Slow Burn

Decoder Ring | Who Was Lonelygirl15?

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 2006, a teenage girl began posting video diaries to a then-new site called YouTube under the handle lonelygirl15. Within weeks she wa...

Decoder Ring | The Johnlock Conspiracy (Encore)

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For over a century, fans of Sherlock Holmes have been analyzing, debating, and creating new texts with Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters. But when a f...

Decoder Ring | Was "Eyes Wide Shut" a Warning?

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When Eyes Wide Shut opened in the summer of 1999, it was widely considered a disappointment. This final film from legendary director Stanley Kubrick h...

Decoder Ring | A Prune by Any Other Name

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The delicious, healthful prune has long had a cross to bear: It’s best known for making people poop. In the late 1990s, the California Prune Board s...

Decoder Ring | Making Coal Cute Again

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Three weeks ago, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum shared an unusual tweet: a cartoon image of himself with his arm draped around a giant, an...

Decoder Ring | Is Culture Stuck?

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a weird time for culture. There is more of it than ever before, it’s more accessible than ever before, but so little of it feels original. Ne...

Decoder Rings Back | Why the Mona Lisa?

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We are really lucky to get lots of listener suggestions for the show, more good questions than we can possibly answer in a mailbag episode once or twi...

The Slate Culture Gift Guide

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hark, the holiday season is upon us—and with it the most solemn of festive traditions: a gift guide! In this video and podcast special, Slate hosts ...

The Slate Culture Gift Guide

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hark, the holiday season is upon us—and with it the most solemn of festive traditions: a gift guide! In this video and podcast special, Slate hosts ...

Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Yo-Yos, Sandboxes, and Encores

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Decoder Ring listeners write in with some excellent mysteries, and for our last episode of the year we’re solving three of them. Why do children pla...

Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Yo-Yos, Sandboxes, and Encores

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Decoder Ring listeners write in with some excellent mysteries, and for our last episode of the year we’re solving three of them. Why do children pla...

Decoder Ring | “Videomate: Men” (Encore)

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Videomate: Men was a VHS tape released in 1987 featuring 60 single men pitching themselves as dates to women on the other side of the TV screen: “Th...

Decoder Ring | How Protein Muscled Its Way to the Top

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Americans are currently besotted with protein. It’s touted as being good for muscle growth, weight loss, skincare, mental acuity, longevity, and muc...

Decoder Ring | How Protein Muscled Its Way to the Top

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Americans are currently besotted with protein. It’s touted as being good for muscle growth, weight loss, skincare, mental acuity, longevity, and muc...

Decoder Ring | Cozy Autumn Mysteries

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Autumn may have more cozy signifiers than any other season—though we all have our own favorites. Maybe for you it’s sweater weather, football game...

Decoder Ring | Cozy Autumn Mysteries

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Autumn may have more cozy signifiers than any other season—though we all have our own favorites. Maybe for you it’s sweater weather, football game...

Decoder Ring | The Red String Board Conspiracy

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a ubiquitous prop in just about every police procedural and conspiracy thriller: a cork board pinned with documents, newspaper clippings, an...

When We All Get to Heaven | Setting the Table

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1993, more than 10 years into the AIDS epidemic, the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco (MCC-SF) tries to remember all they’ve lost. ...

When We All Get to Heaven | Setting the Table

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1993, more than 10 years into the AIDS epidemic, the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco (MCC-SF) tries to remember all they’ve lost. ...

Decoder Ring | What the Cuck?!

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this year, a tweet went out from the official account of the Democratic Party, tagging the Trump advisor Stephen Miller. It was an image of wh...

Decoder Ring | What the Cuck?!

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this year, a tweet went out from the official account of the Democratic Party, tagging the Trump advisor Stephen Miller. It was an image of wh...

Decoder Ring | Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When an actor opens their mouth to sing in a movie, chances are high that the voice you hear will be their own. Even in music biopics, movie stars wit...

Decoder Ring | Jane Fonda’s Workout, Part 2: Hanoi Jane’s VHS Revolution (Encore)

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In part two of our special two-part episode, we return to the 1982 VHS tape that created the at-home video industry: Jane Fonda’s Workout. On this e...

Decoder Ring | Jane Fonda’s Workout, Part 2: Hanoi Jane’s VHS Revolution (Encore)

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In part two of our special two-part episode, we return to the 1982 VHS tape that created the at-home video industry: Jane Fonda’s Workout. On this e...

Decoder Ring | Jane Fonda’s Workout, Part 1: Jane and Leni (Encore)

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1982, the Jane Fonda Workout became the best-selling home video of all time. Over decades, it and its 22 follow ups would spawn a fitness empire, s...

