The Dinner Party Download
American Public Media
Welcome to The Dinner Party Download, a fast and funny hour of culture, food and conversation: “public radio’s arts & leisure section.” In every episode you’ll learn a joke; bone up on an odd bit of history and then wash it down with a themed cocktail recipe; meet artists of note; have your burning etiquette questions answered; savor an emerging food trend; and hear your new favorite song. Plus, unconventional wisdom from hosts Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 29, 2016 • 55min
Episode 345: Jessica Williams, Dick Cavett, Michael McKean
“The Daily Show” Senior Correspondent Jessica Williams dishes about her most devastating moment (in an olive oil shop in Park Slope)… Talk-show legend Dick Cavett waxes poetic on playing himself… Comedian Jen Kirkman loses her cell phone and changes her life… Actor Michael McKean, of “This is Spinal Tap” and “Laverne and Shirley” fame, briefs […]
Apr 22, 2016 • 50min
Episode 344: Anderson Cooper, Nahnatchka Khan, Parquet Courts
Journalist and TV host Anderson Cooper dazzles us with details from the new memoir he co-wrote with his heiress mom, Gloria Vanderbilt… Nahnatchka Khan, showrunner for the sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat,” thanks her Dad for trapping her in a car… Atlas Obscura’s Reyhan Harmanci regales us with tales of lab rats with cold feet… […]
Apr 15, 2016 • 50min
Episode 318: Salman Rushdie, Alice Cooper, Carly Rae Jepsen
Encore Broadcast: Novelist Salman Rushdie stirs up age-old mischief – and magic… Shock rock legend Alice Cooper tells wild tales of Groucho Marx, Paul McCartney, and his “Hollywood Vampires” crew, then slays us with sensible etiquette advice … Carly Rae Jepsen DJs our party (you’ll really, really like her soundtrack)…. We shed light on the daguerreotype, […]
Apr 8, 2016 • 50min
Episode 343: The ALL-TV Episode
It’s a special “ALL-TV” Episode, featuring big talent from the small screen! Ellie Kemper of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” smiles into the void… T.J. Miller (“Silicon Valley”) recommends wedding gifts for the budget-minded (just make sure you have your tetanus shot)… “Orange is the New Black” star Uzo Aduba invites Shakespeare to the slammer… TV mastermind […]
Apr 1, 2016 • 50min
Episode 342: Nicholas Hoult, Tatiana Maslany, Duncan Sheik
“Orphan Black” star Tatiana Maslany plays clones, twins, and Ying Yang Twins… Nicholas Hoult (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” the new “Kill Your Friends”) revels in a bit of depravity – and a good fanny pack… “American Psycho” gets the Broadway treatment, from Tony winner Duncan Sheik… A portrait of Georgia O’Keefe as a young woman… […]
Mar 25, 2016 • 50min
341: Daniel Clowes, Cameron Esposito, Quilt
Graphic novelist Daniel Clowes on his unusual and endangered drawing utensils… Newly-married comedian Cameron Esposito describes her very public bachelor party and gives us etiquette advice… Sabri Ben-Achour of “Marketplace” and “Actuality” ponders the ghosts of peanuts past… The band Quilt DJs the chillest dinner party ever… NYMag’s Sierra Tishgart dishes on the deal with […]
Mar 18, 2016 • 50min
340: Jeff Nichols, Lauren Weedman, Tindersticks
Southern filmmaker Jeff Nichols (“Mud,” the new “Midnight Special”) brings sci-fi down to earth, then offers up some pearls of wisdom… One of the art world’s bright lights, Dan Colen, muses on his new visions– part-Disney, part-J.M.W. Turner… Scene-stealer and storyteller Lauren Weedman tells a tale of moms and “Miss Fortune”… We recall the day […]
Mar 15, 2016 • 14min
Speakeasy Special #6: Alan Cumming, Adam McKay, Dave Navarro
It’s an all new “Speakeasy” — our occasional, off-the-cuff, slightly profane, online-only series in which we give you a peek behind the scenes… and share some of the great stuff we had to leave on the cutting room floor. In this newest installment you’ll hear Brendan and Rico make a few martini recommendations for folks […]
Mar 11, 2016 • 51min
Episode 329: Alicia Vikander, Randall Munroe, EL VY
Encore Broadcast: Alicia Vikander, star of “The Danish Girl,” on why she hates Pictionary… “xkcd” cartoonist Randall Munroe helps us keep it simple… Matt Berninger and Brent Knopf of the band El Vy quarrel over Cat Stevens… Emily Post’s great-grandchildren on whether it’s OK to bring a half-empty bottle of wine to a party (or is […]
Mar 4, 2016 • 50min
Episode 339: Viola Davis, Alan Cumming, Dave Navarro
Actor Viola Davis — star of the ABC hit show “How to Get Away with Murder” — waxes poetic on the wonders of Vaseline… Broadway star Alan Cumming gives us an etiquette lesson and reminds us that he is NOT a performing poodle… Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro navigates the darkest moment of his life […]
