Icebreaker: Trevor Powers Trevor Powers, the musician also known as Youth Lagoon, tries not to tell us a bad joke…but we worm it out of him. Fresh off the success of hisdebut album, Trevor kicks off an international tour this month.

Small Talk: Aaron Britt Aaron Britt, Deputy Design editor of Dwell Magazine, tells us there’s a new way to access the 21st century’s “forbidden city.”

A History Lesson With Booze: The Monopoly Passes Go and the “Boardwalk Fizz” In 1904 Elizabeth Magie patented a board game called The Landlord’s Game, in the hope that it would teach people about the evils of landgrabbing. Learn about how her game eventually inspired Charles Darrow’s “Monopoly” (first marketed by Parker Bros this week in 1935), then sip this drink while building your real estate empire.

“The Boardwalk Fizz,” gamely invented by Demetri Karessis, bartender/mixologist at the venerable Dock’s Oyster House in Atlantic City, NJ.

Muddle in a shaker:

• 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 oz. Ransom Old Tom Gin(brown gin)
• 1 egg white
• Simple syrup to taste

Shake together, dry, to get a good froth. Then add ice. Shake some more and add a splash of champagne for a bit of Park Place class. Strain into coupe or martini glass. Finish with a few dashes of bitters. And then get bitter when your friend doesn’t land on your property, snags free parking, and bankrupts you.

Guest List: Weird Bands Andy Hermann, national music editor at Metromix.com, also co-writes the blog “Weirdest Band In The World,” in which he compiles dossiers on the many musical outfits going happily insane on the far fringes of rock. Just in time for this weekend’s Grammys, he lists three of the least normal acts of the year: Hank Williams III, iwrestledabearonce, and Japan’s Trippple Nippples.

Etiquette: The Posts When the etiquette questions get really tough, and the thrash metal rockers and starship pilots just can’t can’t cut it, we turn to the experts. Daniel Post-Senning and Lizzie Post, descendants of Emily Post herself and part of the Emily Post Institute’s braintrust, fit the bill perfectly - and politely. This time, they grapple with stinky lunches, dinner blessings, and “genetiquette” bumper stickers.

Eavesdropping: Krys Lee Writer Krys Lee just released her debut collection of short stories, “Drifting House,” to wide acclaim. In it, she sheds light on the unsettling elements of the Korean immigrant experience in America. Today we overhear Krys reading some dinner-party-worthy excerpts…

Chattering Class: Undefeated It would’ve been easy to miss one of the decade’s most inspiring sports stories: A perpetually underfunded high school football team in hardscrabble North Memphis that, in 2010, wrapped up one of the most successful regular seasons in its 100+ year history. But filmmakers T.J. Martin and Daniel Lindsay were there to film it, and the result was a documentary (and soon to be Sean Combs-produced feature) called “Undefeated”. It’s up for an Oscar this month. Martin & Lindsay school Rico on how they managed to capture the story… or maybe it was the other way around.

Guest of Honor: The Shins’ James Mercer 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, just in time for Valentine’s Day, The Shins are back with a new single, simply called “Simple Song” off their March LP Port of Morrow. James tells Brendan about listlessness, cold war secrets and how the song he wrote that changed others people’s lives changed his.

Main Course: Pudding on the Rise Eaters on both sides of the Atlantic are getting into comfort foods… and for Brits, one effect is an olde-tyme pudding boom. Upscale UK restaurants and supermarkets are carrying many varieties of the old-school English desserts, based on recipes from the Victorian era, or even earlier. The country’s National Trust even revived the classic Winifred pudd for sale at historic landmarks this winter. Rico chats with London-based food historian Caroline Yeldham about pudding history, and why a fool isn’t always something that has to be suffered.

One for the Road: Dr. Dog - “That Olde Black Hole” Dr. Dog blends pop, psychedelia, and smart songwriting into a laid-back sound that owes a little something to Neil Young. But the Philly band is of the moment — they just released their fourth album Be the Void this week. Standout track “That Olde Black Hole” is a perfect way to take your party to another dimension.

SPECIAL: Winifred Pudding Recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 slice Allinson wholemeal batch bread, crusts removed
• 5 tbsp whole milk
• 85g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 85g (3oz) caster sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 tsp lemon flavouring or lemon oil
• 250g (9oz) puff pastry, thawed if frozen
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar (to decorate)

Preheat the oven to 180*C

1. Lightly butter and flour a 9in (20cm) shallow plate pie dish. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Chill until ready to use

2. Whizz the bread in a food processor to fine crumbs and tip into a bowl. Gently warm the milk and pour over the breadcrumbs and allow to stand for 5 minutes until cooled slightly and the breadcrumbs have absorbed the milk

3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until they are pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until they are well incorporated.

4. Beat the breadcrumbs mixture with a fork until it is smooth and then stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon oil and pour into the prepared pastry case.

5. Bake for 30 minutes until it has risen and is golden. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the caster sugar and bake it for a further 5 minutes - this will give the pudding a crunchy top. Serve warm with pouring cream.

To serve cold: Mix together 2 tbsp icing sugar and a little water or freshly squeezed lemon juice to make a smooth icing. Drizzle over the pudding and serve.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Erik Satie - “Le Piccadilly - Marche” (Anne Queffelec, piano)

Count Basie - “House Rent Boogie”

Ben Sidran - “Monopoly”

Hank 3 - “Ray Lawrence, Jr.”

Hank 3’s 3 Bar Ranch - “Mitch Jordan - Branded”

iwrestledabearonce - “Tastes Like Kevin Bacon”

Trippple Nippples - “Drink the Haterade”

RJD2 - “Laws of the Gods”

Debussy - “The Children’s Hour”

Daedelus - “Soulful Of Child”

James Brown - “The Sportin’ Life”

“Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy (remix)”

The Shins - “Simple Song”

The Shins - “September”

The Shins - “Australia”

Dr. Dog - “That Olde Black Hole”

Krys Lee, whose debut story collection “Drifting House” comes out this week, finds some humor in North Korean-American relations.

