Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

We're revisiting our conversation with Kamasi Washington, one of the greatest living saxophone players. In the studio, he's played saxophone and arranged for hitmakers like Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Run The Jewels, Snoop Dogg – and that's just naming a handful. On his own, he's a visionary bandleader with over half a dozen solo records to his name. He broke through in 2015, with his three hour long instant classic The Epic – a record that found its way to a bunch of top ten lists. These days, he's getting back to playing live music. With a handful of shows on the horizon all over North America this fall. Kamasi Washington talks about his time playing sax in bands, as a composer and bandleader. Plus, he'll reflect on one of his first major gigs with Snoop Dogg and collaborating with Kendrick Lamar on To Pimp A Butterfly. Of course, we also dive into his nearly unbeatable Street Fighter II skills. This interview originally aired in November of 2018. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Busy Phillipps has well amassed over 60 credits on the big and small screen. Her first big break came when she was just 20 years old on the acclaimed and influential TV show Freaks & Geeks. She followed that up with an appearance on Dawson's Creek and went on to star in several more TV shows and films. Her latest project is Girls5Eva, which was created by Meredith Scardino and is executively produced by Tina Fey. It's a comedy series about a fictional girl group that had a handful of smash hits right at the turn of the millennium. Think equal parts Spice Girls and N'Sync. Busy Philipps joins guest host Jordan Morris to talk about Girls5Eva, the resurgence of Freaks and Geeks in the age of streaming, and the moment she realized she wanted to make a career out of acting. Plus, she takes a Spice Girls quiz to see what group member she is. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

For over 20 years, Tom Scharpling has hosted The Best Show. It aired on the New York public radio station WFMU until around 2013, and now it's a podcast. Tom's also a comedy writer who's worked on shows like Monk, What We Do in the Shadows and HBO's Divorce. As a voice actor, he's appeared on the Cartoon Network shows Steven Universe and Adventure Time. On the latest episode, we talk with Tom about his new book It Never Ends: A Memoir with Nice Memories, and hosting The Best Show for more than two decades. Plus, Tom tells us why C3PO, the fussy golden Star Wars robot, is one of the worst fictional characters of all time. Heads up: There is going to be some very serious talk about mental illness, including Tom's experience with electroconvulsive therapy. We thought we'd let you know. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Brat Pack, as you might know, is a term for a group of 8 or so actors who starred in about a dozen movies in the 1980s. There's Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, a bunch of others — and Andrew McCarthy. But McCarthy always kind of pushed back on the label of being a Brat Pack actor — he wasn't really into the whole nostalgia thing. Eventually, though, something changed. He even wrote a book about it. Brat: An 80s Story is a memoir that looks back on an era that changed his life forever. Andrew stopped by the show for an interview with guest host Julie Klausner, the writer and actor. He talks about coming to terms with the Brat Pack label, what his kids think of Weekend at Bernie's — and how he feels about being labeled a dreamboat. We'd like to hear your thoughts on Bullseye! To take a short, anonymous survey, go to npr.org/podcastsurvey. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Look at just about any "greatest albums of all time" list and you'll usually see Liz Phair's 1993 record Exile in Guyville. The album put her on the map as a singer-songwriter. The production was no frills, and the songwriting was personal at times and tongue-in-cheek at others. It inspired a bunch of bands and artists such as Courtney Barnett, Foo Fighters, and even Olivia Rodrigo. She followed that up with a number of great records including her self-titled album in 2003, which was her first ever major label record. On the album she collaborated with writers and producers that had previously worked with Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne. The album polarized writers at the time. While some thought it was a fun Summer pop album, others dismissed it as trivial. With her fans, though, it confirmed something they'd known for a long time. That Liz Phair won't be boxed in. She just released her first new album in over a decade. It's called Soberish. It's great and she continues to push boundaries on the project. She joins guest host Louis Virtel to talk about the new record, her friendship with Alanis Morissette and getting ghosted by Laurie Anderson. Plus, she looks back on the time she almost met Joni Mitchell. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

