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.

Jorge Elbrecht and Iddo Arad of the band Violens pay tribute to George Michael…minus the sax. The band’s new album True comes out next week.

Reyhan Harmanci, culture editor for the Bay Citizen in San Francisco, tells us about a study that peers inside the canine brain. (Spoiler alert - food makes dogs happy!)

This week back in 1849, New Yorkers rioted…over Shakespearean acting. Learn about Edwin Forrest, William Charles Macready and the brawl they spawned… and then smash down a custom, era-appropriate cocktail from a Broadway bar.

“Cobbler Rouge,” as performed by Frank Caiafa, bar manager at The Vault at Pfaff’s - a handsome cellar bar just a few blocks from the site of the original riot:

Into a shaker, add:

• Quarter of fresh peach, cubed (small handful)
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 2 dashes of orange or peach bitters
• 1 oz. Red Bordeaux wine (“Claret” to the Brits)
• 2 1/4 oz. Hudson Four Grain Bourbon (the all-American part)

Add ice and give it a hard and riotous shake. Strain into a freshly iced goblet - ideally a “Hawthorne House” glass. Add fresh mint as garnish (after slapping the mint against your hands for a bit to “wake it up”). Top with powdered sugar. Drink it down and leave the drama behind.

If you’re looking for a real life Indiana Jones, look no further than Kristin Romey. Archaeologist Romey has dived on underwater wrecks in Kyrgyzstan, studied human sacrifice in the Yucatan, and documented temples in Yemen. (In plainclothes, she’s also served as editor for Archaeology magazine.) Now, Kristin is a special consultant for the new Terracotta Warriors exhibit at Discovery Times Square in New York. These are the impressive life-size 2,000 year-old statues that Chinese farmers found in the 1970s while they were digging a well. Inspired by their find, Kristin shares a list of major discoveries SHE’D like to stumble upon.

In the last decade, musician Santigold (for the record, it’s pronounced like “Monty gold”) has become one of the most sought after collaborators in music - writing and producing for the likes of GZA, Mark Ronson, and Lily Allen. In 2008, she released her debut album Santigold, an LP chock-full of innovative, beat-driven pop music. Since then she’s toured with the likes of Bjork, the Beastie Boys and Kanye West…so it’s no wonder her second album is a long-time coming. Master of my Make Believe offers more polyrhythmic pop - and some politics to boot. Santigold tells Brendan about drum majors, tiger tales, and her 9-5 dream job. (Note to Santigold’s fashion following: During the interview she wore a pink leather jacket with little Keith Haring cartoon figures all over it… you might actually hear it).

May is traditionally the height of crawfish season, which why right now in Louisiana — where more than 90 percent of the little lobstery crustaceans are harvested — the state is awash with “crawfish boils.” They are to Louisiana what barbecues are to other states — outdoor parties with big primal piles of food cooked over fire. You can taste crawfish boils at restaurants around the country, but last week Rico went to New Orleans to experience one as God intended: In a backyard packed with people and beer. Backyard chef Trooper (nee Gregory) Bruce provides a boil recipe… and attendees tell Rico why it’s advisable to consume the contents of a crawfish head.

Earlier this week, the New York Times called the late Maurice Sendak “the most important children’s book artist of the twentieth century.” One of his biggest fans was Brian Selznick, the award-winning author and illustrator of the children’s book “The Invention Of Hugo Cabret,” which went on to become Martin Scorcese’s Oscar-winning movie “Hugo.” Last year Selznick told us his list of great illustrated books…and his favorite one was pretty obvious.

By day, Joel Stein serves as the humor columnist for Time magazine, penning hilarious takes on culture and celebrity. But in his spare time, Joel has been undergoing a special training mission: to become a man. (Well, okay, more of one.) His new book “Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity” describes his re-masculating encounters with Boy Scouts, firemen, marines, football stars, and other senseis of the male universe. And now - for the manliest test of all - etiquette! He obliged with testosterone-fueled, bone-crushing advice about wussy movies, bald pride, and locker room exhibitionism.

In his new memoir, A Sense of Direction, writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus talks about his experiences along the routes of three of the world’s most famous pilgrimages: the 3,000 year old Camino de Santiago in Spain, a ring of eighty-eight Buddhist temples on the Japanese island of Shikoku, and the grave of a famous Hasidic mystic in Uman, Ukraine. He walks Brendan through the three journeys…and some surprising discoveries he made along the way.

