The Dinner Party Download

Comedian Jordan Peele’s hit horror film “Get Out” is a deadly serious exploration of racism…Pete Holmes used his divorce as inspiration for his new HBO comedy, “Crashing”…Nashville singer Valerie June throws a party at Elvis’ house…Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen tackles issues of race, immigration, and identity…Plus, how the film, “Nosferatu,” almost burned to […]

This week, something a little different! We’re giving you the first in an all-new series we’re calling “Dinner for One” — essentially, a single, almost unedited conversation with someone amazing. This time, comedy — and now horror — genius Jordan Peele chats with Rico about “Get Out,” the new film he wrote and directed. The […]

Director Damien Chazelle on his record-tying 14 Oscar nominations, and why he’s attracted to art forms on their way to extinction… A New York Times editor reveals the elaborate accommodations for canine competitors at the Westminster Dog Show… Author George Saunders dishes out advice and reveals his *real* first novel… Musician Rhiannon Giddens picks a […]

Lin-Manuel Miranda talks about his latest work in “Moana,” and reveals how a cross country trip helped him perfect his freestyle rapping… “Nerdette” co-host Greta Johnsen proves why Virginia is NOT for lovers… Rapper Kevin Abstract gives us a dinner party soundtrack for time travelers… Writer Ottessa Moshfegh shares her favorite characters nostalgic for other […]

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” star Rachel Bloom schools us in online stalking and making contemporary musicals… DJ Steve Aoki marries hardcore music with rap… “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal makes us all smarter… Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck pays tribute to the late, great James Baldwin in his new documentary… Comedians John Early and Kate Berlant recommend three classic […]

Holy Tuesday, it’s an all-new episode of our off-the-cuff Speakeasy podcast. This time, Brendan and Rico are in the studio together — a rare event! In this special, you’ll hear an icebreaker from the Academy Award-nominated director Ava DuVernay that didn’t make it to air. Also, “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins — who is up for […]

Encore Broadcast: “Ugly Betty” and “Superstore” star America Ferrera explains the “super” part of superstores… Comedian Norm Macdonald gives us etiquette advice and reveals why his new memoir, “Based on a True Story,” is full of lies… Childstar-turned-writer Mara Wilson confronts the hereafter… Noise rock pioneer Lou Barlow celebrates soft rock with a soundtrack for […]

We talk life, (near-)death, and tree-climbing with “The OA” creator and star Brit Marling, then learn how she broke her nose making it… Comedian Cristela Alonzo gives us some “Lower Classy” advice… Booker Prize-winning novelist Aravind Adiga teaches us a thing or two about the sport of cricket… A medical breakthrough inspires a healthy tipple…And […]

Ava DuVernay unpacks the issues at play in her searing documentary, “13th,” then reveals the cheeseball ’80s movie that’s her true fave… Legendary Sex Pistol Steve Jones tells you when it’s OK to steal from your opening act… Indie band Whitney gives a retro playlist that’ll raise the roof… Comedian Baron Vaughn meets a turn-of-phrase… […]

Filmmaker Mike Mills celebrates his mom and other “20th Century Women”… Multi-instrumentalist Natalie Mering a.k.a. Weyes Blood takes us to the opera (inside her tiny apartment)… The Posts bring etiquette gifts that never expire…We learn about the secret that brilliant cartoonist George Herriman (“Krazy Kat”) kept ’til his death… Rico samples guarapo, Cuba’s signature street […]

We look back at our favorite moments of 2016! Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro professes his love for insects and imperfections… Actor Saoirse Ronan pronounces Brendan’s name correctly… Mya Taylor (star of “Tangerine” and winner of DPD’s “NOTscar”) finds home on the range … We toast the high-flying, history-making exploits of Bessie Coleman, the first black […]

Zooey Deschanel and M Ward of the band She & Him suggest some holiday music deep cuts, for the sun and the snow… Alton Brown waxes poetic about eggnog, before serving up etiquette advice… “Parks and Rec” alum Nick Offerman breaks down his Oscar-worthy YuleLog video (that’s just him sipping whiskey for 45 minutes)… Vanity […]

Filmmaker Barry Jenkins finds magic in “Moonlight”…Actor Gael Garcia Bernal waxes poetic about art and “Neruda”…U.K. wit Caitlin Moran proposes steam baths for politicians and onesies FOR ALL… Folk phenom Lucy Dacus spins us a soundtrack built for living rooms and river beds. Plus: Jedi poetry, “Surfy Christmas,” and tiny Jane Austens.