Jessica Coen, editor-in-chief of women’s culture website Jezebel, talks about introducing Greek culture to English universities. That’s Sororities…not Socrates.

This week in 1961, at the height of the cold War, the U.S. created “Operation: Looking Glass” to oversee its nuclear response from above… should the worst happen on the ground. Learn about the special fleet of “Doomsday Planes,” then toast the fact that we’ve never needed to use them with this cocktail:

“If You Push the Button…”, as tested by Derek Brown, mixologist and co-owner of The Passenger and The Columbia Room in our nation’s capital.

Combine in a shaker:

• 3/4 oz. Bourbon
• 3/4 oz. Dry Amontillado Sherry
• 1/2 oz. Cointreau
• 1/2 - 3/4 oz. fresh-squeezed OJ
• Dash Orange Bitters
• Dash Allspice Dram

Strain into a glass - no ice - and hope you never get to the end.

Actor James Cromwell has starred in TV shows like Six Feet Under and ER, and in films including “L.A. Confidential” and “Babe.” His role as a taciturn farmer in the latter earned him an Oscar nod. In the silent film “The Artist” (up for 10 Academy Awards) Cromwell plays another character whose actions speak volumes: a faded movie star’s loyal driver. So he seemed like a perfect candidate to spotlight notable “silent types” in cinema, those actors who can convey everything with a look.

Social critic and writer Caitlin Flanagan (now of The Atlantic) stirs up controversy pretty regularly. Though she says she fits the liberal mold (supporting abortion rights and gay marriage) — she’s raised the ire of feminists by championing stay-at-home motherhood and suggesting sex is a “wifely duty.” Flanagan’s new book, Girl Land, visits another touchy subject: the fraught space between little girl-dom and womanhood. She takes on listeners’ etiquette questions, then tells a story that absolutely takes the cake.

Chinese writer and activist Liu Xiaobo was represented by an empty chair when he was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2010; he was a political prisoner in China at the time. He still is… but his essays and poetry have been gathered in a new book called No Enemies, No Hatred. We overhear the book’s translator - and leading Chinese scholar - Perry Link give voice to one of Liu’s poems called “Alone in Winter.”

Jesse Prinz, philosophy professor at CUNY, challenges the contemporary thinking that our genes predetermine our life patterns. He gives Brendan three talking points about nature-nurture from his new book “Beyond Human Nature: How Culture and Experience Shape our Lives”.

This Sunday, as the Patriots and Giants clash in the Super Bowl, Americans will consume more food than on any other day this year except Thanksgiving…and a lot of it will be chicken wings. Brendan talks with Tom Super, VP of Communications for the Chicken Council (yes, it exists), about America’s other favorite pastime.

Oscar-winner Anjelica Huston first caught the camera’s eye as a model on the 1970’s fashion circuit. She went on to garner acclaim for a slew of roles in films by some of the greatest directors of all time — including Woody Allen and her father, John Huston. Now she’s taking her talents to Broadway (sort of), portraying a veteran musical producer in the new NBC series Smash — premiering Monday. Anjelica tells Rico about Ireland, life in the glare, her fashion days… and her lucky charms.

Danish band The Asteroids Galaxy Tour just released a new album of horn-filled dance pop called Out of Frequency… but it sounds to us like they’re on the right wavelength. The funk-inflected track “Major” is a perfect warm-up for the big game.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Esquivel - “Dancing In The Dark”

MIA - “Paper Planes” (DFA Remix)

Audrey Ryan - “Red War”

Maserati - “Ambassador Of Cinema”

Carter Burwell - “Blood Trails”

William Alwyn - Theme to “Odd Man Out”

Depeche Mode - “Enjoy the Silence”

El Ten Eleven - “Hot Cakes”

Ruins - “Loving Recklessly Seeded A Human”

(Traditional) - “Hurry to the Flower Fair”

Roni Size - “Mad Cat”

Link Wray - “Run Chicken Run”

The Pogues - “Wild Cats Of Kilkenny”

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - “Major”

Icebreaker: Robert Crais Bestselling crime author Robert Crais butts in with a joke. Robert just released his latest Joe Cole/Elvis Pike novel, “Taken,” and he’s on tour now.

Small Talk: Sadie Stein Sadie Stein, Deputy editor of The Paris Review, tells us that Charles Dickens had great expectations about interior design.

A History Lesson With Booze: Shoichi Yokoi and Yokoi’s Green Scene On January 24th, 1972, on the island of Guam, Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi rose from the dead…in a manner of speaking. Hear Yokoi’s astonishing story, then toast his memory with the drink that bears his name.

“Yokoi’s Green Scene,” as dredged up by Jeff Pleadman of Jeff’s Pirate Cove in Guam.

In a mixing glass, add:

• 1.5 oz. Spiced rum
• .5 oz. Midori melon liqueur
• 3 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. sweet and sour mix
• 8 oz. crushed ice
• splash of milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend. Pour into a 16 oz glass. Warning: Drink slowly or risk behaving like you haven’t interacted with your fellow humans for 28 years.

Guest List: Sundance Flops Dana Harris, Editor-in-Chief of the film website Indiewire, just witnessed Sundance’s annual ritual: major studios buying up indie films for distribution. Sometimes they can turn a major profit… but Dana lists three cautionary tales of Sundance successes that became massive flops.