In 2009 it was hard to go anywhere without hearing the electro-pop band Passion Pit. It’s taken three years, but they are set to release a new album Gossamer this July. Here’s the first single from it called “Take a Walk.” It’s a perfect song for Gideon Lewis-Kraus…or for your own spring stroll.

Other Music In this Week’s Show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Girl/Boy Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

London Festival Orchestra - Beethoven “Symphony #9, 1. Molto vivace”

Lionrock - “Don’t Die Foolish”

Triumph - “Fight The Good Fight”

Sound Tribe Sector Nine - “First Mist Over Clear Lake”

Django Reinhardt - “Beyond The Sea”

Ruins - “Loving Recklessly Seeded A Human”

Santigold - “Disparate Youth”

Santigold - “L.E.S. Artistes”

Santigold - “Go!”

Elvis Presley - “Crawfish”

Karen O & The Kids - “Rumpus Reprise”

Gang Of Four - “Not Great Men”

Shins - “Young Pilgram”[sic]

Passion Pit - “Take A Walk”

This week: Our first ever All-Music Episode! Willie Nelson gets lost in the haze of memory…Patton Oswalt on public radio’s music problem…TV on the Radio, on request…James Mercer tells a Cold War secret… America’s #1 hit writer Lamont Dozier remembers a miss…A Wild retro soundtrack…Henry Rollins on etiquette and a memorable get together…And we get back - to the Beatles’ rooftop concert. Plus, sound/silliness from Billy Bragg, Wanda Jackson, and Cass McCombs.

Wanda Jackson, the Queen of Rockabilly (and incidentally Elvis’s ex-girlfriend), calls it like she sings it. Her Jack White-produced comeback album The Party Ain’t Over hit stores last year.

Music legend… classic songwriter… outlaw… folk hero…Willie Nelson makes it tough to choose your adjectives. He penned mega-hits for Patsy Cline and Roy Orbison, broke open the Nashville scene with his “Outlaw country” music, and became an activist for a slew of sociopolitical causes. He had a busy 2011: he released a Ray Charles tribute album and played a touring schedule that made us tired just looking at it. Back in March 2011, when Billy Bob Thornton’s bio-doc about Willie closed the Film Festival at SXSW, Willie told Brendan about growing up in his native Texas, his Crazy start…and then he promptly forgot both.

Comedy superstar Patton Oswalt claims his work ethic’s keeping him afloat, and it shows. After voicing the gourmet rat in Pixar’s “Ratatouille,” Oswalt starred in the dark crit-hit “Big Fan”, penned the essay collection “Zombie, Spaceship, Wasteland,” and held a recurring role in “United States of Tara” (among other gigs.) Back in December, when his film “Young Adult” (from “Tara”-alum Diablo Cody and her “Juno” collaborator Jason Reitman) opened, he talked to Brendan about butt-kickin’ music outros.

Patton asked for it, and we aim to please….Brooklyn band TV on the Radio has melded pop, soul and art-rock into one of the most prominent sounds of the last decade. Their 2008 release “Dear Science” was named Album of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine and a slew of others, and last year’s “Nine Types of Light” added more impressive love songs to the mix. As the band readied for its fall 2011 tour launch, frontmen Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone told Rico about their Cosby opera, Letterman gig, Bowie fatigue, and flamingo milk.

Radical British rocker Billy Bragg gets us in the mood for classical with an impromptu Beethoven performance. Take a listen to our full interview about his collaboration with Ludwig here.

One of the leading pianists today, Frenchman Jean-Yves Thibaudet crisscrosses the planet performing incredibly diabolical (and delightful) pieces. He also lends his talents to film scores requiring his particular touch, like “Atonement” and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”. Earlier this year, he joined the L.A. Philharmonic at Disney Concert Hall for several performances of Liszt - one of music’s first “rock stars.” He told us - in the form of a Liszt List - why the 19th century pianist deserves the title.

Henry Rollins is, if you’ll excuse the oxymoron, punk rock royalty. The former lead singer of the seminal punk-band Black Flag has since gone on to become a radio DJ, performer, writer and photographer — the latest example of the latter being his recent book Occupants. He can now add etiquette expert to his resume. Back in November 2011, Henry answered vexing etiquette questions from our listeners… and described Chris Rock’s handshake at length.

BONUS AUDIO: CLASH MEETS CASH MEETS ROLLINS During our fall 2011 taping with Henry, he told an unbelievable story about a backstage encounter between himself, Joe Strummer of the Clash, and Johnny Cash. As if that image isn’t jaw-dropping enough, Tom Petty, mega-producer Rick Rubin, and June Carter popped in, too. The tale was, alas, too epic for our radio show’s time constraints…but it SCREAMS to be heard, so we’re posting it here as a web special. Enjoy! (Cue Henry, answering the question: “What’s the most memorable get-together you’ve been to?”)