We're remembering the life of rapper Gift of Gab, who died last month at just 50 years old. Gab was the co-founder and MC for the legendary Northern California hip-hop group Blackalicious. If you're a serious hip-hop head, you know them; If you're not, you might recognize him for the tongue-twisting track Alphabet Aerobics. He could go toe-to-toe with anyone, and he knew it. Sometimes you wonder how he managed to breathe, never mind think. He was a battle rapper and a philosopher — a virtuoso. In this episode, we'll revisit a 2005 interview with Gab and DJ Chief Xcel, from back when this show was called The Sound of Young America. Then, the return of the Outshot: Jesse talks about what Gift of Gab meant to him, and what it's like to lose a hero. Lastly: We'd like to hear your thoughts on Bullseye and other NPR podcasts! To take a short, anonymous survey, go to npr.org/podcastsurvey.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Melissa McCarthy has played some unforgettable parts, like in Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy. She met her husband, Ben Falcone, when they were members of the Groundlings theater in Los Angeles and have been performing together on stage and screen for almost 20 years now. Together the two have made five movies now. Their latest collaboration is the Netflix film Thunder Force, a superhero comedy which was released earlier this year. We're taking a moment to revisit Melissa and Ben's conversation from 2014. They'll talk about their high school days, including Melissa's goth phase, their fateful meeting in the Groundlings, and what it was like getting Kathy Bates to play a role that was literally written for her. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Content Warning: this segment contains some graphic descriptions of torture, sex and violence. It's an interview with John Waters for a segment we do called I Wish I'd Made That. In this episode, the director behind Hairspray, Crybaby, and Pink Flamingos. He stops by the show to talk about the 1975 film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom which is directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. The release of Salò was controversial and some might say it is one of the most upsetting movies ever made. John Waters, whose films have earned him the title of "The Pope of Trash," has been a longtime fan of Pasolini's work. So, it is no surprise that he chose to talk about this film. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger keep busy with various projects in show business. They're parents, too. The celebrity couple don't get much one-on-one time together. In their podcast Did You Get My Text with Meredith and Patton they take a break from their busy lives as actors to talk about all the text messages, memes and random stuff they sent each other each day. Along the way, they get into serious stuff: relationship issues, friendships and loss. On the latest episode of Bullseye – Patton and Meredith discuss parenting, the joys of being nerdy and their new podcast. Plus, we get into their virtual meet cute – they texted for months before they heard each other's voices. Heads up: This interview has plenty of jokes, but we also get into some more serious topics like dealing with grief. In 2016, Patton lost his first wife, true crime writer and journalist Michelle McNamara suddenly. We thought we'd give you a heads up. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

We're dedicating this week's show to music duo Wendy and Lisa. Together they recorded some stone cold classics with Prince's band The Revolution: Purple Rain, Raspberry Beret, Kiss, When Doves Cry and more. These days, they're known for their work composing scores for TV and movies: Heroes, Dangerous Minds, Crossing Jordan, and Nurse Jackie. Their latest composing credits can be heard on Cruel Summer, the new teen thriller from Freeform. Wendy and Lisa talk with us about their 40-plus year partnership, and their Emmy award-winning work as composers. They'll reflect on their childhood friendship, and the work their fathers contributed as members of The Wrecking Crew. And of course, what it was like to collaborate with Prince, and work on some of his most iconic records. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Canonball is a segment on Bullseye that gives us a chance to take a closer look at albums that should be considered classics, to find out what makes them great. This time, the writer Aaron Carnes tells us why Crab Rangoon by MU330 deserves to join the canon of great pop records. Aaron is a music journalist who just wrote In Defense of Ska, which, well, does what it says on the tin: It champions not just the critically acclaimed, punk-adjacent two-tone bands of the late '70s and '80s, or the pioneering Jamaican bands from the '60s, but ska's third wave as well. That means Reel Big Fish, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and more. Aaron tells Bullseye about Crab Rangoon by MU330. He puts the album in the context of the entire third-wave movement, and explains why the album shows ska music can be more complex and serious than you might think. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest basketball players of all time: an NBA Hall of Famer, six-time MVP, 19-time All-Star and, of course, the master of the skyhook shot. He excelled at basketball in high school, went on to play college ball at UCLA and was drafted first overall in the NBA, where he played for 21 seasons. Since retiring from basketball, he has written books and columns, and he even worked as a writer for Veronica Mars. He's also an outspoken advocate for social justice, and his most recent project is the documentary film Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America. We talk with the NBA legend about this new documentary, playing alongside Magic Johnson and his roller disco days. Plus, he shares why he was never able to play a game of double Dutch as a kid.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

