As the title suggests, it is with no disingenuity (that's a word, right?) that we applaud Circe Link and Christian Nesmith for being delightful guests in a conversational capacity, bringing to the show new games to play and a wealth of topics ranging from to the underrated appeal of bodily musk, all while managing to share the same microphone in an example of adorable couplehood. They even go to the trouble of providing all of the music this week. How bout them metaphorical apples?

Travis Randall joins the show this week, and despite a touch of ennui, the topic-hopping quotient spikes considerably, from extolling the virtues of beef salads and fan-owned bands to warning of digital tissue and energy vampires. Also, medical advice that you absolutely should not follow, advice on pruning the un-awesome from one's life, and, just to spice things up... a last minute caller! Music by Cotton Mather, Adam Schmitt and The Beat Farmers.

We here at The Spoon (a joint venture of NDR and BobCo) live by a cardinal rule: the key to entertainment is to jump up and down on the tightrope until it snaps. What happens afterward... ah, that's the prize! As you'll hear in this episode, we tend to lead by example, while our guest Eric Dean Boydston absorbs the lesson and throws out a few choice kernels of his own wisdom along the way. Heads up, class! Music by D.L. Byron, Loveless, and Vader Vader.

Chris is back, Bill Holmes is in the 4th chair, and... ya' know folks, there are times when so much comedy and conversation gets packed into this show that it can't be detailed in a single paragraph description without collapsing on itself and becoming a gravitational singularity which would threaten the safety of all lifekind. This is one of those times. So do the universe a favor and just make with the listening, huh? Music by Paul Melancon, Jensen Bell, and Terry Anderson & The Olympic Ass-Kickin' Team.

Chris is off-duty this week, leaving the show feeling more Sporky than Spoony, but Regent St Clair gamely steps into the breach and helps us to navigate the conversational waters from nitpicky nerdfights (mild spoilers for Prometheus) to Craigslist conundrums, with a brief salute the lascivious 70s in between. Plus, multiple calls, including The Couch Report! Music by The Pills, Something Happens, and Jim Basnight.

Guestless for the first time in months, the men of The Spoon start out with a mission statement spot check before moving into discussion of group dynamics in situations ranging from rock bands to superhero teams, then cap things off with a rousing chorus of Stuff That Used To Be Cool (Before They Tried To Make It More Cool, Which Wound Up Making It Embarrassingly Uncool) augmented by a hilariously heartbreaking SAL. Music by The Orion Experience and Kingsauce.

You know, perhaps it's time to retire this whole hazing ritual that we put Bill Funt through when he appears on the program. Perhaps the approach is losing steam. Perhaps it's played out. Perhaps it's unfair to Bill himself, and we ought to just admit that his caustically witty presence and deep well of pop culture knowledge are the true reasons we welcome him back time and again, and stop perpetuating this impression that he's a needy, ball-hogging chump whose only goal is to usurp the show for his own nefarious objectives. Perhaps...nah, we're having too much fun. But at least Thom's birthday provides a distraction and paints a target on his chest for a while, too. Plus, adventures in the Monkeeverse, and stories of parental inflagrante! Music by The Monks, Panic At The Disco, The Beatifics