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It's Been a Minute Has it been a minute since you heard a thought-provoking conversation about culture? Brittany Luse wants to help. Each week, she takes the things everyone's talking about and, in conversation with her favorite creators, tastemakers, and experts, gives you new ways to think about them. Beyond the obvious takes. Because culture doesn't happen by accident.

If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute
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Has it been a minute since you heard a thought-provoking conversation about culture? Brittany Luse wants to help. Each week, she takes the things everyone's talking about and, in conversation with her favorite creators, tastemakers, and experts, gives you new ways to think about them. Beyond the obvious takes. Because culture doesn't happen by accident.

If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

Most Recent Episodes

McCarthyism and queerness in 'Fellow Travelers'; plus, IBAM unplugged with Olivia Dean
Kurt Iswarienko/SHOWTIME; Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

McCarthyism and queerness in 'Fellow Travelers'; plus, IBAM unplugged with Olivia Dean

This week, Brittany chats with New Yorker television critic Inkoo Kang about Showtime's historical romance, Fellow Travelers. The show follows the lives and love of two closeted men - Hawk and Tim. It starts in 1950s Washington DC, at the height of McCarthyism and the lavender scare and continues through the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Brittany and Inkoo discuss how the politics of the time shape the characters and how survival isn't always pretty.

McCarthyism and queerness in 'Fellow Travelers'; plus, IBAM unplugged with Olivia Dean

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All The Only Ones: I can't wait

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Sally Chen for NPR

All The Only Ones: I can't wait

This week we're bringing you a special episode from the Embedded series 'All the Only Ones.' The series looks at the history of trans youth next to the realities experienced by trans youth today. In this episode, we meet Parker, a senior in high school in Columbus, Ohio. Parker is a top field hockey athlete, but as a trans person, he is faced with making a difficult decision: either pursuing his dreams as a D1 trans field hockey player in college next year, or pursuing his dreams of starting hormone replacement therapy, which could get him banned from playing. We also meet two historical trans youth of the 1960s, Vicky and Donna, both facing barriers to getting the care and treatment they need after repeatedly looking for help.

All The Only Ones: I can't wait

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Defending the Disney Adult; plus, what it takes to stand up for Black trans people
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images, Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, Amazon

Defending the Disney Adult; plus, what it takes to stand up for Black trans people

Disney recently celebrated its 100th birthday, so we're exploring a fandom that's kept the magic alive while also generating lots of online hate: Disney Adults. To break the phenomenon down, Brittany Luse chats with Rolling Stone senior writer and self-proclaimed Disney Adult, E.J. Dickson. Their conversation looks at the rise of Disney Adults, why they're so maligned and what the public may misunderstand about these superfans.

Defending the Disney Adult; plus, what it takes to stand up for Black trans people

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How gratitude improves your relationships and your future

How can gratitude help us help ourselves? Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty/Lavitt/Yale hide caption

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Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty/Lavitt/Yale

How gratitude improves your relationships and your future

For the millions of Americans that celebrate Thanksgiving, it's a time when a lot of us reflect on the things and the people in our lives that we appreciate. But according to Dr. Laurie Santos, psychology professor at Yale and host of the podcast, The Happiness Lab, a practice of gratitude can improve our lives year-round. Host Brittany Luse chats with Dr. Santos about the surprising science of how gratitude can affect our brains — and how it leads us to be more generous with our future selves.

How gratitude improves your relationships and your future

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The return of Andre 3000; plus, 'Rap Sh!t' puts the music industry on blast

Andre 3000, Aida Osman as Shawna Clark, and KaMillion as Mia Knight. Kai Regan / Courtesy of the artist; Erin Simkin/Max hide caption

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Kai Regan / Courtesy of the artist; Erin Simkin/Max

The return of Andre 3000; plus, 'Rap Sh!t' puts the music industry on blast

As many male rappers seem to become more depressed or vindictive in their lyrics, the women of rap appear to be having all the fun. One show that captures this moment is Rap Sh!t on Max. Brittany sits down with the showrunner and writer, Syreeta Singleton. They discuss the complexities of navigating the rap game as a Black woman, the new social media landscape, and how rap and Rap Sh!t approach sexuality.

