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 tells us about Bryan Ferry and Humphrey Bogart ... The best milk for your coffee, from cow or nut ... Freezing frenemies at the North Pole ... A teen-girl cop who isn't the set-up for a new sitcom ... Not where but why Waldo buys those sweaters ... And blowing the dust off a special vintage Britpop record.


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.


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 Papercuts you won't try to avoid.


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 tuneful "Brother."


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

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 ... A birthday party of ill-repute ... How the grandest experiment in scientific history speaks to our common humanity ... Musical instruments children will really, really want to practice (and eat) ... We pour one out for Broadway's most biggest flop... The Brian Eno of Druids ... And boogie humor.


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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 ... Changing views of Manhattan from the roof of the Chelsea Hotel ... Enjoying the Mutual Benefit of music ... A shave fit for a King ... Sultry Lady Liberty ... Carrot-noses that aren't just for snowmen ... And "Red Eyes" you'll want, from The War on Drugs.


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 ... And the history of an obselete historical artifact, the printed phone book.


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 Cards" tells us how politics is like jazz ... Woods to the left (to the left) ... How to flirt with a Viking ... And when to politely drink up and move on.


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

This week: Oscar nominee Steve Coogan ("Philomena") meditates on condiments and dramedies... "The Monuments Men" star Hugh Bonneville - a.k.a. Lord Grantham on "Downton Abbey" - minds his manors... ex- "The Office" employee B.J. Novak introduces us to Wikipedia Brown, Boy Detective... The BFFs behind Comedy Central's "Broad City" riff on funny friends who came before them... Rico inhales $50,000 worth of fungus ... and we learn how Satchmo changed American music. Plus: Why single men should get into yoga and puppies... And a happy "Chinese New Year."


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

This week: "Short Term 12" star Brie Larson fears oranges & 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 tears... We learn about the real-life divas who inspired Melba Toast and Fettuccine Alfredo... and Emily Post's great-great grandkids offer etiquette for present and future. Plus: The history of the cold war hot line, and we learn tardiness is a medical condition.