This week: The Best of 2010, starring Das Racist, Rainn Wilson, Molly Ringwald, Sebastian Junger, mutant barnyard animals, drunken traders, adult kamikazes and a goat named Lincoln. Plus music from Ariel Pink & Sage Francis… and an easter egg omelet.
Icebreaker: Alex Cohen
This year’s show-opening jokes ranged from the lengthy saga of a man with a Big Fat Orange Head to a 5-second bit about a selfish lobster, with stops along the way to mock Brezhnev and Mobutu. But the listeners have spoken, and their favorite joke came from author and Roller Derby queen Alex “Axles of Evil” Cohen; the woman who taught Drew Barrymore to skate regales us with a saucy tale of barnyard mutation.
The Year In Small Talk: Designer Abductions, Icelandic SPAM, and Drunken Traders
All year long, our friends at Marketplace told us about stories that didn’t make the headlines. Here’s a compendium of our favorites – like the French company that’ll kidnap you… for a price.
History Lesson with Booze: FBI vs. The Kingsmen & “The Louie Louie”
Our favorite historical anecdote this year concerned the FBI’s two-year investigation of the Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie” — a song with lyrics so slurred, some folks figured they just had to be obscene. Dance along with our tuneful tale, then mix yourself this grown-up variation on a frat-party favorite.
“The Louie Louie”, as created for the DPD by David Welch, bar manager and co-owner of Lincoln restaurant in Portland, Oregon:
In a shaker, combine:
- 1 oz. Medoyeff vodka
- 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 1 oz Aperol
Add ice, shake, pour into a glass and slug it down quick. Repeat until speechless.
Guest(s) of Honor
It’s been an auspicious year for the DPD, as our uber-intern Jackson Musker stalked, cajoled and flattered some of the world’s greatest celebrities, many of whom fell for it and actually appeared on the show. Spike Jonze, Venus Williams, Kid Cudi and Judd Apatow all graced our airwaves, but for this “Best Of” episode we narrowed our favorites down to five. Hear Das Racist’s Victor Vasquez, TV star Rainn Wilson, filmmaker Robert Siegel, journalist Sebastian Junger and Gen X heroine Molly Ringwald grapple with our two standard questions… and in at least one case, bark like a dog.
Main Course: Getting Your Goat
Remember Rico tasting a World War II-era British sandwich? Brendan inventing a less scatological name for the Mexican dish huitlacoche? Remember NYC’s illegal Grilled Cheese dealer? We do too – fondly. But our favorite food segment of the year wasn’t about a dish – it was about an animal. A few months back, Brendan visited author and urban farmer Novella Carpenter in Oakland, California, where she told us about the highs and lows of goat addiction.
One(s) For the Road: Best Songs of 2010
Of the 9.8 million new songs released this year, it was impossible to pick two favorites. But we did it anyway.
Brendan’s Pick:
This was the year that long-celebrated psych-pop maestro Ariel Pink finally got his due props, opening for The Flaming Lips and garnering raves across the board for his latest album “Before Today.” The album’s single “Round and Round” is the perfect song for cruising into the sunset while longing for summer…
Rico’s Pick:
Critics were of two minds about poet/rapper Sage Francis’ album “Li(f)e” — with its ambitious blend of rap and indierock (composed and performed with help from bands like Califone, Death Cab For Cutie and Granddaddy). Was it a bold step forward for hip-hop, or an ill-fated attempt at genre-smashing? One thing just about everyone agreed on: album closer “Best Of Times” — a collaboration with film composer Yann Tiersen — is a grand stunner. Best listened to while congratulating yourself for surviving your youth.
Sea & Cake – “The Argument”
Wedding Present – “Signal”
Link Wray – “Jack The Ripper”
Tipsy – “Liquordelic”
The Kingsmen – “Louie Louie”
The Pharoahs – “Louie Louie”
Toots & The Maytals – “Louie Louie”
Iggy Pop – “Louie Louie”
Bow Wow Wow – “Bow Wow Wow”
Julie Andrews et al – “The Lonely Goatherd”
Ariel Pink – “Round and Round”
Sage Francis – “The Best of Times”
