Episodes

Episode 280: Bryan Ferry, Aasif Mandvi, and Jessie Ware

Kevin Winter / Getty
Kevin Winter / Getty

Roxy Music rocker Bryan Ferry explains capital-A Art … Lynne Rossetto Kasper takes a seat at our Splendid Table … One of the nation’s most-acclaimed poets, Billy Collins, invents some words … Aasif Mandvi of “The Daily Show” channels MJ to unite a crowd … Singer Jessie Ware gets sassy … Beer writer William Bostwick on beers from watered-down to porked-up … A 3AM phone call nobody wants … New jams from Iceland … And a newly-discovered mystery surrounding the death of Vincent Van Gogh.


William Bostwick - Moon Clipper

Icebreaker

Writer William Bostwick tells us a joke about another nighttime delight, the moon.


Everything You Know About Van Gogh Is Wrong

Small Talk

At least the part about him shooting himself. Maybe. The Paris Review's Sadie Stein explains.


A Cold War Close Call

A History Lesson With Booze ®

You're the White House Security Adviser, it's 3AM, and you get the call that Doomsday is nigh — but then you learn it was all just a computer simulation gone awry.


Photo: Tim Zaragoza

Jessie Ware Takes Us to a Romantic Zone

Soundtrack

From a career launched in the UK dance music scene to her recent collaborations with American R&B royalty, Jessie Ware crafts beautiful songs which blend the electronic with the soulful -- and the longing with the sassy. Just like her party playlist.


Invented Words and Moments Observed with Poet Billy Collins

Chattering Class

Billy Collins is a former two-term Poet Laureate of the United States and about as acclaimed as a contemporary poet can be. He reads from his new book and reminds us of the importance of taking a walk in the park.


Stephen Lovekin / Getty

Aasif Mandvi Can't Be Michael Jackson All the Time

Eavesdropping

Actor and writer Aasif Mandvi is best known as the "foreign" correspondent on "The Daily Show." His new book, "No Land's Man," is a collection of humorous essays inspired by his life and the particular challenges of being a South Asian man in Hollywood.


A Beer Historian on Today's Beer Trends

Main Course

We turned to beer critic and historian William Bostwick to pour over some recent beer news, from craft brewers getting a little too crafty, to sport stadium beer that's not quite boozy enough.


Etiquette Confidential with Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Etiquette

Lynne Rossetto Kasper is the host of The Splendid Table and author of many best-selling books about food. Which is all to say she's the perfect person to field etiquette questions the week before Thanksgiving.


Kevin Winter / Getty

Bryan Ferry Reveals the Source of His Songs and Style

Guest of Honor

Bryan Ferry is known both for his solo work and his hugely-influential 1970s-era band, Roxy Music. Last year, he had a hit with his jazz orchestra's work for Baz Luhrmann's "Great Gatsby," and now, at age 69, he has out a new record, "Avonmore," which might be 'solo,' but it's the product of extensive (and star-studded) collaborations.


Júníus Meyvant's Fall Color Decays

One For The Road

Each year, the Iceland Airwaves festival presents some of the most exciting Icelandic and international music to an audience assembled from around the world. One of this year's best finds is Júníus Meyvant.