<description>&lt;p&gt;On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay and Slate staff writer &lt;a href="https://slate.com/author/luke-winkie" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Luke Winkie&lt;/a&gt; debrief after Luke’s &lt;a href="https://slate.com/business/2026/02/nancy-guthrie-update-news-savannah-mom.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;scene report&lt;/a&gt; from outside Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home. The 84-year-old was reported missing on February 1, and ever since, true-crime creators have been livestreaming from her home, spreading theories, and profiting off her disappearance without any journalistic or investigative experience. Independent creators redefining news and media isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so why does this feel so sinister?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, and Kate Lindsay.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Coverage of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping is being dominated by true-crime creators.

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay and Slate staff writer <a href="https://slate.com/author/luke-winkie" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Luke Winkie</a> debrief after Luke’s <a href="https://slate.com/business/2026/02/nancy-guthrie-update-news-savannah-mom.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scene report</a> from outside Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home. The 84-year-old was reported missing on February 1, and ever since, true-crime creators have been livestreaming from her home, spreading theories, and profiting off her disappearance without any journalistic or investigative experience. Independent creators redefining news and media isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so why does this feel so sinister?&nbsp; This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, and Kate Lindsay.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

ICYMI - Influencers Are Cashing In On Nancy Guthrie

<description>&lt;p&gt;These days, country and pop acts regularly invade each other’s territory. But in Nashville during the 1970s, “crossover” was a dirty word. Then came two rising stars who offered up a new hybrid of Americana-style pop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;John Denver infused his folk balladry with homespun lyrics about country roads and wide-open skies. Olivia Newton-John sang over twangy melodies that belied her British-Australian roots. Both faced backlash—especially when they started topping the country and pop charts simultaneously and winning prizes that used to go to Nashville legends.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eventually, both artists outgrew country music. Denver became a ubiquitous entertainer and beloved Muppet wingman. Newton-John dazzled in the film &lt;em&gt;Grease&lt;/em&gt;, then reinvented herself as a leather-clad siren unafraid to get physical.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join Chris Molanphy as he traces the parallel rise of two country-pop titans from the Rocky Mountains to &lt;em&gt;Xanadu&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get more Hit Parade with Slate Plus! Join for monthly early-access episodes, bonus episodes of "The Bridge," and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Visit &lt;a href="https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;amp;utm_content=Hit_Parade&amp;amp;utm_source=episode_page" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;slate.com/hitparadeplus&lt;/a&gt; to get access wherever you listen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Before Grease and the Muppets, John Denver and Olivia Newton-John defined country-pop crossover in the 1970s.

These days, country and pop acts regularly invade each other’s territory. But in Nashville during the 1970s, “crossover” was a dirty word. Then came two rising stars who offered up a new hybrid of Americana-style pop. John Denver infused his folk balladry with homespun lyrics about country roads and wide-open skies. Olivia Newton-John sang over twangy melodies that belied her British-Australian roots. Both faced backlash—especially when they started topping the country and pop charts simultaneously and winning prizes that used to go to Nashville legends. Eventually, both artists outgrew country music. Denver became a ubiquitous entertainer and beloved Muppet wingman. Newton-John dazzled in the film Grease, then reinvented herself as a leather-clad siren unafraid to get physical. Join Chris Molanphy as he traces the parallel rise of two country-pop titans from the Rocky Mountains to Xanadu. Get more Hit Parade with Slate Plus! Join for monthly early-access episodes, bonus episodes of "The Bridge," and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Visit <a href="https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;utm_content=Hit_Parade&amp;utm_source=episode_page" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slate.com/hitparadeplus</a> to get access wherever you listen.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia - Country Roads and Summer Nights Edition Part 2

<description>&lt;p&gt;On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay and senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario reflect on the &lt;a href="https://slate.com/tag/2026-olympics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;2026 Winter Olympics&lt;/a&gt;—but not just what happened out on the ice. There was a different Olympics unfolding on social media, with viral moments from the ceremony that deserve their own gold, silver, and bronze medals. Kate and Daisy rank them, and also finally break their silence on the internet’s &lt;em&gt;other&lt;/em&gt; current fixation: Punch the monkey.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, and Kate Lindsay.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

There was a whole other Olympics happening on social media.

