Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - WWDTM: Sleater-Kinney

Episode Date: February 17, 2024

Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, of the legendary rock band Sleater-Kinney, join guest host Tom Papa, Dulcé Sloan, Amy Dickinson, and Hari Kondabolu to talk their new album and 30 years of being a band. Get access to bonus episodes, sponsor-free listening, and the chance to participate in a quiz with Peter Sagal when you sign up for Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!+ at plus.npr.org/waitwait.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Do you want in on a secret, like why your favorite pop star is so popular, or why a makeup fad is suddenly sweeping your feed? It's that none of these things happen by accident. On the It's Been a Minute podcast, I don't just tell you what's trending, I dig deeper to find out why. Join me, Brittany Luce, on It's Been a Minute from NPR. Join me, Brittany Luce, on It's Been a Minute from NPR. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.

When Peter's away, Billy will play. I'm Bill Curtis and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois Filling in for Peter Sagal, it's Tom Papa Hi everyone, so happy to be here Peter is on his way to Florida for a one-man spring break Get ready Dayton Daytona. You've never seen tan lines quite like this. We have a great show for you today. Later on, legendary rock band Slater Kenny will be playing our games.

But first, it's your turn. Give us a call. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Now, let's welcome our first listener contestant. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi, this is Holly and I'm calling from Westerville, Ohio. Oh, hi, Holly. Where is Westerville? What's that near? It's a Columbus suburb, so right north of Columbus. Oh, how are you spending your winter there? What do you do? It's actually Columbus suburb, so north of Columbus. Oh, how are you spending your winter there?

What do you do? It's actually remarkably warm, so you can spend a lot of time outside. It's nice. Do you feel like that's a benefit, that things are warmer now, or do you miss the cold? I don't know if I'm the right person to ask. I really like cold, so it's not Chicago cold, but still. All right, Holly, let me introduce you to our panel. First, it's a correspondent for The Daily Show

and author of the new book, Hello, Friends. It's Dulce Sloan. Amy! Next, the writer behind the Ask Amy advice column. You can find her One Good Thing newsletter on Substack. It's Amy Dickinson. Hey, hey, Holly. Hi there. Good Thing newsletter on Substack. It's Amy Dickinson. And his newest stand-up special, Vacation Baby, is free on YouTube, and he's headlining Commonwealth Sanctuary in Dayton,

Kentucky, June 21 and 22. It's Hari Kondabolu. Welcome to the show, Holly. You're going to play Who's Bill this time. Bill Curtis is going to read you three quotes from this week's news. If you can correctly explain two of them, you'll win our prize. Any voice from our show you choose on your voicemail. Are you ready? As ready as I'll ever be. Okay. Your first quote is from the president of the United States. LOL. Hey, guys. That was the caption as Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to post on what social media platform this week? I believe it is Instagram.

Holly. No. Pick another one. Think of a clock. Pick another one. Snapchat. All right, how about let me give you a hint. Joe Biden was more familiar with this as the sound a clock makes. Oh, TikTok. There you go. She did it. In the administration's latest attempt to court young voters, President Biden has joined TikTok. I get it, but if you're trying to get young people on your side, maybe don't start by going to the place where young people are the meanest. It's absolutely brilliant, though. It wasn't really to court young voters. You see, like, because he wanted to get rid of TikTok.

He wanted to ban it, right? And then young people freaked out. No, don't ban it. We love this thing. But he's like, it's a national security threat. And they're like, no, I want to dance to I Spice. And so he did the perfect thing, which is join the thing, thus killing it. It's brilliant.

No one wants to do it if grandpa's doing it. I can't wait to hear Biden ask, did I just write the song of the summer and then play Camptown Races? I'm not convinced he's not just AI at this point. Nah, you can tell he's alive. He keeps blinking. On a platform known for dancing, Biden just got on it and he just stood still. Joe Biden, the man whose TikToks make you think your Wi-Fi is down.

It's genius. He's just buffering. He can bring buffering back. That's what he has to do. Buffering Biden. That's the hashtag. Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter is posting thirst traps for Instagram. He is a widower. It makes sense.

Don't groan. He might be looking. All right, Holly. Your next quote is a reporter describing a new development in air travel. You go to the airport, you throw your bag on the scale, and they say, not so fast, toots. You too. That was KTLA's Andy Reismeyer explaining how, and they say, not so fast, toots, you too. That's it. That was KTLA's Andy Reismeyer

explaining how one airline is going to start doing what to passengers before they fly. Oh, I hope it's not weigh them. It is weigh them. Oh, no. Scandinavian airline Finnair has announced that to better estimate the weight of their airplanes, passengers will be asked to step on a scale before boarding. I don't mind having to weigh myself, but I hate when they make me squeeze into that bag sizer.