Etiquette: Megadeth’s Dave Ellefson Dave Ellefson, bassist and co-founder of iconic thrash metal band Megadeth, is used to playing neck-wrenching music to sold-out stadiums (this week they kicked off a “Gigantour” alongside fellow legends Motorhead). But the heavy metal maestro recently embarked upon a second career path: he’s studying to be Lutheran minister. Dave tells us about his two righteous pastimes and then kindly advises us on noisy neighbors, pyrotechnic centerpieces, and spice-a-tarians.

Eavesdropping: Ben Marcus In his new novel, The Flame Alphabet, celebrated author Ben Marcus weaves and warps language into a beautiful, terrible thing…in fact it’s literally a weapon that causes physical harm. He shares a fittingly creepy excerpt that you might be talking about - hopefully without ill health effects - at your next dinner party. (Ben will be touring the country this month.)

Main Course: Bocuse D’Or or Bust “Iron Chef” can’t hold a candle to the Bocuse D’Or - the legendary, bi-annual cooking competition started by 3-Michelin-star chef Paul Bocuse. American chefs are vying this week for the chance to represent the USA in the event, which takes place a year from now. Andrew Friedman of the chef/cuisine site Toqueland wrote a book about the 2009 competition called “Knives at Dawn: America’s Quest for Culinary Glory at the Legendary Bocuse d’Or Competition.” He chats with Rico about the sport, spectacle, and savoir faire wrapped up in the elite event.

For a look at last year’s “shimmering, multi-dimensional” winning platter from chef Rasmus Kofoed, put on sunglasses and click here and here. And then check out this video of Rasmus presenting it before a Megadeth-level raucous crowd:

Guest of Honor: Antonio Banderas The term “Latin Lover” still dogs actor Antonio Banderas, but sneak a peak at his CV and you’ll find everything from arthouse films to action-adventures to Broadway musicals. This past year, he showed his range — again — with two wildly different leads: he plays the titular kitty in the animated Shrek-spinoff “Puss in Boots“… and a maniacal plastic surgeon in “The Skin I Live In.” “Puss” was just nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Film. In the latter, he re-teams with Pedro Almodovar, the auteur who helped launch his career 20 years ago. Antonio tells Brendan about the romance of the traveling actor, his distaste for careers, and how he learned to talk.

Chattering Class: Emerging Men’s Fashion Last week, Paris held one its major shows for high-end men’s fashion. Jared Flint, style editor at fashion website Park and Bond, schools us on the latest trends emerging from the runway: double-breasted suits, astrakhans (lamb collars - not without controversy), and… wait for it… kilties. Your shoes will never be naked again.

Soundtrack: Chairlift Brooklyn duo Chairlift (aka Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wemberly) just released their eagerly-awaited second album, Something, to stellar reviews. To celebrate, they offer us a few musical suggestions, and throw in a magnifique French accent and martinis for kicks. Their picks: “Wow and Flutter” by Stereolab, “Silk and Honey” by Honey LTD, and “Happiness Togetherness” by Heatwave - now Brendan’s new favorite song. They close things out with “Amanaemonesia,” from this week’s LP.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Kodo - “Nanafushi”

Small Faces - “Tin Soldier (Instrumental)”

Little Joy - “The Next time Around”

Megadeth - “New World Order”

Megadeth - “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”

Ravel - “Piano Concerto in G major: Adagio assai”

Maserati - “The Language”

The Bad Plus - “1980 World Champion”

Adam Ant - “Puss In Boots”

Sackcloth Fashion - “Direction”

“Wow and Flutter” - Sterolab

Honey L-T-D - “Silk and Honey”

Heatwave - “Happiness Togetherness”

Chairlift - “Amanaemonesia”

Icebreaker: Chairlift Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly of the band Chairlift race us to the punchline. Their much-anticipated new album Something comes out next week.

Small Talk: Richard Lawson Richard Lawson, culture editor at The Atlantic Wire, delivers a whopper of a story.

A History Lesson With Booze: Roller Coasters and “The Thunderbolt” This week back in 1885, one-time hosiery salesman LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the roller coaster. Hear about his invention’s rickety ride from coal country to Coney Island, and then get your thrills in liquid form:

The Thunderbolt, as thrown down by James Quigley of Peggy O’Neil’s, in the heart of Coney Island.

In a 8 oz glass with ice, add:

• 2 oz. orange-infused vodka
• 2 oz. cranberry juice
• A splash of Red Bull

Stir, shake, and rattle it all together, then ride it down and feel the rush. (Caution: Do not attempt BEFORE riding a coaster.)

Guest List: Chuck Klosterman Chuck Klosterman is perhaps best known for his novels and pop culture essays, but he’s also a highly regarded sports writer and one of the featured contributors to the sports journal Grantland. As we enter the last week of the NFL playoffs, he lists a few reasons why the three Americans who don’t pay attention to football… should.

Etiquette:Lucinda Williams Lucinda Williams chronicles love and loss, grit and gratitude like few others — Emmylou Harris once wrote Williams “Could sing the phone book and probably give it meaning.” Her latest album “Blessed” has earned her a 15th Grammy nomination - this time for “Best Americana Album.” An astute observer of human behavior, she answers listeners’ questions about how to act at barbecues and holiday meals, and how to show off a good pair of boots. (Lucinda’s in the midst of a West Coast tour, culminating at UCLA’s Royce Hall, and you can catch her at the 2012 Grammys on Feb 12th.)

Eavesdropping: Shalom Auslander Shalom Auslander’s writing has appeared in Esquire and The New Yorker. He just released his second book (after the much-lauded debut “Foreskin’s Lament”) - a blackly comic novel called “Hope: a Tragedy.” This week we overhear him reading some dinner-party-worthy excerpts about famous last words.

