This week: Humorist Mishna Wolff talks about living in black and white… We sip a bloody mary that’s clearly insane… And Rico learns about the gourmet coal standard. [photo: Mishna Wolff]

Drink Recipe

“The Tomato Water Bloody Mary”

On July 2nd 1881, one Charles Guiteau shot President James Garfield. But it wasn’t like Guiteau’s life was full of normalcy preceding that murderous act; a delusional megolomaniac, he was also at various times a corrupt lawyer, a writer of plagiarized religious tomes and the member of a free-love cult. We commemmorate this most insane assassin with a most insane beverage: A clear — yes, clear — bloody mary.

RECIPE As created by Todd Thrasher of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA:

Fill highball glass with ice. Add:

• 4 ounces tomato water (Recipe Below)
• 1 ½ ounces of vodka

Stir well, garnish with cherry tomato. Momentarily think you’ve gone plumb raving mad.

—

TOMATO WATER

In food processor combine:

• 4 large beefsteak tomatoes cut into chunks
• ½ Serrano chili
• ¼ red onion.
• 3-inch piece of lemon grass, coarsely chopped
• pinch of sugar
• large pinch of salt.

Puree until smooth. Pour into cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl, and refrigerate overnight. Discard the pulp.

Squeeze the juice of a quartered lemon, lime and orange thru another piece of cheesecloth (to eliminate pulp) and into the clear tomato water. Makes around 20 ounces.

This week: 80’s metal band Anvil forges ahead… Muhammed Ali KO’s the U.S. Army… and Brendan has designs on David Bowie. [photo: Anvil ]

Drink Recipe

“The Butterfly Sting”

This week in back in 1967, Muhammad Ali — a practicing Muslim — suffered a major blow in his battle to be recognized as a conscientious objector; a jury sentenced him to 5 years for draft-dodging. But Ali wouldn’t go down with out a fight… and we relive the battle in liquid form with a “mocktail” even the teetotaling Ali wouldn’t mind going a few rounds with.

RECIPE (c) 2009 Natalie Bovis-Nelsen, TheLiquidMuse.com

In a cocktail shaker, muddle:

• 1 thyme sprig
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice

Then add;

• 1 ounce honey syrup (1 part honey to 1 part water)
• 2 ounces apple juice

Strain into chilled martini glass and add:

• splash of club soda or nonalcoholic sparkling wine.

Lay another thyme sprig across the surface of the drink for garnish. Float like a butterfly… and sting like a butterfly.

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

For those (like us) who weren’t there, it’s hard to fathom the impact Muhammad Ali had back in the day — not just on sports, but on world culture and African-American pride. This documentary tells the tale in about two hours. UK band Faithless does the same in four minutes.

As mentioned in this week’s show, Anvil’s miraculous comeback will climax next month when they open for AC/DC at Giants Stadium. But we caught up with them at a humbler venue — L.A.’s Regency Fairfax movie theater. Following a packed screening of “Anvil: the Story of Anvil,” Lips et al kicked out a short set that left the crowd mildly deaf and very happy. Here’s the evidence.

This week: bestselling author Alain De Botton gets worked over… joy is found in Mudville… and Rico digs the new wave of on-site restaurant gardens. [photo: Alain De Botton credit: Vincent Starr]

Audio Extra

Download “Dream City” - the new single from Philadelphia band Free Energy. It’s the perfect soundtrack for summertime cruising, or for languidly driving a Trans Am off a pier into the ocean.

Drink Recipe

“Casey’s Killjoy”

On June 3rd, 1888, Ernest Thayer’s baseball rime “Casey At the Bat” was first published in the San Francisco Examiner. Popularized by vaudeville actor DeWolf Hopper, soon everyone in America was in love with the poem… except the author. And even he would surely appreciate this week’s drink: a Mudslide reimagined for Mudville.

RECIPE, as created for the DPD by Colleen Raabe, bartender at the restaurant Alex & Ika’s in Cooperstown, NY:

In a shaker over ice, add:

• 1 shot espresso
• 2 oz. Irish whiskey
• 2 oz. Chocolate liqueur
• 2 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream

Shake, strain into glass filled with more ice. Serve with peanuts and cracker jacks.

