Episode 148: Santigold, Manly Manners and a Pilgrim’s Process

This week: musician Santigold pines for a day job...Time's gonzo humorist Joel Stein offers some manly etiquette tips...Three ancient art treasures we HAVEN'T found...Rico visits crawfish country...Shakespearean theater worth fighting for...Writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus walks us through pilgrimages...Plus, humor from Violens, Sendak remembered, and the canine brain.


Episode 147: The All-Music Episode

This week: Our first ever All-Music Episode! Willie Nelson gets lost in the haze of memory…Patton Oswalt on public radio’s music problem…TV on the Radio, on request…James Mercer tells a Cold War secret… America’s #1 hit writer Lamont Dozier remembers a miss…A Wild retro soundtrack…Henry Rollins on etiquette and a memorable get together…And we get back - to the Beatles’ rooftop concert. Plus, sound/silliness from Billy Bragg, Wanda Jackson, and Cass McCombs.


Episode 146: Mike D, Taco USA, and Ballet Lessons

This week: The Beastie Boys’ Mike D injects life (and caffeine) into museum-going… Lizz Winstead, comedienne and co-creator of the Daily Show, exposes herself… Gene Ween plays Rod McKuen… The descendants of Emily Post on cupcake etiquette… Ballet Lessons from a dancer-director… And a little piece of Heaven, courtesy of The Walkmen. Plus, genius delinquents, Eiffel Towers of booze, and a joke about burning ambition.


Episode 145: Emily Blunt, Proper Partying, and SubliminalsexScience

This week: Actress Emily Blunt explains dolphin break-ups… Rocker Andrew W.K. teaches us how to party properly… New Coke gets remixed… We graze at the Grilled Cheese Invitational… Bestselling science writer Leonard Mladinow decodes subliminal messages… A never-ending note from Jenny Lawson, a.k.a. “The Bloggess”… And Of Montreal’s schizophrenic party soundtrack. Plus, TV for dogs, the art of vinyl, and a folk-joke from duo Mike and Ruthy.


Episode 144: Greta Gerwig, Questlove, and Liquid Matchsticks

This week: “Actress of her generation” Greta Gerwig on naturalism vs. quirk… The Roots’ ?uestlove on food… Author Carl Hiaasen gives us a reality check… Kathy Griffin, queen of misbehavior, offers etiquette advice… The forgotten Astaire… We learn a striking history, with cocktail to match… and the Imagination Movers give entertaining tips on keeping kids entertained. Plus, a Spurlockian joke, a soprano drought, and your new favorite song from the Alabama Shakes.


Episode 143: Spring Break…with Michelle Williams and GZA

This week, a walk down memory lane! (Ahem – a rerun.) Yes, for our Spring Break, we’re re-airing one of our favorite episodes from 2011. Front and center is the impossibly charming Michelle Williams, whose portrayal of Marilyn Monroe later earned her a Globes win and an Oscar nomination. Plus: a science lesson from Wu-Tang’s GZA, juicy gossip about Fidel Castro, and Rico literally inhales America’s best vodka. Tune in next week for an all-new, all-excellent show featuring Questlove, Greta Gerwig, and Carl Hiaasen.


Episode 142: The Duplass Brothers, Val Kilmer-Twain, and the Oysteress

This week: Filmmaking brothers Mark and Jay Duplass, who nap in trailers… Val Kilmer resurrects Mark Twain… Grandmaster of flash (fiction), Etgar Keret… Oysters take over the mainland… Poker stud Chris Moneymaker on turning friends into debtors… Guillotin’s “enlightened” machine… Plus, the sounds of Howlin Rain, a pizza panic-button, and a seeing-eye joke.


Episode 141: Rick Moody, Shower Muses, and Snail Eggs

This week: Author Rick Moody dives into his gene pool… Jonah Lehrer showers us with inspiration… Escargot Eggs… Comedian Moshe Kasher’s train-wreck mem’ries… And etiquette tips from world-class concierge Michael Fazio. Plus, a little night music from jazz star Esperanza Spalding, a super joke from Of Montreal, and vibrating tattoos.


Episode 140: Ewan McGregor, Pretzel Dumplings, and Happy Endings

This week: Actor Ewan McGregor, in three dimensions… “Happy Endings” star Casey Wilson’s (semi) happy endings… Youth Lagoon’s dinner party soundtrack… A ‘psychic’ reading from Heidi Julavits… The best sushi chef in the world… Pretzel dumplings… How “Uranus” got its name… And next-gen Posts teach us about table fairies. Plus: drinkable pancakes, Irish jokes, a w-h-i-z-k-i-d, and much more.


Episode 139: Jon Hamm, Irish Latkes, and Bottled Etiquette

This week: Actor Jon Hamm takes us way beyond the Mad Men universe… Comedian and author Michael Ian Black says “you’re not doing it right”… atheist author Alain de Botton teaches religion… writer Amelia Gray sees ghosts… Jon Glaser’s high concepts… the sobering history of “Axis Sally”… and Rico tastes a bit o’ the boxty. Plus, a new tune from Beach House, and a joke in the key of “corny.”