In January of 2013, three raconteurs disappeared in the sprawl near Woodland Hills, California, while recording a podcast...Six weeks later, their conversation was found.

Looks like we'll have to buy The White Album again.Thanks for everything, NDR.

You want words? We've got words! Enhance your vocabulary with coterie, behest, and rubicon! Learn how to pronounce coven! Discover the joy of baining! Plus, stories of shocking variety and transience! NDR overlord Johnny Dam's presence unleashes a neutron bomb of jocular tangents, and guest Mike Simmons provides a heavy dose of contrapuntal wit as well as all of this week's music, via his band Sparkle*Jets UK. This one's a barn burner, folks...strap in and hang on!

It's the first trio show in a few months, and the men of The Spoon are more than happy to spend their "alone" time decompressing from a stressful election season while marveling at linguistic remix value, celebrity mustache clout, youthful vehicular insanity, half-assed secessionist movements, and cinematic jingoism through the ages. Plus, Rob gets phished, and the glory of the cutbuzz is revealed! Music by The Condors, 3D Picnic, and Sun Sawed In Half

Last time we had Kelly Murphy on the show, we kept the fact that she is Chris's significant other on the down low, but in this episode their love is both acknowledged and celebrated. And when assailed by killer storms, relentless robo-calls, traumatic celluloid, and confusing joke boundaries, we think everyone could use a little more love. Especially if it's accompanied by food. Not in that way. Ok, sometimes. Music by The Mockers, Phil Seymour, and Cliff Hillis

When we asked musician Karen Basset to visit The Spoon, she was warned of its cat-with-a-laser-pointer aspects, and prepared herself accordingly. Ironic, then, that this turns out to be an unusually focused outing, largely concerning the nature of cool, the alchemy of pop, and the and the arc of the show business curve. Plus, kitties on Roombas! Music by our esteemed guest, via The Pandoras, The Rebel Pebbles, and her own self.

What do we want? Respect! When do we want it? Soon! How do we get it? Uh... we'll get back to you on that. In the meantime, Seth Gordon and Tony Leventhal of The Mockers are here with a flurry of New York stories and impossible dreams, documentary defenses and copyright conundrums. Plus, a little pre-Christmas backlash to counter the pre-Christmas hype, and at least one well-timed bikini joke. Music by The Mockers, Patrick Clark, and The Popravinas.

Joe Armstrong of Independents Day is our guest, and with a fellow musician and radio man in the room, it makes sense that issues of creativity, identity, and media modeling in the 21st century crop up and take center stage. Fortunately, sidetracks into fetish culture, Disney propaganda, and chaos theory, not to mention a couple of left-turn phone calls, keep the baseball from getting too inside. Plus, Freddy flute! All music by Mr Armstrong.

If there is a point to this week's show - and, as regular listeners know, that's a one hell of a big "if" - it's the semiotics of nomenclature. Names have power, whether given at birth, chosen for porn, used as verbs, or applied to fictional plumbing tools. This week's holiday-themed SAL only confuses matters, so we're glad to have Eric Dean Boydston on hand to help us hack through this tricksy linguistic jungle. Music by The Knack, and A Fragile Tomorrow.

It's not often the case that all three men of The Spoon can be so easily hoodwinked, but guest Jimmer Podrasky sweeps in tonight like a comedic Keyser Soze and practically breaks the show in twain with the greatest of ease. Musical musings, dating drama, the proper preparation of monkey meat... no matter the topic being tossed out, it comes back with one hell of a topspin. Enjoy the ride! Music by Finland Station, Elton Duck, and The Rebel Pebbles.