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

To hear one of DeWolf Hopper’s estimated ten thousand recitals of “Casey At the Bat,” click here. (Warning: the actor was not known for his subtlety)

Since releasing his first book in 1993, Alain De Botton has penned a string of bestsellers exploring the nature of Architecture, Philosophy, Work, Status and Love. But, y’know, maybe one of these days he’ll try to focus on something actually important.

Speaking of important, this week’s Icebreaker comes courtesy of Glenn-5, bassist for Anvil. And if, when you hear “Anvil,” you don’t think “uplifting story of friendship,” you clearly haven’t seen the new documentary about the band’s unlikely 30-year existence, appropriately titled “Anvil: The Story of Anvil.” Rectify that situation immediately, and then rejoice at the fact that after decades of obscurity, in July they’ll be opening for AC/DC in a football stadium.

Norway’s Datarock toot their own horn… we’re knocked out by a drink served beaten, not stirred… and Brendan eats BBQ with a side of vinyl. [photo: Ket-ill and Frederik of Datarock. credit: Rico Gagliano]

Drink Recipe

“The Abolitionist Old Fashioned”

On May 22, 1856 in the U.S. Senate Chamber, South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks beat Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner unconscious with a wooden walking cane. Brooks’ rationale: a speech Sumner had made two days earlier, criticizing Southerners who sympathized with pro-slavery violence in Kansas. The incident made both men heroes in their own regions. Not long after the incident, Rep. Brooks died at the young age of 37, possibly of bad karma… but the incident lives on in this free-state version of the classic Old Fashioned.

RECIPE, as created for the DPD by bar manager Jackson Cannon of Eastern Standard in Boston, MA:

In an Old Fashioned glass, add:

• 1 sugarcube soaked in angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters
• splash of soda water

Muddle, fill with ice and add:

• 2 oz Hurricane rum
• 1/2 oz. Napoleon Liqueur

Garnish with orange twist, drink, and embrace your fellow man.

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

Datarock make for swell listening, and sweller viewing. Evidence: the “Beat It”-esque video for their new single “Give It Up,” complete with gang wars, synchronized breakdancing and yards of red fabric.

As mentioned in our interview: Check out what happens when Datarock’s Ket-Ill removes the track suit and becomes world-renowned jazz superhero Kjetil Moester.

And while we’re on a music roll, this week’s “One For The Road” is from Australian pop darlings The Lucksmiths. This week, after 16 years, they announced they’re calling it quits. Planning a trip to Europe this summer? Might want to try to dovetail with their farewell tour.

While Sen. Charles Sumner delivered his infamous anti-slavery “Crime Against Kansas” speech, Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas was said to mutter, “That damned fool will get himself killed by some other damned fool.” Was Sumner’s two-day-long oration worth a beat-down? Judge for yourself.

And finally — as mentioned in this week’s “Small Talk” — Britain has spoken: Pringles are potato chips. The court has yet to issue guidance on just what the hell Funyuns are.

Pushcart Prize-winning author Wells Tower gets auto erotic… we learn how to drink trees… and Rico finds out that starting a food magazine is child’s play. [photo of Wells Tower courtesy Farrar Straus and Giroux publishers]

Drink Recipe

“The Eiffel Tower”

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.

RECIPE, as created for the DPD by Alan Walter at Iris restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans, LA:

In shaker over ice add:

• 3 oz. Lillet
• ½ oz. chartreuse
• ¼ oz. pine needle syrup (or substitute simple syrup infused with a green herb, like basil)
• 1 egg white
• Juice from ½ 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.

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

Wells Tower’s very first collection of stories has already earned raves from the likes of, oh, The New York Times. But as we note on this week’s show, Tower’s first gig was as the guitarist for the much-missed band Hellbender. Get your ’90s indierock nostalgia on by taking a listen here.

(Indie geeks note: Hellbender’s Harrison Haynes now drums for celebrated Brooklyn popsters Les Savy Fav.)

As mentioned in “Small Talk” — home foreclosures in drought-plagued California mean neighborhoods blighted with unsightly dead lawns. One city’s solution: paint them green. Seriously.

This week’s “Main Course” features the kids of 826LA as they tackle food writing for the first time in their 10-year-old lives. Feast on the fruits of their labor by reading the completed food edition of their newspaper “The Good Times.” And while you’re at it, learn all about the 826 National organization — established by author Dave Eggers to provide free tutoring and writing programs for kids.