Let's be honest here. This is an attack on America. It really is. This is a attack on America. That's what this is. It really is. This is a declaration of war. You know what? It's fine because don't nobody want to go to their punk-ass, cold-ass, blonde-ass country anyway. You're right.

Nah, that's disrespectful. Listen, if you want to tell us that you ain't got enough money to get some strong-ass airplanes, shut your airline down. Shut your airline down because if your airline can't handle 10 Americans Baby you don't deserve to be in the sky Delta would never

And the audacity to blame us for the problem Maybe planes wouldn't weigh so much If they hadn't jammed an extra row of seats Between every pre-existing row of seats Listen, if y'all are doing stuff that's so broke jammed an extra row of seats between every pre-existing row of seats. Listen, if y'all are doing stuff that's so broke, even spirit doesn't do it, ground your airline. Ground your airline. Spirit won't even let you

bring yourself on a plane. How dare you? It is humiliating. It's crazy to think Amelia Earhart would still be alive today if she hadn't had that second serving of cacio e pepe. Her plane didn't even have a top. All right, Holly. Your last quote is from a woman explaining how she fell for her husband. He made meatballs and a salad.

That was someone agreeing with a New York Times article that you should what on the first date? Oh. Can I have a hint? Can you have a hint? I feel like it's too obvious and I'm scared to

guess. It's as obvious as you think it is. What do nice girls do? i'll go with cook on the first date there you go there you go cook for someone just what i want in a first date hot oil and someone holding a knife a lot of people say it's dangerous to go to a stranger's house on a first date because you could get murdered yes Yes. Come on, stop flattering yourselves. No one wants to murder you. Just eat the pasta. How do you feel about this, Dulce? You've never been a woman. What do you mean? Well, Tom, pop up. Listen, if you don't, sir sir if you can't afford it just tell me just tell me i'll go to

applebee's i because listen if i'm on a podcast i don't want it to be a true crime one the woman who said that has never seen an episode of dateline the woman who said that better have a knife in her purse. There's a knife in my purse, but I'm not going to your house on the first, third, fourth, or fifth date. Would you invite a guy to your place? No, because then he knows where I live. Where is a good first date? Outside.

Witnesses. Alright, Bill. How did Holly do? She did great. 3-0. Holly! Good job, Holly. Thank you for playing, Holly. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Congratulations. All right, right now, panel, we're introducing a new game called... Have all the doors stayed on all the planes this week? We live in a golden age where amazing flying machines carry us long distances at incredible speeds and occasionally keep all their doors attached the whole time. For one point, Amy, have all the doors stayed on all the planes in America this week?

No. All the doors have not stayed on all the planes this week, Tom. You're right, Amy. They have not. What, it happened again? Yeah. It happened again. A door fell off a small plane near Buffalo, New York this week.

The good news is it was a single-engine plane with only two passengers, and it landed safely. The plane belonged to a flight school, so it's also good that we're giving new pilots training in what to do when a door inevitably flies off the plane. when a door inevitably flies off the plane. On the audio recording, the pilot says they've had an emergency and need to head back. And the air traffic control asked what happened, and then the pilot said,

oh, you know, the usual. I'm laughing, but I'm very frightened. This is terrifying. You know how, but I'm very frightened. This is terrifying. You know how, like, on flights, in that exit row, you get a little more room, and it's kind of a prime seat, or it can be. I just flew here. People are like, oh, no, after you. You know when you get the exit row seat and they ask you, like,

if you're not willing and able? I always opt out. I'm like if you're not willing and able? I always opt out. I'm like, I'm not willing or able. Because you have to say that you can lift the door open. And I don't want to find out I can't in that moment. So I'm like, let's just. Now they'll just fly off. Coming up, that butternut squash has a secret.

