This week: Actor John C. Reilly fights the meanies… A housewife breaks through baseball’s grass ceiling… And Brendan fact-checks “magical” drink kombucha. Plus, a duck-duck joke from Pulitzer-winner Jennifer Egan and a new tune from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. [sic].
Icebreaker: Jennifer Egan
Author Jennifer Egan, who just won the Pulitzer Prize for her rock ‘n’ roll novel A Visit from the Goon Squad, nails the punchline of a duck joke.
Radio listeners heard author Charles Yu regale us with a meta-joke. His (appropriately) meta novel is called How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe.
Small Talk: Choire Sicha
Choire Sicha, editor of online magazine The Awl, explains why New York City’s geese are cooked.
A History Lesson with Booze: One Strike for Feminism and the “Past-Time”
This week back in 1972, Bernice Gera became the first female umpire in pro baseball history…and then immediately resigned. Learn why she took herself out of the ballgame, then steal home to mix this All-American cocktail:
“Past-Time,” as called by Larry Foor, bar manager at The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park, Florida – a town that’s in the ballpark of America’s only two professional umpiring schools.
In a shaker with ice, add:
- 2 oz. vodka (Larry used one from local outfit Flagler Spirits)
- 1/2 oz. Hum liqueur (or any rum if you can’t find this ode to the Cubbies)
- 1/2 oz. sour mix (3 parts lime juice, 1 part lemon juice, 1 part simple syrup)
Shake and strain into a rocks glass full of ice. Top with a little champagne… to celebrate a future when women ump in the Majors. Add a citrus twist if desired. Take a big swing – er, swig – and call sexism “out.”
Guest of Honor: John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly is one of America’s best-loved actors. Equally at home in Oscar-fodder (“Magnolia,” “Chicago”) and megahit comedies (“Walk Hard,” “Talladega Nights”), his new film is the tender coming-of-age indie “Terri,” which hits theaters July 1st. John tells Rico about his days of Thunder, why mean people suck, and talks up a bird named Charlie.
Main Course: Miracle On Ice?
It’s essentially just fermented tea… so what’s all the fuss about hippies’ beloved health tonic Kombucha? Brendan pays a visit to Kombucha Brooklyn – one of a new wave of vendors – and gets a lesson in “the ‘buch” from super-booster Eric Childs.
One For The Road: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – “Skeletons”
Look past the name and the in-your-face Nascar trappings, and the ramshackle electro-pop of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is easy to warm to. “Skeletons” (off May’s LP, It’s a Corporate World) features the band’s typical vocal harmonies, against a lilting melody that’s perfect for the quiet moments after the race is run.
Music On This Week’s Show:
Sea & Cake – “The Argument”
Aphex Twin – “Boy/Girl Song”
Tipsy – “Liquordelic”
Vince Guaraldi – “Baseball Theme”
Squarehead – “Baseball Ghosts”
D.J. Food – “The Crow”
The Commodores – “Superman”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – “Skeletons”
