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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

Suburban decay and choking on nostalgia in 'I Saw The TV Glow'

Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine. Courtesey A24 hide caption

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Courtesey A24

Suburban decay and choking on nostalgia in 'I Saw The TV Glow'

Brittany sits down with Jane Schoenbrun, the director of A24's coming of age horror film, I Saw The TV Glow. Brittany and Jane discuss suburban decay, delightfully creepy kids shows, and new metaphors for the trans experience.

Suburban decay and choking on nostalgia in 'I Saw The TV Glow'

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An inside look at the campus protests; plus, Israel at Eurovision

Pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University. Eurovision 2024. NIKITA PAYUSOV/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images; LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/Belga/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images hide caption

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NIKITA PAYUSOV/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images; LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/Belga/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images

An inside look at the campus protests; plus, Israel at Eurovision

Pro-Palestinian protests have been popping up at universities around the world, and in the last few days things have escalated at a number of those campuses. Columbia University called on police to shutdown the encampment on their university lawn and 300 people were arrested. At University of California Los Angeles, about 200 pro-Israel counter-protestors raided a pro-Palestinian encampment. To get first hand accounts of the protests, Brittany talks to two student journalists: Shaanth Nanguneri, an undergraduate reporter at UCLA, and Claire Davenport, a graduate reporter at Columbia University in New York.

An inside look at the campus protests; plus, Israel at Eurovision

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How Chicago's Black press shaped America

Left: An Ebony Fashion Fair Model. Right: A hand holds up a copy of Ebony magazine in front of a Chicago skyline. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)/ (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images) hide caption

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(Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)/ (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

How Chicago's Black press shaped America

Host Brittany Luse sits down with Arionne Nettles, author of We Are the Culture: Black Chicago's Influence on Everything. Arionne shares how Black media in Chicago influenced the way Black Americans see themselves and why the city deserves to be called 'the heart of Black America.'

How Chicago's Black press shaped America

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TikTok gets the boot; plus, a 'tradwife' fantasy

People gather for a press conference about their opposition to a TikTok ban. A couple looking at a cake. Brendan Smialowski / AFP; George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images/Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski / AFP; George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images/Getty Images

TikTok gets the boot; plus, a 'tradwife' fantasy

This week, President Biden signed a law that could ban TikTok nationwide unless its Chinese parent company sells the media platform within a year. Brittany is joined by NPR's Deirdre Walsh and Bobby Allyn to discuss the backdrop of this decision and its implications.

TikTok gets the boot; plus, a 'tradwife' fantasy

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Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

Love on the Spectrum US participant Dani Bowman on a date. Courtesy of Netflix hide caption

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Courtesy of Netflix

Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

One of Brittany's latest TV obsessions has been Netflix's Love on the Spectrum. It's a reality series that follows several autistic adults as they wade through the dating pool, guided by relationship coach Jennifer Cook. Brittany sits down with Jennifer to unpack how her own experience with autism informs the advice she gives.

Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

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The backlash against protests; plus, how OJ Simpson changed media forever

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator during a 'Strike for Gaza' protest in Los Angeles, California. OJ Simpson trial. Mario Tama/Getty Images; Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images; Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images

The backlash against protests; plus, how OJ Simpson changed media forever

Earlier this week, pro-Palestinian protestors blocked traffic on highways and bridges in San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Seattle. On that same day, the Supreme Court made it incredibly difficult to protest in a lot of the American South. In this episode, host Brittany Luse looks at the state of protest in America. She sits down with Sandhya Dirks, an NPR reporter who covers race and identity, and Elizabeth Blair, a senior arts reporter at NPR. Together, they discuss shifting attitudes towards protest as well as new anti-protest legislation. Then, they play a game of But Did You Know?

The backlash against protests; plus, how OJ Simpson changed media forever

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An argument for the art of whistling

Molly Lewis, photographed by Shervin Lainez Shervin Lainez hide caption

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Shervin Lainez

An argument for the art of whistling

Some of us whistle while we work, but what happens when your work is whistling? This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by professional whistler, Molly Lewis. Lewis' catalogue spans across the film and music industries, from features on the Barbie soundtrack to performances alongside Karen O. From NPR's New York Bureau, Brittany sits down with Lewis to talk about the world of competitive whistling, how she hones a craft many people see as fidgeting, and why older generations are more likely to whistle. This episode also features a special live performance with songs from Lewis' new album, On The Lips.

An argument for the art of whistling

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The car culture wars; plus, the problem with child stars

What's behind the EV culture war? Plus, former child stars including Drake Bell come forward about abuse in 'Quiet on Set.' FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images/Mark Mainz/Getty Images hide caption

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FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images/Mark Mainz/Getty Images

The car culture wars; plus, the problem with child stars

President Biden has been pushing new regulations to promote electric vehicle production to combat the climate crisis — and former president Trump is using those regulations as a talking point against Biden. To break down how cars became the latest weapons in the culture wars, host Brittany Luse is joined by NPR's transportation correspondent Camila Domonoske and Dan Brekke, a reporter and editor at KQED in San Francisco who covers transit. Together, they talk about why Americans are so invested in their cars — and how cars became more than just a policy battle.

The car culture wars; plus, the problem with child stars

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Boots with the spurs: 'Cowboy Carter' and the need for validation
Blair Caldwell/Parkwood Entertainment/Courtesy of the artist

Boots with the spurs: 'Cowboy Carter' and the need for validation

Grab your cowboy hat, and saddle up that horse, because Beyoncé's highly anticipated album, Cowboy Carter is here. So far, the album has spurred praise, criticism, and questions about what the actual goal of this project is and how it fits into the Renaissance trilogy. To get into all of that, Brittany joined NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour to discuss whether this foray into country is an exercise in experimentation or industry validation.

Boots with the spurs: 'Cowboy Carter' and the need for validation

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Is DEI a slur now? Plus, control & basketball

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and the Dartmouth men's basketball team. Adam Gray/Getty Images; Rob Carr/Getty Images/Getty Images hide caption

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Adam Gray/Getty Images; Rob Carr/Getty Images/Getty Images

Is DEI a slur now? Plus, control & basketball

Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last week, the city's 39 year old mayor, Brandon Scott, a Black man, stepped out to address the crisis. Hours later, a tweet went viral calling Scott a "DEI Mayor." To which Brittany and her guests, NPR's Gene Demby and Alana Wise, say "wait what?" The three dig into the racism lurking under the surface of this kind of rhetoric.

Is DEI a slur now? Plus, control & basketball

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