Tony Award-winning rocker Stew ponders art vs. reality… we take a historic bike trip into an *alternate* reality… and Brendan sneaks into the most exclusive culinary shop in the world.

Audio Extra

Stew talks about Spike Lee, poor white boys with baseball bats, and the beautiful downer called life in this extended cut of our interview.

Drink Recipe

“The LSD-25”

In 1938, Dr. Albert Hoffman synthesized a bunch of compounds based on the fungus “ergot.” His hope: to stimulate the human circulatory system. The 25th compound – LSD-25 – didn’t seem to have much effect on lab animals, so he chucked it. But 5 years later, gripped by what he called a “peculiar presentiment,” Hofmann decided to make another batch. On April 19th, 1943, he ingested .25 ml of the stuff… and we commemorate the ensuing bike trip with this drink laced with entirely legal acid and fungi.

RECIPE, as invented for the DPD by Daniel Hyatt, bar manager at Alembic in San Francisco:

Into champage flute, place:

• 4 drops white balsamic vinegar
• 1 drop truffle oil

Then slowly pour in the following — over the back of a spoon — to create separate layers:

• ¾ oz. crème de Cassis
• ½ oz. Campari
• ½ oz. Absinthe

Finally, slowly pour in:

• 3 oz. chilled sparkling wine (Gruet demi-sec, or slightly off-dry Prosecco)

Trip out on the colors as the liquors mix. Toss in a twist of lemon peel. Sip. Wait at least an hour before attempting to operate a bicycle.

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

The film version of Stew’s musical “Passing Strange” – capturing the show’s final Broadway performances – screens next weekend at the TriBeCa film festival in NYC. Stew, collaborator Heidi Rodewald and Spike Lee will all be around to take questions afterwards.

Brendan managed to wheedle his way into the appointment-only foodie boutique “Le Sanctuaire”. But it turns out he didn’t need to blow cash on a delivery-boy disguise — they’ve got a convienient online shop. Now you can learn all about, for instance, their exclusive $6,000 stainless-steel Gastro-Vac from the comfort of your own pathetic kitchen.

In this week’s Icebreaker joke, Jeremy Barnes (of wondrous gypsy-folk band A Hawk & A Hacksaw) name-drops jazz drummers Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. For those who’ve never heard of them — this video should tell you all you need to know.

In his interview with Stew, Rico name-drops the band Gwar. For those who’ve never heard of them, this picture should tell you all you need to know.

This week: Sundance-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner lives in public radio… We taste the salt that shook the world… and Brendan goes hunting for Easter eggs and finds Grilled Cheese. [photo courtesy Ondi Timoner]

Audio Extra

This week’s One for the Road is Golden Phone by Micachu and the Shapes. Here’s another track from their debut album Jewellery — it’s called Lips.

Drink Recipe

“Salty Lassi”

Back in 1930, India was a British Colony — and Indians were forced by law to buy British-made salt. Gandhi wasn’t pleased… so he decided to march to the ocean and illegally make his own. The act touched off a massive nationwide protest, and set the stage for India’s Independence. This week marks the anniversary of the “Salt March” — which we celebrate with our first-ever non-alcoholic drink recipe, in honor of the legendary teetotaler.

RECIPE as told to DPD by Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez owner of Lassi in New York, NY

• 4 cups of yogurt
• 1 tsp. of indian black salt (or whatever salt you have around)

Blend well
Share with friends
Be the change you want to see in the world

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

Josh Harris, the spotlight-seeking subject of Ondi Timoner’s new documentary We Live In Public, hasn’t lost his appetite for attention. Evidence: this surreal video of Harris, during an appearance at a screening this week, getting tackled by a crazed audience member… or was he? We asked Ondi’s people if the whole thing was staged. Their response: “No comment.”

Gandhi’s Salt March lasted 24 days and stretched 240 miles. So guess what, we couldn’t fit all the details into a one-and-a-half-minute history segment. Here’s a half-hour’s worth of video on the subject, though. Start about five minutes in.

Our Icebreaker this week was told by singer/songwriter Sam Amidon. Live, he’s fond of interrupting his achingly beautiful ballads — like this one here — with hyperactive fits of silliness. If you happen to be one of our legion Benelux fans, take heed; Sam’s playing the Domino Festival in Brussells this weekend.

On this week’s “Main Course,” Brendan got so sidetracked grilling Clementine Cafe’s Annie Miler about America’s grilled cheese fixation, he never did around to checking out her famed deviled eggs. You can learn from his mistakes.

