This week: Stephin Merritt’s attraction to love… Actress Amy Brenneman adjudicates listener etiquette… A vengeful lunch with Joel Stein… an Alkaholic drink… Neil deGrasse Tyson defends space… Bill Plympton’s favorite animation… and a 3-song prescription from Dr. Dog. Plus: Aggie yells, a Dinner Party Timeout, and a cross-word joke from singer Cate le Bon.
Mar 02, 2012•52 min
This week: Celebrated UK writer Geoff Dyer takes us into the “Zona”… Top Chef’s Gail Simmons survives internship hell and gets her Angel wings… Damn Good Advice from legendary ad man George Lois… Bees you can drink… A big empire built on small change… Winning an election… And nomophobia on the rise. Plus: picture books for grownups, Islands with Hallways, and a Fun joke.
Feb 24, 2012•52 min
This week: “The Artist” director Michel Hazanavicius breaks the silence… Brendan witnesses the arrival of a fruit sensation… Titanic sound achievements, selected by a 7-time Oscar-winning sound designer… Sharon Van Etten’s moody party soundtrack… the real “Bonfire of the Vanities”… and Comedian Sarah Colonna breaks up with eHarmony. Plus, travel trends, a reality-check for gamers, and a joke from Miranda July.
Feb 17, 2012•52 min
This week: The Shins’ James Mercer blows the lid off a government cover-up… author Krys Lee’s inspired immigrant tales… An Oscar-nominated Undefeated team… Emily Post’s offspring get aggressive-aggressive… a tourist’s guide to a city you can’t visit… and Victorian puddings on the rise (plus a recipe). Plus: The weirdest bands of the year, a kiddie joke from Youth Lagoon, and a prescription for dull dinner parties from Dr. Dog.
Feb 10, 2012•52 min
This week: Actress Anjelica Huston reveals her secret good-luck charm … Writer-provocateur Caitlin Flanagan blends etiquette, therapy, and cake… “The Artist’s” James Cromwell talks quiet… Chickens with four wings… Greeks invade Britain… We toast the end of the world… A poem from imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo… Plus, nurture-over-nature, and a Major find from the Asteroids Galaxy Tour.
Feb 03, 2012•52 min
This week: Musical duo Chairlift offers us a martini (and some music)…Megadeth politely shreds our etiquette questions…Author-du-jour Ben Marcus says words CAN break your bones…Antonio Banderas plays kitty and creepy…A soldier lost and found – 28 years later…Plus, the latest in men’s fashion, epic Sundance flops, and a joke from crime writer Robert Crais.
Jan 27, 2012•52 min
This week: Sketch duo Tim & Eric tell us the secret to comedy… Lucinda Williams on etiquette and (non) barbecuing… Chuck Klosterman tackles football… Shalom Auslander’s words about last words… CNN’s Kat Kinsman talks about not talking about “bone luging”… And the science of “disgusting.” Plus, a running joke, your letters, and new Shins.
Jan 20, 2012•52 min
This week: “The Office” co-creator Stephen Merchant spars with Brendan… fashion guru Simon Doonan advocates mullets… humorists Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel (attempt to) read their epic epilogue… The soundtrack of The War on Drugs… Artist Chris Burden’s slot-cars on steroids… And Rico digs into Frito Pie. Plus: silent senators, illin’ crosswords, and far-out jokes.
Jan 13, 2012•52 min
This week: Director Wim Wenders speaks body language… Star Trek’s George Takei takes etiquette to warp factor five… A list about Liszt, from world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet… Kathleen Turner’s fiery new role… Third Wave Coffee… Existential humor… And finally, we learn how to play dead from a corpse – and then how to come back to life from Guided By Voices.
Jan 06, 2012•52 min
This week: We celebrate the year’s end with an all-list show. Film critic A.O. Scott explains the art (and anxiety) behind list-making… The Colbert Report’s Opus Moreschi curates the year in comedy… sleeper hit films… Lists with identity crises… And the Onion lists the year’s top news stories that never happened. Plus, a glimpse of the future feat. jetpacks, platefuls of bark, and your favorite artists of *next* year (like Jhene Aiko and the XX).
Dec 30, 2011•53 min
This week: We celebrate the best of 2011 Hear Guest of Honor interviews with Spike Lee, Carrie Brownstein, and Randy Newman… groove to disco godfather Nile Rodgers’ tale of the birth of “Le Freak”… feast on a heart-stopping sandwich and a 100-year-old egg… toast Sweden’s turn to the right… ponder a bigger Small Talk… then set your New Year’s playlists with Song Of The Year picks from listeners like you.
Dec 23, 2011•51 min
This week: Patton Oswalt rocks our public radio world… A travel list from essayist Sloane Crosley… A shot-less heist inspires a shot-full cocktail… The “Rules of Regifting,” according to etiquette royalty… Author Jay Kirk tells the tale of Barnum versus Britannia… a dinner party soundtrack from Kathryn Calder of the band The New Pornographers… and Rico gets a brief history of breakfast.
Dec 16, 2011•51 min
This week: Actor Gary Oldman turns our world upside-down… Top Chef’s Gail Simmons spills some sweet and saucy etiquette tips… Artist/Musician Terry Allen uncovers 3 lost gems… We toast the instant replay (twice)… and author Lou Beach tells 6 stories with 420 characters. Plus, a crash course in video games, a joke from Brit-com phenom Stephen Merchant, and a tune from Chairlift.
Dec 09, 2011•51 min
This week: Actress Michelle Williams channels Marilyn… GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan proves his Genius… New Yorker critic Alex Ross shares the best of his “Best Of”… child star Barry Livingston picks his favorite characters… Gossip and Etiquette collide… Rico inhales some world-class vodka… and 7 ways to read a sandwich.
