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Pop Culture Happy Hour: The Naked And The Nerds

NPR
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A while ago, we devoted a segment to the matter of profanity, and now, as summer follows spring and spring (supposedly) follows winter, we are moving on to the issue of nudity. When is it decorative? When is it exploitation? And how would they see all of this from Europe? (We refer to this interview, if you care to review it.)

(We should note that we didn't realize when we planned a discussion of nudity that our guest panelist would be the great Maggie Thompson — Stephen's mother — but it kind of worked out, because it adds an entire new dimension of good, wholesome fun.)

You may not realize that today, Friday, March 14, is Pi Day (3/14, get it?). But it is! It is the day when we celebrate a number! And as such, we spend some time in this episode talking about nerd culture and nerd holidays, including Free Comic Book Day, Record Store Day, and some of Maggie's thoughts (as an expert) on the origins and evolution of Comic-Con. (I feel I must note: the amazing cackle-laugh on this episode that is not me is Maggie.)

As always, we close the show with what's making us happy this week. Stephen was, at the time of taping, pretty dug into preparations for South By Southwest, but he found time to be happy about a delightful video. Maggie, like Stephen, is also pretty happy about a show she recently watched with her fabulous grandkids, which wrapped up Thursday night, and she's also happy about a movie that's finally coming to fruition. Glen is happy about a book that links back to a complicated history involving turtles and toxic waste. And I am happy about finding one of television's great women on demand.

You can find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter: Stephen, Glen, Maggie, Trey, me, producer Jessica, also-producers Lauren and Nick, and our lifelong pal and music director Mike Katzif.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.