Cash and Clash: Henry Rollins’ Epic Backstage Encounter- Public Radio’s The Dinner Party by The Dinner Party

On the heels of its much touted fall debut, grrl-power supergroup Wild Flag stormed the US and Europe on a hell-raising tour. Drummer Janet Weiss, who’s also played with Sleater-Kinney, Bright Eyes, and Stephen Malkmus, took a break to recommend four killer songs for your next dinner party (or potluck).

Mellow rocker Cass McCombs plays socio-meteorologist with this tiny lesson on cloud conformity.

One of our favorite guests, ever, was Motown songwriting legend Lamont Dozier. Along with the Holland Brothers, he wrote so many classic chart-toppers that…well, let’s just say if oldies stations removed his tunes from their playlists, they’d mostly be broadcasting static. He tells Rico about his fondest hits…and a puzzling “miss.”

If you were a college student in the late Nineties/early aughts chances are you made out with James Mercer…singing in the background. His band, The Shins, created a unique blend of smart, charming pop that lent itself to mix tapes, day trips and shared headphones. After a Grammy nomination in 2007, the band went on hiatus. Mercer got married, had two children and released an album with his other band Broken Bells. But now they’re back, and their March LP Port of Morrow just received a ton of critical love. James told Brendan about listlessness, cold war secrets and how the song he wrote that changed others people’s lives changed his.

As the son of Irish actress Geraldine Fitzgerald, writer/director Michael Lindsay-Hogg rubbed shoulders with Hollywood and Broadway elites from an early age. He went on to direct some of history’s most influential music videos — including The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus and the Beatles’ 1970 documentary Let it Be. In this excerpt from his memoir Luck and Circumstance, he tells the tale of how he got the Fab Four up on the roof… barely.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Willie Nelson - “This Cold Cold War with You”

TV On The Radio - “Will Do”

TV On The Radio - “New Cannonball Blues”

Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Liszt: “Totentanz”

Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Liszt: “Isoldes Liebestod”

Franz Liszt - “Piano Concerto No. 2”

Black Flag - “TV Party”

The Flamingos - “I Only Have Eyes For You”

Elyse - “Houses”

Sam Cooke - “Bring It On Home To Me”

Wild Flag - “Racehorse”

The Four Tops - “I’m in a Different World”

The Shins - “Simple Song”

The Shins - “September”

The Shins - “Australia”

Guns ‘N’ Roses - “Welcome To The Jungle”

The Beatles - “Get Back” (live)

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.

Seth Greenland’s new novel, The Angry Buddhist, has earned raves for its farcical take on a political campaign in California. Here’s a joke that’s native to that place.

Josh Wolk, editorial director of New York Magazine’s culture site Vulture, tells us about genius delinquents’ latest scientific discovery.

On May 6th, 1889, the Eiffel Tower opened to the public - it served as the entrance to the World’s Fair in Paris. The tallest structure on Earth at the time, it still failed to impress many of France’s most famous artistes, who considered it a dark stain on the City of Light. The Tower nevertheless endured long past its original 20-year expiration date… a fact we celebrate with this summery Francophile concoction.

“The Eiffel Tower,” as engineered by Alan Walter at Iris restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans, LA:

In shaker over ice add:

• 3 oz. Lillet
• 1/2 oz. chartreuse
• 1/4 oz. pine needle syrup (or substitute simple syrup infused with a green herb, like basil)
• 1 egg white
• Juice from 1/2 lemon

Shake hard until the egg white forms a froth. Strain and serve in tall, fluted, upside-down-Eiffel-Tower-esque glass. Garnish with ennui and chase with endless, endless cigarettes.

Aaron Freeman aka “Gene Ween” co-fronts the cult pop band Ween. He’s also an unabashed disciple of Rod McKuen — the poet and musician whose work has been recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Madonna. As he readies to release the tribute album “Marvelous Clouds” (out in May), we asked him to list his favorite tunes by the venerable songsmith.

In 1981, Michael Diamond aka Mike D founded a punk band that became hip hop trio the Beastie Boys. They’re still together, and in December they were inducted into the Rock n Roll hall of fame. His latest role, though, is “curator”: he’s handpicked the entries in the massive art, music, and food exhibition “Transmission LA: AV Club.” It opened this week at MOCA — the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Mike tells Rico about shopping-mall-museums, a meaningful accolade, and his coffee-centric universe.

