World Model · podcast knowledge graph

Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?

2026-09-04 · 58 min · 12 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

  • → references acast.com/privacy podcast
    0.77
    evidence rules-v5
    Link in episode "Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?": acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy
  • → discusses Music concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Music
  • → discusses Music History concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Music History,
  • → hosted by Slate Podcasts company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed author/publisher: Slate Podcasts
  • 0.38
    evidence rules-v5
    Link in episode "Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?": The Oxford Handbook of the Hollywood Musical https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-the-hollywood-musical-9780197503423?cc=us&lang=en
  • → references Stephen Cole person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v5
    Link in episode "Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?": Stephen Cole https://stephencolewriter.org/

Entities found in this episode

concepts 4

  • mentioned Music History concept
    0.50
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Music History,
  • 0.42
    evidence rules-v5
    Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?
  • discusses Music concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Music
  • discusses Music History concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Music History,

podcasts 2

  • mentioned acast.com/privacy podcast
    0.90
    evidence rules-v5
    Link in episode "Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?": acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy
  • references acast.com/privacy podcast
    0.77
    evidence rules-v5
    Link in episode "Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?": acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy

companys 2

  • mentioned Slate Podcasts company
    0.70
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed author/publisher: Slate Podcasts
  • hosted by Slate Podcasts company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed author/publisher: Slate Podcasts

websites 2

  • 0.45
    evidence rules-v5
    Link in episode "Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?": The Oxford Handbook of the Hollywood Musical https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-the-hollywood-musical-9780197503423?cc=us&lang=en
  • 0.38
    evidence rules-v5
    Link in episode "Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?": The Oxford Handbook of the Hollywood Musical https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-the-hollywood-musical-9780197503423?cc=us&lang=en

persons 2

  • mentioned Stephen Cole person
    0.45
    evidence rules-v5
    Link in episode "Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?": Stephen Cole https://stephencolewriter.org/
  • references Stephen Cole person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v5
    Link in episode "Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?": Stephen Cole https://stephencolewriter.org/
Episode description as stored
<p>When an actor opens their mouth to sing in a movie, chances are high that the voice you hear will be their own. Even in music biopics, movie stars without much singing experience regularly go to great lengths to impersonate the most beloved vocalists of our time. Why not simply play Johnny Cash or Bruce Springsteen’s <em>actual</em> recordings, the reasons why we care about them in the first place? When the world is full of beautiful singing voices, why force Pierce Brosnan to bray his way through <em>Mamma Mia</em>?</p> <p>What you hear when an actor unhinges their jaw is a matter that Hollywood has been negotiating since the dawn of sound. So in this episode, we’ll learn about the “ghost singers” of classic Hollywood musicals, find out why they went extinct, and why today’s music biopics so often fudge the music. Then we leave Hollywood for Bollywood, where the rise of the celebrity “playback singer” shows what can happen when good singing is the highest priority.</p> <p>In this episode, you’ll hear from Slate’s pop music critic <a href="https://slate.com/author/jack-hamilton" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jack Hamilton</a>; musicologist Dominic Broomfield-McHugh, editor of <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-the-hollywood-musical-9780197503423?cc=us&amp;lang=en&amp;" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Oxford Handbook of the Hollywood Musical</em></a>; <a href="https://www.stephencolewriter.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stephen Cole</a>, co-author of a memoir by the ghost singer Marni Nixon; <a href="https://slate.com/author/isaac-butler" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Isaac Butler</a>, longtime Slate contributor and scholar of American acting; and Nasreen Munni Kabir, who has written several books on Hindi cinema and curates Indian films for the UK’s Channel 4.</p> <p>This episode was written and produced by Max Freedman. It was edited by Willa Paskin and Evan Chung, our supervising producer. Decoder Ring is also produced by Katie Shepherd. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.</p><p>Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our <a href="https://slate.com/podcastfaqs#plusbenefits" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQ</a> at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>