listen
Making Real Music for a Fake Band: The Broadway show ‘Stereophonic’ on how to construct the sound of the ’70s. by Decoder Ring
42 min listen
Can the “Bookazine” Save Magazines?: Why is there a magazine all about Robert Redford in the CVS checkout lane? by Decoder Ring
37 min listen
Andrew Wyeth's Secret Nudes (Encore): Why did America’s favorite artist hide 240 pieces of artwork from his wife? by Decoder Ring
54 min listen
Why Stylists Rule the Red Carpet: Avery Trufelman and Melissa Rivers on what the fashion police hath wrought. by Decoder Ring
43 min listen
The Gen X Soda That Was Just "OK": Thirty years ago, OK Soda arrived in select stores and offered up a fizzy irony. by Decoder Ring
44 min listen
Why Do So Many Coffee Shops Look the Same?: Algorithms are shaping our world, even down to latte art. by Decoder Ring
34 min listen
2024 Teaser by Decoder Ring
1 min listen
The Forgotten Video Game About Slavery: In 1992, the company behind The Oregon Trail tried to simulate Black history. It did not go well. by Decoder Ring
47 min listen
The Dating Manual Unlike Any Other: The Rules became a controversial bestseller and sparked instant debate. But was the advice any good? by Decoder Ring
38 min listen
Mailbag: The Recorder, Limos, and “Baby on Board” Signs: We answer your questions about the ubiquitous musical instrument, ‘80s automotive luxury, and more. by Decoder Ring
41 min listen
When Art Pranksters Invaded Melrose Place: In the mid-1990s, an artist collective smuggled its provocative work onto the set of the hit TV show. by Decoder Ring
42 min listen
The Fast Decline of the Slow Dance: The rise and fall of an awkward rite of passage. by Decoder Ring
46 min listen
Fall 2023 Teaser by Decoder Ring
1 min listen
Think Catchphrases Are Dead? Eat My Shorts.: Bless up: It’s a whole episode about “Doh!”, “Dealbreaker!” and “Did I do that?” by Decoder Ring
40 min listen
The Quest for a Homemade Hovercraft: With his scouting days long over, a Slate producer enlists his dad for one last merit badge. by Decoder Ring
42 min listen
A Brief History of Making Out: Is deep kissing a universal human behavior? by Decoder Ring
37 min listen
What's Really Going On Inside a Mosh Pit?: The etiquette, science and enduring appeal of a concertgoing ritual. by Decoder Ring
34 min listen
The Great Parmesan Cheese Debate: Is a Wisconsin version more authentic than its beloved Italian counterpart? by Decoder Ring
44 min listen
Summer 2023 Teaser: On the new season of Decoder Ring: Cultural mysteries about a beloved Italian cheese, the science of mosh pits and a brief history of passionate kissing. by Decoder Ring
1 min listen
Who Owns the Tooth Fairy?: The Tooth Fairy’s freak flag is still flying. by Decoder Ring
38 min listen
Why You Can’t Find a Damn Parking Spot: Parking is a mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. We can get ourselves out of it. by Decoder Ring
38 min listen
The Artist Who Was Both Loved and Disdained: The painter LeRoy Neiman was adored by many Americans—but not the art critics. by Decoder Ring
37 min listen
The Curious Case of Columbo's Message to Romania Part 2: Why does no one remember the T.V. detective’s Cold War missive? by Decoder Ring
41 min listen
The Curious Case of Columbo's Message to Romania Part 1: Was the cigar-chomping detective also a Cold War diplomat? by Decoder Ring
44 min listen
Spring 2023 Teaser: Decoder Ring's upcoming season. by Decoder Ring
1 min listen
The Mailbag Episode: From kids menus to succulents to the chicken that crossed the road, we answer your questions. by Decoder Ring
39 min listen
Encore: ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Got It Wrong: Who's afraid of... Barnes & Noble? The now quaint conflict that inspired the 1998 romantic comedy. by Decoder Ring
41 min listen
Cellino & Barnes, Injury Attorneys, 800-888-8888: Cellino and Barnes became the literal poster-men for personal injury advertising. by Decoder Ring
41 min listen

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Discover this podcast and so much more

Slate Plus Exclusive: The Making of This Season

Slate Plus Exclusive: The Making of This Season

Description

Titles in the series (97)

More Episodes from Decoder Ring

Related podcast episodes