Lizz Winstead is a successful stand-up comedian and co-creator of The Daily Show. But before she made it in showbiz, she was a fledgling comic living in Minneapolis. Here’s the jaw-dropping story about the gig that first exposed her to a broader audience. You can find it - and other comic essays - in her new book, Lizz Free or Die (out May 10).

Today Mexican food is so ubiquitous that it barely registers as foreign cuisine. But obviously that wasn’t always the case. Writer/columnist Gustavo Arellano (“Ask a Mexican”) digs into the origins of Mexican-American food in his just-released book “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.” Brendan met him at landmark LA restaurant Guelaguetza where - over mole and (lots of) mezcal - they talked about 19th century hot tamales, exotic vanilla, and ‘secret’ Mexican sweets.

When the punk rock legends and Starship captains just can’t cut it, we turn for advice to the gen-etiquettely gifted team of Lizzie Post and Daniel Post-Senning, the great-grandkids of Emily Post herself. Lizzie and Daniel help run the Emily Post Institute in Burlington, Vermont, and they recently put out the 18th edition of Emily Post’s Etiquette, a manners manual. This week, they school us on the ethics of wearing sunglasses on your head…and bashing cupcakes.

The winning new documentary First Position (premiering May 4) follows a group of unnaturally talented (and limber!) ballet dancers competing at the Youth America Grand Prix. As you might expect, their lives are chock-full of both sublime moments and major sacrifices; the trick is in finding balance. Rico asks director Bess Kargman, herself a former dancer, to teach us some lesser-known things about the world of high-flying, high-stakes ballet.

Here’s a little piece of “Heaven” … a new song from indie band The Walkmen. Their full length album, also called Heaven, comes out May 29th.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Gus Viseur et son Ensemble - “Jeannette”

Air - “Transmission”

Detektivbyran - “Om Du Motor Varg”

Terry Jacks - “Seasons In the Sun”

Rod McKuen - “Seasons In The Sun”

Glen Yarbrough - “As I Love My Own”

Aaron Freeman - “The World I Used To Know”

Beastie Boys - “Shake Your Rump”

Prince - “Superfunkycalifragisexy”

Robert Johnson - “They’re Red Hot”

Noble ‘Thin Man’ Watts - “Hot Tamales”

Fun. - “We are Young” (instrumental)

Gravenhurst - “She Dances”

The Walkmen - “Heaven”

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.

Husband-and-wife folk duo Mike and Ruthy lament the decline of illumination. Their new album “The NYC EP” comes out this week.

Richard Lawson, senior writer for The Atlantic, tells us how TV’s expanding beyond the human market.

This week back in 1985, Coca-Cola unveiled the infamous “New Coke.” It’s widely considered one of the biggest marketing disasters ever… and it may have saved the brand. Hear the tale, then sip a drink styled after Coke’s original original formula.

“The Pemberton,” as created for the DPD by Cara Laudino, bar manager at Miller Union restaurant, Atlanta, GA:

In a rocks glass, add:

• 1 oz. rye whiskey
• 3/4 oz. Carpano Antica vermouth
• 1/2 oz. Fernet Branca
• ice

Stir and top off with:

• 2 oz. Coca-Cola (the corn-syrup-less Mexican variety)

Garnish with a twist of orange peel and sip. An excellent curative for the vapors, an imbalance of humours, or “tired blood.”

This Saturday is “Record Store Day” - an annual event where bands release unique, limited-run vinyl records and make them available only at select independent record stores. Lots of folks will buy the albums for the songs… but sometimes the packaging is just as impressive. Here’s a list of artful vinyl from Brooks Rice, an art appraiser by day and a record collector by night:

• Folkways records designed by Ronald Clyne
• Classical cover art by Andy Warhol
• Mason Williams’ “Music,” cover by Ed Ruscha
• Dead Weathers’ “Blue Blood Blues,” a “triple-decker record” from Jack White’s Third Man Records

Actress Emily Blunt first made a splash in the U.S. as the neurotic senior assistant to Meryl Streep’s character in “The Devil Wears Prada.” She’s since starred in films like “Young Victoria” and “The Adjustment Bureau.” Her latest movie - the second of four coming out this year - is the Judd Apatow-produced comedy “The Five-Year Engagement.” It hits theaters on Friday. Brendan met up with Emily in LA and they talked about teenage memories, salmon (over)fishing, and dolphin break-ups.

