Back in the '70s, Steve Jones and his band, Sex Pistols, lasted all of three years and put out a single album, but they helped turn punk from a fringe musical movement to a snarling, international phenomena and gave misfits everywhere anthems like, "Anarchy in the U.K." Before telling our audience how to behave in mosh pits, the musician stopped by to talk about why writing his autobiography felt like torture and explains his stance on the disputed origins of punk.
Last year, the "Parks and Recreation" star appeared in a viral parody of those classic Yule log videos. Instead of a crackling fireplace... it showed Nick sitting beside a fireplace serenely sipping Scotch. The comedian tells us why the job was a dream come true and how it all came together.
Alton Brown's Peabody-winning show "Good Eats" took us down fascinating wormholes in the food universe, weaving in science and history and humor. He's got a new book out that includes a recipe for "lacquered bacon." Learn what exactly that is and learn why you should be aging your eggnog.
As a homeschooled, pop-culture-obsessed 17-year-old, Caitlin Moran landed a gig writing columns for the Times in the U.K. Twenty-odd years later, she's racked up a ton of awards for these frank and funny pieces. Her new book, "Moranifesto," collects her favorite recent writings and before turning to our audience’s etiquette questions, she shared her methods for improving the world (hint: saunas) and maintaining an optimistic outlook in dark times.
In 2000, Anthony Bourdain's best-selling memoir, "Kitchen Confidential," gave readers what was then a shocking glimpse at the difficult, dangerous and sometimes hedonistic lives of restaurant kitchen workers. He's also won a Peabody and three Emmys in a row for his current CNN travel show, "Parts Unknown." Bourdain's new cookbook -- co-written with Laurie Woolever -- is called "Appetites." He explains how working with his daughter in the kitchen help shaped the recipes and tells us how the culinary world has changed since "Kitchen Confidential."
Normally during Small Talk, we have a newshound share their favorite under-the-radar story. For our show at the Now Hear This podcast festival, we welcomed to the stage one of the most delightful bomb-throwers in Southern California journalism -- Gustavo Arellano. He's the publisher and editor of the OC Weekly. He breaks down the trend of “Columbusing” in the culinary world, before explaining why that “door close” elevator button is just for your mental health.
Davy Rothbart is probably best known for his wonderful pieces on "This American Life" and for his magazine Found. The latter has been turned into a musical and, most recently, a hit podcast. In the audio above and the text below, Davy explains how he made the jump from magazine to podcast and shares a few astonishing tales from the show.
Norm Macdonald has been a major figure in the comedy world since at least the early '90s, when he began a long run as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live,” where he managed to delight and/or outrage the audience and his bosses with his take no prisoner satire. Now he's published a memoir called, "Based on a True Story.” Before tackling our listeners' etiquette questions, the comedian explains why the book is filled with half-truths.
At age 10, Anna Chlumsky became one of the most beloved child stars in America when she starred in the sweet coming-of-age flick "My Girl," alongside Macaulay Culkin. These days, she's known for her foul-mouthed "VEEP" character. The actress shares a few toned-down expletives she uses at home and explains how a chat with singer Roberta Flack led her back into acting.
Derek Brown writes about drinks for outlets like the Atlantic and The Washington Post. He also runs a slew of celebrated bars, including "The Columbia Room," which GQ once said makes the best Martini in America. The D.C. Bartender-in-Chief tells us all about "the king of cocktails," and why a Martini with balanced ingredients is a better Martini.