It's bluffed the listener. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR. Think of all the things you can do in 10 minutes or less. Thank you. of business, work, and everyday life. Every weekday in less than 10 minutes. Listen now to the Indicator podcast from NPR. This message comes from NPR sponsor Grammarly. 96% of users report that Grammarly helps them craft more impactful writing. Save time with one click and go from editing drafts in hours to seconds. By understanding your writing and context, Grammarly provides relevant, personalized suggestions to

help your team make their point and move faster. Make a bigger impact at work. Sign up and download for free at Grammarly.com slash podcast. That's Grammarly.com slash podcast. Grammarly. Easier said, done. It can be hard nowadays to find a space where we're able to listen to each other, where we can agree to disagree. It's why I'm proud of 1A, a show that's made for you and by you. We're not about snark, we're about dialogue. Join the discussion and me, your host, Jen White, by listening to the 1A podcast from WAMU and NPR. From your car radio to your smart speaker, NPR meets you where you are in a lot of different ways. Now we're in your pocket. Download the NPR app today. Wait, wait, don't tell me, plus? Is this what I really think it is? Well, depending on what you're thinking, yes!

We here in Public Radio Land have come up with a new way for us to ask for your undying support. But that support really makes a difference. I swear, you're helping keep us in business and running the show every week and giving Bill Curtis his weekly chocolate cupcake. It's actually cupcakes, but he doesn't want me to tell you that. But now we want more. I want more. NPR wants us to get 400 new Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Plus supporters this month. But I'm not happy with that. I want the number to be 401, right? Because that's one more than 400.

You see? Help us out. Help us keep this show going and you'll get the all special benefits, including listening to the show without any ads, getting access to our bonus episodes, and getting the chance to play a quiz game with me. We're also going to give you some super special bonus episodes next month when I take Emma Choi on a unique culinary adventure. Look, I'm trying here, all right? I'm kind of, well, begging.

Help us get to 401. You can even give your friend the gift of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Plus. Give it to all of your friends. Just go to plus.npr.org slash waitwait and you will make all of our dreams come true. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Hari Kondabolu, Dulce Sloan, and Amy Dickinson. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois,

filling in for Peter Sagal, it's Tom Papa. Thanks, Bill. Well, right now it's time for the Wait, Wait, it's Tom Papa. Thanks, Bill. Right now it's time for the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Bluff the Listener Game. Call 1-88-WAIT-WAIT to play our game on air or check out the pinned post on our Instagram page at waitwaitnpr. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi, this is Tracy. How are you doing? Good, Tracy. How are you?

I'm good. Where are you calling from? I'm calling from Troy, New York. What do you do over there? I'm an art therapist and mental health counselor, and I'm a professor at Russell Sage College. Wow, good for you. That sounds really nice. There's a lot of times when I'm really sad

and I stare at this painting that my wife's mother painted and I get even more sad. Maybe walk away. Walk away. That's good advice. I've been trying to do that for 23 years. Oh. No, not for, you know what I mean. Well, it's nice to have you with us, Tracy. You're going to play our game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. What's the topic, Bill?

Secrets of the farmer's market. Some things you know about the farmer's market. Yes, you're not going to have the only public radio tote bag there. market, yes, you're not going to have the only public radio tote bag there. And yes, the Apple guy just buys them at a bodega and marks them up $8. But our panelists are going to tell you something you didn't know. Pick the one who's telling the truth and you'll win the weight waiter of your choice on your voicemail. First up, it's Hari Kondabolu. In recent years, we've seen the growth of conservative brands like Black Rifle Coffee, Patriot Mobile,

and No Immigrants Turtlenecks Company. Are those companies all real? Who knows? But now you can buy conservative kombucha at farmer's markets. Todd Bell, owner of Right Wing Kombucha, has been selling his product for years at farmer's markets. Todd Bell, owner of Right Wing Kombucha, has been selling his product for years at farmer's markets in Santa Cruz, California, but hid his political beliefs. But one day something changed. Quote, I got sick of pretending to be something I'm not and trying to fit in by saying things I don't believe. Things like, if only we were more like Sweden. Or Hillary Clinton is absolutely not

a lizard person sent to this planet to destroy America. When I know she is. Shockingly, the popularity of the stand has actually not been affected at all. Local union organizer and NPR tote bag owner Phyllis Gorman said, I'm against everything he's about, but he makes a good kombucha and I really value my gut health. All right, that's right wing kombucha from Hari Kondabolu. Your next story of the organic underground comes from Amy Dickinson. Your next story of the organic underground comes from Amy Dickinson. What started at a farmer's market in Alliance, Nebraska,

ended in a courtroom for an unfortunate tourist from Connecticut. According to depositions, Janet Duvall of Hartford picked up a jar of pickled prairie plums at the Tenderfoot Farm Stand. Are these grown on your farm? She asked James Foot, the farmer. He said, yes, they are. Are they organic? She asked. Yes, he said, we pickle them ourselves. She took the jar back to her Airbnb, speared a plum, and gobbled it down. This was no plum, Duval, a vegan, testified. The farmer doesn't dispute that. Pickled prairie plums are sheep testicles, pickled in beet juice and vinegar. I'm so disgusted. I can't even think about sheep now, Duvall said. I even had to get rid of all my sweaters. The farmer responded,