Ta-da! It’s an all-new episode of our impromptu Speakeasy podcasts. This time, Rico and Brendan reflect on their recent trip to Cuba (be sure to check out photos here). Plus, you’ll hear a few bonus pieces of audio not included in full episodes! Rick Astley tells us how his daughter helped him cope with becoming […]

It’s one of our favorite (holiday) episodes: Hip-hop legend Darryl “DMC” McDaniels riffs on his mega-hit “Christmas in Hollis”… TV’s “Naked Chef” Jamie Oliver injects some health into our holiday menu (okay, some butter remains)… Humorist Fran Lebowitz cuts through holiday sap with tart advice… Macklemore & Ryan Lewis craft a Yuletide playlist, featuring your […]

Celebrated chef Anthony Bourdain gets tough and tender in our etiquette segment… Breakout actor Mackenzie Davis (TV’s “Halt and Catch Fire,” the new film “Always Shine”) opts for reality over (manic pixie) dreams… Kurt Wagner, frontman of Nashville band Lambchop, turns back the clock with his party soundtrack…Iconic silver screen rebel Toshiro Mifune gets a […]

It’s a week of feasting, which means it’s time for our special All-Food Show! Star chef Roy Choi reinvents fast food, in the heart of Watts… Comedian Jim Gaffigan advises you to pack your kids’ lunch with pub fare… Nahnatchka Khan, showrunner for TV’s “Fresh Off the Boat,” thanks her Dad for drive-thru laughs…Marlon Brando […]

Encore Broadcast: We revisit our conversation with the late great soul singer Sharon Jones… “Bad Moms” star Kristen Bell entertains our emoji etiquette questions… Comedian Josh Gondelman celebrates his Sublime relationship… Icelandic musician Junius Meyvant DJs your dinner party… Author Charles Russo teaches us about Bruce Lee’s early days… Plus, the robots that wrote the world’s […]

This week, it’s a special podcast episode taped LIVE at the Now Hear This podcast festival! Davy Rothbart, host of the acclaimed “Found” podcast, tells us about heart-warming root canals… “Gilmore Guys” co-host Demi Adejuyigbe tries to convert Brendan and Rico into, well, “Gilmore Guys”… The OC Weekly’s Gustavo Arellano pushes buttons left and right… […]

“Parks and Rec” alum Nick Offerman carves out his own niche, solves problems with bear hugs… Singer and godfather-of-memes Rick Astley lists some alternatives to his beloved “Rick-roll”… Journalist Emily Witt ponders sex and love in the 21st century… And “Daily Show” correspondent Hasan Minhaj makes a lofty proposal! Plus: drooling drummers, a cold war […]

It’s a very special all-book show! Featuring etiquette tips from “Eat, Pray, Love” author Elizabeth Gilbert… A lesson on tribal society with “The Perfect Storm” writer Sebastian Junger… Man Booker prize recipient Marlon James confronts his bullies in drag… Israeli novelist Etgar Keret welcomes a newborn amidst a terrorist attack… Illustrator Molly Crabapple talks about […]

Encore Broadcast: This week, it’s a special edition of the DPD, taped in front of a D.C.-area crowd! Think of it as a political party: Former congressman Barney Frank pines for pragmatism and left-(handed) progress… Anna Chlumsky of HBO’s “VEEP” swears she can leave her character’s quirks on-set… Local keyboard legend Hailu Mergia, once a […]

Critically-acclaimed director Kelly Reichardt chats about her new film “Certain Women”… The hilarious Kevin Hart brings his kids to work… Grammy-winner and newly-minted “Prairie Home Companion” host Chris Thile spins us a soundtrack… Comedian Kyle Kinane unwinds with some conspiracy theories… Etiquette experts the Posts help us deal with unskilled Uber drivers… Plus: Growing food […]

Actor Rebecca Hall – star of the new film “Christine” – demonstrates her range (from Shakespeare to Bjork!)… The always gleeful Jane Lynch brings an alter ego to therapy and gives us etiquette advice… Electro-pop maestro Tom Krell, a.k.a. How to Dress Well, DJs your dinner party … Novelist Jade Chang shares a riches-to-rags story […]

Seth Meyers dishes about working his “Late Night” gig (and not about “Saturday Night Live!”)… Pretend talk show host Eric Andre lists his favorite train wreck interviews… Comedian Phoebe Robinson teaches us how to avoid being the black friend… New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd gives us etiquette advice and describes what happens when Donald […]