(Psst: register to compete in the “1st 7th Annual” National Grilled Cheese Invitational here. Don’t tell Brendan)

This week: Rico chats up Girls at SXSW… Marlon Brando gets an offer he can refuse… and Brendan is forced to rethink his jihad against cupcakes (Hint: it involves meatloaf). [photo: Chet J.R. White, Christopher Owens & John Anderson of Girls]

Drink Recipe

“The Littlefeather”

This week back in 1973, Marlon Brando won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in “The Godfather”… but never picked it up. Instead, he sent a young Apache activist named Sacheen Littlefeather to decline the award on his behalf - in protest of Hollywood’s representation of Native Americans. Today we salute that notorious collision of glamour and politics with this potent blend of firewaters.

RECIPE, created for the DPD by Eric Alperin, owner of The Varnish in Los Angeles, CA:

In a whiskey glass, add:

• 1 oz. Old Overholt Rye
• 1 oz. Landy VS Cognac
• 1/2 oz. Lazzaroni Amaretto
• 1/2 oz. French Dry Vermouth
• dash Angostura bitters

Stir, then float 1/2 barspoon Lagavulin Islay 16yr Scotch on top, for smoke-signalesque afterburn. Garnish with luxardo cherry and flamed orange-peel “feather”.

Cocktail afficionados may notice the classic “Godfather” cocktail (amaretto + scotch) subtly represented in this drink. Non-afficionados may notice it’s also very tasty.

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

Brendan has a crush on Girls, and figures the world will soon follow. Be the first on your block to check out the band’s lovably underproduced videos here… then keep an eye out for a full-length album this summer.

Girls’ Christopher Owens cut his teeth in the band Holy S**t, featuring vaunted freak-folkster Ariel Pink. Here’s what Pink’s up to these days.

Or — for less relaxing fare — treat yourself to all two-and-a-half gloriously uncomfortable minutes of Sacheen Littlefeather’s Oscar appearance. It was not, of course, the last time a political speech would earn jeers from “Hollywood liberals”.

As mentioned in this week’s “Small Talk” — “food auctions” are on the rise while Americans’ grocery budgets fall. Something to keep in mind if you just listened to Brendan’s interview with Cynthia Kallile and find yourself craving several dozen pounds of meatloaf.

And finally, did we mention Rico made it through the annual pop-culture endurance test known as the South By Southwest Festival last week? Some highlights:

• Here We Go Magic - singer-songwriter Luke Temple turns to propulsive space-pop. Pretty mezmerizing to watch, even in the sweltering heat of an Austin afternoon.

• A Hawk & A Hacksaw - Eastern European wedding music with a hipster twist. The band’s eyepopping website’s not too shabby, either…

• The Low-Lows - Haunting southern guitar twang with Neville-esque vocals and a goth rinse. Live, a full horn section made the whole thing soar…

• Passing Strange - Spike Lee’s new film documents the final performances of Stew’s semi-autobiographical Broadway rock opera. Powerful stuff, and it’s apparently headed straight to PBS…

• Winnebago Man - You know the infamous viral video with the cussing Winnebago salesman? Director Ben Steinbauer finds out what became of that guy.

Stay turned to forthcoming episodes for more interviews from the fest… though we now declare a moratorium on Austin-centric stories of Moon Towers, cabbie attacks and bicycle carnage.

This week: Rocker Benjy Ferree’s ode to Peter Pan… We discover the planet that dares not speak its name… and Rico sharpens his conversation skills with Brooklyn’s new king of cutlery. [photo of Benjy Ferree courtesy Domino Records]

The Cheat Sheet

A handy summary of all the info on this week’s show [pdf].

Audio Extra

Download “Fear,” from Benjy Ferree’s new album.

Drink Recipe

“The Astronaughties Deep Space Freeze”

On March 13th, 1781, famed astonromer Sir William Herschel was using a homemade telescope in his backyard… when he spotted what he thought was a comet. Turned out it was the first new planet to be discovered since the days of ancient Greece and Rome. 70 years later, Earthlings finally settled on a name for the new world: “Uranus.” And 228 years later, it has inspired us to get a little tipsy.

