Welcome to the dinner party. This is your icebreaker.

A piece of string walks into a bar and he says, I'll have a drink.

The bartender says, I don't serve pieces of string.

So he goes outside, kind of tussles up his hair at the top of his string.

He ties himself in a little knot, like a bow tie, and walks back in, and he says, I'll have a beer.

And the bartender says, aren't you a piece of string?

And he says, nope, I'm afraid not.

I'm Brendan Francis Nuneum.

I'm Rico Gagliano.

And from APM American Public Media, this is The Dinner Party,

the culture show that gives you an edge in your weekend conversations.

You just got a joke from skateboarding legend Tony Hawk that'll help break the ice.

We'll hear more from him later.

Also, we get advice from Katie Roifey, author of the new book, In Praise of Messiness.

Plus filmmaker Ben Zaitland and music from Tao and the Get Down, stay down.

But first, as at any dinner party, we start with Small Talk.

All week long, you've been hearing these headlines.

Clashes have once again broken out across Egypt.

The big deadline on the fiscal cliff.

Palestinian leaders have won their right to change the way they're recognized at the United Nations.

Now for something you might not have heard.

We are speaking with Amber Bravo.

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