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The Dinner Party Download

American Public Mediawww.dinnerpartydownload.org
Welcome to The Dinner Party Download, a fast and funny hour of culture, food and conversation: “public radio’s arts & leisure section.” In every episode you’ll learn a joke; bone up on an odd bit of history and then wash it down with a themed cocktail recipe; meet artists of note; have your burning etiquette questions answered; savor an emerging food trend; and hear your new favorite song. Plus, unconventional wisdom from hosts Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam.
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Episodes

Episode 256: Harry Dean Stanton, Patricia Lockwood, and Hamilton Leithauser

This week: Actor Harry Dean Stanton shows off his singing … Poet Patricia Lockwood revisits childhood … Why Lyndon Johnson fascinates us, fifty years later … Former frontman of The Walkman on his soulful solo debut … Baseball excellence, naturally … The arc of history bends towards better booze … One sleepy rabbit with a […]

Jun 07, 201451 min

Episode 255: Steve Coogan, Hugh Bonneville, B.J. Novak, and “Broad City” BFFs

This week: Oscar nominee Steve Coogan (“Philomena,” this summer’s upcoming “The Trip to Italy”) meditates on condiments and dramedies … “The Monuments Men” star Hugh Bonneville – a.k.a. Lord Grantham on “Downton Abbey” - minds his manors … Former “The Office” employee B.J. Novak introduces us to Wikipedia Brown, Boy Detective … The BFFs behind Comedy […]

May 30, 201450 min

Episode 254: James McAvoy, Jon Favreau, and Wearing Your Food

This week: Actor James McAvoy (of this week’s new “X Men” blockbuster, and the art-house drama “Filth”) flies the Scottish flag… Writer-director Jon Favreau cooks up a new film… Emma Straub on why vacation with the ‘rents isn’t all that bad… Indie pop duo Sylvan Esso score your next brat barbecue… The one time when […]

May 24, 201451 min

Episode 253: Conor Oberst, Colson Whitehead, and Freakonomics

Musician Conor Oberst gives us a topography lesson … A new movie – and fail-safe flirting tips – from actor Griffin Dunne… ’Freakonomics’ Stephen Dubner is your kryptonite …. Colson Whitehead becomes a gambling man … Inventing the futuristic fastener Velcro … Why bad words might be good for you … Annabelle Gurwitch finds lust in […]

May 17, 201450 min

Episode 252: Marc Maron, Philippe Petit, and Soylent

This Week: Marc Maron gives etiquette AND time-travel advice… Graphic novelist Mimi Pond lists criminals, spies, and other bohemians … “Man On Wire” tightrope-walker Philippe Petit explores creative chaos… “The Descendants” author Kaui Hart Hemmings tells a new tale… load up on Kleenex ’cause here comes SADvertising… the history of the least respected trophy in […]

May 10, 201450 min

Episode 251: Kevin Spacey, Ruth Reichl, Todd Snider and Elephant

This week: Stage & screen star Kevin Spacey channels Richard III (and Bill Clinton)… Food icon Ruth Reichl has us eating her words… folk-rocker Todd Snider meets Tony Bennett in an unlikely place… English pop duo Elephant come together to DJ a dance party… Pluto gets discovered, gets a name – and then gets demoted […]

May 03, 201450 min

The 2014 Icebreaker Episode

On the occasion of our 250th podcast, we’re celebrating with this bonus mini-episode, compiling a year’s worth of our show-starting jokes into one convenient package. These tiny tales of stuff walking into bars, bad trips to the doctor and lightbulbs in need of changing come courtesy of guests like Jonah Hill, Carrie Brownstein, The Arctic […]

Apr 25, 201410 min

Episode 250: Daniel Radcliffe, Lars Ulrich, and Elizabeth Gilbert

This week: Daniel Radcliffe wears a mask that is not for a role … Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich tells your roommate to turn that racket down … Elizabeth Gilbert (“Eat, Pray, Love”) sets the planets spinning … Cartoonist Jeff Smith lists favorite strips … Visiting the Candyland of vegetables … There is danger and allure at […]

Apr 25, 201450 min

The 2014 All-Icebreaker Special

We just released the 250th episode of our show, so we’re celebrating with this bonus episode, containing a collection of party-winning jokes from our guests. These laughs (or groans) come courtesy of Jonah Hill, Carrie Brownstein, The Arctic Monkeys, Tavi Gevinson, Jim Jarmusch, Timothy Olyphant, and many more. “A Space, Man” – Hugh Bonneville aka […]

Apr 25, 201410 min

Episode 249: Scarlett Johansson, Billy Eichner, and Slint

This week: Scarlett Johansson muses on ol’ blue eyes and earthly aliens… Comedian Billy Eichner takes etiquette to the streets … We catch up with 90′s alt stars Slint… A baseball game everyone wanted to lose… Terrifying Easter bunnies, brought to you by UCB co-founder Matt Walsh… Uncovering Uzbek cuisine … And, check your chins, […]