Surprise! It’s our first-ever extra-special-InstaPod! Normally, we help you win your dinner parties, but today we’re going to help you win your DEBATE party. We chatted with New York Times Op-Ed columnist Maureen Dowd for “etiquette” (tune in for her full chat on Friday), but we couldn’t resist also asking her about her thoughts on […]

Encore Broadcast: It’s a special “ALL-TV” Episode, featuring big talent from the small screen! Ellie Kemper of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” smiles into the void… T.J. Miller (“Silicon Valley”) recommends wedding gifts for the budget-minded (just make sure you have your tetanus shot)… “Orange is the New Black” star Uzo Aduba invites Shakespeare to the slammer… […]

“Ugly Betty” and “Superstore” star America Ferrera explains the “super” part of superstores… Comedian Norm Macdonald gives us etiquette advice and reveals why his new memoir, “Based on a True Story,” is full of lies… Childstar-turned-writer Mara Wilson confronts the hereafter… Noise rock pioneer Lou Barlow celebrates soft rock with a soundtrack for your dinner […]

Visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) celebrates bugs, monsters, and his FX Series “The Strain”… Comedian Dave Barry gives us etiquette advice and defends Florida… Actor Nicole Byer gets racially profiled by a child she babysits… Author Mark Greif lays out his case against exercise (and everything else)… rising R&B star Jamila Woods DJs your […]

Actor Craig Robinson (“The Office”) shows off his dramatic chops (and his German) in “Morris from America”… Phoebe Waller-Bridge– star of Amazon’s buzzy new series “Fleabag”– pulls off the ultimate stage prank… Rocker Angel Olsen reflects on lost cities, found lovers, and songs worth preaching about… And Sir Arthur Conan Doyle assists in solving a […]

Encore Broadcast: Movie star Colin Farrell considers his new film, “The Lobster”… Comedian Maria Bamford channels her mother (and her mother’s hairdresser) to give us etiquette advice… Writer and activist Lindy West stands up for Kermit the Frog… Musician Frankie Cosmos DJs your dinner/pajama party (no boys allowed!)… Writer and rocker John Doe regales us with […]

It’s time for our All-Icebreaker extravaganza! We’ve compiled a year’s worth of our show-starting jokes into one convenient package. Get your eyes ready to roll with these awesomely bad tiny tales of stuff walking into bars, bad trips to the doctor, and more, courtesy of guests like Ian McKellen, Cameron Diaz, Alice Cooper, Saoirse Ronan, […]

Encore Broadcast: Allison Janney, star of the CBS sitcom “Mom,” on the humor in life’s heavy stuff… Alan Palomo, better known as Neon Indian, DJs your bomb shelter dinner party (but you’ll have to bring your own food)… Bon Appetit’s Adam Rapoport on how to pre-game for a food coma… The veteran producer behind “The Jeffersons” […]

Surprise! It’s an all-new edition of our off-the-cuff Speakeasy podcast! This time, you’ll hear a special treat from “The Sporkful”‘s live event at Taste of Chicago: Brendan and Rico square off against Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen, hosts of the “Nerdette” podcast, in a version of the newlywed game. Find out how well the guys […]

Encore Broadcast: “Orphan Black” star Tatiana Maslany plays clones, twins, and Ying Yang Twins… Nicholas Hoult (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” the new “Kill Your Friends”) revels in a bit of depravity — and a good fanny pack… “American Psycho” gets the Broadway treatment, from Tony winner Duncan Sheik… A portrait of Georgia O’Keefe as a […]

Soul singer Sharon Jones shares her digits… “Bad Moms” star Kristen Bell entertains our emoji etiquette questions… Comedian Josh Gondelman celebrates his Sublime relationship… Icelandic musician Junius Meyvant DJs your dinner party… Author Charles Russo teaches us about Bruce Lee’s early days… Plus, the robots that wrote the world’s scariest movie, the most popular fake […]

Comedian Jim Gaffigan advises you to pack your kids’ lunch with pub fare… Novelist Emma Cline discusses the cult of her hit first novel… acclaimed Scottish composer Anna Meredith DJs your next dinner party/obstacle course… Writer Nicole Dennis-Benn finds trouble in paradise… Biographer Darryl W. Bullock sings the praises of the world’s worst opera singer… […]