Decoder Ring | Jane Fonda’s Workout, Part 1: Jane and Leni (Encore)

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1982, the Jane Fonda Workout became the best-selling home video of all time. Over decades, it and its 22 follow ups would spawn a fitness empire, s...

Decoder Ring | How to Hunt a Mammoth, and Other Experiments in Archaeology

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Experimental archeology is, simply put, archeology that involves running experiments. Where traditional archaeologists may study, research, analyze, a...

Decoder Ring | How to Hunt a Mammoth, and Other Experiments in Archaeology

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Experimental archeology is, simply put, archeology that involves running experiments. Where traditional archaeologists may study, research, analyze, a...

Decoder Ring | The Bad-Mouthing of British Teeth

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From The Simpsons’ Big Book of British Smiles to Austin Powers’ ochre-tinged grin, American culture can’t stop bad-mouthing English teeth. But w...

Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Drug Names, Cow Abductions, and the “Ass-Intensifier”

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts,...

Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Drug Names, Cow Abductions, and the “Ass-Intensifier”

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts,...

Decoder Ring | The White Noise Boom

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 na...

Decoder Ring | The White Noise Boom

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 na...

Decoder Ring | The Boston Cinematic Universe

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 o...

Decoder Ring | The Laff Box (Encore)

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Decoder Ring is marking its 100th episode this year. To celebrate, we’re revisiting our very first episode from 2018, which asks: What happened to t...

Decoder Ring | The Laff Box (Encore)

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Decoder Ring is marking its 100th episode this year. To celebrate, we’re revisiting our very first episode from 2018, which asks: What happened to t...

Decoder Ring | The Glaring Problem with Headlights

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Something seems to have happened to car headlights. In the last few years, many people have become convinced that they are much brighter than they use...

Decoder Ring | The Glaring Problem with Headlights

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Something seems to have happened to car headlights. In the last few years, many people have become convinced that they are much brighter than they use...

Decoder Ring | Off-the-Wall Stories of Off-Label Use

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Products often tell you exactly how they’re intended to be used. But why leave it at that? As a culture, we have long had a knack for finding ingeni...

Decoder Ring | How “Chicken Soup” Sold Its Soul

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chicken Soup for the Soul was the brainchild of two motivational speakers who preach the New Thought belief system known as the Law of Attraction. For...

Decoder Ring | How “Chicken Soup” Sold Its Soul

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chicken Soup for the Soul was the brainchild of two motivational speakers who preach the New Thought belief system known as the Law of Attraction. For...

Decoder Ring | Spring Break Forever

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The infamous annual ritual of spring break—where thousands of college students head to the same warm location and go crazy—can seem like it’s al...

Decoder Ring | Spring Break Forever

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The infamous annual ritual of spring break—where thousands of college students head to the same warm location and go crazy—can seem like it’s al...

Decoder Ring | How Books About Things That Changed the World… Changed the World

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Look in the nonfiction section of any bookstore and you’ll find dozens of history books making the same bold claim: that their narrow, unexpected su...

Decoder Ring | How Books About Things That Changed the World… Changed the World

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Look in the nonfiction section of any bookstore and you’ll find dozens of history books making the same bold claim: that their narrow, unexpected su...

Supercommunicators | 3. How to Have the Hardest Conversations

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The final installment of our series explores the conversations that most of us dread, like frank discussions of our differences or a negative performa...

Supercommunicators | 3. How to Have the Hardest Conversations

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The final installment of our series explores the conversations that most of us dread, like frank discussions of our differences or a negative performa...

Decoder Ring | Truck Nutz (Encore)

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Truck Nutz is a brand name for the dangling plastic testicles some people affix to the bumpers or hitches of their vehicles. Also sold as Bulls Balls,...

Supercommunicators | 2. How to Communicate Without Words

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is it that we can tell someone “I’m totally fine!” and they instantly know we’re not? Gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and oth...

Supercommunicators | 2. How to Communicate Without Words

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is it that we can tell someone “I’m totally fine!” and they instantly know we’re not? Gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and oth...

Decoder Ring | Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1972, Jerry Lewis—the actor and filmmaker known for slapstick comedies like The Nutty Professor—took the biggest risk of his career when he dec...

Supercommunicators | 1. How to Talk to Anyone

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why are some people able to talk with just about anyone—about almost anything? One answer may lie in the questions we ask—and how deeply we ask th...

Supercommunicators | 1. How to Talk to Anyone

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why are some people able to talk with just about anyone—about almost anything? One answer may lie in the questions we ask—and how deeply we ask th...