it's a good thing she didn't try our Rocky Mountain oysters or meadow muffins. They really are an acquired taste. All right, that's pickled sheep testicles from Amy Dickinson. Your last Fertile Farm story comes from Dulce Sloan. We all know about the underwear brand Fruit of the Loom, but you never expect someone to take that literally. An unnamed farmer has gone viral on Facebook for hanging his precious watermelons in lingerie. Apparently, panties allow the fruit to breathe.

And using the underwear to hoist the watermelons up off the ground removes the risk of rot, keeping them fresh. This is either an ingenious new gardening method or the ground removes the risk of rot keeping them fresh. This is either an ingenious new gardening method or the first excuse the farmer could think of when his wife saw him dressing up his fruit in panty drawers. It's for them, not me, he said. One user commented, the premise is sound, but what if the watermelon gets a wedgie? Which one do you pick? Huh? Huh? but what if the watermelon gets a wedgie? Which one do you pick?

Huh? Huh? Another user joked, I feel inferior. Even the watermelon is sexier than me. Upon looking at said user, someone commented, yes, the watermelon was sexier than him. Okay, Tracy. So you've got right wing kombucha from Hari. You've got pickled sheep testicles from Amy. And you've got fruit covered lingerie.

Lingerie covered fruit. From Dulce. As horrifying as it is, I think I have to go with the lingerie fruit. All right, going with Dulce and the lingerie-covered fruit. To find out the correct answer, we spoke to someone familiar with the story. So it is common among some gardeners for people to try to lift their melons off the ground, and so it does make a certain kind of sense to use lacy underwear. That was Robin Klein from

Neighborspace, an urban land trust in Chicago, talking about the melons in lingerie. Congratulations, Tracy. You got it right. Yay, thank you. You earned a point for Dulce, and you've won our prize, the voice of your choice, on your voicemail. Thank you so much for

playing with us today. Thank you. Goodbye. Bye. Bye. And now the game we call Not My Job. As someone currently doing something that is not my job, it holds a special place in my job. As someone currently doing something that is not my job, it holds a special place in my heart. Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein formed Slater Kinney in 1994 and quickly became one of the most celebrated bands of the decade. They took a break when Carrie co-created Portlandia and Corin

pursued a career in web development and interactive media, and they've reunited to great acclaim in 2015, and just released their new album, Little Rope. Corin and Carrie, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hello. Hi. So nice to see you. Nice to see you guys. Thanks for having us. This is very exciting. So how often do you correct people on how to say your band's name?

Carrie? Well, I think it can go either way. We're fine with Sleater, and we're more fine with Slater. But it's technically, we pronounce it Slater, but we're okay with the Sleaters out there. So, yeah, we can, we're fine. All right. No worries. That's cool. I just want to seem cool in front of you because you're both super cool. So this is your 30th anniversary of your band, which is amazing. It's, it's,

that is incredible. What is it like going from scrappy newcomers to a band who has now influenced new generations of bands? I think we're happy to be here at this point. And I think it's actually really fun to meet young musicians, to exchange ideas and to listen to new things. I think I'll always be curious

about what other people are doing. Is it weird being somebody's influence? Do people come up to you and say, oh, you've been my favorite band since I was eight and then it's like that's really sweet, but stop talking in years right now.

I don't... Does it feel strange? Well, when you said we'd been a band for 30 years, I wanted to say, yeah, it's so weird. We formed when we were five. I'm just grateful. Yeah, it is amazing. And your new album is really so strong.

And what's it like after all of this time and making an album?'ve progressed you've evolved is it easier to work with each other is it a is it a shorthand like where are you at creatively with each other I think there is a shorthand like we have an easier time trying out things I mean I think we're more patient now than maybe we were but then we can just look at each other and be like, yeah, that's fine. Right. Yeah. We have a little bit of ESP. There's kind of a language that we've created around Slater kidney that makes it easier. But if we're ever going to break up, it's going to be here on wait, wait, don't tell me.

