Pop Culture Happy Hour: Let's Talk Turkey

On this week's round-table podcast, we talk about Thanksgiving and the culture thereof, we get into the nuts and bolts of the advice column, and we name some of the things that are making us happy this week.

It's Thanksgiving time again, and while we're very sad to be without our pal Glen Weldon this week, we're happy to be joined by the lovely Barrie Hardymon.

We start with a discussion of Thanksgiving and pop culture — and, more specifically, why there's not as much Thanksgiving-themed pop culture as you might think, particularly compared to Christmas. We explore the turkey episodes of Friends and other comedies, but talk a little about the surprising dearth of Thanksgiving movies.

From there, we go on to something we've never really talked about: the art of the advice column. What makes a good one? How does a smart columnist convey a worldview? And really, should you feel bad about not enjoying the tango? Along these lines, if you haven't read Stephen's recent contribution to the question of how to handle your own music snobbery, you really should. I also make reference to the first answer in this column, which (NSFW language fortunately included) remains one of my favorite answers an advice columnist ever gave.

Finally, we talk about what's making us happy this week. Barrie is happy about a new movie and an existing book it motivated her to revisit. Trey is happy about upcoming dinners and time with friends, Stephen is happy that I'm being made happy by this book, which is now available in paperback!

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