If you know Will Forte from one thing, it's probably Saturday Night Live. He was a cast member for eight years, playing characters like MacGruber. He also starred in and created the hit TV show Last Man on Earth, and had parts on 30 Rock and a bunch of other comedies. Plus there was the Academy Award-nominated Nebraska, in which he starred alongside Bruce Dern. When we talked to Forte last year, his movie Extra Ordinary had just come out. It's a horror-comedy set in Ireland where ghosts are real, and they can haunt just about anything — homes, processed cheese, a piece of gravel — and they're easy to miss. Unless you have the gift of second sight. He tells us about making Extra Ordinary, the mixed reception MacGruber received and trying to stay healthy during a grueling work schedule. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Award-winning actor Antonio Banderas is probably one of the most versatile, charming and handsome actors out there today. You've probably seen him in "Zorro," "Philadelphia," "Desperado," or maybe heard him in "Shrek" – he played the voice of Puss in Boots. His latest project is "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard," which comes out in theaters this week. When we last spoke with him, he had just starred in the Pedro Almodóvar directed film "Pain and Glory." We revisit our 2019 conversation with the extraordinary actor to discuss "Pain and Glory." Plus Banderas talks to Bullseye about his childhood in Spain, connecting with people through pain, and reuniting with director Pedro Almodóvar. He'll also talk about how he learned the lines to "Mambo Kings," before he became fluent in English. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Content warning: This interview contains some explicit language and graphic, frank talk about sex that some listeners might be sensitive to. Ryan O'Connell is the creator and star of the Netflix show Special. It's a semi-autobiographical sitcom about Ryan's own life – his experience as a gay man, and coming to terms with his identity as a disabled person. Ryan has cerebral palsy. It's a congenital disorder that can affect someone's movement, muscle tone, or posture. For Ryan, that means it manifests mainly as a limp. Season one of the show tackles Ryan coming to terms with his disability. In the latest season Ryan learns to become more accepting of himself. The show's depiction of disability on screen is groundbreaking. It shows the intersection of disability and sexuality in a way that is rarely ever seen on screen. And it does it in a way that is funny, lighthearted and relatable. Public radio veteran Ray Suarez interviews Ryan on the latest episode of Bullseye. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

City of Ghosts, the children's show on Netflix, is a bit hard to explain. It's animated in 3-D, and the characters — mostly children — look kind of like Wii avatars. It's set in Los Angeles, and the backgrounds are real places that thousands of people encounter here every day: Koreatown subway stations, Venice skate parks, East LA restaurants and so on. It's framed like a documentary, hosted by a group of kids called the "Ghost Club" who get reports of ghosts in the city, go to find them and, once they do, sit down to interview them. And despite the name, City of Ghosts isn't scary or alienating — it's the opposite. It's warm, inviting and illuminating, and it gives viewers of all ages a better idea of the world around us without sacrificing our capacity for imagination. It's a difficult balance, but the show's creator, writer and animator Elizabeth Ito, does it beautifully. She joins Bullseye to talk about making children's TV that adults can enjoy, capturing the feeling of her hometown of Los Angeles and the time she saw a ghost. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Craziest Day of my Entire Career is a segment that gives us the chance to talk with some of our favorite people about some truly unbelievable stories. Stepping up to the plate this time around is longtime standup comedian Chris Gethard. When we asked Chris about the craziest day of his entire career, he shared with us the jaw-dropping, completely true story of the time he got Diddy to come play at the UCB theater. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Rick Steves is probably best known as a public media travel expert. He's mastered the art of travel in his public television programs: Rick Steves' Europe and Travels in Europe with Rick Steves. Rick always finds ways to travel around Europe that are fun and practical. He's got a cheerful, and charming presence on TV. Since around March last year... Rick hasn't been able to travel like he used to. He's instead taken to finding ways to bring Europe home to the US on his new show Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel. In it, Rick hosts a weekly virtual happy hour on Zoom from his living room. Sometimes he cooks – other times he'll read up on history or reflect back on fond memories of travels past. On the latest episode of Bullseye – a public media bonanza! Public radio's Ray Suarez talks with public television's Rick Steves. They'll dive into Rick's new show and his long time work on public TV. Rick Steves' new special Europe Awaits premieres on public television stations across the country on June 7. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Desus Nice and the Kid Mero are longtime collaborators and friends, having met at summer school in their native Bronx. They started first as podcast hosts, and now they also make a TV show on Showtime (called, appropriately, Desus & Mero). When we had Desus and Mero on the show in 2017, we found the perfect person to interview them: Brooklyn native and public media legend Ray Suarez. They talk about the show they had just started on Viceland, the difference between being funny on Twitter versus being funny on TV, gentrification in their native New York City and more.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Lisa Hanawalt is a writer, cartoonist, and author of four brilliant books, including "Hot Dog Taste Test" and "My Dirty Dumb Eyes." You may be familiar with her work on the popular animated Netflix series "BoJack Horseman" where she was a producer. Hanawalt is also the creator of the animated series "Tuca & Bertie" which stars Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong, and Steven Yuen. The show will be starting its second season in June on Adult Swim. In 2019, we talked with Lisa about how intuitive creating "Tuca & Bertie" was at times, on deciding what to ground in reality and where to take flight, and why she should be allowed to ride Martha Stewart's pony.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Craziest ******* Day of my Entire Career is a segment that gives us the chance to talk with some of our favorite people about some truly unbelievable stories. This time around, we're joined by novelist and creator of the hit HBO show Bored to Death Jonathan Ames. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Shabaka Hutchings is a saxophone player and composer. He fronts the bands Sons of Kemet and Shabaka and the Ancestors. His music combines jazz, calypso, dancehall, hip-hop and African folk music, but it's more than the sum of its parts. Shabaka finds ways to speak using the language of all these genres to make something totally unique and of his own. Black to the Future, the latest Sons of Kemet release, just dropped and is available now. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