Jenny Lawson a.k.a. “The Bloggess” has charmed and infuriated millions with her blog of the same name. This week she published her first book, “Let’s Pretend this Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir),” which chronicles her lifetime of embarrassment. We overhear Jenny reading a dinner-party-worthy excerpt about a (mostly true) kitchen catastrophe.

Next weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the Grilled Cheese Invitational - the largest grilled cheese cooking contest in the country. It’s being held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and they expect over 7,000 spectators. Though it’s now very much a family event, the GCI started as a house party with a cooking competition as the main event. Back in 2005, an intrepid cub reporter named Rico Gagliano covered the 3rd annual Invitational, when it was just starting to attract crowds. Let’s do the grilled cheese time warp.

With songs like “It’s Time to Party,” “Party Party Party,” and (yup) “Party Hard,” you might not be surprised to learn that musician Andrew W.K. is extremely enamored of partying. But his definition of “party” isn’t limited to the standard boozy variety… and the jovial rocker wears a bunch of other (party) hats: improvisational pianist, children’s TV show host, and motivational speaker. He offers up some advice about baby , math, and email. (Andrew’s currently touring to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his album I Get Wet.)

Cal Tech professor Leonard Mlodinow’s work touches on human behavior, neuroscience, physics - and all points in between. He’s written several popular science books, including “The Drunkard’s Walk” and “The Grand Design,” which he co-authored with colleague Stephen Hawking. His latest (out this week) is “Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior.” Brendan asks him for a quick explanation of emotional painkillers, touchy-feely attraction, and other forces operating within all of us…without our knowledge. (Catch Leonard at this weekend’s L.A. Times Festival of Books, and other tour stops later.)

Kevin Barnes fronts the beloved indie band Of Montreal, known for its smart, unpredictable and psychedelic sounds. This weekend for Record Store Day, they release a split 7” single with the band Deerhoof, and they’re touring their new LP “Paralytic Stalks.” Kevin shares a “sexy and schizophrenic” Dinner Party Soundtrack.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

The Cure - “Primary”

Miracle Legion/The Smiths - “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want.”

Eric Clapton - “Cocaine”

37th Old Time Fiddler’s Convention - “Instrumental”

Velvet Underground - “Venus In Furs”

The White Stripes - “Seven Nation Army”

Wynton Marsalis - “Big Butter and Egg Man”

Roni Size - “Brown Paper Bag”

Andrew W.K. - “Party Hard”

Andrew W.K. - “Seeing the Car”

Stereolab - “Tickertape of the Unconscious”

Marvin Gaye - “Distant Lover”

Motley Crue - “Live Wire”

Krzysztof Penderecki - “Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima”

Our interview this week with ?uestlove got me thinking about the marriage of my two favorite things - food and music. While not all food-related songs are actual odes to the edible (“Cherry Pie”, anyone?), there is no shortage of tasty metaphors in the world of music.

This quickly curated list represents my 10 favorite picks, based on my brunch-time appetite for sound.

1. Red Beans and Rice- Spearhead
   Foreshadowing the mellow yogi that he’s since become, a younger Michael Franti, fronting his band Spearhead circa 1994, here expresses his intense love for beans.

2. Caramel- Suzanne Vega
   This song sets a sultry mood, all while priming you for dessert… and beyond.

3. Pabst Blue Ribbon- The Untamed Youth
   This particular song is a nod to my former home of Portland, OR, where ironic Midwestern beer swilling was perfected.

4. Be Healthy- Dead Prez
   If you’re looking to clean up your act, Dead Prez is full of helpful advice on the virtues of healthy eating.

5. Savoy Truffle- The Beatles
   Being an Apple scruff at heart, I’d be remiss to not include this dessert-based song, penned by George Harrison about his sweets-addicted bestie, Mr. Eric Clapton.

6. Mother Popcorn- James Brown
   While the song is truly about a dance rather than the food, it’s not hard to imagine busting a move to this song while waiting for your corn to pop.

7. Knock Me A Kiss- Louis Jordan
   A swinging song, in which a man struggles, caught between his desires for food and the woman he loves. I feel his pain.

8. Lost in the Supermarket- The Clash
   We’ve all been there, aimlessly wandering those endless aisles, with no idea what we’re doing. The piped in 80’s power ballads are never this good, though.

9. Buttermilk Biscuits- Sir Mix-a-lot
   This throwback reminds those who are watching their figures to consume in moderation— buttermilk biscuits can lead to baby getting back.

