My friend Nathan turned me on to this podcast a few months ago when I was searching for various podcasts, audiobooks and other things to entertain me and otherwise make a series of excessively long roadtrips between Pittsburgh, Denver, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. less mind numbing. I have since become totally addicted to this great podcast- wishing I had more opportunities to listen to it. Rather than letting the thought provoking and entertaining show make long hours of driving disappear I have succumbed to listening to little chunks as I drive to work or around town- resulting in more than a few instances of sitting in my car in a Giant Eagle parking lot, not wanting to interrupt a great argument on the latest movie, tv show, or cultural snippets.
The Gabfest is (according to their Facebook page) "Slate's critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner, plus their guests, discussing what's happening in movies, books, TV, and more." A simple enough concept executed really, really well. The hosts generally have interesting and entertaining things to say and their report with one another is delightful, it genuinely makes you feel like you are sitting around with your friends discussing a movie you just saw, always making me wish I could jump into the conversation myself (hence the title above).
I find Stephen Metcalf to have just the right twinge of cynicism in each discussion without ever going so far as to become too cranky to listen to.
June Thomas- who, while not a regular member of the team is there often enough to be a delight each time she makes an appearance- discusses and reviews TV shows in a way that makes you feel like yes, there is good stuff on television and it's not just the super serious critically acclaimed premium cable shows- though those are great- but that sometimes TV is just fun and enjoyable and there is no shame in that, because June can talk about both Mad Men and the CW's Hellcats in the same real and intelligent way. However, much of that might just be a result of her fantastic accent which is a joy to listen to.
Dana Stevens and Julia Turner are also both great and witty and my not writing a whole paragraph on exactly why should have no bearing on how much I enjoy them both and would love nothing more than to sit with them and dissect every movie I see.
The great thing about the Cultural Gabfest is that, in a way, you CAN jump right into the conversation. These guys are taking advantage of social media in way that all organizations, companies and public figures should be. They are having a conversation with their listeners. The Cultural Gabfest Facebook page is not only full of fans and listeners reacting to each show, adding their own critiques, recommendations and asking questions. It is also full of the Gabfesters themselves interacting with those listeners, answering questions, responding to comments and otherwise being a part of the conversation in a really lovely and dynamic way that doesn't feel like the page is blindly being updated by a Slate intern. Well done.
Finally, each Gabfest ends with a segment they call "Endorsements" where each of the hosts as well as their guests endorse something, anything, usually wholly unrelated to any of the topics discussed in that episode and out of context of anything. Simply something, anything, that they like and want to share. From books, to songs to snowboots to pies. Recent endorsements include: The song Closing Time by Semisonic, The New York Times’ interactive visualization of U.S. Census data, The eclectic blog Res Obscura, The Bravo reality show Top Chef, and especially judge Tom Colicchio. I love this part and in many ways it is exactly what I'm trying to emulate here, in fact, I nearly called my blog simply "endorsements" but stopped short of fully taking their brilliant segment.
I should also note that Slate's Cultural Gabfest is only one of Slate's Gabfests, there is also a Sports Gabfest (which I admit I have never listened to) as well as the Political Gabfest. I do also enjoy the Political Gabfest and subscribe to it every week, however, I don't listen to it nearly as often, not because I don't enjoy it, which I very much do, I simply find that it requires much more focus than I am able to give it in most situations.
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