Code Switch

(Episode 301) Shake things up in our nation's capital with one of D.C.'s music legends. In this hour, recorded at the NPR Headquarters in Washington, our Very Important Puzzler is the prolific and outspoken Ian MacKaye. The front man of the D.C. punk bands Fugazi and Minor Threat shares tales from the road, and muses about what “punk” means today...

In this podcast-only extra, hear punk rocker Ian MacKaye tell Ask Me Another host Ophira Eisenberg about the time he was invited to support his fellow punks in the band Fear during their performance on Saturday Night Live in 1981. It involved John Belushi, lots of wild dancing, and an angry response from Eddie Murphy.  Hear the entire episode with V.I.P. Ian MacKaye starting November 1, 2013.

Happy Halloween from Ask Me Another! In this podcast-only extra, Jonathan Coulton performs his spooky song "Re: Your Brains" live at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY. This song is best enjoyed if you sing along in a very scary zombie voice.

In this week’s show, recorded at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, play games about famous sets of twins, grammatically-incorrect song lyrics--and did you know that James Bond also has a “license to grill”? Pun alert! Our V.I.P. is the woman who helped add 13 hours of marathon-watching to our schedules: Piper Kerman. She's the author of Orange is the New Black, the memoir that inspired the hit Netflix series about life in a women’s prison...

Piper Kerman spent about a year in a minimum security women’s prison, the details of which she shares in the memoir-turned-TV show, Orange Is the New Black. Prison food left much to be desired, so Piper and her friends took up the hobby of cooking on the sly with whatever ingredients, and methods, they could find. In this podcast-only extra, hear Piper share her recipe for Prison Cheesecake. (And it only calls for one contraband item!)   Hear the entire episode with V.I.P...

You may know this week’s V.I.P. (Very Important Puzzler) Steve Guttenberg from such iconic films as Diner, Cocoon, and Three Men and a Baby. But he wears plenty of other hats – author, reality show contestant, even Guinness World Record holder. In this episode we’ll explore all things Gute. Plus, we’ll dine out on some soft rock, give movies the Randy Newman treatment, and find out that Mark Twain isn’t all he’s cracked up to be.

Want to know what J.D. Salinger was really up to during all those years as a recluse? He wrote racy letters to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dined with Michael Jackson and cut a track with the Foo Fighters. At least according to V.I.P. Tom Ruprecht, a former Late Show With David Letterman writer and author of a totally phony oral history of Salinger’s life...

During his time as a writer for Late Show with David Letterman, Tom Ruprecht enjoyed poking fun at then-President George W. Bush. In this podcast-only extra, Ruprecht tells Ask Me Another host Ophira Eisenberg about one joke that didn’t go over too well with the White House.  Hear the entire episode with V.I.P. Tom Ruprecht starting October 10, 2013.

(Rebroadcast) This summer spectacular, recorded outdoors in New York City's Central Park, is a jam-packed show. The Office's B.J. Novak hits the puzzle hotseat for a Shakespearean pop quiz, Wet Hot American Summer filmmaker David Wain flaunts his movie trivia prowess, and Kurt Andersen, host of PRI's Studio 360, stakes his claim as a literary romantic...

Making heads or tails of the ever-changing job market can be a puzzle in and of itself. Luckily, this week's Very Important Puzzlers — Adam Davidson and Alex Blumberg, co-creators of NPR's Planet Money podcast — give the scoop on how they help listeners make sense of the global economy. Plus, a literary twist on blockbuster-style movie trailers, a tribute to city names of yesteryear, and a game all about repeating words for effect...effect...effect.