Chattering Class: The Science of Disgust In her new book “That’s Disgusting: Unraveling the Mysteries of Repulsion,” Brown University professor Rachel Herz dissects all manner of off-putting phenomena - from food to body odors. She schools Brendan on our ick impulse, “healthy” smells, and a certain hair-raising syndrome.

Main Course: “Bone Luge” “Bone Luge” sounds like a joke (or a prehistoric Olympic sport?) but it’s very real: a few Portland bartenders are pouring booze through a bone (along the marrow channel) into your waiting mouth. The trend is so gimmicky many food editors have refused to discuss it altogether. Kat Kinsman, editor of CNN’s food blog Eatocracy, is one — she joins Brendan to talk about not talking about bone luging.

Guest of Honor: Tim and Eric If you happened to stumble upon Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s surreal sketch comedy series “Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” during it’s five-season run on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, you might’ve mistaken it for a cable-access channel programmed by insane Martians. Now Tim & Eric are preparing for the debut of “Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie” (also featuring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and other comic heavy hitters) at this week’s Sundance film festival. Rico talks to the duo about making work look like play, and overdosing on Reese’s Pieces.

One for the Road: The Shins - “Simple Song” The Shins are back…or at least they’ll be back this March when they release their full length album entitled “Port of Morrow.” To tide you over till then, here’s an advance single, simply called “Simple Song.”

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

John Philip Sousa - Josef Franz Wagner: “Under the Double Eagle”

Railroad Jerk - “Rollerkoaster”

Rap Beats - “Cyclone”

“San Francisco 49ers Fight Song”

Johnny Pearson - “Heavy Action (Monday Night Football theme)”

Lucinda Williams - “Blessed”

Lucinda Williams - “709-Joy”

CSS - “Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above (instrumental)”

Puro Instinct - “Everybody’s Sick”

The Meligrove Band - “Bones Attack”

The Herbaliser - “Goldrush”

The Shins - “Simple Song”

Icebreaker: Girls Christopher Owens, lead singer of the band Girls (on tour now), laments a hippie lost at sea.

Small Talk: Reyhan Harmanci Reyhan Harmanci, cuture editor at San Francisco’s Bay Citizen, tells us why one of Will Shortz’s recent crossword clues was illin…and she means that in the most ambiguous of ways.

A History Lesson With Booze: Senator Caraway and the Hattie Bo Baddy This week back in 1932, an Arkansas housewife suddenly became the first elected female Senator in U.S. history…and that was the easy part. Learn all about the woman reporters called “Silent Hattie,” and then toast her memory with a blend of potent southern poisons that’ll leave you speechless.

Hattie Bo Baddy, as created for the DPD by Todd Thrasher of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA:

In a mixing glass full of ice, add:

• 1.5 oz Jack Daniels Whiskey
• .5 oz Wasmunds Rye Spirit
• 1.25 oz caraway honey syrup*
• dash of Peychaud bitters
• squeeze of Lemon Wedge

Stir for one minute. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a honey comb on a skewer. Drink silently while defying expectations.

Caraway honey syrup recipe:

• 16 oz. Honey
• 16 oz. Water
• 1 Tbsp. caraway Seeds

Combine honey and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. While boiling mixture, using a mortar and pestle grind caraway seeds, then toast in a saute pan until they turn golden brown. Add to the honey mixture and let simmer for 30 minutes. Strain caraway seeds through a fine sieve, and let cool.

Guest List: Ezra Miller’s Bad Seeds Cinema history is littered with possessed folks (see: last week’s panned box office champ The Devil Inside), but demonic kids seem to make an especially lasting impression. Rising star Ezra Miller, who plays the titular malevolent teen in the new film We Need to Talk about Kevin, talks about why we’re enthralled by evil kids… and lists a few other big-screen “bad seeds” we should watch out for. (You can catch Ezra this spring in the film adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being A Wallflower.)

Guest of Honor: Stephen Merchant Writer-comedian Stephen Merchant stands tall in real life… and in the British comedy landscape. He co-created the TV shows The Office, Extras, and the upcoming (on HBO) Lifes’ Too Short… all with a certain Golden Globe Awards host. He’s now launching the US leg of his wildly successful stand up show “Hello Ladies,” which focuses on his difficulties with the fairer sex. Stephen tells Brendan about international Offices, confessional comedy, and a certain Rocky relationship.

Eavesdropping: Dave Berry and Alan Zweibel Humor heavyweights Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel have just released the “improvised” novel Lunatics. In keeping with the lunacy, they jump straight to the end of the book — and attempt to read an excerpt.

High Speed Art: Chris Burden Chris Burden exploded onto the art scene in the early ’70s with a series of unsettling performance pieces that forced audiences to consider the fine line between art and immorality, and (often) man and machine. He’s been shot, crucified on a car, and he has crawled through broken glass. But in recent years he’s turned to giant installation pieces that run the gamut from charming to awe-inspiring to ominous. His latest is kind of a combination of the three - a miniature city called “Metropolis II” that’s simultaneously a kid’s train-set dream-come-true… and a vision of city life which Burden says caused viewers “extreme anxiety” in its early incarnations. The exhibition opens this weekend at the L.A. County Museum of Art. Last year, Rico visited the work-in-progress, learned about Chris’ dream career, and why he wants everyone to take their hands off the steering wheel.

Etiquette: Simon Doonan Brit-born style savant Simon Doonan made waves in the US by dressing the windows at department store Barney’s New York. He remains a creative “ambassador” for the high-end store, but you can also find him as a fashion prognosticator on TV and in his wildly popular books. His new satirical guide, Gay Men Don’t Get Fat, offers hilarious tips on staying fit and fabulous, so we asked him to address our listener’s etiquette questions. With a soupcon of pink and lots of enthusiasm, you can make anything work.