Actor Shiri Appleby, of the Peabody award-winning TV show “UnREAL,” directs herself playing the part of a producer (don’t worry, we’re confused too!)… Jessi Klein, Executive Producer of “Inside Amy Schumer,” discusses HER feminine ideals versus THE feminine ideal… Comedian Wyatt Cenac tells us what NOT to say to a mall cop… The man behind […]

Encore Broadcast: Actor Viola Davis — star of the ABC hit show “How to Get Away with Murder” — waxes poetic on the wonders of Vaseline… Broadway star Alan Cumming gives us an etiquette lesson and reminds us that he is NOT a performing poodle… Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro navigates the darkest moment of […]

“Pitch Perfect” star Anna Kendrick answers your etiquette questions (and threatens to eat your family)… Documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker celebrates both sides of Bob Dylan… Comedian Aparna Nancherla explains how she embodies science… Musician Fantastic Negrito DJs your dinner party… Plus, we meet the lovechild of Japanese pancakes and tiny hamburgers, learn the history of […]

Multi-hyphenate Rashida Jones — one of the forces behind TV’s police farce “Angie Tribeca”– comes bearing wisdom for ‘overdogs’… Cello maestro Yo-Yo Ma gets existential… Pop sensations Tegan and Sara craft a party playlist that’s frank — and French… The man and myth behind the donut, as we know it… Photographing your dinner makes you […]

It’s an all-new episode of our off-the-cuff Speakeasy podcast! “Outlander” star Sam Heughan has a failsafe way to look buff (hint: tiny clothing)… Dick Cavett reveals his hidden talent and has a little fun at Spiro Agnew’s expense… Opus Moreschi, head writer of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” gets crafty with cocktails during our […]

This week, it’s a special edition of the DPD, taped in front of a D.C.-area crowd! Think of it as a political party: Former congressman Barney Frank pines for pragmatism and left-(handed) progress… Anna Chlumsky of HBO’s “VEEP” swears she can leave her character’s quirks on-set… Local keyboard legend Hailu Mergia, once a part of […]

Encore Broadcast: Alison Bechdel — whose graphic memoir “Fun Home” is now a 12-time Tony-nominated musical — tells us how she gets comfy, with her life on stage… “Fight Club” author Chuck Palahniuk schools us in prank-ology, to celebrate his new sequel… The Posts tackle some especially hairy etiquette hang-ups… We tune into an avant-garde-tinged […]

Encore Broadcast: Master thespian Sir Ian McKellen with etiquette advice and real talk about his least favorite co-stars… supermodel Cindy Crawford recalls her photo shoot with a 40-pound python… Investigative journalist Christine Haughney on why in wine, there’s not always truth… Will Toledo — of lo-fi indie rock band Car Seat Headrest — DJs your […]

“Outlander” star Sam Heughan drops by to deliver some hair care tips before answering a few of our listeners’ etiquette questions… Filmmaker and journalist Sebastian Junger tells us why some prefer wartime to peacetime… Comedians/spouses Moshe Kasher and Natasha Leggero list a few road trips gone wrong… Brendan visits a cheese cave… Actor and writer Faith Salie […]

Movie star Colin Farrell considers his new film, “The Lobster”… Comedian Maria Bamford channels her mother (and her mother’s hairdresser) to give us etiquette advice… Writer and activist Lindy West stands up for Kermit the Frog… Musician Frankie Cosmos DJs your dinner/pajama party (no boys allowed!)… Writer and rocker John Doe regales us with stories of […]

It’s an all new “Speakeasy” — our occasional, off-the-cuff, slightly profane, online-only podcast where we share some of the great stuff we had to leave on the cutting room floor. This time around you’ll hear Ellie Kemper of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” attempt to raise the bar for improv (or is it the roof?)… Plus, Comedian […]

Encore Broadcast: Marc Maron gives etiquette AND time-travel advice… Graphic novelist Mimi Pond lists criminals, spies, and other bohemians … “Man On Wire” tightrope-walker Philippe Petit explores creative chaos… “The Descendants” author Kaui Hart Hemmings tells a new tale… load up on Kleenex ’cause here comes SADvertising… the history of the least respected trophy in […]

Oscar-nominee Saoirse Ronan sharpens her skills in Broadway’s Crucible… Actor-and-author Cameron Diaz gives us impeccable advice — for the long haul… A new doc paints a portrait of David Hockney, an artist both bright and blue… One-man-band Kevin Morby recommends a few other artists (and BBQ masters) who went solo… Comedian-on-the-rise Solomon Georgio recalls his […]