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
Jul 12, 2013 • 51min
Episode 209: Herb Alpert, Chuck Klosterman, and Big Stars
This week: Writer Chuck Klosterman grapples with villains… Music legend Herb Alpert grapples with your etiquette questions… Comedian Tig Notaro learns a lesson after losing her wisdom teeth… Filmmaker Drew DiNicola tells us why cult rockers Big Star never quite lived up to their name… Documentary filmmaker Lucy Walker does call it a comeback… The Frenchman behind the bikini […]
Jul 6, 2013 • 51min
Episode 208: Kevin Hart, Aisha Tyler, and Frozen Beer
This week: Superstar comedian Kevin Hart grows an inch … Comic, writer, TV host and — now– etiquette expert Aisha Tyler steers listeners clear of video game hogs and sunshine nazis… UK scholar Terry Eagleton tells us what Brits really think of Americans… Memoirist Ashley Cardiff is haunted by Prince… The Spinto Band present a […]
Jun 29, 2013 • 53min
Episode 207: Natalie Cole, Ralph Nader, and Rogue Soundwaves
This week: Natalie Cole sings en Espanol … Activist Ralph Nader gives etiquette advice and restaurant recommendations … Bestselling novelist Curtis Sittenfeld goes from preppy to psychic … Rogue Wave’s playlist washes over us … How National Lampoon became the center of the comedy universe … The history of the typewriter … The most excruciating […]
Jun 20, 2013 • 52min
Episode 206: Greta Gerwig, Questlove, and Drinkable Spam
This week: We ride the rerun ship back in time, for an episode that turns out to be pretty prescient … Francis Ha star Greta Gerwig on naturalism vs. quirk … The Roots’ Questlove on food … Author Carl Hiaasen gives us a reality check … Kathy Griffin, queen of misbehavior, offers etiquette advice… The […]
Jun 13, 2013 • 51min
Episode 205: Sofia Coppola, Jonathan Goldstein, Zombies and blooood
This week: Filmmaker Sofia Coppola talks about “The Bling Ring” and growing up in an Apocalypse … Humorist and “Wiretap” host Jonathan Goldstein takes his dad for a beer of rebellion … It’s the time of the season for a party playlist from The Zombies … Lidia Bastianich dishes out food etiquette and makes a […]
Jun 7, 2013 • 51min
Episode 204: Ellen Page, Colum McCann, and Miraculous Fruits
This week: Actress Ellen Page (The East) on saving the planet and playing with dolls… National Book Award winner Colum McCann takes us on a Transatlantic trip…Laura Osnes – Tony-nominated Cinderella on Broadway – shares her favorite rags-to-riches stories… Rico stuffs himself with stuffies… Etiquette advice to make air travel a tiny bit more comfortable… […]
May 30, 2013 • 51min
Episode 203: Dan Savage, Jessica Walter, and the Kings of Summer
This week: Sex writer Dan Savage on cheating and snowboarding… Actress Jessica Walter of Arrested Development plays nice for etiquette… Doo-wop legend Kenny Vance on closing for the Rolling Stones… The director of indie gem The Kings of Summer warms us up for the season… Learn the history of Pac-Man, then gobble up a pizza-themed […]
May 24, 2013 • 51min
Episode 202: Andrea Riesborough, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Saving Italy
This week: Andrea Riesborough lets us in on a mystery… Fitz and the Tantrums spins a retro party playlist… Novelist Joanna Hershon starts off the summer in a 1960s yacht club… Italian pork is washing up on American shores – but it’s not the only kind of treasure from Lo Stivale… Etiquette from the Posts… […]
May 17, 2013 • 50min
Episode 201: James Franco, Paul Theroux, and a Cowardly Display
This week: We look back to one of our favorite episodes, in which actor/polymath James Franco rebels against beds… Preeminent travel writer Paul Theroux offers etiquette advice to globetrotters (and public radio hosts)… Nashville raconteur Todd Snider tells of his brush with NASCAR fame… The NY Public Library celebrates Noel Coward… and Hollywood’s top auctioneer […]
May 11, 2013 • 12min
Our Bicentennial All-Icebreaker Episode
To celebrate the release of our 200th podcast, here’s our bicentennial All-Icebreaker show. Dozens of jokes culled from the last two years’ worth of DPDs, as told by such luminaries as James Franco, Bryan Cranston, Alison Pill, the band Fun., and many more. Some are funny, most are not. But there are definitely a lot […]
