Stuck in the Backrooms Edition

Stuck in the Backrooms Edition

Author: Slate Podcasts June 3, 2026 Duration: 1:14:40

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia convene once again—this time with some big news. Also, they make a classic Gabfest episode. 


First up, it's the alienating fluorescent buzz, infinite carpeted sprawl, and liminal horror of Backrooms. The new release from A24 is directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons based on his YouTube series which itself was inspired by deep internet lore and a viral piece of creepypasta. Does the uncanny maze of Backrooms go anywhere? They step into the labyrinth to find out. 


Next, they’re joined by Gabfest fave Leon Neyfakh to get into another parallel dimension: the world of OnlyFans. They discuss Leon’s new podcast about the ubiquitous platform OnlyFantasy—produced with comedian and OF creator Gracie Canaan.


Finally, it’s a conversation that’s as lively as… well, that’s the question. They take up a recent piece of data journalism in The Pudding analyzing the most common similes.


In a bonus episode, Carl Wilson joins the call (as well as a special endorsement segment) to talk taste. Specifically, they get into how discussions of taste have changed since Carl wrote authoritatively on it 18 years ago in his book Let’s Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Bad Taste.



Endorsements


Dana: The recent Zadie Smith essay in The New York Review of Books "Art for Our Sakes." 


Carl: The live album Happy Today by Jeff Parker and ETA IVtet as well as the anthology of poetry On Occasion: Poems for the People, with a special Canadian shoutout to the poem "Oh Americans" by Gary Barwin.


Julia: The tranquil, koi fish-rich, and very SoCal Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine. Also, L.A. listeners should join the folks of L.A Material, Punch List, and New York Review of Architecture on June 7 for the event LACMA Therapy Session to process all their complicated feelings about the new David Geffen Galleries.


Steve: The band The Durutti Column as sampled in the Blood Orange song "The Field." Plus, Steve would love to know what listeners make of the author J.M. Coetzee, particularly his novel Disgrace.


(Also, make sure to subscribe to Carl's fantastic newsletter Crritic!)


--


Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com


Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.

Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Each week, the lively and insightful critics of Culture Gabfest gather to dissect what’s happening across the cultural landscape. Hosted by Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner, the conversation flows effortlessly from the latest film releases and television phenomena to books, music, and broader artistic debates, blending highbrow analysis with genuine pop enthusiasm. Their dynamic is less a formal review and more like eavesdropping on a brilliant, sometimes heated, coffee chat between friends who happen to be experts. You’ll hear them grapple with the nuances of a challenging new series, champion an overlooked artist, or passionately disagree about a blockbuster’s merits, all with a sharp wit and deep knowledge that clarifies your own thinking. This Slate Podcasts production has become an essential weekly ritual for many, praised by voices like New York Times critic Dwight Garner for its consistent intelligence and engaging rapport. For those who can’t get enough, a Slate Plus subscription offers ad-free listening and additional bonus segments, extending the discussion even further. Tuning into this podcast feels like getting a curated, conversational briefing on everything that matters in arts and entertainment, delivered with a personal touch that reminds you why culture is worth talking about in the first place.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Culture Gabfest
Podcast Episodes
Money On Film: Spirited Away [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:05
Welcome to a very special Money On Film miniseries!Over three episodes, Slate Money’s Felix Salmon and Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe revisit three films at the intersection of culture and finance. On this episode, Na…
Ryan Gosling’s Pet Rock Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:50
This week, Dana, Julia (fresh from the launch of her new media venture L.A. Material), and guest host Dan Kois set their gaze to the heavens with a discussion of the lost-in-space adventure yarn Project Hail Mary. Based…
Money On Film: Materialists [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:04
Welcome to a very special Money On Film miniseries!Over three episodes, Slate Money’s Felix Salmon and Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe revisit three films at the intersection of culture and finance. On this episode, Fe…
Money On Film: Margin Call [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:47
Welcome to a very special Money On Film miniseries!Over three episodes, Slate Money’s Felix Salmon and Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe revisit three films at the intersection of culture and finance. On this episode, we…
One Oscar After Another Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:53
On this week’s show, Dana and Steve are joined by long-time FOP Isaac Butler (and author of the forthcoming book The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America's Culture Wars.) They step into this week’s cul…
Paul Is Not Dead Yet Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:34
On this week’s monster mash, Steve, Dana, and Julia gather around the proverbial reanimation laboratory to take on the nutty, goth, and unbridled The Bride! Maggie Gyllenhaal’s feminist—or not, it’s up for debate—retelli…
Elvis Has Entered the Building Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:43
On this week’s show, Steve is joined by June Thomas, author of A Place of Our Own, and Michael Schulman, author of Her Again and Oscar Wars, for some rollicking Gabfest discourse. First up, they get all shook up by EPiC:…
The Creator of Derry Girls Is Back Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:19
The original trio Steve, Dana, and Julia convene for a right cracker of a Gabfest as they discuss How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, the new comedic mystery from Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee. In the Netflix series, thr…
Heathcliff, It’s Me Cathy Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:45
This week, Dana is joined by Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times film critic and host of the podcast Unspooled, as well as Jamelle Bouie, New York Times columnist and host of the podcast Unclear and Present Danger. They dis…
Bad Bunny Spikes the Football Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:49
The sugarcane fields! La casita! Piraguas! Lady Gaga! Ricky Martin! An actual wedding! Bad Bunny’s immense and boisterous Super Bowl Halftime show brought a whole Puerto Rican universe to Levi’s Stadium and into American…