Asking us to play this game and be each other's teammates is very treacherous. So we'll call this the divorce maker if it goes wrong. The widow maker. Corinne, your voice is so great. Does your strong voice come in handy as a mother? I wish I could say that I didn't have to really belt, but I do. I really have to get up there and be like,

damn it! Well, to be fair, her daughter is learning how to drive, and Corinne told me about her daughter driving her to school, herself to school, with Corinne in the passenger seat, and I thought that sounded like hell. True, true hell. They always come so close to the mailboxes. They really do. Yeah. I really, I really had to like cover my mouth during that car ride. So your album's out and everybody loves

it. It's really fantastic. And you're going to go on tour now, right? You're going to head back out on the road. Yep. How is, how do you approach touring now? How is it different from when you toured before? Well, we definitely started out in vans, uh, vans with just lap belts. And so that was a while ago. And, um, uh, but yeah, it's, it's kind of a marathon and we're about to embark on it, but the shows are great. As you know from doing this live show that you're doing now, the show part of it is pretty special. How often are the encores real?

You know how you go back and everyone's like, oh, they're going to come out for an encore and you just know it. And then you come out for an encore and it's like, yeah, the encore we knew was going to happen. How often is it like unexpected? They want us to play another one. Well, I will give credit to Maggie Rogers, the singer.

I read that she said that that was basically, the encore was adult peekaboo. That's amazing. She's really correct in that assessment i think we've actually kind of gone the opposite direction in the early days it was very much earned you were not there was no um planning for that if the crowd kept cheering you went back out and now i think people write their set list with the encore in mind and we've actually kind of stopped doing that, which can be a little humbling if you realize,

oh, wait, they actually don't want us to come back. One more song. No, we're good. You have to be careful. All right, Slater Kenny, we've asked you here to play a game we're calling... Net One, Pearl Two. Your new album is called Little Rope, so we thought we'd ask you about even littler rope, yarn. Brutal.

Did you know that's what we were going to do? No. What a pleasant surprise, though. All right. Answer two out of three questions, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who is Slater Kinney playing for? Robert Sperry from Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.

Oglethorpe, Georgia. Oglethorpe. All right, here's your first question. Fans of knitting have plenty of opportunities to enjoy their hobby, even when they're not actually doing it. Like which of these? A, Norway's national broadcaster NRK, which sometimes airs a program called Just 12 Hours of Knitting. B, VR Knitting Simulator, a game for the Oculus Quest that lets you feel like you're really making a scarf.

Or C, Actual Knit Podcast, where you can hear a knitter describe every stitch of the project they're making. What? I think, what is the audience saying? C. C. Yeah, I mean. You can't really see them,

but I wouldn't trust them so much. No. Oh, okay, okay. Corinne, I think it could be A. Sure. We're going to go with Norway's Knitting Channel. Well, you are right. It's A.

Thank you. Norway TV has a 12-hour knitting show. It's called One Arm of a Sweater. I made that part up. Okay, here's your next question. You're doing great. Maniac. Some knitters love to push the boundaries, like one Japanese knitter who has become famous for her handmade knitted what? A, canoes. B, full-size playgrounds, C, internal combustion engines. I think it might be, what was B? Full-size playgrounds.

I think it's that. What do you think, Corinne? I think that's the right one. You're right. The answer is B. There's stuff you can swing and jump and climb on, all knitted. All right, you're doing great. Here is your last question.

How do you feel so far? Do you feel strong? I feel so good because now we have won already. So this is just like a cherry on top there, right? It's your encore. All right, there are a few celebrities in knitting, but David Babcock's peak of it. All right. There are few celebrities in knitting, but David Babcock is one of them.

He holds the world record for what? A, longest scarf knit while simultaneously running a marathon. Oh, my God. B, ugliest homemade Christmas sweater. C, most household items covered in cozies. I mean, it feels like C. But what do you want? Wait, what do we want it to be? Yeah. I'd love to see A take place. Should we go with C, Corinne? It seems weird that they would make a quiz that's A, B, C. Does that seem like a dangerous place to go? I would say

it's either C or B. You're right, it's A. We really dropped the ball. I like how Tom Popple plays this game. The scarf was 12 feet long and Babcock ran the marathon in I would really drop the ball. I like how Tom Popper plays this game. Right? The scarf was 12 feet long, and Babcock ran the marathon in five hours, 48 minutes. What a talent.

Bill, how did Slater-Kinney do on our quiz? Well, they were right. Two out of three is a winner, so congratulations. Congratulations. Thank you. Slater-Kinney's new album, Little Rope, is out now. It's fantastic. And their 2024 tour starts on February 28th.