RECIPE created for the DPD by Dan Boggs at A+ bar in Houston, TX:

In a shaker with ice, combine:

• 1.5 oz. of Ten Cane rum
• dash of maple syrup
• dash of fresh lemon juice
• 3 barspoonfuls of blueberry puree or concentrate

Shake well, until cold as deep space. Strain into martini glass. Garnish with miniature blue planets, aka “blueberries.”

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

Benjy Ferree describes his new album as a tribute to child star Bobby Driscoll. Here’s the short, sad version of Driscoll’s tale. And here’s the longer, sadder version. RIP.

This week’s One For the Road is “First Love,” a new tune from aptly-named London songstress Emmy The Great. Our lawyers say we’re not allowed to play you the whole, amazing, track. But apparently Youtube is above the law.

NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute have a slideshow presentation called “Uranus: A World Full of Surprises,” and when you’re done giggling about the title maybe you can act like an adult for five minutes, watch it, and learn something, pal.

Those more inclined towards earthly delights might want to check out Joel Bukiewicz’s beautiful — dare we say “sharp-looking”? — handiwork on the official Cut Brooklyn site. It’s porn for kitchen geeks and serial murderers alike. Speaking of which, hey — it just occurred to us that this is our Friday the 13th episode. Creepy.

This Week: “The Daily Show’s” Larry Wilmore is pure magic… We learn why even grownups shouldn’t play with guns… star mixologist Todd Thrasher mixes a drink fit for a vampire… and Rico pounds down a serious noodle with a funny name. [photo courtesy Larry Wilmore]

Drink Recipe

“The Bloodyberry Fizz”

This week back in 1844, the Navy’s first propeller-powered steam ship, the USS Princeton, set sail from Alexandria, VA on a pleasure cruise. On board were President John Tyler, 350 guests, and “The Peacemaker” — a 27,000 lb. gun that definitely did not live up to its name. The third time it was fired that day, it blew apart, injuring 20 people and slaying a good chunk of Tyler’s cabinet. We commemorate the carnage in true American fashion: with some booze.

RECIPE as mixed by Todd Thrasher at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA:

In a shaker combine:

• 1.5 oz raspberry-infused vodka
• 2 oz. fresh pomegrante juice
• 1 oz. fresh blood orange juice
• juice from a 1/4 wedge of lime
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp. powdered sugar

Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds.

Add ice, shake vigrously for another 30 seconds until egg white has formed a merengue.

Strain into coup glass and fleck with pomegrante molasses “blood” from an eyedropper.

Serve during pomegrante season, Halloween, or when entertaining goths.

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

As mentioned in this week’s “Small Talk” segment: Here’s a Portugese Water Dog. Here’s a Poodle. We say if the Obamas really want us to think they’re not going frou-frou, dog-wise, they should man up and go with this guy.

Our “One For the Road” this week is Webb Pierce’s ‘53 country classic “There Stands The Glass.” Here’s Webb performing it on the Grand Ol’ Opry TV show… and rocking one of the greatest suits in history.

CORRECTION: In this episode we mention the “seven missing minutes from the Watergate tapes.” There were, in fact, 18 and 1/2 minutes missing from those tapes. And here’s an exclusive listen to to four of them!

This week: Historian/Activist Howard Zinn recalls a different kind of flower power… We learn what happens when TV censors can’t take a joke… and Brendan pigs out on lard pigs. (Photo of Howard Zinn courtesy howardzinn.org)

The Cheat Sheet

A handy summary of all the info on this week’s show [pdf].

Drink Recipe

“The Stork Club”

Jack Paar was a popular television talk show host with an emotional streak — this week in 1960, he walked off the set of “The Tonight Show” in the middle of a live broadcast. He’s also remembered for torpedoing the career of red-baiting gossip columnist Walter Winchell. Winchell’s seat of power was a bar called The Stork Club… and his drink of choice was a cocktail by the same name.

RECIPE as mixed by Colin Davis at The Rainbow Room in New York, NY:

In a shaker over ice, combine:

• .5 oz of triple sec
• 1.5 oz of gin
• .25 oz of fresh lime juice
• 1 oz fresh orange juice
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake vigorously, pour into a chilled martini glass with a garnish of orange peel, and sip quietly so as not to raise the ire of mercurial TV hosts.

After Dinner Mint

Howard Zinn’s “The People Speak” was the opening night film at MOMA’s 2009 Documentary Fortnight this week. Alas, it could be a while before you get a chance to see it again. Meanwhile there’s a preview, pix and more here… Or get in the spirit and agitate for a screening at your local cinema.

