Stephen Costello is one of the rising stars of the opera world. You can catch him now at New York's Metropolitan Opera in a production the New York Classical Review says, "Should remain in rotation for as long as people listen to Sinatra." He delivers an eclectic mix of tunes for dinner parties and divas alike.
Laurie Anderson pioneered elements of performance art and electronic music. In her long career, she's lent her eerily cool voice to work by Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, and her late husband, Lou Reed. Just before the New York release of her film, "Heart of a Dog," the natural born storyteller shares a tale from her collection called "Transitory Life" about a stormy moment from her stay in Amish country.
Author Leigh Bardugo first cracked the New York Times Bestseller list with "The Grisha Trilogy" -- a young adult fantasy series set in a world based on Czarist Russia. Earier this week her new novel, "Six of Crows," was the bestselling young adult book in the land. Leigh tells us about it, and recommends a few young adult titles that prove the category (it's not a genre!) is for old and young alike.
Rock 'n' roll Hall-of-Famer Declan MacManus -- a.k.a. Elvis Costello -- rose to fame in the seventies with classic power pop hits like "Pump It Up" and "Watching The Detectives." Then he started exploring the Motown sound, country, jazz, classical and art music... along the way collaborating with just about every music legend ever. He talks to Rico about his massive memoir, "Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink," in which he recalls the start of his love affair with music, his father's influence, and "touring" with The Clash.
Olivia Wilde is perhaps best known as the secretive doctor Thirteen on the hit TV series "House," and has also appeared in dozens of films including "Tron: Legacy," "Rush," and the Oscar-nominee "Her." Wilde's latest film is called "Meadowland" - a portrait of a family grappling with loss. She talks to Brendan about what makes this project unique, the importance of having more women behind the camera, and a time when a certain Rolling Stone stole her favorite seat.
The comedian and host of "SPONTANEANATION" and "No, You Shut Up!" found a moment to give listeners advice about shushing seniors at the movies and hanging toilet paper rolls - the one and only correct way.
Get a laugh from this week's Guest of Honor, Olivia Wilde, who jokes about a snazzy semi-aquatic reptile.
Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC's NotetoSelf, explains the RoboHow project, which uses the website WikiHow to teach robots -- including a humanoid named Romeo -- how to act as waiters and make foods like pizza and popcorn.
As you might've heard from Rico's interview with Tony Bennett this week, his father is a big fan of Bennett's work. Here are a few other Bennett track recommendations from the dads behind DPD (yeah, we roped in Brendan's dad too). We figured Tony would approve. We hope you do too.
Bill Charlap is one of the top jazz pianists and bandleaders in America. And Tony Bennett... well, in his almost 70 years as a musician, he's released over 70 albums, won 18 Grammys, and a couple of Emmys, and is one of the greatest singers ever of American jazz and pop standards. He and Charlap just released "Silver Lining," an album of songs by the composer Jerome Kern and the two talk to Rico about Kern's work, finding satisfaction as an artist, and Bennett's unwavering love of San Francisco.