Corin, Carrie, thank you for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

In just a minute, the old ball and chain meets the old ball and chain in our listener limerick challenge. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us on air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR. Up First achieves the rare one-two punches of being short and thorough, national and international, fact-based and personable. Every morning, we take the three biggest stories of the day and explain why they matter. And we do it all in less than 15 minutes. So you can start your day a little more in the know than when you went to sleep. Listen now to the Up First podcast

from NPR. On It's Been a Minute, we talk to up and comers and icons of culture. From Barbara Streisand. You're such a wonderful interviewer. To Tracy Ellis Ross. Your questions were so wonderful. And Christine Baranski. Oh, thank you for your wonderful questions. Here are the questions these icons loved to be asked. Listen every week to It's Been a Minute from NPR. On the StoryCorps podcast, we believe a lot of the most interesting stories are right there in front of us, waiting to be told. So every week, we share a candid, unscripted conversation between two people around the themes of love, loss, family, and friendship. These aren't experts or celebrities, just everyday people like you and me.

Listen now to the StoryCorps podcast from NPR. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Hari Kondabolu, Dulce Sloan, and Amy Dickinson. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Filling in for Peter Sagal,

Tom Papa. Thanks, Bill. In just a minute, experience the magic of an art form even older than public radio in our Listener Limerick Challenge. If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-88-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. But right now, panel, some more questions for you from the week's news. Dulce, the singer Tyrese, revealed on Instagram this week

that his girlfriend dumped him because his new album has too many songs about what? Let's see. Tyrese. So his abs are out. He's singing in the rain. Songs only talk about a few things. Sex time.

Relationships. You're right. You're in the right area. Sex time. Relationships. You're right. You're in the right area. Specifically another woman. Yes. Other women. Not her.

His ex. Yes. Time! What a dummy. Tyrese posted a trailer for his new album with the caption, We just broke up over some dumb stuff. She demanded that I cancel my album because there's too many songs about my ex on there. F does that mean? I don't know, Tyrese.

It kind of sounds like she told you exactly what she means. How did she know that they were about the X? Well, the album is named, I Would Leave My Current Girlfriend. She can't expect a man to not put his album out. Right. But also, I feel like she probably said something before.

So he could have added just one song and be like, my current girlfriend is amazing. Yeah. Right. I mean, in my head, that's how Tyree sounds. You ever been with someone and they talk a little too much about their ex? Doesn't Taylor Swift have a whole career out of that? Basically. Man, this Travis Kelce album is going to be wild.

Amy, this week we learned inflation is still at higher than expected levels. And the Wall Street Journal reports it's affecting one person more than anyone else. Who is paying higher prices than ever? I don't know. Is it something like people who hire dog sitters or is it something off like that? Would you like a hint? Sure. Does it involve the gas pump? No. No, no gas pump. Her money is not so much going down the drain as under the kid's pillow. Oh, the tooth fairy? Yes, the tooth fairy.

The average price kids are getting is up 20% year over year. It's now $6.23 per tooth. No! Not happening. What? And some parents report their kids are getting one $100 bill per tooth. Oh my god. Now, if that seems high, remember

those people love their children more than you do. Wow. That's incredible. Listen, I understand we used to get metal money for teeth. What happened to a dollar? A hundred dollars? That's bananas.

Also, he's going to eat it. What? I'd pay six dollars a finger. Oh. Go on. That to me, okay, that's a loss that's not gonna come back coming up it's lightning fill in the blank but first it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme if you'd like to play on air call or leave a message at 1-88-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924.

You can catch us most weeks right here at the beautiful Studebaker Theater in Chicago, or come see us on the road. We'll be at Wolf Trap just outside of D.C. on August 1st. For tickets and info about all of our shows, go to nprpresents.org. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi, this is Nikki Hoagland calling from Winter Haven, Florida. Oh, hi Nikki, thank you for being here. Hi, thanks for having me. I was just touring in Florida. Where is Winter Haven?

Kind of in the middle between Tampa and Orlando. We're very theme park oriented here. We're home of Legoland, Florida. Oh, nice. How often do you go to Legoland? Not very often. Well, welcome to the show, Nikki. Bill Curtis is going to read you three news-related limericks with the last word or phrase missing from each. Fill in that last word correctly on two out of three, and you win. Here's your first limerick. In a humid South Indian bog, this mushroom sets science agog. It just pulled up shop. Now it ribbits and hops because it grew on the side of a... Frog? That's right, frog. Good job. Scientists in India have discovered a frog

with a mushroom growing on its butt. This is unusual because these kinds of mushrooms usually only grow on decaying matter, which is cool for science, but devastating for the frog. which is cool for science, but devastating for the frog. Wait, so it's like growing out of his, like... Butt. Yeah.

