Culture Gabfest: Demi Moore Gives Substance to The Substance
On this week\u2019s show, the hosts are joined by a very special fourth panelist: Wesley Morris, a critic at The New York Times and the host of The Wonder of Stevie, a new podcast on Audible. First, the quartet explores The Substance, a lurid, monstrous body horror flick by writer-director Coralie Fargeat. Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading Hollywood icon who is so repulsed by the idea of aging, that she purchase a black-market drug known as \u201cthe substance.\u201d\u200c The film caused a commotion at Cannes this year, where audience members reportedly walked out in disgust and the remaining crowd gave it a 13-minute standing ovation. Then, the panel dives into The Wonder of Stevie with its host. The new six-part Audible series explores the career of Stevie Wonder and \u201cuncovers the untold story of an extraordinary artistic journey that shaped the greatest creative era in popular music history.\u201d\u200c On the show, Wesley is joined by guests including Barack and Michelle Obama, Questlove, Smokey Robinson, and more. Finally, the hosts discuss A.I. slop and the onslaught of online garbage and language model detritus. This conversation was inspired by Max Read\u2019s piece for New York Magazine, \u201cDrowning in Slop.\u201d\u200c\nIn the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Wesley Morris sticks around for a classic Slate spoiler special, and joins the hosts in dissecting The Substance and the film\u2019s controversial, bloody, and borderline nauseating third act.\xa0\nEmail us at culturefest@slate.com.\xa0\nEndorsements:\nDana: Stevie Wonder and Gilbert Gil performing live in Brazil in 1995.\nJulia:\u200c Today on Trail, Rusty Foster\u2019s spin-off newsletter miniseries about hiking the Appalachian Trail with his son.\nStephen:\u200c British singer-songwriter Nil\xfcfer Yanya\u2019s album, My Method Actor.\nWesley: Vote for your favorite songs of the past 25 years, and add to WXPN radio\u2019s definitive list of the \u201c885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century.\u201d\u200c\nPodcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices