Hello, I'm Cleo Levin, one of the editors bringing members' exclusive Slate Plus content.

I recently spoke with host Willa Paskin about making this season of decodering.

We talked about choosing topics for the shows, finding collaborators, and the process of creating the soundscapes

behind the stories. Here's a little snippet of our conversation. I would say like my awareness

of Mae West was like very, I knew her name, like I knew what she looked like and I knew that she was

famous for sort of like this really camp like faux sex personality. Actually, I don't, I think we might have done it. But in our episode about hydration, she recorded a series of early Poland Springs ad, I think in the 70s.

In America, Poland's spring water comes two ways. I like that. With and without bubbles.

So I knew of her as like this sort of camp icon, and I knew her movies.

I mean, I knew a lot of her catchphrases.

But I didn't actually really know anything about her.

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