Slate Political Gabfest To Bring Their Conundrums To Chicago
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 31, 2014 3:00PM
Photo of the last time Slate Political Gabfest was in Chicago by Matthew Kaplan Photography, via the Gabfest Facebook page
The Slate Political Gabfest is easily our favorite long-running podcast, nd we look forward to it popping up in our feed every Friday. David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson endlessly bring fresh perspectives to the week's news and while the debates can get heated at times they are always well thought out and reasonably civil—something the majority of other news analysis programs can't claim. They are also one of the few podcasts we've seen successfully executed n a live setting since we took in their inaugural live Gabfest in Washington D.C. in 2009, and caught them when they were in Chicago last year. Both of those live shows followed the usual format, tackling a number of recent topics, but when the Gabfest returns to Chicago on Nov. 12 they'll be doing something completely different—the annual Conundrum Show.
The Slate Political Gabfest Conundrum Show is a yearly challenge the trio of panelists tackles, wherein they solicit conundrums from listeners and friends and then attempt to answer them. And in the past the conundrums chosen have always been delightfully thought provoking, eliciting truly surprising answers. And this year they're enlisting some outside help since Tribune columnist and frequent Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me panelist Amy Dickinson will be joining the regular Gabfest crew on stage.
A sampling of past conundrums includes:
- Would you rather be funnier or smarter than you are?
- Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck?
- Is it better to have serve others unhappily or to focus on your own happiness (real happiness, not the superficial kind) with the faith that doing so will make you a better person in the world?
- You're going to eat pie. You can only be guaranteed excellence in either the crust or the filling. Which would you pick?
- If you listen to an audiobook, did you “read” the book?
And, most famously:
- Would you rather be a tree or a fish?
You can check out previous Conundrum Shows (2011, 2012, 2013) to find the answers to all of the above, but the only way to hear the answers to this year's yet-to-be-unveiled conundrums is by catching the crew in Chicago next month. O.K., sure, you'll be able to listen to the show as a podcast a few days later, but see them live to get the answers a few days earlier and amaze your friends!
The Slate Political Gabfest will be in Chicago on Nov. 12 at Park West, 322 W Armitage, 7:30 p.m. $25