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay and senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario reflect on the <a href="https://slate.com/tag/2026-olympics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2026 Winter Olympics</a>—but not just what happened out on the ice. There was a different Olympics unfolding on social media, with viral moments from the ceremony that deserve their own gold, silver, and bronze medals. Kate and Daisy rank them, and also finally break their silence on the internet’s other current fixation: Punch the monkey.&nbsp; This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, and Kate Lindsay.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

ICYMI - The Olympic Gold In Going Viral

<description>&lt;p&gt;The original trio Steve, Dana, and Julia convene for a right cracker of a Gabfest as they discuss &lt;em&gt;How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,&lt;/em&gt; the new comedic mystery from &lt;em&gt;Derry Girls &lt;/em&gt;creator Lisa McGee. In the Netflix series, three longtime Belfast friends must revisit their childhood trauma to unravel the mystery of a fourth friend’s disappearance— raucous Northern Irish hijinks ensue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next, they step into the unhinged dystopian Los Angeles of Gore Verbinski’s new film &lt;em&gt;Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die&lt;/em&gt;. In it a beleaguered time traveler played by Sam Rockwell must visit the same Norm’s diner 117 times to save the world from the menace of A.I..&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, they welcome Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci to unpack her recent piece “&lt;a href="https://slate.com/life/2026/02/gun-range-safety-gay-lesbian-lgbtq-trump.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;My Gun and Me&lt;/a&gt;” about her unlikely journey towards gun ownership during Trump 2.0—and how she’s not alone in doing so in her left-leaning, queer community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;In an exclusive bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, they determine if there are indeed &lt;a href="https://slate.com/life/2026/01/body-books-reading-position-posture-pain.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;no comfortable reading positions&lt;/a&gt;, as a recent Slate essay by Luke Winkie attests.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Endorsements&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dana&lt;/strong&gt;: The latest &lt;a href="https://www.todayintabs.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Today in Tabs&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;entry from Rusty Foster "&lt;a href="https://www.todayintabs.com/p/a-i-isn-t-people" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;A.I. Isn't People&lt;/a&gt;."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Julia&lt;/strong&gt;: In lieu of an endorsement, a gripe: the much-hyped &lt;a href="https://www.nytco.com/press/new-york-times-games-introduces-first-2-player-word-game-crossplay/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;New York Times &lt;/em&gt;two-player&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;word game Crossplay&lt;/a&gt; is just Scrabble! (If only there were a German word for this specific form of disappointment...)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Steve: &lt;/strong&gt;Rereading J.D. Salinger with some distance from one’s own adolescence— particularly &lt;a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/franny-and-zooey-j-d-salinger/ef8d93299bc67248?ean=9780316769495&amp;amp;next=t" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Franny and Zooey&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;and the short story "&lt;a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1950/04/08/for-esme-with-love-and-squalor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;For Esmé—with Love and Squalor&lt;/a&gt;." And for a good critical reassessment, read Janet Malcolm's &lt;em&gt;New York Review of Books &lt;/em&gt;essay "&lt;a href="https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2001/06/21/justice-jd-salinger/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Justice to J.D. Salinger&lt;/a&gt;."&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Email us your thoughts at &lt;a href="mailto:culturefest@slate.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;culturefest@slate.com&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

On this week’s show the panel dive into the comedy mystery How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, the sci-fi action movie Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, and a recent Slate essay about owning a gun.

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, three longtime Belfast friends must revisit their childhood trauma to unravel the mystery of a fourth friend’s disappearance— raucous Northern Irish hijinks ensue. Next, they step into the unhinged dystopian Los Angeles of Gore Verbinski’s new film Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. In it a beleaguered time traveler played by Sam Rockwell must visit the same Norm’s diner 117 times to save the world from the menace of A.I.. Finally, they welcome Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci to unpack her recent piece “<a href="https://slate.com/life/2026/02/gun-range-safety-gay-lesbian-lgbtq-trump.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">My Gun and Me</a>” about her unlikely journey towards gun ownership during Trump 2.0—and how she’s not alone in doing so in her left-leaning, queer community. In an exclusive bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, they determine if there are indeed <a href="https://slate.com/life/2026/01/body-books-reading-position-posture-pain.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">no comfortable reading positions</a>, as a recent Slate essay by Luke Winkie attests.&nbsp; Endorsements Dana: The latest <a href="https://www.todayintabs.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Today in Tabs</a> entry from Rusty Foster "<a href="https://www.todayintabs.com/p/a-i-isn-t-people" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A.I. Isn't People</a>." Julia: In lieu of an endorsement, a gripe: the much-hyped <a href="https://www.nytco.com/press/new-york-times-games-introduces-first-2-player-word-game-crossplay/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New York Times two-player word game Crossplay</a> is just Scrabble! (If only there were a German word for this specific form of disappointment...) Steve: Rereading J.D. Salinger with some distance from one’s own adolescence— particularly <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/franny-and-zooey-j-d-salinger/ef8d93299bc67248?ean=9780316769495&amp;next=t" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Franny and Zooey</a> and the short story "<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1950/04/08/for-esme-with-love-and-squalor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">For Esmé—with Love and Squalor</a>." And for a good critical reassessment, read Janet Malcolm's New York Review of Books essay "<a href="https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2001/06/21/justice-jd-salinger/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Justice to J.D. Salinger</a>."&nbsp; -- Email us your thoughts at <a href="mailto:culturefest@slate.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">culturefest@slate.com</a>.&nbsp; Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Culture Gabfest - The Creator of Derry Girls Is Back Edition