10. The Coffee Song- Frank Sinatra
    I’ve been repeatedly surprised at how few people are familiar with what I consider to be one of Frankie’s best songs. If this doesn’t have you dancing around the kitchen while grinding your beans, nothing will.

This week: “Actress 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.

Documentarian Morgan (“Supersize Me”) Spurlock leaves us with a quick joke. His new film, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope is rolling out nationally this month.

Eric Zorn, columnist for The Chicago Tribune, calls our attention to an alarming trend in the music world: early-onset puberty.

This week back in 1827, a chemist based in Stockton-on-Tees, England, made a striking discovery. Learn about John Walker’s accidental invention of the friction match, and then light up your night with these brilliant matchstick cocktails.

The “STRIKE,” as invented by Allan McPhail, acting manager at The Vane Arms Pub and Restaurant in Stockton-on-Tees, UK. (Click the photo for full effect.)

In a collins glass or tall shot glass (depending on your tolerance) Combine equal parts of the following to create the body of the match:

• Bailey’s Irish Cream
• Kahlua
• brandy
• double cream (or dilute to taste)

Then whisk:

• 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons caster sugar
• 1/2 part Grenadine

Spoon this frothy mix atop the drink, creating the matchhead. If you’re feeling lucky, add sparklers for effect. (“Please be aware of burning hazards of sparklers,” says Allan.)

Bestselling author (and Miami Herald columnist) Carl Hiaasen made his mark writing thrillers, but in the past decade he’s written a number of beloved children’s books, including the Newberry award-winning “Hoot” in 2006. His latest, “Chomp,” is a coming of age story that doubles as a send-up of reality TV… so we had him bring us a list of his favorite — which is to say, somewhat ridiculous — reality shows.

Kathy Griffin knows a thing or two about misbehavin’. (Just ask Andersen Cooper.) The comedian, actress, and talk show host has won over legions of fans with her provocative, irreverent comedy and her double Emmy-winning show “My Life on the D-List.” Her new weekly show “Kathy” premieres this Thursday (10PM, Bravo.) She advises our listeners on how to handle bad influences, lingering guests, and see [sic] food.

We all know about Fred Astaire. Less well-known is Adele Astaire, and Australian theater scholar Kathleen Riley is trying to change that. Her new non-fiction book is called “The Astaires: Fred and Adele.” Today we overhear her recounting a dinner-party worthy anecdote about the duo’s adventures.

To help us win our next kid-friendly dinner party, we turn to certifiable kid experts The Imagination Movers. The New Orleans-based band has been performing kid-centric pop-rock for almost a decade in sold-out tours and for their Disney Jr. show. Mover Rich and Mover Scott (both fathers, too) enlighten Rico about the wonders of interactivity, make-believe and arena-rock cliches. (The Imagination Movers head out this week on a tour for their just-released Rock-O-Matic album).

As the drummer and co-frontman of hip-hop group The Roots (also the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) ?uestlove is music royalty. Now he’s getting into the food game, too, and it turns out his buttermilk chicken is as good as his music. Bon Appetit named it one of their top things to eat in 2012. Which got under the (deep fried) skin of celebrity chef David Chang, a guy who’s known for his fried chicken at Momofuku. On the eve of the ensuing chicken cook-off (UPDATE: ?uest lost), Brendan grills the musician about his ironically healthy new diet, and why food is the new hip-hop.

As the star of charming, lo-fi movies like “Greenberg” and “Hannah Takes the Stairs,” Greta Gerwig has earned some labels she’s not so fond of (“quirky”), and also some she can probably live with… like “The definitive actress of her generation.” This month, she headlines the campus comedy Damsels in Distress, indie giant Whit Stillman’s first film in more than a decade. (Oh, and you can catch her in Woody Allen’s next project, too.) Greta tells Rico about unnatural talent, her Chrysler LeSabre-ness, and why there’s no Nobel for mathematics.

Last summer, when we caught on to the Alabama Shakes and frontwoman Brittany Howard’s unbelievable pipes, our One For the Road pick “You Ain’t Alone” unleashed a torrent of listener love. Now that the band’s debut LP Boys and Girls is finally here, it’s about time for another. Here’s “I Found You” - perfect track for when all’s sweet in the world.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Stuttgart Piano Trio - Franz Schubert: “Piano Trio No. 1 - III. Scherzo: Allegro”

Stars - “Set Yourself On Fire”

Wildlife - “Matches”

George Fenton - “Planet Earth Prelude”

DJ Shadow - “You Can’t go Home Again”

Bix Biederbecke - “The Baltimore”

Gene Krupa - “How High the Moon”

The Imagination Movers - “Jump Up”

Phoenix - “School’s Rules”

A Tribe Called Quest - “Ham & Eggs”

Broken Social Scene - “Love & Mathematics”

Alabama Shakes - “I Found You”

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. You can find all of the show’s segments here.