Main Course: Frito Pie Frito pie is a humble street food, assembled in a bag of Frito chips. But now it’s the talk of haute cuisine: Saveur magazine just put it on its annual list of 100 trendy food items… and star French chef Daniel Boulud recently proclaimed his love of the dish. Rico digs into a crunchy, creamy bagful with Briana Valdez of Comal, a pop-up (soon to be brick-and-mortar) food project that serves Texan cuisine and “the best Frito pie in L.A.”

Soundtrack: The War on Drugs Philadelphia rock outfit The War on Drugs revels in languid riffs and lyrical storytelling; think of them as troubadours in the 21st century. Their sophomore album Slave Ambient debuted to raves last year, and they drop a 7” next week. Groove to frontman Adam Granduciel’s dinner party soundtrack, and then hear how the songs inform his slow-burning gem “Best Night” (below).

The War on Drugs - Best Night by SongsOfTheDay

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Hal Kemp - “I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In A Five and Ten Cent Store)”

Pavement - “Silence Kit”

Elmer Bernstein - “Dog Chase/Killing The Dog” (from “The Good Son”)

Baris Balci - “Carmina Burana” remix

Bill Conti - “Gonna Fly Now”

Elmer Bernstein - “Main Titles” (from “Animal House”)

Elvis Costello - “God’s Comic”

Pink Mochi - “Syntax”

The Cobramatics - “Puddings and Pies”

The Waterboys - “A Pagan Place”

Blues Control - “Migration”

Roxy Music - “2 H. B.”

Icebreaker: Keshni Kashyap Keshni Kashyap, author of the new graphic novel Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary, gives us a fittingly existential question about the meaning of…light. (Keshni launches her national book tour this week.)

Small Talk: Patt Morrison Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times columnist and host of the titular show on KPCC-FM, tells us how Paypal stopped the music.

A History Lesson With Booze: This week back in 1980, “Rapper’s Delight,” by the Sugarhill Gang, became the first top 40 rap hit ever. Learn about the song’s intrepid producer and its bizarre origins, and then order up this future hit at the bar:

MY DELIGHT, as mixed for us by Moses Laboy at Red Rooster in Harlem, not far from Sugarhill:

Add to a cocktail shaker:

• 2 oz. Cognac
• 1 oz. Cinnamon-infused simple syrup
• 1 tsp. apple butter
• 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
• 2 splashes of Dutch’s Colonial cocktail bitters

Shake while dancing to the rhythm of the boogie. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a dehydrated pineapple for a little tropical fun. Drink a drop, then hippie to the hip hop…and then drink the rest.

Guest List: Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s Liszt List 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. This week, he joins the L.A. Philharmonic at Disney Concert Hall for several performances of Liszt - one of music’s first “rock stars.” He tells us - in the form of a List Lizst - why the 19th century pianist deserves the title.

Etiquette: George Takei Actor, activist, and web darling George Takei has entertained millions of Earthlings as Star Trek’s ever-poised Mr. Sulu. Recently, he brokered a hilarious “star peace” between bickering sci-fi legends William Shatner and Carrie Fischer, which got us thinking that he’d be a perfect arbiter of etiquette debacles. George obliged with thoughts on Trekkie confessions, female feet, and Hookers on Sunset Blvd.

Eavesdropping: Kathleen Turner Actress Kathleen Turner brings to life the late, great newspaper columnist Molly Ivins in the one-woman show Red Hot Patriot: The Kick Ass Wit of Molly Ivins. The play celebrates its West Coast Premiere this Wednesday (Jan 9th) at LA’s Geffen Playhouse. We overhear her performing a few dinner-party-worthy excerpts… all about Molly’s native state.

Chattering Class: Justin Schenck You may not’ve noticed actor Justin Schenck in his latest TV role — he portrayed a corpse on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” But that doesn’t mean it’s easy playing dead. Justin teaches us how to inhabit the role of a cadaver, and looks ahead to more lively roles.

Main Course: Third Wave Coffee Not too long ago, coffee was coffee. Then we all went latte, and coffee shops started cropping up, and then Starbucks took over those coffee shops. In the past couple of years a new coffee culture has emerged… called “3rd Wave” coffee. It involves roasters and extremely high standards - basically micro-breweries for coffee. Brendan stopped by one of these new coffee shrines, Handsome Coffee in Los Angeles, and got the skinny (chai latte) from two of its owners Michael Phillips and Chris Owens.

Guest of Honor: Wim Wenders German filmmaker Wim Wenders helmed the Cannes-winning classic “Paris, Texas,” the beloved art-house staple “Wings Of Desire,” and “Buena Vista Social Club” — the documentary that helped popularize Cuban music worldwide. This week his new film Pina leaps on to, and out of, screens. It’s a study (in 3-D!) of the work of the late choreographer Pina Baush. Wim shares sob stories with Rico, chats about universal languages, then walks all over Eddie Murphy and W.C. Fields.

One for the Road - Guided by Voices Next week, indie giants Guided By Voices return with a new album (their 16th!) called “Let’s Go Eat the Factory,” which some critics are hailing as among their greatest. Here’s a track from it called “The Unsinkable Fats Domino” that’ll keep you afloat all weekend.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Sylvia - “Pillow Talk”

The Sugarhill Gang - “Rapper’s Delight”

Chic - “Good Times”

The Sugarhill Gang - “Apache”

Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Liszt: “Totentanz”

Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Liszt: “Isoldes Liebestod”

Franz Liszt - “Piano Concerto No. 2”

RAC (a.k.a. Remix Artist Collective) - “Star Trek Theme Remix”

Paul Brown - “Big Eyed Rabbit”

Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys - “Red Hot Gal of Mine”

Pixies - “Dead”

Supergrass - “Coffee in the Pot”

Tito Puente & His Orchestra - “3-D Mambo”

Guided by Voices - “The Unsinkable Fats Domino”

Icebreaker: Tim Burton Director Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is on producer Jackson Musker’s list of fave films… unfortunately for him, baby seals are also Jackson’s favorite animal.