Introducing Supercommunicators

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a new miniseries inspired by Charles Duhigg’s bestseller, the former host of Slate’s How To! podcast sits down with psychologists, social scien...

Introducing Supercommunicators

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a new miniseries inspired by Charles Duhigg’s bestseller, the former host of Slate’s How To! podcast sits down with psychologists, social scien...

Decoder Ring | The Scratch-Off Ticket’s Instant Win

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may never have thought very hard about scratch-off tickets, but that’s part of their power. They’re a form of gambling that’s simply a pedes...

Decoder Ring | Jump, Jive and Fail: The ’90s Swing Craze

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When we recently got a couple of listener emails asking about the swing revival of the late 1990s, host Willa Paskin’s first, knee jerk reaction was...

Decoder Ring | I am Tupperware, I Contain Multitudes

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The storage container is a stealthy star of the modern home. It’s something we use to organize more of our stuff than ever before, and also somethin...

Introducing Planet Money: Can Money Buy Happiness?

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People often say that money can't buy you happiness. Sometimes, if you ask them to tell you more about it, they'll mention a famous 2010 study by Nobe...

Introducing Planet Money: Can Money Buy Happiness?

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People often say that money can't buy you happiness. Sometimes, if you ask them to tell you more about it, they'll mention a famous 2010 study by Nobe...

Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Fruit Snacks, Waterbeds, and Lobster Tanks

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s our annual mailbag episode! We get a lot of wonderful reader emails suggesting topics for the show — and at the end of the year we try to ans...

Introducing SNAFU with Ed Helms

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While the Slow Burn team is hard at work on our next season, we are excited to share the first episode of the second season from our friends at SNAFU ...

Introducing SNAFU with Ed Helms

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While the Slow Burn team is hard at work on our next season, we are excited to share the first episode of the second season from our friends at SNAFU ...

Decoder Ring | Mystery of the Mullet (Encore)

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The mullet, the love-to-hate-it hairstyle, is as associated with the 1980’s as Ronald Reagan, junk bonds, and breakdancing. But in at least one majo...

Decoder Ring | Mystery of the Mullet (Encore)

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The mullet, the love-to-hate-it hairstyle, is as associated with the 1980’s as Ronald Reagan, junk bonds, and breakdancing. But in at least one majo...

Decoder Ring: Reconsidering One of the “Worst” TV Shows of All Time

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1980, a variety show debuted on NBC called Pink Lady and Jeff. Its stars were a pair of Japanese pop idols known for catchy, choreographed dance nu...

Decoder Ring: Reconsidering One of the “Worst” TV Shows of All Time

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1980, a variety show debuted on NBC called Pink Lady and Jeff. Its stars were a pair of Japanese pop idols known for catchy, choreographed dance nu...

Decoder Ring: A Feel-Good Story About the End of the World

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The fear that the Earth could be destroyed by a killer asteroid is an anxiety that pops up all the time in fiction and is grounded in fact. But funnil...

Decoder Ring: The Wrongest Bird in Movie History

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There is a prominent bird in the 2000 film Charlie’s Angels that makes absolutely no sense. This so-called Pygmy Nuthatch doesn’t look or sound li...

Decoder Ring: Selling Out (Encore)

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whatever happened to selling out? The defining concern of Generation X has become a relic from another era. How that happened is best illustrated by o...

Decoder Ring: Selling Out (Encore)

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whatever happened to selling out? The defining concern of Generation X has become a relic from another era. How that happened is best illustrated by o...

Decoder Ring: Calling Dick Tracy! It’s Warren Beatty Again

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

(While we work on the next season of Slow Burn we're showcasing new episodes from Slate's narrative podcast Decoder Ring.) Oscar-winner Warren Beatty ...

The Rise of Fox News | 6. What Hath We Wrought?

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 2004 presidential race would be the first fully Fox News election—a contest that was framed by Fox, and fought on its terms. But the fight over ...

The Rise of Fox News | 5. Ludacris Has Been Fired

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Fox News gathered strength, progressive activists turned to comedian Al Franken and fledgling online communities to punch back. But could the left ...

The Rise of Fox News | 4. Beacon of Truth

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After 9/11, the Fox News Channel rallied a huge portion of the country around the Bush administration’s vision of the world. But as the U.S. marched...

The Rise of Fox News | 3. The Other Guy’s Hamburger

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a decade and a half, CNN was peerless and ambitious, and it understood its place in the world. At least, it thought it did—until Fox News burst ...