The return of Andre 3000; plus, 'Rap Sh!t' puts the music industry on blast

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Pressing pause on 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' and rethinking Scorsese's latest

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) Apple TV hide caption

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Apple TV

Pressing pause on 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' and rethinking Scorsese's latest

Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon is everything an Oscar contender might be - long, epic, morally complicated and expensive. Yet, while many movie-goers left theaters moved, others called the film a problematic disaster. Today on the show, we hear what the movie got wrong and how it fits into a broader history of Native Americans on screen. To unpack this, Brittany Luse is joined by Robert Warrior, a literature and professor and an Osage Nation citizen, Liza Black, a Native American and Indigenous Studies professor and Cherokee Nation citizen, and Nancy Marie Mithlo, a gender studies professor and Fort Sill Chiricahua Warm Springs Apache citizen.

Pressing pause on 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' and rethinking Scorsese's latest

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Barbra Streisand says she's not a diva - she's a director

Barbra Streisand on her life and legacy in My Name is Barbra. Terry Fincher/Express/Jeff Fusco/Getty Images hide caption

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Terry Fincher/Express/Jeff Fusco/Getty Images

Barbra Streisand says she's not a diva - she's a director

The season of the celebrity memoir is upon us. In just the past few months Britney Spears, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kerry Washington, and more have showered us with bombshells and revelations about their origin stories and private lives. Despite those heavy hitters and the crowded field they occupy, the celebrity memoir our host Brittany Luse coveted most is that of the singular Ms. Barbra Streisand.

Barbra Streisand says she's not a diva - she's a director

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What restaurant trends tell us about the economy and culture

Keith Lee and Noma Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Casper Christoffersen/Reuters hide caption

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Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Casper Christoffersen/Reuters

What restaurant trends tell us about the economy and culture

The restaurant industry has been making headlines lately. Fine dining heavyweights are shuttering: Noma announced it would be closing in 2024 and NYC staple Momofuku Ko closed this past weekend. Then, there's the unintentional chaos caused by a popular Tiktok food critic, whose visit to Atlanta was so profound that it drowned out the debut of the city's first ever Michelin Guide.

What restaurant trends tell us about the economy and culture

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"The Gilded Age" and the trouble with American period pieces

The Gilded Age's Dorothy and Peggy Scott, portrayed by Audra McDonald and Denée Benton. Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO hide caption

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Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO

"The Gilded Age" and the trouble with American period pieces

The Gilded Age delighted audiences with its lavish sets, decadent costumes and social sniping when it debuted. Lucky for us, the period drama just returned to HBO Max with a second season. But if we look a little closer at the show, it reveals what we truly want out of period pieces: to remake the past with our modern sensibilities and values. As Brandon Taylor wrote in his essay called "morgan spector pls break me in half," The Gilded Age engenders "self-delusion" about our history – because to reflect our past more accurately, would be "too horrifying" for a somewhat soapy show. Brittany Luse sits down with Brandon to discuss sentimentality, why we're particularly drawn to this era now and how it's portrayal could be done better.

"The Gilded Age" and the trouble with American period pieces

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What makes 'The Real Housewives' so addictive? (Classic)

What makes 'The Real Housewives' peak culture? Santiago Felipe/John Lamparski/Jim Spellman/Getty Images hide caption

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Santiago Felipe/John Lamparski/Jim Spellman/Getty Images

What makes 'The Real Housewives' so addictive? (Classic)

It's a big week for fans of reality TV - it's Bravocon 2023. This year it's in Las Vegas – and while we couldn't make it to Vegas, we're revisiting what we learned from last year's Bravocon in New York. Host Brittany Luse and producer Liam McBain talked to fans, a producer, an academic and the Housewives themselves to understand what makes The Real Housewives peak culture – as in the #1 topic in the group chat – for so many people.

What makes 'The Real Housewives' so addictive? (Classic)

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