How does one prepare a frog with mushroom on butt? Usually olive oil. Sounds like a question for the French. All right, here's your next limerick. When I rise from my barbershop's chair, I'll take home what they sweep up down there. Once it's twisted and spun, I will have relaxed fun because I'm knitting with yarn made from...

Hair. Yes, you're right. Unfortunately, you're right unfortunately you're right a dutch startup is collecting discarded hair from salons and wig factories and spinning it into yarn to weave into fabric imagine complimenting someone's sweater and they say thanks thanks, it's Michael. That's so funny. So I have a neighbor who did that with her. She had a collie and she combed out the collie and wove, spun the fur into yarn and made things out of it.

But see, why are you acting like nasty? Because that's what sheep wool is. Yeah, but you take it off the sheep, and you never meet the sheep, and you just get this sweater, and then your neighbor is putting on a sweater, and the dog's just looking at you like... I'm cold.

And then before you know it, some woman in Japan is making a playground out of it. All right, here's your next is making a playground out of it. All right. Here's your next limerick. We trade rings, say I do, and exhale. It's a sentence to life without bail. The place where we wed hits the vibe on the head. Cell block D of a federal... Jail.

Yes, that's right. Jail. Good. You can now have your wedding at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, an old abandoned jail famous for inventing solitary confinement. Romantic.

Would you have a wedding there? Would you get married in a jail? Would I get married? I'm going to need some time. I'll give you 10 to 20. Bill, how did Nikki do? Well, she did great. Got them all right.

Three in a row, Nikki. Way to go, Nikki. All Well, she did great. Got them all right. Three in a row, Nikki. Way to go, Nikki. All right. Yay, Nikki. Thank you so much for being here. Enjoy the rest of your day. Thanks for having me. All right.

Say goodbye to Nikki, everybody. Bye, Nikki. NPR brings you the updates you need on the day's biggest headlines. The Senate narrowly passed the debt ceiling bill that will prevent the country from defaulting on its loans. Stories from across the world. Knowing how to forage and to live with the land is integral to a news culture. And down your block. From CPR News, this is Colorado Matters. And you can find all of that and more in your pocket. Download the NPR app today. These days, it can feel like the news is fighting for your attention wherever you turn, but staying informed shouldn't be a battle.

Everything you need to navigate the stories that matter to you is at your fingertips. The NPR app cuts through the noise, bringing you local, national, and global coverage. No paywalls, no profits, no nonsense. Download the NPR app in your app store today, or you can go to npr.org slash app. Now on to our final game, Lightning Fill in the Blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill-in-the-blank questions as they can. Each correct answer is worth two points. Bill, can you give us the scores?

Okay, Dulce y Lame, you have three. Hari has one. What? Hari, you're in third place, so you're up first. Great. The clock will start when I begin your first question. Fill in the blank. According to a new report, Russia can sustain the war in blank for three more years.

Right. Russia can sustain the war in blank for three more years. Right. On Wednesday, Democrat Tom Swayze won the special election to replace blank in Congress. George Santos. Right. This week, Israeli forces raided Nasser Hospital in blank. Gaza.

Right. On Wednesday, security experts warned that AI could be used to spread misinformation during the 2024 blank. Presidential election. Yes. Current bachelor Joey Graziotti reviewed his recent trip to Malta, an island country that's been inhabited for nearly 8,000 years, by saying blank. Hey!

It has a kind of old school vibe. On Tuesday, a fast-moving winter storm led New York to have its blankest day in two years. Snowiest. Right. On Sunday, the Super Bowl became the most watched television program since the blank. Bachelor? Since the moon landing. This week, a new water park in Sweden was forced to close down after it blanked.

After the toilets overflowed. After it somehow, the water park burst into flames. No one was hurt. No one was hurt. And while damage is extensive, the owners are excited to announce their newest venture, Sweden's first ever fire park. Phil, how did Hari do?

Pretty good. Five right, ten more points. His 11 puts him in the lead. Okay, Dulce, you're up next. Well, Hari got all the easy questions. Phil in the lead. Okay, Dulce, you're up next. Well, Harry got all the easy questions. Fill in the blanks. On Tuesday, the GOP led House impeached Alejandro

Mayorkas, the Secretary of Blank. Defense? No! Homeland Security! Yes. Ha ha! This week, photo-sharing app Blank announced it would no longer recommend political content to users. Photo-sharing? Blank announced it would no longer recommend political content to users. Photo-sharing? I don't know, Instagram?