<description>&lt;p&gt;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 set out on a quixotic mission to amend this sales-flattening reputation. It would attempt to rechristen this ancient fruit in the hopes the prune could one day be as unencumbered as an apricot, a raisin, or a fig.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a world where every product and person increasingly believes it’s one good rebrand away from changing how they are seen, the story of the prune’s attempt to become the “dried plum” is a telling tale about the impossibility of escaping who you really are—and the freedom that comes with self-acceptance.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;You’ll hear from Richard Peterson, retired Executive Director of the California Prune Board; food writer and chef &lt;a href="https://www.davidlebovitz.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;David Liebovitz&lt;/a&gt;; lawyer and lobbyist Dan Haley; and Kiaran Locy, Director of Brand and Industry Communications at the &lt;a href="https://californiaprunes.org/prune-board/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;California Prune Board&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;This episode was written by Willa Paskin. It was edited by Evan Chung, our supervising producer. It was produced by Katie Shepherd. Decoder Ring is also produced by Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at &lt;a href="mailto:DecoderRing@slate.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;DecoderRing@slate.com&lt;/a&gt; or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on &lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decoder-ring/id1376577202" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Apple Podcasts&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3vYNA0Ki5sUHnYC9QwQnKl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Spotify&lt;/a&gt;. Or, visit &lt;a href="https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;amp;utm_content=Decoder_Ring&amp;amp;utm_source=episode_summary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;slate.com/decoderplus&lt;/a&gt; for access wherever you listen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sources for This Episode&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barry, Dave. &lt;a href="https://www.davebarry.com/book-page.php?isbn13=9780345432483" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;Ballantine Books, 2002.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brasher, Philip. “&lt;a href="https://abcnews.com/Health/story?id=117656&amp;amp;page=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;FDA Approves Prune Name Change&lt;/a&gt;,” ABC News, Feb. 1, 2001.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brasher, Philip. “&lt;a href="https://www.seattlepi.com/national/article/where-s-the-beef-kids-give-prune-burgers-the-1078737.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Where's the beef? Kids give prune burgers the taste test&lt;/a&gt;,” Associated Press, Jan 29, 2002.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cimons, Marlene. “&lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-21-mn-46170-story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;A New Wrinkle for the Prune Industry&lt;/a&gt;,” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 21, 1999.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Crespi, John M., Harry M. Kaiser, Julian M. Alston, and&amp;nbsp; Richard J. Sexton. “&lt;a href="https://www.amazon.com/Economics-Commodity-Promotion-Programs-California/dp/0820472719" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;The Evaluation of Prune Promotion by the California Dried Plum Board&lt;/a&gt;,” &lt;em&gt;The Economics of Commodity Promotion Programs: Lessons from California&lt;/em&gt;, Peter Lang USA, 2005.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Davis, Glenn. “&lt;a href="https://teachers.yale.edu/curriculum/units/2015/3/4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;French History in Your City: San Jose, California - the Pellier Brothers&lt;/a&gt;,” Yale National Initiative, Sep. 2015.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fabricant, Florence. “&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/31/dining/in-france-the-prune-holds-a-noble-station.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;In France, the Prune Holds a Noble Station&lt;/a&gt;,” The New York Times, Oct. 31, 2001.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fabricant, Florence. &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/13/business/responsible-party-richard-peterson-rejuvenating-the-humble-prune.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;“Responsible Party: Richard Peterson; Rejuvenating The Humble Prune&lt;/a&gt;,” The New York Times, Aug. 13, 2000.