Weirdly, many early episodes of “The Tonight Show” were never preserved. But you can check out an interview with Jack Paar, along with clips from his infamous “Tonight Show” departure — and subsequent return – here. While you’re at it, take a moment to appreciate the deeply ‘70s opening sequence.

Our ribald-yet-folksy Icebreaker joke this week was told by Jere Cherryholmes, patriarch of Grammy-nominated bluegrass band Cherryholmes… and bearer of the most awesome beard this side of ZZ Top. Gaze upon its glory! And then get over it as the band proceeds to tear it up live.

“Wooly Pigs” is Heath Putnam’s online repository of information about the tasty, tasty Mangalitsa hog… including a how-to guide for making Mangalitsa whipped lard spread. Vegetarians have another name for the site: “Hell.”

And finally… remember back in November when we interviewed Aaron Aites — sleep-deprived frontman of indierockers Iran? Their album “Dissolver” finally dropped this week after years in the waiting, and you can grab a copy right here.

This week: Award winning author Sarah Shun-lien Bynum uses her children to live out her own teen fantasies…We replicate a cocktail recipe… And Rico celebrates athletes by stuffing his face with dough and butter. [Photo: courtesy Sarah Shun-lien Bynum].

The Cheat Sheet

A handy summary of all the info on this week’s show [pdf].

Drink Recipe

“The Elk Cloner”

In 1982, a 15-year-old computer geek named Rich Skrenta unleashed the world’s first personal-computer virus: “The Elk Cloner.” What started as a prank aimed at his friends has evolved into a $40 billion dollar a year headache for computer users worldwide. If you’re interested in fighting the scourge of internet viruses, there’s a Nigerian prince collecting money for the cause. Please send us your bank account number post-haste.

RECIPE created for the DPD by Miles Thomas of Branzino restaurant in Seattle, WA:

• 2 oz Absolut vodka
• 1.5 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice cubes
• oz white grape juice
• .5 oz Damiana
• 1 dash “Scrappy Bitters” Orange

Combine all ingredients over ice in a shaker, and shake until frosty. Serve on the rocks or up in a martini glass. Garnish with a stick of RAM.

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

For more about the Elk Cloner virus — in its creator’s own words — check out Rich Skrenta’s web page on the subject. Wrote he in an old usenet post circa 1990: “The stupidest hack I ever coded generated the most interest.”

Our Icebreaker joke this week was told by Buck Down, leader of the conflagrant dance-funk circus called The Mutaytor. Their Inauguration night - which they spent in the company of The Crystal Method and 1500 or so friends — was by all accounts a lot different than President Obama’s.

And finally, if you happen to find yourself in Eagle Rock, California and decide you need to gain about 20 pounds quick — here’s Polka Restaurant, aka pierogie heaven.

This week: Legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier gives candy to children… We chill out with a cryonic cocktail… And Brendan discovers the three most beautiful words in the English language: Korean, BBQ, Tacos. [PHOTO: Lamont Dozier w/ his lifetime achievement award from indie music organization TAXI, 2008].

The Cheat Sheet

A handy summary of all the info on this week’s show [pdf].

Audio Extra

The extended cut of Rico’s interview with Lamont Dozier: twice the questions, twice as cool. Download.

Drink Recipe

“Death On The Rocks”

On January 12th, 1967, Dr. James Bedford became the first person to be cryonically preserved, his body sealed in a capsule full of supercold liquid nitrogen. Cryonicists still celebrate the anniversary — they call it “Bedford Day.” In honor of which we present this ice-cold re-imagining of the classic cocktail “Death In the Afternoon.”

RECIPE created for the DPD by Jonny Raglin, bar manager at Absinthe Brasserie in San Francisco, CA:

• Squeeze the juice of fresh blood oranges into an ice cube tray, and freeze
• Fill a Collins glass with the blood-orange ice cubes
• Fill glass 3/4 full with champagne
• Top with .25 to .5 oz. of Absinthe

Sip gently to avoid brain freeze.

After Dinner Mint

notes on this week’s show

WARNING TO ANGELENOS: After listening to this episode, you may feel the urge to cram your face full of Korean BBQ tacos from Kogi food wagon. And you’re certainly welcome to try… But first you’ll have to find it.