Yes. This week, the CDC said it expected to change its isolation guidelines for people with Blank. COVID. Yes. In a dispute over working conditions, thousands of rideshare employees went on a one-day Blank on Wednesday. Straight! Yes. This week, a drug dealer in Peru was arrested by a cop working undercover

dressed as blank. Oh, a woman? A giant teddy bear. Not fair. According to a new study, even after quitting, blank impacts your immune system for years.

Smoking. Right. On Tuesday, William Post, the creator of breakfast food staple Pop Blanks, passed away at 96. Corn pops? No. Tell me, tell me! Pop tarts. Yes.

Pop-Tarts! Pop-Tarts! Yes. After a man in France spent eight years building an Eiffel Tower out of 700,000 matchsticks, the Guinness Book of World Records told him blank. That he needed more. No, that the record wouldn't count because he used the wrong kind of matchsticks. The good news is that after an outpouring of support from the matchstick tower building community, I guess,

Guinness reversed their decision, saving them from being voted world's most pedantic world record book. Bill, how did Dulce do? Good. Six right, 12 more points. Total of 15 puts her in the lead. Bill, how many does Amy need to win? Six to tie, seven to win.

Okay, Amy, this is for the game. Fill in the blank. On Thursday, a judge ruled that the hush money trial of blank would start on March 25th. Donald Trump. Right. For the first time in almost a decade, Jon Stewart returned to host the blank on Monday. The Daily Show. Right.

Sorry. On Tuesday, the first known death from so-called blank pox was recorded. Alaska. Right. On Monday, the father who held a gender reveal party that sparked a blank in California pled guilty. Wildfire. Right. On Monday, the father who held a gender reveal party that sparked a blank in California pled guilty. Wildfire. Right. This week, a man was fined after he tried to make it through a New York City airport with blank in his pants.

Boa constrictor. Very good. I'd give it to her. All right. I'll give it to her. Three Burmese pythons. On Wednesday, NASA launched the Odysseus lander headed for the

blank. Moon. Right. On Tuesday, a man in Oregon was diagnosed with the blank. The plague. Yes, the bubonic plague. This week, a police officer in Florida resigned after his body cam caught him discharging his weapon and yelling,

shots fired, and I'm hit when he blanked. When he farted. When he mistook the sound of an acorn hitting the roof of his squad car for a gunshot. Oh no. In what is the most embarrassing moment

for a police officer since that cop in Boston went down a slide, the sheriff's deputy screamed, rolled on the ground and fired his gun at his own vehicle when he mistook a falling acorn for gunfire. Bill, did Amy do enough

to win? Well, she got these numbers. Seven right. 14 more points. She wins with 17. Unexpected. Congratulations. In just a minute, we'll ask our panelists, now that he's done TikTok,

what will be the next thing Joe Biden does to try and look cool? But first, let me tell you that Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions, Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord. Philip Godeke writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman.

Our tour manager is Shana Donald. Thanks to the staff and crew at the Studebaker Theatre. B.J. Letterman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King. Special thanks to Monica Hickey, Blythe Roberson, and Gary Yeck. Peter Gwynn is our little baller.

Emma Choi is our vibe curator. Technical direction, Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chillag. The executive producer of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mike Danforth. Now, panel, how will Joe Biden try to look cool next? Dulce Sloan. He's going to be dressed in head-to-toe athleisure and tell us about his icks. Amy Dickinson. He just auditioned to be Grandpa

in the new ads for Six Flags. Hari Kondabolu. He will magically transform into Barack Obama. And if any of that happens, panel, we're going to tell you about it here on Might Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you, Bill Curtis.

Thanks also to Dulce Sloan, Amy Dickinson, and Hari Kondabolu. And thanks to all of you for listening. I'm Tom Papa, in for Peter Sagal, and we'll see you next week. This is NPR. The NPR app cuts through the noise, bringing you local, national, and global coverage. No paywalls, no profits, no nonsense. Download it in your app store today. At the Planet Money Podcast, we talk to anyone who can help us understand the economy.

Fortune tellers, tango dancers. Obscure government bureaucrats. Oh, the obscure ones are the best. Totally. And of course, we talk to the smartest economists to explain everything from inflation and disinflation to how manatees got addicted to fossil fuel. That is Planet Money from NPR.