For the better part of a decade, the video game industry has made more in revenue than Hollywood. Year after year, it's not even close. Some of the biggest blockbuster games can pull down a billion dollars within a week of being released, and they can continue making money for years afterwards. But video games can take enormous amounts of work to produce, and because the industry is notoriously opaque, studios can sometimes become toxic workplaces. That's where Jason Schreier has made his career: Instead of writing reviews or reporting on player communities, he investigates the studios that make games. He's uncovered labor abuses, creative and legal disputes behind the scenes, and all sorts of workplace misconduct. And he does it by going directly to the workers involved. His new book, Press Reset, is his latest work in that field. Based on dozens of interviews with people who make games, it tells the origin stories of some of the most renowned video game studios in the world — and how those same studios eventually collapsed. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Ann Dowd is a veteran actor. Her career began on the stage, first in Chicago, where she went to school, then in New York. She started appearing on screen in the '90s in shows like The Baby-Sitter's Club and Law & Order. As she has continued her acting journey, she has starred in many memorable parts including her roles in the HBO series "The Leftovers" and the 2012 film Compliance. She may be best known for her role as the sadistic Aunt Lydia in the hit series "The Handmaid's Tale," which earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She joins guest host Linda Holmes to chat about the new season of The Handmaid's Tale, similarities between some of the different roles she's played, and when she made the switch from studying medicine in school to studying acting. Plus, she'll talk a little bit about her new film Mass which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Song That Changed My Life is a segment that gives us the chance to talk with some of our favorite artists about the music that made them who they are today. This time around, we're joined by American jazz trumpeter Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen. Doc is an amazing trumpet player who led the band over at "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" for thirty years and almost the entirety of Carson's run. He's known for his impeccable-styled costumes and eclectic musical styles. He's recorded with Eddie Fisher, Dinah Shore and still tours at 93 years old. He's had an enchanted career that extends all the way back to the second world war where a chance encounter gave him the opportunity to play for his childhood idol—trombonist Tommy Dorsey. Catch "Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story" on your local PBS station. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Rick Prelinger is an archivist and professor at UC Santa Cruz. He's a collector of found and discarded footage: home movies, outtakes from industrial videos and never before seen b-roll from old feature films. Rick also co-founded the Prelinger Library in San Francisco. It's one of the largest collections of ephemeral films in the world. In the film series Lost Landscapes, Rick compiles footage from his archives to create documentaries about changing cities. He's covered San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Detroit and more. We talk with Rick about his film series, how he curates his archives and his passion for all things ephemeral. Plus, Rick shares a story about the time he found a video of himself as a child in someone else's home movies. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

