This week: Swedish starlet Noomi Rapace removes her Dragon Tattoo… America’s fake World War… And Quidditch vies for legit-ish-macy. Plus a joke from Talking Head Chris Frantz, and music from The Smith Westerns.
Icebreaker: Chris Frantz
Chris Frantz — drummer for Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club — damns himself with a drummer joke.
Small Talk: Revenge of the Nerds
As the Quidditch World Cup approaches, Guy Raz — host of NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered — snitches on college players who hope this fantasy sport enchants the NCAA.
A History Lesson With Booze: Mars Attacks and “The Orson”
This week back in 1938, Orson Welles freaked out millions of American radio listeners with his radio dramatization of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Or did he? Either way, toast this watershed media moment with a cocktail partially concoted by Welles himself, on planet Spain.
“The Orson,” created by Craig Holcombe, bar manager at One 53 in Princeton, NJ — a stone’s throw from Martian ground zero:
In a coffee glass, add:
- 1/2 oz. Licor 43
- 1 oz. Osborne brandy
Stir, fill to the brim with coffee, top with whipped cream. Convince puny humans it’s harmless. Watch them drop like flies.
Guest of Honor: Noomi Rapace
Swedish actress Noomi Rapace plays Lisbeth Salander, the punk-rock hacker heroine of the Millenium Trilogy — a series of films based on Stieg Larsson’s blockbuster books. The trilogy concludes this week with the release of The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest. Noomi tells Brendan about her penchant for upbeat roles, and how Lisbeth made her sick.
One For The Road: The Smith Westerns – “Imagine Part 3”
Chicago lo-fi pop quartet The Smith Westerns are about as subtle as a Smith & Wesson, but way nicer to listen to. Evidence: hopeful anthems like “Imagine, Part 3,” the perfect soundtrack for super-8 footage of sunlight bursting through clouds.
Music On This Week’s Show:
Sea & Cake – “The Argument”
Aphex Twin – “Boy/Girl Song”
Tipsy – “Liquordelic”
Bernard Herrmann – “The Murder”
Air – “Radio # 1”
Destination – “Overdrive”
Unrest – “Teenage Suicide”
The Smith Westerns – “Imagine Part 3”