Apr 19, 201451 min

Episode 248: Jim Jarmusch, Lavender Country, and Horseradish Hazards

This week: Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch sinks his teeth into a new genre and Tom Waits metaphors… Comedy writer Carol Leifer (“Seinfeld,” “SNL”) kicks off her shoes… Lavender Country brought gay rights to country … ”Review” star Andy Daly reviews other reviewers … Rock music insider Lisa Robinson shares her backstage stories (and takes credit for U2) […]

Apr 11, 201451 min

Episode 247: Amy Schumer, Errol Morris, & The War on Drugs

This week: Comedienne Amy Schumer secretly enjoys tea and reading … Errol Morris explains Donald Rumsfeld’s problems with reality … Actress Judy Greer steps into the spotlight, for a change … The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel invites Bryan Ferry and Humphrey Bogart to his party … The best milk for your coffee, from cow or nut […]

Apr 04, 201451 min

Episode 246: Toni Collette, Bill Callahan, and Oil Balls

This week: Toni Collette grabs the wheel … Rob Delaney takes us to a dark, dark chocolate place … Ben Schott shares speichelgleichmut … Texas singer-songwriter Bill Callahan remembers the Seventies … Celia Rivenbark smuggles in the sauce … Poetry among thieves … And savor-ish dough balls straight from Amsterdam.

Mar 27, 201451 min

Episode 245: Steve Martin, Stradivariuses, and Switchel

This week: Steve Martin puts on a show as well as a concert … Emily Posts’ progeny pocket dial us … Switchel, a.k.a. Herman Melville’s fave energy drink… Filmmaker Davy Rothbart celebrates beautiful losers – in basketball and life … A British Invasion of radio pirates inspires a rum cocktail – naturally. Plus, a two million dollar puppy, mute violins, and […]

Mar 22, 201451 min

Episode 244: Wes Anderson, Dave Barry, and the Sweet Sounds of Real Estate

This Week: Filmmaker Wes Anderson on stoves that witnessed history… Humorist Dave Barry takes aim at your etiquette questions… Real Estate (the band, not the biz sector) play party DJ… Lit phenom Helen Oyeyemi gazes into the mirror, mirror….And Noah Strycker opens up his bird-brain. Plus, Wild camels roaming Texas, the strangest cleanse ever, and Mac DeMarco’s […]

Mar 15, 201451 min

Episode 243: Pharrell, Carrie Brownstein & Fred Armisen, and Much MØ

This week: Portlandia duo Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen open up about hot-tubs, underwear, and weddings … Music multi-hyphenate Pharrell Williams explains his ‘exotic rainbow’ of ‘Happy’ness … Danish electro-pop phenom Mø spins us a party playlist… author Cari Lynn tells the tale of a NoLa birthday party of ill-repute… How the grandest experiment in […]

Mar 07, 201451 min

Episode 242: Oscar Isaac, Mads Mikkelsen, and Vermouth Strikes Back

Oscar Isaac, star of “Inside Llewyn Davis” and the new “In Secret,” talks travis pickin’ and tabbies … Mads Mikkelsen of Oscar-nominated Danish drama “The Hunt,” looks on the bright side of strife … Bestselling author Janet Evanovich tells us how to politely destroy a van … Vermouth that gin actually loves … Changing views […]

Feb 28, 201451 min

Episode 241: Stephen Malkmus, Doughnuts for Groughnups, and Oscar’s Finest “Act”

This week: Stephen Malkmus on rock and roll fatherhood … Comedienne Annabelle Gurwitch makes an effort at etiquette …. Rebecca Mead revisits “Middlemarch” … Humble doughnuts get a sophisticated make-over … “The Act of Killing” is a difficult, fascinating, and important film to watch … Angel Olsen takes flight … Clown college admissions decline … […]

Feb 21, 201451 min

Episode 240: Jonah Hill, House of Cards and Luxury Toast

This week: Jonah Hill’s search for the perfect coupling … Skip Lievsay explains how movies should sound … Life imitates board games imitating life (but not The Game of Life) … One mother’s love-hate relationship with a thousand plastic blocks … Getting what you pay for with luxury toast … The creator of “House of […]

Feb 14, 201451 min

Episode 239: Steve Coogan, Hugh Bonneville, B.J. Novak, and “Broad City” BFFs

This week: Oscar nominee Steve Coogan (“Philomena,” this summer’s upcoming “The Trip to Italy” ) meditates on condiments and dramedies … “The Monuments Men” star Hugh Bonneville – a.k.a. Lord Grantham on “Downton Abbey” - minds his manors … Former “The Office” employee B.J. Novak introduces us to Wikipedia Brown, Boy Detective … The BFFs behind […]

