This week: Writer-director Sofia Coppola reveals she once was an heir to another Hollywood legend… A killer smog chokes London… And America turns on Spiderman. Plus, a dear joke from Badly Drawn Boy, and a holiday tune from Bishop Allen.
Icebreaker: Badly Drawn Boy
Singer-songwriter Damon Gough – aka Badly Drawn Boy – tells us a gamey joke… but there’s a price to pay.
Small Talk: Spiderman Breaks A Leg(s)
Jessica Coen, editor of women’s web portal Jezebel.com, tells us about the latest not-so-superheroic accident to befall the costliest Broadway show of all-time.
A History Lesson With Booze: Killer Smog and the “52 Fizz”
For much of the 20th Century, England’s romantic mist was actually a not-so-romantic brew of coal smoke and fog — the word “smog” was coined to describe it. This week in 1952, the worst smog ever descended upon London, killing at least four thousand people…and providing the inspiration for this week’s cocktail.
“THE 52 FIZZ,” as created by Martin Ball, bartender at MatchBar in London’s Clerkenwell district:
In a shaker, add:
- 2.5 oz. Beefeater gin
- Dash of passionfruit juice, aka “Dash of Pash”
- Sweet-and-sour syrup – 3/4 oz. lemon juice and 3/4 oz. sugar
- 1/2 egg white for “cloudy” effect
- 1 barspoon Islay whiskey for a “smoky” finish
Shake violently (to get egg white frothy), strain into highball glass over ice, and inhale.
Guest of Honor: Sofia Coppola
Writer-Director Sofia Coppola has helmed a diverse slate of films, including the historical biopic Marie Antoinette, the teen drama The Virgin Suicides, and the award-winning Lost in Translation. Her latest film, Somewhere, was named Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival and comes out this week. It follows an actor living the high-life in Hollywood’s fabled Chateau Marmont hotel who’s suddenly forced to play dad. Sofia tells Brendan about being an heir to a Hollywood legend… oh, and also about her father.
One For The Road: Bishop Allen – “You’ll Never Find My Christmas”
Brooklyn indie A-students Bishop Allen hit the bulls-eye with this cute but not cloying Christmas ditty. Best listened to while driving your loved ones crazy with Xmas-gifticipation.
Music On This Week’s Show:
Sea & Cake – “The Argument”
Aphex Twin – “Boy/Girl Song”
Tipsy – “Liquordelic”
Winnifred Atwell – “Britannia Rag”
Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky”
Velvet Underground – “Foggy Notion”
Phoenix – “Love Like A Sunset Part II”
