It's Been a Minute

From "A House Is Not A Home" to "The Glow of Love," Luther Vandross' music has become a staple for weddings, family reunions and graduations. While Luther changed the sound of R&B, brought ballads to epic new heights and influenced countless musicians, he somehow doesn't have the same icon status as some of his collaborators and contemporaries like Whitney Houston or Aretha Franklin.

20 years after Luther's last live concert, Brittany is joined by Craig Seymour, author of "Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross" to discuss Luther's impact and why he isn't usually placed on the "Mount Rushmore" of American music.

Then, Brittany jazzes it up with two-time Grammy nominee Samara Joy. They talk about her unique style of singing and how she's bridging generations with her timeless music.

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New York Congressman George Santos has been embroiled in controversy since the day he stepped into office in November. The New York Times and other publications have reported that much of the Republican lawmaker's alleged resume – from where he went to college to his supposed time at Goldman Sachs – cannot be backed up with evidence. In this episode, rather than dig into what is true or false, host Brittany Luse asks why someone would embellish their resume in the first place. Author Tara Isabella Burton says it all goes back to the uniquely American obsession with being "self-made."

Burton's book, Self-Made: Curating our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians is available for pre-order here.

You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at [email protected].

It's the end of an era. After more than 25 years, The Pokémon Company is closing the book on the adventures of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. To celebrate the cultural impact of this dynamic duo – and of the Pokémon franchise – Brittany Luse sits down with actor Sarah Natochenny, who's voiced Ash since 2006. Sarah talks about growing up with a character who stays 10 years old, and how fans have been the lifeblood of the show. Then, Brittany sits down with Dexter Thomas, VICE News correspondent and Japanese culture critic, and Daniel Dockery, author of Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All. They explore how Pokémon transformed gaming and children's TV in the U.S. and became one of the biggest media franchises in the world.

You can follow us on Twitter @ItsBeenAMin or email us at [email protected].

Everything Everywhere All at Once is the critical darling of the 2023 awards season. The film is up for 11 Oscars, including a Supporting Actress nomination for breakout star, Stephanie Hsu. Hsu, who played Joy Wang AKA Jobu Tupaki in the film, started her career in experimental theater, which eventually led her to meet the directors of Everything Everywhere All at Once. Stephanie joined host Brittany Luse to chat about her comedic roots, the freedom of nihilism, and how the film has brought intergenerational healing to the stars.

You can watch a video of the interview here.

You can follow us on Twitter at @NPRItsBeenAMin or email us at [email protected].

It's in our homes and in our pockets, and now artificial intelligence is in our art. The runaway rise of AI generator apps has sparked hot debate around the technology's impact on creative industries. Brittany Luse talks to Karla Ortiz, an artist who's part of a new lawsuit against a group of companies that use AI to generate images. Ortiz gives her take on why it's important to regulate this technology, and why everyone – not just artists – has a stake in the issue. Then, Brittany talks to Tuck Woodstock, host of the 'Gender Reveal' podcast, about the show's five-year mark and how we can all talk about gender in more informed ways.

You can follow us on Twitter at @NPRItsBeenAMin or email us at [email protected].

At first blush, M3GAN seems like your standard murder doll horror film. Uncanny appearance, eerily close relationship with a young child, and of course, murder. But it's become way more than that. She's got a viral dance, powerful side eye, wig fittings, and songs - all of this led M3GAN to become a camp queer icon overnight. Host Brittany Luse and writer Alex Abad-Santos talk M3GAN's queer appeal, our skepticism of Silicon Valley life hacks and how the movie inverts some classic horror tropes.
You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at [email protected].

For Black women, hair is about so much more than beauty. It can affect how they're treated and what opportunities are available to them. It's tied to history, identity and politics. And though many Black women and girls now embrace their natural curls, Black hair is still a site of discrimination. In this episode, Brittany Luse talks to two women fighting to change that: Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who has been pushing for a federal law against race-based hair discrimination, and Michaela Angela Davis, whose docuseries "The Hair Tales" is meant to inspire Black women to celebrate their crowning glories.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at [email protected].

For women who date men, bad sex might feel like a personal problem, but Nona Willis Aronowitz says it's political too. In Bad Sex: Truth, Pleasure, and an Unfinished Revolution, Aronowitz tackles the historic and systemic causes of unsatisfying sex. With wisdom from both her reading and romps, Aronowitz sits down with host Brittany Luse to talk about pleasure and the paths to building better relationships with men.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at [email protected].

It's a new year, and with it comes a new Congress. This week, Brittany Luse sits down with the first Gen Z member to be raised to its ranks, Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida. They talk about his vision for the future, the literal costs of entering the halls of power and getting a shoutout from his favorite band after winning his election. Then, what could Congress do better in 2023? NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis gives Brittany her thoughts on new year's resolutions for lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at [email protected].

In this episode from June 2022, guest host B.A. Parker and Vox entertainment critic Emily St. James dive into a trend that was all over Hollywood: parents apologizing on-screen. From miniseries like 'Ms. Marvel' to the indie darling 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' St. James calls the subgenre the 'millennial parent apology fantasy.' They get into how stories about parents and children confronting gaps in culture, generation and identity could pave the way for new perspectives about trauma and family.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenaMin or email us at [email protected]