Feb 08, 201451 min

Episode 238: Brie Larson, Baz Luhrmann, and Nomnomnom-enclature

This week: “Short Term 12″ (just out on DVD and streaming) star Brie Larson fears oranges and lobsters … Baz Luhrmann talks movie music from Bee Gees to Gatsby … Author Juan Gabriel Vásquez shares a story of narco-trafficking and lost hippos … A Jimmy Buffet song brings indie band Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr to […]

Jan 31, 201451 min

Episode 237: Zoe Kazan, Jackie Collins, and Thinking Outside the Pizza Box

Zoe Kazan, writer/star of “Ruby Sparks” and the new play “Trudy & Max in Love,” uses our show to save a chihuahua… bestselling author Jackie Collins kidnaps our etiquette segment… Actor Sam Harris remembers the little people on his rise to stardom… all about an American who was big in Japan… New software monitors if […]

Jan 25, 201451 min

Episode 236: Timothy Olyphant, Rosanne Cash, and Carl Hiaasen’s Pizza Surprise

This week: “Justified” star Timothy Olyphant says he’s just the help… Etiquette from Carl Hiaasen, chronicler of bad Floridian behavior… Rosanne Cash takes a trip into music & literary history… You can’t win ‘em all – unless you’re the Harlem Globetrotters … Luxembourg gives it all away … Indie band Diane Coffee brews us a pot […]

Jan 18, 201451 min

Episode 235: Lupita Nyong’o, Gary Shteyngart, and Rust Belt Restos

This week: Lupita Nyongo, Golden globe nominee for “12 Years A Slave” reveals the secret to happiness… Gary Shteyngart develops a crush on the Iron Lady … Beyond the tabloid tale of Tonya Harding … Pittsburgh, PA steels itself for an influx of foodies… Novelist Chang-Rae Lee’s dystopian vision of Baltimore … Night clothes with thinking caps […]

Jan 11, 201451 min

Episode 234: Best of 2013

This week, we ring in 2014 by looking BACK at our favorite interviews of 2013. (Because, yes, we’re punk like that.) You’ll hear “things you didn’t know” from Daniel Radcliffe, Margaret Atwood, and many more… Sounds big and small from reggae legend Jimmy Cliff and They Might be Giants… Writer Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) […]

Jan 04, 201451 min

Episode 233: Liev Schreiber, Wild Belle, and Cheese Drama

This Week: We take a brief holiday break (and hope you’re able to do the same) and leave you with this choice episode from earlier in the year … Liev Schreiber (just nominated for a 2014 Golden Globe) talks canine engineering and bad answers … Choire Sicha, founder of The Awl, offers etiquette quips … Chicago […]

Dec 27, 201350 min

Episode 232: Jeremy Renner, Nancy Sinatra, and Billy Collins

This Week: Jeremy Renner does the American Hustle… Nancy Sinatra on headphones and hair-poufs … Former Poet Laureate Billy Collins asks you to clean your room …Nick Lowe’s Eccentric Xmas Soundtrack … An inimitable, unpronounceable writer you’ve got to read… Italian food that might remind you of sushi … The precise moment when cringes become […]

Dec 21, 201350 min

Episode 231: Geoffrey Rush, and Aubrey Plaza & LeVar Burton LIVE

Oscar-winning thespian Geoffrey Rush goes from burlesque to “The Book Thief”… “Parks and Recreation’s” Aubrey Plaza will not be mean on command … LeVar Burton, of “Reading Rainbow” fame, gets all Dirty Harry on a book “vandal”… We learn about a phone call that changed rock-and-roll history… rock critic and musician Joey Sweeney plays the […]

Dec 14, 201350 min

Episode 230: Oscar Isaac, Mads Mikkelsen, and Vermouth Strikes Back

Oscar Isaac, star of the Coen Bros. “Inside Llewyn Davis,” talks travis pickin’ and tabbies… Int’l star Mads Mikkelsen, lately of Danish drama “The Hunt,” looks on the bright side of strife… Bestselling author Janet Evanovich tells us how to politely destroy a van… Changing views of Manhattan from the roof of the Chelsea Hotel … […]

Dec 07, 201351 min

Episode 229: The 2013 All-Food Episode

Thanksgiving is kind of a national dinner party, so we wanted to bring our contribution: an ALL-FOOD EPISODE of the show. We know it comes a day late, but everybody loves leftovers, right? Lidia Bastianich on freedom food… Michael Pollan’s kosher barbecue … The Arctic Monkeys play a little dinner music … Eddie Huang vs. […]

Nov 29, 201350 min
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