This week: Superstar comedian Kevin Hart grows an inch … Comic, writer, TV host and — now– etiquette expert Aisha Tyler steers listeners clear of video game hogs and sunshine nazis… UK scholar Terry Eagleton tells us what Brits really think of Americans… Memoirist Ashley Cardiff is haunted by Prince… The Spinto Band present a menu of dinner party tunes… and Rico celebrates the Fourth of July with Japanese beer. Plus: The most famous soup cans in history, ‘shroom humor, and how the internet may be making us less intelligent.
“A Fun Guy” – Ashley Cardiff
Does Stumbling Make You Smarter?
Evan Goldstein, editor of the intellectual online hub Arts & Letters Daily, says we may be unintentionally allowing the internet to rob us of Unintentional Knowledge.
Pop Goes Art and 'Warhol's Bloody Mary'
This coming week back in 1962, Andy Warhol unveiled his first paintings of Campbell's soup cans … not in his home base of NYC, but at a legendary L.A. gallery. Learn about the humble, sugar-and-sodium-fueled origins of pop art, then sip the custom cocktail it inspired.
Nick Krill of The Spinto Band Fights with a Cherry Tomato
Nick Krill's Delaware-based indierock group The Spinto Band is riding a wave of praise for their latest album. It's called "Cool Cocoon," which is also an apt description of their sound. Here's Nick to suggest some tunes from other musicians.
Kevin Hart on Freeway Babies and Zebras
Actor and comedian Kevin Hart has had scene-stealing small roles in big films like "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Little Fockers." And he had a big role in the big film "Think Like a Man." But he's best known for his stand-up comedy. This week "Let Me Explain" -- a movie about his recent comedy tour -- hits theaters. It was filmed mainly during a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. Brendan chats with Kevin about his penchant for leather, his international fame, and his recent growth spurt.
Writer Ashley Cardiff Meets the Prince of her Nightmares
Ashley Cardiff is managing editor of The Gloss - a culture website for women. Her new memoir "Night Terrors: Sex, Dating, Puberty and Other Alarming Things" deals with her sexual coming-of-age, in hilarious -- and sometimes cringe-worthy -- detail. Today we overhear her tell a tale about her not-so-fantasy Prince.
Frozen Beer Heats up in L.A.
An ice cold beer -- it's the iconic summer tipple. The paradox: how do you keep that beer ice-cold in the summer heat? We head to L.A. restaurant Chaya, the first restaurant in America licensed to sell the solution: frozen beer.
Aisha Tyler Takes the Controls, Talks Epic Fails
In her semi-memoir "Self-Inflicted Wounds," comedian Aisha Tyler shares her most horribly embarrassing moments, from a date-ending sushi mishap to near self-immolation. Our listeners get to learn from Aisha's mistakes, as she answers their etiquette questions.
Terry Eagleton Analyzes America
UK scholar Terry Eagleton is one of the most influential literary critics in the world, and the author of over two dozen books. His latest is called "Across the Pond: an Englishman's View of America." Just in time for Fourth of July weekend, he tells us exactly what Brits think of us.
A New 'Season' of Okkervil River
This autumn Okkervil River - an Americana band with a literary bent - return with a new album called "The Silver Gymnasium." Here's the lead single "It Was My Season" - a piano-fronted track that's a perfect way to jolt yourself out of the summer doldrums.
Playlist: Episode 208
All the tunes in this week's show.
