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.
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.
The Stork Club 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.
