You shouldn't modify the word “unique,” but if you could, you could say that singer Baby Dee is one of the most unique performers you’ll ever encounter ... The Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship ... Rabe wades into the LA County Arboretum's Baldwin Lake, which is in big trouble ... Film historian R-H Greene takes a new look at a long neglected late film by Orson Wellles, “Chimes at Midnight,” now in the Criterion DVD collection.

We go to Wilson High School in El Sereno to talk with students in the brand new firefighter magnet school ... The destruction of the Summit Inn hits one community especially hard: the hot-rodders who traditionally stopped at the diner on the way to and from the Bonneville Salt Flats ... Advice for the new LA Rams from linebacker Roman Pfifer, who moved with the Rams from Anaheim to St Louis in 1995 ... Brains On, the science podcast for kids, takes some kids into a glass factory to see how the odd substance is made ... And why you should go to the Huntington right after you see “London Calling” at the Getty.

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.