Be sure to tune in NEXT week for an all-new, all-excellent show featuring everyone’s favorite drummer Questlove, actress Greta Gerwig, and satirist extraordinaire 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.

Nick Thorburn of the pop band Islands sees his way to a punchline.

Katrina Szish, TV personality and fellow alum of the TV show “Rocco’s Dinner Party,” tells us why it’s now easier, in Dubai, to order pizza than to call 9-1-1.

This week in 1814, the physician who lent his name to one of France’s best-known inventions died. Learn about Dr. Guillotin and his “enlightened” death machine, and then drink this custom cocktail ‘til your head falls off:

“The Blood & Straw,” as devised by Brian Wilshire of Bar Tonique in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

In a shaker, add equal parts:

• Ansac Cognac VS
• Cynar artichoke amaro
• Luxardo “Sangue Morlacco” cherry liqueur
• fresh orange juice

Shake and pour into a shot or martini glass. Raise the drink high, then down it swiftly and dispassionately.

Hard-rock band Howlin Rain just released their album “The Russian Wilds,” produced by Rick Rubin. We tune into “Self-Made Man” - the album’s epic arena-rockin’ opener… then frontman Ethan Miller shares a wildly eclectic list of his go-to songs. (Ethan and the band kick off a tour next week.)

• Wendy Carlos - Henry Purcell: “Music For The Funeral Of Queen Mary”
• RTX (aka Black Bananas) - “Knightmare & Mane”
• Wiz Kalifa - “Black & Yellow”

It’s true: Seminal American wit Mark Twain traversed the space-time continuum, “Connecticut Yankee” style, to declaim on matters of decorum, right here in our studios. It’s all thanks to Val Kilmer - the actor best known for his work in Heat, The Doors, and Batman Forever - who reincarnates the American icon in a new play called “Citizen Twain.” Kilmer-Twain chimes in on cigar-smoking, chicken-raising, and a certain prickly actor. (For more info about the show - running this weekend and next at Hollywood Forever Cemetery - click here.)

Award-winning Israeli author Etgar Keret is renowned for his surreal, extremely short “flash” fiction. This week, he releases a new collection called “Suddenly, A Knock on the Door.” We overhear actor Willem Dafoe performing the story “Mystique.” (The forthcoming audiobook also features Dave Eggers, Miranda July, Michael Chabon, and an impressive array of Keret fans.)

Chris Moneymaker lived every poker player’s dream. In 2003, he spent 40 bucks to enter an online tourney, qualified for the World Series of Poker, then beat the odds and WON, walking away with more than a million dollars. His story anchors the new poker documentary “All-In,” which takes a wide-angled look at poker’s rise in the last decade. Rico asks Moneymaker for some help in navigating his own (penny) poker games.

In LA, Seattle, Chicago, and New York most of all, oyster restaurants are spawning almost as fast as well, oysters. To learn why they’re all the rage, Brendan heads over to The John Dory - one of NYC’s most bustling nouveau oyster shops - and meets up with Dana Hale, aka “The Oysteress.” Dana works for Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury, Massachusetts, and she sells oysters to almost every oyster purveyor in New York.

With barely a fistful of dollars, filmmakers Mark and Jay Duplass have made a string of smart domestic comedies including festival-fave “The Puffy Chair,” and 2010’s “Cyrus,” with Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly. Their latest, only slightly more expensive project “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” just hit theaters. It follows the basement-dwelling title character — played by Jason Segel — as he ventures with his brother into the wide and mysterious world. Jay and Mark tell Rico about Porsche-wrecking, tandem-napping, and those ‘other’ brothers.

Two years ago Bethany Cosentino and her band Best Coast released the album “Crazy For You” and it became the soundtrack of the summer. She’s poised to do it again with a forthcoming album — and song — called “The Only Place.” Best listened to while fishing out your swimming gear.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Jo Privat - “Joseph, Joseph”

Jesus & Mary Chain - “Head On”

Howlin Rain - “Self-Made Man”

Wendy Carlos - Henry Purcell: “Music For The Funeral Of Queen Mary”

RTX (aka Black Bananas) - “Knightmare & Mane”

Wiz Kalifa - “Black & Yellow”

The Bad Plus - “Tom Sawyer”

The Album Leaf - “Vermillion”

Pink Floyd - “Wot’s… Uh the Deal”

Radiant Dragon - “Oysters”

Beck - “Waiting For a Sign”

Best Coast - “The Only Place”

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, billiard-inspired booze, a super joke from Of Montreal, and vibrating tattoos.