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fabricant, Florence. &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/12/garden/underappreciated-the-humble-prune.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;“Underapprecaited: The Humble Prune&lt;/a&gt;,” The New York Times, Oct. 12, 1983.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://archive.org/details/0008_Fortune_in_Two_Old_Trunks_A_08_26_20_00" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;A Fortune In Two Old Trunks&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Sunsweet, 1947.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fullan, Genevieve. “&lt;a href="https://www.eater.com/23169866/prunes-fruit-explainer-dried-fruit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;In Defense of Prunes&lt;/a&gt;,” Eater, Jun 21, 2022.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gellene, Denise. “&lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-16-fi-43247-story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;New Wrinkle in an Old Story&lt;/a&gt;,” Los Angeles Times, Oct 16, 1997.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://archive.org/details/GoodWrin1951" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good Wrinkles&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;. &lt;/em&gt;Sunsweet, 1951.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kamen, Al. “&lt;a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1999/12/12/sunday-in-the-loop/3047b7bc-517b-4ad2-8f45-18ba41dcd40d/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Sunday in the Loop: Plum Outta Luck&lt;/a&gt;,” Washington Post, Dec. 11, 1999.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Koger, Chris. “&lt;a href="https://www.thepacker.com/news/retail/dried-plums-no-longer-california-prunes-have-new-brand" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Dried plums no longer: California prunes have new brand&lt;/a&gt;,” The Packer, Nov. 15, 2022.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lucas, Greg. “&lt;a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/who-d-have-thought-pruneburgers-juicy-tender-2915998.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Who'd Have Thought? Pruneburgers / Juicy, tender and low-fat, they're surprising hits in school cafeterias&lt;/a&gt;,” San Francisco Chronicle, Aug. 9, 1999.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Martin, Ronda Beaman. &lt;a href="https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/07e10912-7a69-4a57-80c2-dd61231a0f74/content" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;“Stan Freberg—His Credits and Contributions to Advertising&lt;/a&gt;,” M.A. Thesis, Texas Tech University, Dec. 1986.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;McKay, Leonard. “&lt;a href="https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/louis_pellier/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Louis Pellier&lt;/a&gt;,” San Jose Inside, Sep. 25, 2006.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Morse, Rob. “&lt;a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/hold-the-prunes-hold-the-lettuce-3073691.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Hold the prunes, hold the lettuce&lt;/a&gt;,” San Francisco Examiner, July 28, 1999.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“&lt;a href="https://www.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/09/13/prunes.reut/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Prune gets $10 million makeover -- as dried plum&lt;/a&gt;,” CNN, Sep. 13, 2000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rao, Tejal. “&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/magazine/in-praise-of-the-prune.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;In Praise of the Prune&lt;/a&gt;,” The New York Times Magazine, Feb. 16, 2017.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roach, Mary. “&lt;a href="https://www.salon.com/1999/11/05/prunes/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;The power of prunes&lt;/a&gt;,” Salon, Nov. 5, 1999.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Waters, Michael. “&lt;a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fruit-burgers-prunes-school-lunches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;When the Dried Plum Lobby Tried to Make Pruneburgers Happen&lt;/a&gt;,” Atlas Obscura, April 13, 2018.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zasky, Jason. “&lt;a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201109042347/http://failuremag.com/article/prunes-turning-over-a-new-leaf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Prunes: Turning Over a New Leaf&lt;/a&gt;,” Failure Magazine, Apr. 16, 2002.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The time a dried fruit did everything it could to jettison its unsavory reputation.

