logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
1 m

Fall 2023 Teaser

Slate Podcasts
About this episode

We’re back with a new batch of cultural mysteries! This season, Decoder Ring explores the decline of an awkward yet unforgettable rite of passage: slow dancing. And, how did millions of TV viewers miss the experimental art installation that was embedded in the 1990s primetime drama Melrose Place? Plus, stories about stretch limos, an ill-fated video game from the makers of Oregon Trail, and the enduring appeal of a controversial dating manual. Launching October 18, 2023. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
Introducing The Sporkful | Is Your Recipe Lying To You?
If you look at any list of best-selling cookbooks, certain words come up over and over again: quick, easy, fast, effortless. But is it actually possible to deliver deliciousness in no time? Or are these recipes too good to be true? This week, The Sporkful talks with intrepid jour ... Show More
29m 4s
Jul 2
The White Noise Boom
White noise has a very precise technical definition, but people use the term loosely, to describe all sorts of washes of sound—synthetic hums, or natural sounds like a rainstorm or crashing waves—that can be used to mask other sounds. Twenty years ago, if you’d told someone white ... Show More
54m 58s
Jun 18
The Boston Cinematic Universe
This episode is a first for Decoder Ring: a live show, recorded at the WBUR Festival in Boston, Massachusetts. Given the setting, we decided to take on a Boston-based cultural mystery: namely, the “Boston movie.” Beginning in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Hollywood has churned ... Show More
49m 37s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
Quel est le premier jeu de société de tous les temps ?
Avis aux fans de Uno, de Monopoly et autres loups-garous. Les jeux de société sont une part intégrante de notre culture depuis des milliers d'années. Ils se sont enrichis, renouvelés, au fil du temps pour devenir une source de divertissement, d'interaction sociale, et même d'ense ... Show More
4m 11s
Sep 2024
Fashion by the Letter: A to Z, Part II
Following up on our wildly popular 2022 episode on obscure fashion terms from history, we bring you an all new two-part episode from A to Z!Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?  Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion histor ... Show More
33m 50s
Nov 2024
America's First Catwalk
The Fashion Fête, a three-day event at the Ritz Carlton in New York, began on 4th November, 1914, offering New Yorkers their first glimpse of what we would now understand as a fashion show.With Parisian ateliers shut down due to the First World War, the U.S. editor of Vogue, Edna ... Show More
12m 55s
Oct 2024
Twin Peaks x Cult Television
In honor of spooky season, we bring you an episode about the beloved cult classic, Twin Peaks! This show from Mark Frost and David Lynch, starring Kyle MacLachlan, is widely understood as one of the most influential television series ever! And yet it its original run began April ... Show More
52m 38s
Jun 2019
Amos Mac and Rocco Kayiatos, "Original Plumbing: The Best of Ten Years of Trans Male Culture" (Amethyst Editions, 2019)
When Amos Mac and Rocco Kayiatos first launch Original Plumbing in 2009, they created a magazine the world desperately needed: a creative and celebratory biannual publication about trans men, by trans men. For ten years, OP was an inspired response to the lack of meaningful repre ... Show More
54m 27s
Nov 2023
A Deep Dive into Olivia Rodrigo's "Guts"
Olivia Rodrigo's new album "Guts" offers a compelling perspective on early adult uncertainty, societal expectations of young women, and the craft of songwriting. We take a deep dive into the art and persona of this chart-bestriding performer. The UConn PopCast is proud to be spon ... Show More
1h 4m
Dec 2024
The Birth of the Carthaginian Empire
Carthage spent most of the fifth century BC building up its economy, but in the aftermath of the disastrous Athenian expedition to Sicily, the Carthaginians decided that the time was ripe to create a new Mediterranean empire.Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reforma ... Show More
40m 8s
Mar 2025
Quiz Show Rigging | All the Answers | 1
In the 1950s, America was captivated by high-stakes television quiz shows like The $64,000 Question and Twenty-One, which promised everyday Americans a shot at life-changing winnings. But behind the scenes, producers decided they couldn’t leave the drama to chance. They needed to ... Show More
38m 6s
Nov 2024
The Rise of the Hellenistic World
Antigonus the One-Eyed came closer than almost any other figure in the post-Alexander world to recreating the dead king's empire, but his success aroused the ire of the other Successors, and his doom wasn't far behind.Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, R ... Show More
40m 11s