The Ultimate List-Maker Writer and historian David Wallechinsky’s bestselling Book of Lists - first published in 1977 - broke ground by compiling massive amounts of trivia in list form. Now in its fourth edition, the book continues to feature odd list topics, coupled with rich descriptions: “18 Famous Brains, and What They Weighed,” “10 People Not to Invite to Dinner,” etc. Wallechinsky enlightens Brendan and Rico about the allure of lists, then shares a particularly memorable - and timely - entry.

The Year in Funny: Opus Moreschi Emmy-winning comedian and writer Opus Moreschi (The Colbert Report) lists the most laughable moments of 2011: FX’s Louie, hypochondria on WTF with Marc Maron, an ill-fated cab ride, and the “rediscovery” of women in comedy.

Music List: 2011 in Ringtones Ringtones might not be as novel as they were in 2005, but it’s worth noting that they still make up one-third of all music sales on the web: $2-plus billion dollars. We countdown the top tones of the year…and then give Rico’s cell a ring.

A.O. Scott’s Movie List Along with Manhola Dargis, A.O. Scott serves as chief film critic for The New York Times. He just came out with his annual list of the Best Films Of The Year. Rico talks with him about the the pleasures and perils of listmaking, then A.O. shares three of his 2011 favorites you might have missed: UFC fighter flick Warrior, British romance Weekend, and the absurdist Italian film Le Quattro Volte.

Eavesdropping: The Onion’s Year in Review The expert satirists at The Onion News Network list the biggest events of the year that wasn’t. For more, head here.

Best/Worst: The Submission It was on the best of lists; it was on the worst of lists. Amy Waldman’s The Submission made a big splash in September and climbed onto several year-end lists. Booklist editor Donna Seaman considered it a “Top 10 First Novel” and one of the year’s finest overall. But Alexander Nazaryan, who writes for the New York Daily News and its book blog Page Views, says don’t believe the hype. Now you decide.

The Future of Food: Doorknobs, Blood and Bark The James Beard Foundation - an organization dedicated to food education - recently published a list of food trends that they expect to take off in 2012. Brendan caught up with the foundation’s VP Mitchell Davis at Dominque Ansel’s new NYC bakery to taste one of the hot items, and to chew on the rest.

The Future of Design: Debbie Millman Designers are constantly thinking about tomorrow’s products, objects, and fashions. So we asked Debbie Millman, President Emeritus of the American Institute Of Graphic Arts and host of the internet radio show “Design Matters”, to list a few things we’ll be seeing in the year(s) to come. Including robot cars and jetpacks.

2012 Soundtrack: Fader’s 2012 Artists to Watch Fader magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Matthew Schnipper lists three albums to look forward to in 2012: Jhene Aiko’s melancholic R&B, Ital’s gritty electronica, and Ceremony’s hardcore punk. And mark your calendars for new stuff from Santigold and the XX.

Other music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Hot Chocolate - “Brother Louis”

Wilson Phillips - “Hold On”

Perez Prado - “Mambo Jambo (Que Rico El Mambo)”

Chris Brown feat Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne - “Look at Me Now”

Jason Aldean - “Dirt Road Anthem”

Wiz Khalifa - “Black and Yellow”

LMFAO - “Sexy and I Know It”

Chicago Afro Beat Project - “Talking Bush”

Patty Larkin - “The Book I’m Not Reading”

Donna Smith & the Junkmen - “Read About It”

The Naked and the Famous - “Young Blood”

We Were Promised Jetpacks - “Act On Impulse”

Jhene Aiko - “Stranger”

Ital - “Ital’s Theme”

Ceremony - “Sick”

The XX - “Basic Space”

Icebreaker: Adam Spiegelman Comedy mogul Adam Spiegelman — host of the cult movie podcast Proudly Resents and producer of the “game show to go” Dream Tweet — shows us, in joke form, why there’s no business like show business.

Small Talk: Jake Silverstein Jake Silverstein, editor of Texas Monthly, tells us about yet another legal wrangle over Christmas displays on state property. This time, though, garden gnomes are jumping into the fray.

A History Lesson With Booze: Crime of the Yen This week back in 1968, one of the coolest capers in criminal history went down, when a thief in Japan made off with 300 million Yen without firing a shot. Learn all about the notorious heist, then pound down this cocktail it inspired.

THE FUZZY SCREW BOMB, as devised by Jon Francis (with Mike Jin) of Far Bar in LA’s Little Tokyo:

In a pint glass, over ice, pour:

• Sapporo or another light Japanese beer (or substitute orange juice) til you’re about 1.5 inches from rim.

Meanwhile, in a separate shot glass, pour :

• 3/4 oz Soju
• 3/4 oz Peach Schnapps

Lay a pair of chop sticks, parallel to each other and about a half-inch apart, across the top of the beer glass. Sit the shot glass on the chop sticks. Then pound the table until the chop sticks separate and the shot glass drops, bomb-like, into the beer (NOTE: spillage will occur). Drink quickly and feel like either a million bucks or 300 million yen, whichever’s worth more at the moment.

Guest List: Sloane Crosley’s Travel Muses Sloane Crosley’s sharply-observed writing has appeared in the New York Times and GQ, and her bestselling collection “I Was Told There’d Be Cake” is now being wrought into an HBO series. Recently she struck off into new territory, publishing a Kindle-only travel essay called Up the Down Volcano, about her (mis)adventures on the slopes of an active Ecuadorian volcano. Sloane provides a list of travel art to inspire your next journey… like for instance:

Etiquette: The Posts Lizzie Post and Daniel Post-Senning, great-great-grandkids of Emily Post and two of the folks behind the new 18th edition of “Emily Post’s Etiquette,” return for a Holiday-themed manners primer. Apparently, your Auntie’s repulsive sweater must be worn at least once, but it’s also okay to re-gift…if you follow the rules.

