The Dinner Party Download

This week: musician Santigold pines for a day job…Time’s gonzo humorist Joel Stein offers some manly etiquette tips…Three ancient art treasures we HAVEN’T found…Rico visits crawfish country…Shakespearean theater worth fighting for…Writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus walks us through pilgrimages…Plus, humor from Violens, Sendak remembered, and the canine brain.

This week: It’s our first ever All-Music Episode! Willie Nelson gets lost in the haze of memory…Patton Oswalt on public radio’s music problem…The Shins’ James Mercer tells a Cold War secret…America’s #1 hit writer Lamont Dozier on a miss…And we get back – to the Beatles final rooftop concert. Plus, sound and silliness from Billy Bragg, Wanda Jackson, and Cass McCombs.

This week: The Beastie Boys’ Mike D injects life (and caffeine) into museum-going… Lizz Winstead, comedienne and co-creator of the Daily Show, exposes herself… Gene Ween plays Rod McKuen… The descendants of Emily Post on cupcake etiquette… Ballet Lessons from a dancer-director… And a little piece of Heaven, courtesy of The Walkmen. Plus, genius delinquents, Eiffel Towers of booze, and a joke about burning ambition.

This week: Actress Emily Blunt explains dolphin break-ups… Rocker Andrew W.K. teaches us how to party properly… New Coke gets remixed… We graze at the Grilled Cheese Invitational… Bestselling science writer Leonard Mladinow decodes subliminal messages… A never-ending note from Jenny Lawson, a.k.a. “The Bloggess”… And Of Montreal’s schizophrenic party soundtrack. Plus, TV for dogs, the art of vinyl, and a folk-joke from duo Mike and Ruthy.

This week: “Actor of her generation” Greta Gerwig on naturalism vs. quirk… The Roots’ ?uestlove on food… Author Carl Hiaasen gives us a reality check… Kathy Griffin, queen of misbehavior, offers etiquette advice… The forgotten Astaire… We learn a striking history, with cocktail to match… and the Imagination Movers give entertaining tips on keeping kids entertained. Plus, a Spurlockian joke, a soprano drought, and your new favorite song from the Alabama Shakes.

This week, a walk down memory lane! (Ahem – a rerun.) Yes, for our Spring Break, we’re re-airing one of our favorite episodes from 2011. Front and center is the impossibly charming Michelle Williams, whose portrayal of Marilyn Monroe later earned her a Globes win and an Oscar nomination. Plus: a science lesson from Wu-Tang’s GZA, juicy gossip about Fidel Castro, and Rico literally inhales America’s best vodka. Tune in next week for an all-new, all-excellent show featuring Questlove, Greta Gerwig, and Carl Hiaasen.

This week: Filmmaking brothers Mark and Jay Duplass, who nap in trailers… Val Kilmer resurrects Mark Twain… Grandmaster of flash (fiction), Etgar Keret… Oysters take over the mainland… Poker stud Chris Moneymaker on turning friends into debtors… Guillotin’s “enlightened” machine… Plus, the sounds of Howlin Rain, a pizza panic-button, and a seeing-eye joke.

This week: Author Rick Moody dives into his gene pool… Jonah Lehrer showers us with inspiration… Escargot Eggs… Comedian Moshe Kasher’s train-wreck mem’ries… And etiquette tips from world-class concierge Michael Fazio. Plus, a little night music from jazz star Esperanza Spalding, a super joke from Of Montreal, and vibrating tattoos.

This week: Actor Ewan McGregor, in three dimensions… “Happy Endings” star Casey Wilson’s (semi) happy endings… Youth Lagoon’s dinner party soundtrack… A ‘psychic’ reading from Heidi Julavits… The best sushi chef in the world… Pretzel dumplings… How “Uranus” got its name… And next-gen Posts teach us about table fairies. Plus: drinkable pancakes, Irish jokes, a w-h-i-z-k-i-d, and much more.

This week: Actor Jon Hamm takes us way beyond the Mad Men universe… Comic Michael Ian Black says you’re not doing it right… atheist author Alain de Botton teaches religion… writer Amelia Gray sees ghosts… Jon Glaser’s high concepts… the sobering history of “Axis Sally”… and Rico tastes a bit o’ the boxty. Plus, a new tune from Beach House, and a joke in the key of “corny.”