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 set out on a quixotic mission to amend this sales-flattening reputation. It would attempt to rechristen this ancient fruit in the hopes the prune could one day be as unencumbered as an apricot, a raisin, or a fig.&nbsp; In a world where every product and person increasingly believes it’s one good rebrand away from changing how they are seen, the story of the prune’s attempt to become the “dried plum” is a telling tale about the impossibility of escaping who you really are—and the freedom that comes with self-acceptance.&nbsp; You’ll hear from Richard Peterson, retired Executive Director of the California Prune Board; food writer and chef <a href="https://www.davidlebovitz.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Liebovitz</a>; lawyer and lobbyist Dan Haley; and Kiaran Locy, Director of Brand and Industry Communications at the <a href="https://californiaprunes.org/prune-board/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">California Prune Board</a>. This episode was written by Willa Paskin. It was edited by Evan Chung, our supervising producer. It was produced by Katie Shepherd. Decoder Ring is also produced by Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at <a href="mailto:DecoderRing@slate.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DecoderRing@slate.com</a> or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281. Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decoder-ring/id1376577202" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3vYNA0Ki5sUHnYC9QwQnKl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. Or, visit <a href="https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;utm_content=Decoder_Ring&amp;utm_source=episode_summary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slate.com/decoderplus</a> for access wherever you listen. Sources for This EpisodeBarry, Dave. <a href="https://www.davebarry.com/book-page.php?isbn13=9780345432483" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway</a>, Ballantine Books, 2002.&nbsp;Brasher, Philip. “<a href="https://abcnews.com/Health/story?id=117656&amp;page=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FDA Approves Prune Name Change</a>,” ABC News, Feb. 1, 2001.&nbsp;Brasher, Philip. “<a href="https://www.seattlepi.com/national/article/where-s-the-beef-kids-give-prune-burgers-the-1078737.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Where's the beef? Kids give prune burgers the taste test</a>,” Associated Press, Jan 29, 2002.&nbsp;Cimons, Marlene. “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-21-mn-46170-story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A New Wrinkle for the Prune Industry</a>,” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 21, 1999.Crespi, John M., Harry M. Kaiser, Julian M. Alston, and&nbsp; Richard J. Sexton. “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Economics-Commodity-Promotion-Programs-California/dp/0820472719" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Evaluation of Prune Promotion by the California Dried Plum Board</a>,” The Economics of Commodity Promotion Programs: Lessons from California, Peter Lang USA, 2005.&nbsp;Davis, Glenn. “<a href="https://teachers.yale.edu/curriculum/units/2015/3/4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">French History in Your City: San Jose, California - the Pellier Brothers</a>,” Yale National Initiative, Sep. 2015.&nbsp;Fabricant, Florence. “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/31/dining/in-france-the-prune-holds-a-noble-station.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In France, the Prune Holds a Noble Station</a>,” The New York Times, Oct. 31, 2001.Fabricant, Florence. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/13/business/responsible-party-richard-peterson-rejuvenating-the-humble-prune.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“Responsible Party: Richard Peterson; Rejuvenating The Humble Prune</a>,” The New York Times, Aug. 13, 2000.&nbsp;Fabricant, Florence. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/12/garden/underappreciated-the-humble-prune.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“Underapprecaited: The Humble Prune</a>,” The New York Times, Oct. 12, 1983.<a href="https://archive.org/details/0008_Fortune_in_Two_Old_Trunks_A_08_26_20_00" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Fortune In Two Old Trunks</a>. Sunsweet, 1947.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fullan, Genevieve. “<a href="https://www.eater.com/23169866/prunes-fruit-explainer-dried-fruit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In Defense of Prunes</a>,” Eater, Jun 21, 2022.&nbsp;Gellene, Denise. “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-16-fi-43247-story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New Wrinkle in an Old Story</a>,” Los Angeles Times, Oct 16, 1997.&nbsp;<a href="https://archive.org/details/GoodWrin1951" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Good Wrinkles</a>. Sunsweet, 1951.&nbsp;Kamen, Al. “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1999/12/12/sunday-in-the-loop/3047b7bc-517b-4ad2-8f45-18ba41dcd40d/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sunday in the Loop: Plum Outta Luck</a>,” Washington Post, Dec. 11, 1999.&nbsp;Koger, Chris. “<a href="https://www.thepacker.com/news/retail/dried-plums-no-longer-california-prunes-have-new-brand" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dried plums no longer: California prunes have new brand</a>,” The Packer, Nov. 15, 2022.&nbsp;Lucas, Greg. “<a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/who-d-have-thought-pruneburgers-juicy-tender-2915998.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Who'd Have Thought? Pruneburgers / Juicy, tender and low-fat, they're surprising hits in school cafeterias</a>,” San Francisco Chronicle, Aug. 9, 1999.Martin, Ronda Beaman. <a href="https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/07e10912-7a69-4a57-80c2-dd61231a0f74/content" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“Stan Freberg—His Credits and Contributions to Advertising</a>,” M.A. Thesis, Texas Tech University, Dec. 1986.&nbsp;McKay, Leonard. “<a href="https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/louis_pellier/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Louis Pellier</a>,” San Jose Inside, Sep. 25, 2006.Morse, Rob. “<a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/hold-the-prunes-hold-the-lettuce-3073691.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hold the prunes, hold the lettuce</a>,” San Francisco Examiner, July 28, 1999.&nbsp;“<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/09/13/prunes.reut/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Prune gets $10 million makeover -- as dried plum</a>,” CNN, Sep. 13, 2000.Rao, Tejal. “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/magazine/in-praise-of-the-prune.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In Praise of the Prune</a>,” The New York Times Magazine, Feb. 16, 2017.Roach, Mary. “<a href="https://www.salon.com/1999/11/05/prunes/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The power of prunes</a>,” Salon, Nov. 5, 1999.Waters, Michael. “<a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fruit-burgers-prunes-school-lunches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">When the Dried Plum Lobby Tried to Make Pruneburgers Happen</a>,” Atlas Obscura, April 13, 2018.&nbsp;Zasky, Jason. “<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201109042347/http://failuremag.com/article/prunes-turning-over-a-new-leaf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Prunes: Turning Over a New Leaf</a>,” Failure Magazine, Apr. 16, 2002.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Decoder Ring - A Prune by Any Other Name

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