Kevin Barnes — frontman of beloved indie outfit Of Montreal— shares a super joke. His band is in the midst of touring the album Paralytic Stalks.

Madeleine Brand, host of her own eponymous show on member station KPCC-FM in LA, tells us about Finns who’re itching for new technology.

This week back in 1954, Willie Mosconi performed one of the most brilliant feats in sports, ever, draining 526 consecutive billiard balls. Learn about the child prodigy-turned-15-time-World-Champion - then rack up a set of these custom cocktails.

THE SMOKE AND HONEY, as devised by David Strauss at The Ranstead Room in Philadelphia, Willie’s birthplace:

In a pint glass, over ice, pour:

• 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. honey syrup (3 parts honey, 1 part water)
• 1 3/4 oz. blended scotch whiskey, e.g. Famous Grouse
• 1/4 oz. smoky peat Scotch, e.g. Laphroaig

Add to a classic glass, with large (billiard ball-like?) ice chunk. Sink it and then repeat. (NOT 526 times!)

Jazz star Esperanza Spalding, who bested Justin Bieber and Drake at last year’s Grammys for the Best New Artist award, just released her new highly-anticipated album Radio Music Society. To celebrate, we revisit her soundtrack of go-to tracks for an evening soiree:

• “Florcita de Amor” by Aca Seca Trio
• “Twice” by Little Dragon
• “Spanish Tinge” or “A Toodle-oo Toodle-oo” by Jaki Byard.

One of the country’s premier concierges, Michael Fazio lives to serve… and fittingly, he was quite willing to answer our listeners’ etiquette questions. He delivers the goods with tips on plate-snatching, brutal honesty….and breastmilk storage? (Michael’s book Concierge Confidential is out now in paperback.)

Comedian Moshe Kasher is best known for stints on the stand-up circuit and on TV’s “Chelsea Lately.” His first book, a memoir, comes out this week. It’s called “Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland who Became a Drug addict, Criminal, Mental Patient….and Then Turned 16.” Don’t worry, he survived. This week, we overhear him read a dinner-party-worthy tale about his own (near) train wreck.

As if escargot or caviar weren’t unusual enough, we can now nibble on “escargot caviar” — yes, that’d be snail eggs. Still a rare ingredient on U.S. menus, Rico pays a visit to Beverly Hills Caviar to sample some of what owner Kelly Scheiner calls a fairy-tale food.

Wunderkind writer and science evangelist Jonah Lehrer has picked apart Proust and decision-making in two widely acclaimed books. His latest offering, Imagine: How Creativity Works, blends science and storytelling to explore how certain people (Shakespeare, Dylan, etc.) have achieved sublime moments of inspiration. He offers Brendan a speedy primer on what drives the creative mind.

Novelist Rick Moody is best known for his novels Garden State and The Ice Storm, but he’s long held a passion for music, too. His new book On Celestial Music: And Other Adventures in Listening brings together these worlds with freewheeling essays about music he can’t live without - everything Otis Redding to Captain Beefheart to The Pogues. Like a true jazz artist, he jumps from one line to the next without missing a beat. He tells Brendan about the perils of film adaptation, dying for music, and his genetic discovery.

Brooklyn duo Tanlines just released their debut full-length Mixed Emotions. The new single (and Julian Barrett-directed video) is All Of Me. Best heard while gelling up your asymetrical haircut far from the prying eyes of Brezhnev’s KGB.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Original Dixieland Jazz Band - “Sensation Rag”

Kenyon Hopkins - “The Hustler (closing credits)”

MFSB - “The Sound Of Philly”

“Black Gold” - Esperanza Spalding

Aca Seca Trio - “Florcita de Amor”

Little Dragon - “Twice”

Jaki Byard - “Spanish Tinge” or “A Toodle-oo Toodle-oo”

Status Quo - “Whatever You Want”

Rob Dougan - “Clubbed to Death”

Ooberman - “Running Girl”

Bob Dylan - “Like A Rolling Stone”

Kings of Convenience - “Gold For The Price Of Silver”

Captain Beefheart - “Drink Paint Run Run (Instrumental)”

Tanlines - “All of Me”