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
Sep 20, 2013 • 51min
Episode 219: Colin Firth, Bobby Flay, and Molly Ringwald’s Vault
This week: Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth explores masks and the mind… We grill star chef Bobby Flay on etiquette… Food writer Michael Pollan says we are because we cook…Molly Ringwald sets a new standard for musical standards… Jane Fonda’s headbands & home videos inspire a health-crazed cocktail… And Mike Wolfe of “American Pickers” strikes it […]
Sep 14, 2013 • 51min
Episode 218: Jonathan Lethem, Alt-J, and the Fab Four’s Freda
This week: Jonathan Lethem goes to New Jersey … Alt-J are kind of over triangles at this point … The Beatles’ secretary gives a peek into music history … Restaurant trends, from bars to bathrooms … Astronaut agriculture … Miss Manners is not telling you to lie, boast, and start rumbles … A tempest in […]
Sep 7, 2013 • 51min
Episode 217: Arctic Monkeys, Van Jones, and Fashion Asylums
This week: Britrock superstars Arctic Monkeys provide a party playlist (and a dessert recipe)… Van Jones plays with Crossfire… fashion maven Simon Doonan says the best outfit is the one your friend is already wearing … Northern Irish poet Nick Laird explains “Epithalamium”… VHS cassettes inspire eighties nostalgia … Bavarians build a giant rake for […]
Aug 31, 2013 • 51min
Episode 216: 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 […]
Aug 24, 2013 • 51min
Episode 215: Eva Mendes, Julia Sweeney, and Blushing Stomachs
This week: One of our favorite episodes! Eva Mendes decodes “The Place Beyond the Pines” (which just came out on DVD) and hieroglyphics… Writer and “SNL” vet Julia Sweeney answers your etiquette questions from the fetal position… New Orleans indie rockers Generationals spin a sweet-and-sour soundtrack… Science writer Mary Roach takes us on a field […]
Aug 16, 2013 • 51min
Episode 214: David Oyelowo, Ricky Skaggs, and a Gun for Breakfast
This week: Actor David Oyelowo becomes sort of a scholar … Bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs on sushi and superfreaks … Piper Kerman reveals the reality behind bars … Kurt Braunohler finds odd comedy in everyday things … MTV veejay Kennedy remembers the nineties and Nine Inch Nails … Shooting a cannon of puffery … Novel […]
Aug 10, 2013 • 51min
Episode 213: Lisa Kudrow, Franz Ferdinand, and Bug Bars
This week: Lisa Kudrow takes a stab at radio therapy … Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos plants an orchard … Anna Gunn of “Breaking Bad” breaks out a list of broken couples… We take an inside look at President Nixon, via home movies … Crickets invade a snack near you … Rob Sheffield is a karaoke cowboy […]
Aug 3, 2013 • 51min
Episode 212: Liev Schrieber, Wild Belle, and Cheese Drama
This week: Liev Schrieber on canine engineering and bad answers… Choire Sicha, founder of The Awl, offers etiquette quips… Breakout Chicago band Wild Belle bring us the world, on a platter of sound… A tale of cheese and blood feuds in the Spanish countryside… Novelist David Gilbert shares a story of absent fathers, from his […]
Jul 27, 2013 • 51min
Episode 211: Laura Dern, Billy Bragg, and Bite-Sized Giants
This week: We nominate an episode from earlier this year for your repeat consideration. “Enlightened” actress Laura Dern (who just picked up an Emmy nom) on brains and Baio … Folk-rocker Billy Bragg wins hearts and minds in our etiquette segment … They Might Be Giants list tiny gems … We toast the first man(nequin!) […]
Jul 20, 2013 • 51min
Episode 210: Andrew Bujalski, Andrea Martin, and Fishy Business
This week: pioneering indie filmmaker Andrew Bujalski plays “Computer Chess” and speaks up about mumblecore… SCTV alum and Tony-winner Andrea Martin gets car-jacked, politely… Debut novelist Gabriel Roth debuts a list of debuts… “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite plunges into controversy… and NYC’s Russ & Daughters celebrate herring season by teaching Brendan to eat like a marine […]
