Decoder Ring

Slate Podcasts

Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters.

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23 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 42 min
English

Episodes 23

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#135
September 9 · 59 min
What Even Is a “Podcast” Anymore?
We’ve come a long way from Serial.
August 26 · 42 min
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime, Part 2 (Encore)
Did a trench coat-wearing dog’s catchy anti-drug anthems actually work?
August 12 · 33 min
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime, Part 1 (Encore)
The unlikely origins of the trench-coat wearing bloodhound who tackled personal safety, guns, and drugs.
#134
July 29 · 52 min
The Fight Over Sunlight
Our love for the sun keeps rising and setting.
#133
July 15 · 48 min
Weapons of Map Destruction
The potential global catastrophe of a GPS breakdown.
#132
July 1 · 48 min
We Are Monumentally Bad at Statues
America just doesn’t make ‘em like we used to.
June 17 · 35 min
The Tootsie Shot (Encore)
How one camera movement from Tootsie explains the post-war American city.
#131
June 3 · 49 min
Tina Turner and the Dance That Conquered Australia
They call it Nutbush.
May 27 · 10 min
Preview: Decoder Rings Back | Duck, Duck, Jeep
Why are there so many rubber duckies living on the dashboards of Wranglers?
#130
May 20 · 41 min
No Pulp: The Killing of the Florida Orange
The state’s once mighty citrus industry has collapsed. We investigate the culprits.
#129
May 6 · 48 min
Mailbag: Spooky Strings, Phone Menu Options, and Eye Rolls
Where did the eerie violin sound you hear in horror movies originate? Have the menu options really changed? And when did we start eye rolling?
#128
April 22 · 34 min
How to Make Dollars Make Sense
Money is everywhere and influences everything. But what is it?
April 17 · 57 min
One Year: 1995 | Hitting the Spot
In 1995, an online soap opera revealed the internet’s potential as a venue for creative expression—and a tool for destruction.
#127
April 8 · 58 min
Who Was Lonelygirl15?
20 years ago, a teenage girl talking to her camera took the internet by storm. She was not who she seemed.
March 25 · 53 min
The Johnlock Conspiracy (Encore)
The BBC insisted that John Watson and Sherlock Holmes weren’t gay lovers. Fans disagreed.
#126
March 11 · 46 min
Was "Eyes Wide Shut" a Warning?
The wild conspiracy theory about Stanley Kubrick’s final film.
#125
February 25 · 44 min
A Prune by Any Other Name
The time a dried fruit did everything it could to jettison its unsavory reputation.
#124
February 11 · 43 min
Making Coal Cute Again
There’s a new mascot in town—and he might be hazardous to your health.
#123
January 28 · 37 min
Is Culture Stuck?
The author W. David Marx has a theory about 21st century culture.
#122
January 14 · 25 min
Decoder Rings Back | Why the Mona Lisa?
How one small painting became the most famous in the world.

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes