Episodes

Episode 49: Wallace Shawn, FBI vs. Louie Louie, No Kidding

Wallace Shawn/Courtesy Wallace Shawn

This week Wallace Shawn critiques power and Brendan…the FBI investigates Louie Louie…and RIco chats with a restarauteur who’s not kidding around.

Icebreaker:Jason Rhein Jason Rhein takes a pause from his bass-playing responsibilities for indie band Rotary Downs to regale us with a joke.

Small Talk: Bad Mascots, K-Street-TM, and an Overdue Presidential Library Book
The staff at Marketplace tell you about some news items your dinner guests probably missed.

A History Lesson With Booze: FBI vs. The Kingsmen and the “Louie Louie
This week back in 1965, the FBI wrapped up their 31-month investigation into whether the song “Louie Louie” violated federal obscenity laws. Toast the Kingsmen’s mush-mouthed garage-rock classic with an updated take on a frat-party standard: The Kamikaze.

“The Louie Louie”, as created for the DPD by David Welch, bar manager and co-owner of Lincoln restaurant in Portland, Oregon:

In a shaker, combine:

  • 1 oz. Medoyeff vodka
  • 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 1 oz Aperol

Add ice, shake, pour into a glass and slug it down quick. Repeat until speechless.

Guest of Honor: Wallace Shawn
Some know Wallace Shawn as an Obie Award-winning playwright and the guy who co-wrote and starred in the art -house classic My Dinner With Andre. Others know him as Blair Waldorf’s stepdad on TV’s Gossip Girl and the “inconceivable” Sicilian from The Princess Bride. But this is public radio, so we wanted to talk to him about his recent book of essays about liberalism and art. He tells Brendan about the suffering of others, the difference between dogs and peace, and why we created The Dinner Party Download.

The Main Course: A restaurateur who doesn’t kid around
A few weeks back we posted a link to an article called “No one thinks your child is as adorable as you do”, all about how to raise restaurant-friendly kids. And as with most things that relate to kids and/or food, it generated a lot of buzz. So Rico decided to talk to the author — restaurateur Melissa Fox-Revett — about manners, parenting, and why kids should eat what you eat.

One For The Road: Voxtrot – “Long Haul”
Rico’s getting married… and the long-lived indiepop band Voxtrot is breaking up. Coincidence? Actually, yes. But since these Texan tweesters are launching their farewell tour this weekend, we still figured we’d share one of their finest with you — a shimmery bittersweet number best listened to while moving away from your hometown.

Music In This Episode:

The Sea & Cake – “The Argument”

The Wedding Present – “Signal”

Link Wray – “Jack the Ripper”

Tipsy – “Liquordelic”

The Kingsmen – “Louie Louie”

The Pharoahs – “Louie Louie”

Toots & The Maytals – “Louie Louie”

Iggy Pop – “Louie Louie”

Hall & Oates – “Out of Touch”

Vocist – “Dazzled Kids”

Voxtrot – “Long Haul”