There is joy in Spoonville this week, if for no other reason than our willingness to find humor in the apocalypse -- whether it be of the classic Hestonian variety, or the more contemporary Black Friday flavor. Other topics include the art of canine communication (both telepathic and olfactory), and the importance of having specific goals for 2012. Music by Foxy Shazam, Electric Angels, and an especially spirited performance from our own James Honeyman Smith-Smythe during this week's brand new Sodomizing A Legacy.

Spending the show as a dramaturgical triad for the first time in a couple of months, the men of The Spoon seek shelter from the trials and perils of real life by pondering such questions as what do we mean by “real”, and how can we arrive at an empirical definition of “life”? Also, which is tougher to endure: horror done right, or comedy done wrong? And where have all the non-vanilla sportscasters gone? The answers… may surprise you. Music by Los Abandoned, Kristian Hoffman , and Chris Von Sneidern

Sometimes the men of The Spoon are able to mix the silly and the serious with a deft, neuro-surgical touch, but this week the results are more Frankenstein-esque. Shit gets real over the goings-on at Penn State, throwing what had been a regular round of shenanigans into a debate over power, responsibility, community, and humanity. Plenty of gallows humor to be found here (especially from special guest Johnny Dam) as well as excursions into Oscar politics, Canadian labor, and a healthy round of caller abuse, but in general, this episode has a slightly different tone from what you may be used to. Listen anyway. Music by Drive Til Morning,The Loveless, and Infidels.

Bill "Pappy" Holmes returns to the show on a mission to promote his new radio adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and is only slightly sidetracked by having to spill his entire professional biography as the price of admission. Also, amid tales of pixel blood, eyebrow spikes, horseback drill teams, Spanish verbalization of varying quality and veracity, the Zen of Tim Gunn, and mad love for Stump The Band, a new Spoony drinking game emerges, sure to inspire lawsuits everywhere. Gamut-running-tastic! Music by Ed James, Beat Angels, and The Shazam

It's often been said that The Spoon is a show ahead of its time. That has never been more literally true than this week's episode, broadcast on Halloween but disproportionately concerned with the approaching Christmas season. NDR head cheese Johnny Dam joins us for a rollicking evening of righteous indignation, reflective rumination, and Re-Animator talk. Also, a trick-or-treater visits the studio, and the Fivetober meme just Will.Not.Die. Music by The Ramblers, Elton Duck,and The Surf Piranhas