Eavesdropping: Jay Kirk Jay Kirk’s debut book “Kingdom Under Glass” tells the strange-but-true story of turn-of-the-century taxidermist and explorer Carl Akeley. But it’s also about humanity’s weird — and often one-sided — relationship to the animal world. This week, we overhear Jay read a dinner-party-worthy excerpt… about a circus elephant that sent Brits into a nationalistic fervor. (“Kingdom Under Glass” is out this month in paperback.)

Main Course: Breakfast in the Afternoon Food trend-spotters Andrew Freeman & Co. just released their list of what they think will be on our plates next year. One standout: Breakfast foods - for lunch. Rico meets up with food historian Linda Civitello to learn why we eat certain foods at certain times of day… and to chow down on fried chicken and waffles .

Weekend Alibi: Meghan McCarty Thanks to expert sleuth Meghan McCarty, you’ll never again show up to a dinner party with nothing interesting to say you’ve done. This weekend’s alibis: Santa’s Cool Holiday Film Festival, Commendable Commercials in Boston, and Major League Dreidel in NYC.

Guest of Honor: Patton Oswalt 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.) This week, his new film “Young Adult” (from “Tara”-alum Diablo Cody and her “Juno” collaborator Jason Reitman) opens in wide release. He talks to Brendan about unshakeable adolescence, American values (and value meals), and butt-kickin’ music outros.

Dinner Party Soundtrack - Kathryn Calder Kathryn Calder sings and plays keys in The New Pornographers and just released her second solo album “Bright and Vivid” to stellar reviews. She took a break from her ongoing tour to suggest a few songs that’ll make your next dinner party, well, bright and vivid.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Aaron Jermome - “Reel Time”

The Bunnys - “Hey! Chance”

James Brown - “Funk Bomb”

Druganaut - “Black Mountain”

Men At Work - “Down Under”

Unrest - “So Sick”

H.M. Royal Marines Band - “Rule Britannia”

Beirut - “Elephant Gun”

Black Sabbath - “Paranoid”

Caetana Veloso - “Baby” (from the Tropicalia soundtrack)

ABBA - “Knowing Me, Knowing You”

Dan Mangan - “Oh Fortune”

Kathryn Calder - “Who are You?”

Led Zeppelin - “Immigrant Song”

Icebreaker: Stephen Merchant Comedian Stephen Merchant, creator of “The Office,” shares this punchline — unlike a certain spiny mammal we could mention. Stephen’s Hello Ladies comedy tour kicks off its U.S. run in NYC next week.

Small Talk: Sadie Stein “The Paris Review” deputy editor Sadie Stein gives us the semi-sordid details about a literary award given this week… for the worst sex-scene writing of 2011. Um, congratulations?

A History Lesson With Booze: History, RewoundThis week, back in 1963, CBS’ Tony Verna changed the world of sports by replaying a crucial moment in an Army v. Navy college football game. Learn about the history of instant replay, then toast Tony repeatedly with this custom drink.

“The Instant Replay,” as reimagined by Al Sotak, head bartender at Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company (that’s a bar) in Philly… where the first sports game to feature TV instant replay was held.

In a shaker, add:

• 1 tsp. acid phosphate (you can get it here)
• 1/4 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. Blackberry syrup
• 1 oz. Smith & Cross Jamaica rum
• 1 oz. Rittenhouse bonded rye whiskey

Double shake. Strain into a Collins glass, then top with 3 oz of any bitter IPA, thus “blue collaring” the drink. Drink it down once, then do it again, in slow motion if desired.

Guest List: Terry Allen’s Lost (and Found) Things File under “It happens to the best of us.” This past week, celebrated artist and musician Terry Allen released a recording that had been lost for almost four decades. He tells us about the newly-rediscovered “Live From Al’s Grand Hotel” album, then he shares a few other “lost” gems worth finding: the Rip Torn drama Payday, Delaney and Bonnie’s LP Motel Shot, and Five Car Stud - a harrowing piece that just resurfaced at the L.A. County Museum Of Art after 40 years in storage. (For more information about Terry’s album, click here.)

Etiquette: Gail Simmons Top Chef judge, Food and Wine contributor and tastemaker Gail Simmons knows her way around a dinner party… and how to behave at one. She graciously offers listeners advice on over-cooked bacon, how to handle Uncle Mo, and the sweet smell of success. You can catch Gail on the current Texas-centric season of Top Chef, or the spin-off Top Chef: Just Desserts. Her memoir, Talking with My Mouth Full, comes out this winter.

Eavesdropping: Lou Beach Lou Beach’s fantastical collage art has graced galleries, magazine covers, and albums by David Bowie, Brian Eno, and others. This week, he releases his first book: 420 Characters. It’s a collection of short, short stories that he first composed as Facebook updates. We give Lou three minutes, then listen in as he reads us six stories.

Chattering Class: Chris Dahlen Chris Dahlen, editor-in-chief of the respected gaming mag “Kill Screen,” schools Rico in video game trends: turn-based games (like Alec Baldwin’s favorite), sound innovations, and quality-over-quantity standouts like the fiendish Dark Souls.

Main Course: Gluten Positive Erin McKenna, owner of Babycakes, has built a franchise on selling delicious sweets to sensitive palates. Gluten-free eaters, especially, have flocked to her bakeries. She gives Brendan the scoop on the elastic protein, why it’s so maligned, and how to make “gluten-free” taste good.

