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.

Bill Funt's latest round of thrills and spills as the show's favorite frenemy is augmented by the arrival of musician/TV host/restauranteur Bobby Bognar, and the rising conversational tide lifts boats right, left, and center, with talk of unlikely media heroes, unfortunate cartoon voices, the My Way Murders, the Spoon as Beatles metaphor, and the ever-mysterious question of where meat comes from. Music by Extra, Elton Duck, and Otis Gibson & The Rockhounds

With Chris away on adventures both amorous and aeronautical, Rob and Thom navigate the maturity curve of world religions, the fractal nature of social groupings, the telltale portents of Christian pop songs, and, perhaps most importantly, whether a remake of Red Dawn is workable in 2012. Plus, unexpected visitors, backward backbeats, and what Thom really does while everyone else is talking. Music by Uncle Green, Big Fish Ensemble, and Paul Melancon.

There are things we love too much, things we could stand to love more, things we want to love but are forced to fear, and things which should never be approached in the first place. In this episode, Michele Ivey, Timmy Cupps, and a grip of callers help the men of The Spoon cover all these bases and more with tales of songbird stalkers, hellish houses, TMNT traitors, and adventures in our nation's capital. Music by The Orion Experience, The Rooks, and Jonathan Coulton

Rob, Chris, and Thom are reunited for the first time in six weeks, and balance is restored to the Spooniverse! In between the catch-up, our heroes turn their attention to the history of pagers, metal bands, and zombie flicks, and still find time to praise Cab Calloway, eulogize Michael Clarke Duncan, research Burt Reynolds, and herald the glorious return of Sodomizing A Legacy. Beat that with a (virtual) stick. Music by Frank Royster and Sparkle*Jets UK.

Where conventional wisdom fails, The Spoon prevails! Rob, Allen Lulu, and Johnny Dam explain how politics are more than sport, how sports are surprisingly political, the upside of steroids, the downside of childlike enthusiasm, and why unusual attraction is often the most potent. Plus, the tsunami of crazy that is the Republic National Convention meets a real-deal hurricane, and Chris and Thom check in from their assignments in the field. Music by Trinket and Mark Fletcher

With so many cooks in the kitchen this week (Rob welcomes Dave Berges, Johnny Dam, and Bill Holmes to the mic, not to mention a boatload of callers, including Chris & Thom) you'd think the resulting dish might be unpalatable, but somehow the wheels stay on the wagon -- barely -- while topics fly past the windows with great velocity and ferocity, including the curse of Oliver, the idiocy of Akins, and the rapid depopulation of leather-helmet celebrity. Plus, poetry corner! Music by Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings

For all of those who argue that the Spoon is not educational, prepare to be proven wrong. While Thom vacations, Robbie, Chris and guests Dave Shalansky and Johnny Dam ACTUALLY cover all of the following topics: the art of pooping in cups, diarrhea and foreign medical care, anus tattoos, the refreshing taste of Coors Qatar, shameless Nice Guy Eddie promotion, 25 Years of Shark Week, abused wanna-be Olympians, who to consult when in need of Chinese food, the downside of midnight breakfast, Moms passing wind and dealing with the "swamp ass" that follows, urination at 10,000 feet, Yankees spoiler alerts AND the perks that come with Russian hotel rooms. You're welcome, Planet Earth... you're welcome. Music by Tin Cat, Matt Brown and Lazy Balls.