Should this weekend’s parties call for roof-raising and/or house-quaking, look no further than Lamont Dozier’s unstoppable 1977 disco classic “Going Back To My Roots.” It’s the outro music you hear after Dozier’s interview in this week’s show… and you can unleash the whole track on your unsuspecting booty right here.

Back in ‘91, the good folks at Alcor popped open Dr. Bedford’s cryo-capsule to give him a check-up. See how his body fared after 24 years in deep-freeze, and revel in phrases like:

• “the corneas are chalk-white from ice”
• “Bloody fluid issuing from the mouth and nose was a not completely unanticipated finding” and
• “it is not surprising that he should show evidence of surface fracturing.”

This Week: What do Lolita, duck testicles, Chevys, cows, Robert Wagner and booze have in common? This show in 2008, that’s what. We take a look back at the first 12 episodes of the podcast that shocked a nation… and toss in a few new facts for the first dinner parties of 2009.

The Cheat Sheet

A handy summary of all the info on this week’s show [pdf].

Drink Recipe

“The Lolita Haze”

In 1958, Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” was published in America. Two years earlier, the book had put British censors in a tizzy… but post-Elvis Americans didn’t bat an eyelash, and snapped up hundreds of thousands of copies. We celebrate this rare moment of cultural enlightenment with a drink named after the book’s titular character.

RECIPE as created by Danielle Motor at The Hungry Cat in Hollywood, California:

In cocktail shaker, per serving:

• Muddle 1/2 fresh plum with mint
• Squeeze in juice from 1/2 lemon
• Add 3/4 oz simple syrup
• and 2 oz young genever

Shake, pour over ice, and serve (to adults only, please).

After Dinner Mint

Notes on this week’s show

Nabokov’s unfinished novel “Laura” is set to be published in ‘09 — even though the author made it pretty clear he wanted the manuscript destroyed in the event of his death. Read all about his son’s controversial decision to release it… and the conversation he says he had with the elder Nabokov’s ghost.

Speaking of Nabokov’s ghost, check out this lengthy televised chat with him — it aired on Canadian TV just after “Lolita’s” publication. Dig the parlour setting, intellectual rigor, and requisite smokes.

“Head-To-Tail” chef Chris Cosentino was one of our favorite food interviewees of 2008. But timid eaters who shy away from his offal menus might feel safer sampling the artisinal sausages (or, as he calls them, “tasty salted pig parts”) at his new salumeria, Boccalone.

Rico’s pick for song of the year: The Amelie-meets-Atari sound of “Om Du Motor Varg,” from Swedish instrumental trio Detektivbyran. Which you can download for free right here.

Brendan, meanwhile, went with the Fleet Foxes tune “White Winter Hymnal,” as did Pitchfork, which has a free mp3 for you as well. Happy New Year!

This week: Director David Fincher isn’t afraid of the dark… We unite our nation with an All-American cocktail… Brendan is granted an audience with the king of mozzarella… plus a joke from THE Tom Jones. [Photo: David Fincher in repose]

The Cheat Sheet

A handy summary of all the info on this week’s show [pdf].

Drink Recipe

“THE CIVIL WAR”

This week in 1862, Union Major-General Ulysses S. Grant issued his infamous General Order Number 11 — ordering every Jew in three Southern states to evacuate, on suspicion of war profiteering. Clearly, war gives rise to some shameful episodes. But this tasty wintertime drink isn’t one of them.

RECIPE created by Edward Winfield, bartender at the Seelbach Hilton bar in Louisville, KY.

In a mug, add:

• 1 oz. bourbon (from the South)
• 1 oz. apple brandy (aka “Apple Jack,” beloved in the North)
• ¼ oz. of honey or dash of sugar
• Add hot water and stir… until it all becomes a unified whole.

After Dinner Mint

Notes on this week’s show

Listened to this week’s Small Talk segment… and can’t quite figure out what a dredger is? Be calm, my child, and wonder no longer. They’re great for scooping out ocean trenches, or for storing credit cards.

We got hepped to the Seelbach Hilton’s bar (est. 1905) by the good folks at Southern Foodways Alliance — an organization dedicated to “Documenting and celebrating the diverse food cultures of the American South.” One of their projects: Compiling an oral history of Lousiville KY’s most celebrated bars and mixologists. Take a sip here.

And now, Ladies and gentlemen… Tom freaking Jones.