Guest of Honor: Gary Oldman Gary Oldman launched his film career as the smack-shooting punk-rock martyr Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy. 25 years later he’s probably best known for playing Sirius Black and Comissioner Gordon — paragons of virtue in two of the biggest movie franchises ever. So he’s got range, is what we’re saying. On the eve of the release of the cold-war thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy — in which he plays one of the most famous characters in post-war UK literature — Oldman chats with Rico about his accidental jump to to the big screen, wrestling the ghost of Alec Guinness, and the voice of the BBC.

One for the Road: Chairlift - “Met Before” It’s fitting that “Met Before,” from Brooklyn trio Chairlift, sounds like a tune that *must have landed on the charts already. But no, the pop group’s 80s-inspired, choir-happy tune just came out, and the full LP (Something) doesn’t drop til January. Best heard sitting high above a snowscape.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

The Shadows - “Shindig”

Johnny Pearson - “Heavy Action (Theme From Monday Night Football)”

Quasi - “I Never Want to See You Again”

Terry Allen - “Red Bird”

Delaney & Bonnie - “Neverending Love For You”

Judy Caplan Ginsburgh - “Manners”

Kraftwerk - “Computer Love”

The Black Keys - “Set You Free”

Alberto Iglesias - “George Smiley”

Chairlift - “Met Before”

Icebreaker: Miranda July Artist/filmmaker Miranda July strings us along, then delivers an epic pun-chline. Miranda just released the book It Chooses You.

Small Talk: Jessica Coen Jessica Coen, Editrix-in-chief of the women’s culture site Jezebel, tries to work out what ABC was thinking when it greenlit Work It, aka “Bosom Buddies II.”

A History Lesson With Booze: Pong and “The Pong Pong”This week in 1972, a fledgling company called Atari unveiled its first-ever video game. Hear the story of how the simplest game ever launched a $60-billion-dollar industry… then bounce this custom cocktail down your gullet:

“The Pong Pong,” as engineered by Jonny Raglin, bartender at Comstock Saloon in San Francisco, CA.

In a shaker over ice, add:

• 1.5 oz. Plymouth sloe gin
• 1 oz. Drambuie
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice

Shake with ice - back and forth, back and forth - and strain into a cocktail glass. Add a lemon peel garnish, and drink until you get a high. Score.

Guest List: Barry Livingston on Character Actors As kid-next-door Ernie on the beloved 60s sitcom My Three Sons, Barry Livingston hit the big time before he was old enough to drive. His new autobiography, The Importance of Being Ernie, covers his exploits as a child star (including an encounter with Elvis)…and his grown-up career playing small, colorful roles. He joins us to list his favorite actors who did the same.

Guest of Honor: Michelle Williams Actress Michelle Williams won Oscar nominations for her performances in Brokeback Mountain and last year’s Blue Valentine. In her new film, My Week With Marilyn, she brings to life one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, in a performance that has critics aflutter. And to think: She originally hailed from the little town of Dawson’s Creek. Michelle tells Brendan all about Miss Norma Jeane Baker, then gives him a reality check, a vocabulary lesson, and her porn star name.

Eavesdropping: Cirocco Dunlap This week we overhear actress/writer Cirocco Dunlap eat a sandwich and then look out a window… in seven different genres. Her piece Literary Genre Translations was published this week by McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and contains many more genres in which one should be conversant.

Main Course: Boyd and Blair While the rest of the world slept, a distiller in Pittsburgh began making one of the best vodkas in the world. Seriously: the Spirit Journal - the Consumer Reports of booze - listed Pittsburgh-made brand “Boyd & Blair” as the highest-ranking vodka on their list of the top 5-star spirits on Earth. Rico asks owner/distiller Barry Young and business partner Prentiss Orr about their concoctions, then gets into the spirit. Really.

Etiquette: Joseph Epstein Distinguished scholar and essayist Joseph Epstein knows a thing or two about sticky social dynamics. He’s written books with titles like Ambition, Friendship, Snobbery, Envy. His latest (out this Tuesday) is Gossip: The Untrivial Pursuit, which profiles humanity’s chatty (sometimes catty) pastime and its most notorious practitioners. Since a dinner party is a perfect petri dish for gossip, we asked him to grace our table, and give us juicy answers to a few etiquette questions.

Chattering Class: Alex Ross Between the internet, magazines and cereal boxes, there’s too much written material out there. That’s why Da Capo Press’ “Best Of” series is supervaluable; it’s like having an article sommelier. Alex Ross, award-winning music critic for The New Yorker, guest-edited their latest collection “Best Music Writing 2011,” just released this week. He talks to Brendan about the best parts of the Best Of.

Soundtrack with Science: GZA the Genius GZA aka “the Genius,” the rapper and wordsmith at the core of the Wu Tang Clan, has a new title: lecturer. This week spoke at Harvard about (predictably) music and creativity but also (less predictably) science. Turns out, he’s an avid physics student and while at Cambridge he toured Harvard’s Broad Science Institute and MIT. Brendan caught up with GZA to learn about the stardust we’re made of and the emptiness of the universe.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake - “The Argument”

Aphex Twin - “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy - “Liquordelic”

Hot Butter - “Popcorn”

The Pretenders - “Space Invader”

Flamin’ Groovies - “Slow Death”

Max Steiner - Theme from “Casablanca”

Theme from “The Lady Eve”

Coastal Cities - “No Room For Heroes”

The Jesus and Mary Chain - “Just Like Honey”

Crystal Castles - “Magic Spells”

Jon Brion - “Healthy Choice” (from “Punch Drunk Love”)

Judy Caplan Ginsburgh - “Manners”

Ludwig Van Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 1

GZA - “Legend of the Liquid Swords”