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).
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.
The Littlefeather, 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.