The Rise of Fox News | 2. A Network for Normal People

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Before he ran Fox News, Roger Ailes launched a very different kind of channel. America’s Talking was his vision of the future of television: a stran...

The Rise of Fox News | 1. We Report. You Can Suck It.

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When the Fox News Channel launched in 1996, critics called it disorganized, incompetent, and laughably inept. But it wouldn’t be a joke for long. Du...

Decoder Ring: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie… Will He Want a Welfare Check?

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Adults have a long history of trying to find morals and lessons in children’s literature. But what happens when a seemingly innocent book about a bo...

Decoder Ring: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie… Will He Want a Welfare Check?

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Adults have a long history of trying to find morals and lessons in children’s literature. But what happens when a seemingly innocent book about a bo...

Season 10 Trailer: The Rise of Fox News

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Slow Burn’s 10th season, host Josh Levin takes you back to a crucial inflection point in American history: the moment between 2000 and 2004 when ...

Season 10 Trailer: The Rise of Fox News

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Slow Burn’s 10th season, host Josh Levin takes you back to a crucial inflection point in American history: the moment between 2000 and 2004 when ...

Decoder Ring: Chuck E. Cheese Pizza War (Encore)

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 1970s, a new and unusual concept for a restaurant chain emerged in California—video games plus bad pizza plus animatronic characters. Th...

Decoder Ring: The Hysteria Over Mass Hysteria

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Hysteria” is an ancient word carrying thousands of years of baggage. Though the terminology has changed, hysteria has not gone away, and in its m...

Decoder Ring: The Hysteria Over Mass Hysteria

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Hysteria” is an ancient word carrying thousands of years of baggage. Though the terminology has changed, hysteria has not gone away, and in its m...

Decoder Ring: Standing Up for Sitting Down

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re lucky, it’s possible you’ve never thought much about sitting. It’s just something your body does, like breathing or sleeping. But in...

Gays Against Briggs | The Story Behind Our Cover Art

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this special bonus episode host Christina Cauterucci interviews Silvana Nova and Larry Hermsen. Silvana is the person you see raising a fist on th...

Gays Against Briggs | The Story Behind Our Cover Art

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this special bonus episode host Christina Cauterucci interviews Silvana Nova and Larry Hermsen. Silvana is the person you see raising a fist on th...

Decoder Ring: The Secret Life of Lawn Ornaments

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lawn ornaments are everywhere—but for something so ubiquitous, they’re also mysterious. What’s the person with the flamingo or the gargoyle in t...

Decoder Ring: The Secret Life of Lawn Ornaments

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lawn ornaments are everywhere—but for something so ubiquitous, they’re also mysterious. What’s the person with the flamingo or the gargoyle in t...

Gays Against Briggs | Tribeca Festival Live Show

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in as host Christina Cauterucci joins special guests, Eric Marcus, host of Making Gay History, DeRay Mckesson, activist and host of Pod Sav...

Gays Against Briggs | Tribeca Festival Live Show

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in as host Christina Cauterucci joins special guests, Eric Marcus, host of Making Gay History, DeRay Mckesson, activist and host of Pod Sav...

Gays Against Briggs | 7. Turn Around. Fight Back.

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the two years leading up to May 21, 1979, gay activists followed the rules. They engaged in civil debates. They sought justice at the ballot box. ...

Gays Against Briggs | 6. The Murders at City Hall

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On election night in 1978, gays and lesbians in California braced themselves for the statewide vote on Proposition 6. Less than a month after the resu...

Gays Against Briggs | 5. Strange Bedfellows

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Election Day approached, the campaign to defeat Proposition 6 faced formidable odds. John Briggs’ fundraising juggernaut was churning out cash, a...

Gays Against Briggs | 4. You Must Come Out

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the early days of the anti-Briggs campaign, a Richard Pryor comedy set turned into a public fiasco and laid bare longstanding divisions in the gay ...

Gays Against Briggs | 3. Harvey Milk vs. the Machine

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After decades of wandering and job-hopping, Harvey Milk found his purpose as a gay community leader with growing political ambitions. But his historic...

Gays Against Briggs | 2. Defend Our Children

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1977, John Briggs was a small-time state senator with big dreams. But Briggs’ plan to ban gay and lesbian teachers from California schools change...

Gays Against Briggs | 1. A Hotbed of Homosexuality

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1970s, San Francisco became a welcoming home for tens of thousands of new gay residents—and a modern-day Sodom for the American right. With a...

Season 9 Trailer: Gays Against Briggs

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1978, state senator John Briggs put a bold proposition on the California ballot. If it passed, the Briggs Initiative would ban gays and lesbians fr...