Dec 02, 2011•51 min
This week: David Cronenberg plays with our minds…We toast the phonograph with a drink that sounds like it…PennySaver 101 from Miranda July…Odd Future goes Pop…We’re thankful for Elaine Stritch…Sarcasm in the Smithsonian?…And we check in on Real Estate in Paris.
Nov 23, 2011•51 min
This week: Essayist John Jeremiah Sullivan takes a hard left turn…Talk show giant Dick Cavett spits out etiquette tips… We learn the meaning of “peplum”… Mega-producer Nile Rodgers gets revenge on Studio 54… The Edsel flops right into a cocktail glass… And Caldecott Award-winner Brian Selznick (Hugo) shares unforgettable picture books – for adults. Plus a playlist from indierock supergroup Wild Flag.
Nov 18, 2011•52 min
This week, Sir Richard Branson drops the ‘sir’ for us… writer Jonathan Lethem squeezes Gertrude Stein, Jack Kerouac, and Drew Barrymore into a hot tub…. why we wanted our MTV… the (non-Portland) trailblazer of b-ball backboard-breaking… “Extreme Makeover: Urban Food Store Edition”… and iconic singer-songwriter Judy Collins muses on being a muse.
Nov 08, 2011•51 min
This Week: Cyndi Lauper reveals that her true colors are the blues… Comedian Jenny Slate hears voices and tells us her faves… a seasonal organic, free-range serving of New Yorker Mag’s Adam Gopnik… Henry Rollins punks your etiquette questions… and why Thanksgiving won’t let you eat cake.
Nov 02, 2011•51 min
This Week: Author Chuck Klosterman tosses aside salad… Rap diva Big Freedia on booty etiquette… And the Zagats guide Brendan through the history of the Zagat guide. Plus, the Beatles’ rooftop concert in first-person, John Hawkes on playing a monster, and a soundtrack from a Little Dragon.
Oct 28, 2011•51 min
This Week: The Dinner Party Download fattens up to become *The Dinner Party* – a cool hour of culture. Actor Antonio Banderas talks about learning to talk… jazz phenom Esperanza Spalding cues up her party soundtrack… and Rico tastes Turkish Delight. Plus, killer beer, documentaries for the doc-averse…and etiquette from Jackie Collins.
Oct 21, 2011•51 min
This week: As we ready for next week’s hour-long show premiere, we serve up two more courses from the DPD test kitchen. You’ll hear suggestions for your dinner party soundtrack from Swedish band Little Dragon. Plus, author Alexander Maksik flies into a moth-joke trap.
Oct 14, 2011•13 min
This week: 28-time bestselling novelist Jackie Collins drops by to give Etiquette lessons… and to dish about Michael Caine’s birthday bash. Plus, more experimentation from the DPD test kitchen, a call for your calls, and a track from phenom Luke Rathborne.
Oct 07, 2011•16 min
This week, we continue to prepare for the hour-long version of the show by serving up some new courses. You’ll “overhear” a story from author Jeanne Darst, take a Chattering Class on urban design with filmmaker Gary Hustwit, and learn the number of our new dinner-party hotline. (Drunk dialing allowed.) Let us know what you think! Plus, a traumatizing joke from debut novelist Justin Torres, and a new tune from the Stepkids.
Sep 30, 2011•17 min
Welcome to *The Dinner Party* – a culture show that gives you everything you need to win this weekend’s dinner party.. On the menu: Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan quacks us up, comedian Demetri Martin takes us on a dietary journey, and we pose our burning etiquette questions to Broadway sensation Elaine Stritch. Plus, an interview with breakout actress Greta Gerwig, poetry from Billy Collins, and lots more.
Sep 21, 2011•47 min
This week: Steve James, director of “Hoop Dreams” and “The Interrupters,” interrupts our regularly scheduled programming to list some docs you’ll love, even if you’re doc-avoidant. Plus, Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman gets up in his own grill. Much more to come as we prep for a longer, tastier DPD… stay tuned.
Sep 14, 2011•11 min
This week: Filmmaker Gus Van Sant gives us the silent treatment… America says Uncle… And Brendan gets the lowdown on gluten from Erin “Babycakes” McKenna. Plus, Soleil Moon Frye (a.k.a. Punky Brewster) kids around, and Feist offers up a bluesy new tune.
Sep 08, 2011•22 min
This week: Musician/Artist Terry Allen re-mystifies love… Sweden gets on the right track… And tennis superstar Novak Djokovic eggs himself on. Plus, a joke from a bitter Kiwi and a bouncin’ track from Big Freedia.
Sep 01, 2011•14 min
This week: TV on the Radio explains why it’s raining milk…The Sun talks craziness about the moon…And we treat ourselves to the cake to end all cakes. Plus, a joke from actress Claire Sloma and a fierce new track from Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks.
Aug 25, 2011•20 min
This week: Filmmaker and artist Miranda July reveals her secret identity…The Mona Lisa takes an Italian vacation…And Bobbies crack down on super-soakers. Plus, a joke from musician Forrest Day and a mesmerizing tune from Lana Del Rey.
Aug 18, 2011•17 min
Back by popular demand, it’s another all-star, all-icebreaker show: Almost every joke we’ve aired in the last year, collected in one convenient podcast. Patton Oswalt, Miranda July, Spike Jonze, Lemmy and many, many more regale you with miniature tales of animals in bars, drummers in hell and dumb dictators. It’s a veritable feast of corn and cheese. Click here for the list of jokes and their tellers…
Aug 12, 2011•18 min