Chef Mario Batali talks with us about his shoes, his White House dinner, and his newest cookbook ... Chicano art champion Cheech Marin on his newest traveling exhibit: Papel Chicano Dos ... We'll talk with the last surviving proposed cabinet member of the most unlikely Presidential candidate: Dizzy Gillespie ... And meet the creators of Toothpix, who took the underutilized video feature on Yelp! and have been making 12-second restaurant review masterpieces.

This week, Off-Ramp finds out what’s under the bed when the lights go off. We're bringing back a KPCC In Person event from last year, where we read stories from "In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe," a collection of great old under-appreciated horror stories.

Ed Asner on being a grouch, Cyber Frequencies, Garrison Keillor, samurai art and a start to finish run with the L.A. Marathon.

Happy Memorial Day!

This week, browse the Off-Ramp collection!

WWII fight for commemorative stamps; rocker Stew disses actors; homegrown Trekkie reviews the latest movie; Disney's rotten karma; Charles Perry and Miki Dora

Poet-provocateur August Kleinzahler reads from his latest book, "Sleeping it Off in Rapid City," and John tells us how to grow a Victory Garden.

We continue our look at Esa-Pekka Salonen's tenure by delving into his composition LA Variations. Plus, KPCC's Steve Julian and Charles Phoenix explore the newly refurbished Pomona Fox Theatre.

We say goodbye to Esa-Pekka Salonen, leaving the LA Philharmonic after 17 years as Maestro. Plus, Dinner Party Download makes you 31% smarter.