William Jackson Harper won the hearts of fans as the sweet philosophy professor Chidi Anagonye on NBC's The Good Place. The role helped jump start his career and earned him a handful of award nominations including an Emmy nod. In 2019, he also starred in the critically acclaimed horror film Midsommar. His latest project is a leading role alongside Aya Cash in the romantic comedy We Broke Up. He's also set to appear in the upcoming Amazon series The Underground Railroad, which is directed by Barry Jenkins. He joins guest host Linda Holmes of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour to talk about his new film and upcoming projects, The Good Place, some of the TV shows he's been binging and a new hobby he's picked up during the pandemic. Plus, they'll chat about his love for scary movies and dive into some of his favorite horror films and thrillers.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Ric Burns has written, produced, and directed many documentaries over the last 25 years that capture fascinating narratives about different topics in American history. A few subjects he's covered include New York City, The American Civil War, The Chinese Exclusion Act, and many more. His latest documentary explores the life, work, and legacy of the legendary neurologist and bestselling author Oliver Sacks. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer in early 2015, Sacks approached Burns about creating a documentary to tell his life's story. Ric Burns chats with Jesse about his experience working closely with Oliver Sacks on the project before his passing in August of 2015. He also talks about how creating this film alongside Sacks changed him as a person and the way he sees the world.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Raoul Peck makes sweeping, breathtaking, insightful films that marry the political to the personal. As a director, he's made both documentaries and feature films. That includes 2000's Lumumba about the assassinated Congolese leader, Patrice Lumumba, 2016's Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro which vividly reworked the writings of the late James Baldwin and 2017's The Young Karl Marx—a biopic about the German philosopher's young adulthood. His latest project is Exterminate All the Brutes, an HBO docuseries. Based on the book by Sven Lindqvist, the film delves into the destruction and desolation caused by European colonialism in places like Australia, Africa, Asia and the Americas.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Last month, the actor Jessica Walter died. She was 80 years old, her family says she passed away in her sleep. Her career spanned over six decades. She's starred in hundreds of on screen performances, from Arrested Development, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Love Boat, and Trapper John, M.D. to a starring role in Clint Eastwood's directorial debut Play Misty for Me. We're taking a moment to remember the brilliant Jessica Walter by revisiting our conversation from 2014. At the time she was promoting the latest season of the animated show Archer. She talked about her voice work on the program, her love of Lucille Bluth and working with Clint Eastwood. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Nicole Byer is a force of nature. She hosts two game shows and four podcasts. She also writes and does stand-up and improv. She's an Emmy-nominated actor. And if all that wasn't enough for you, she's a great follow on Twitter. She joins Bullseye for a wide-ranging interview with guest host Tre'vell Anderson. She talks about hosting game shows, adjusting her comedy career to work in the pandemic, and her voice acting work — including her upcoming role as Susie Carmichael's mom Lucy on the upcoming Rugrats reboot. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

British comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb have been making audiences laugh for over two decades. They began their career performing on stage and eventually transitioned to the world of television with their breakout sketch comedy shows The Mitchell and Webb Situation and That Mitchell and Webb Look. In 2003, they starred on the hit British sitcom Peep Show, a cult favorite that helped them reach international audiences. In 2017, they reunited for the sitcom Back, which is now in its second season. Mitchell and Webb join Bullseye to talk about their latest show, their experiences performing together as a double act over the years, and why they often create "unpleasant" characters in their shows. Near the end of the interview, we also talk with Robert Webb about some controversial tweets he posted in 2018 and later deleted that criticized a charity that provides care and support for transgender and gender nonconforming kids.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Killer Mike first joined Bullseye all the way back in 2009. Since then, he's formed the supergroup Run the Jewels with partner El-P, he's appeared in films like Baby Driver and he hosted his own television series "Trigger Warning with Killer Mike" on Netflix. The Grammy-awarded rapper also finds time to stay pretty politically active. We revisit our 2019 conversation with Mike where he sat down with us to chat about freestyling for Big Boi, his college regrets and style-flipping as a 30+ rapper. Plus, he'll tell us why the south still has something to say. That's on the next Bullseye.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Adam McKay's had a pretty eclectic career. He started in sketch comedy. First as a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade, then as a writer on Saturday Night Live. He's collaborated with Will Ferrell to make some stone cold comedy classics: Anchorman, Step Brothers, Talladega Nights. Lately, his work has been more topical and political. We're revisiting our conversation with Adam this week. When we talked in 2019, he'd just directed Vice – a biopic about Dick Cheney. Vice explains why, for better or for worse, Cheney is one of the most consequential people in recent history. In this conversation, Adam explained how he manages to keep his films fresh, funny and weird even when the topics are more serious. Plus, he shared some tales in improv comedy from his time at Second City in Chicago. Adam's latest project is a podcast called Death at the Wing, you can find it wherever you get podcasts. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The post-punk band Gang of Four was an unstoppable force of danceable beats, abrasive guitar work and unflinchingly political lyrics. Formed in the late 70s in Leeds, England, core of the operation was vocalist Jon King and guitarist Andy Gill. King and Gill were childhood friends and lifelong collaborators, and their work influenced a generation of rock music. Bullseye guest host Jordan Morris interviewed King about the band's box set, Gang of Four 77-81, as well as his early influences and what it's like to be sampled by Run the Jewels. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

When you think of actor Christopher Lloyd, what's the first film of his that comes to mind? Is it the Back to the Future franchise where he starred as the unforgettable inventor Emmet "Doc" Brown? Perhaps it's the 1988 live action/animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit where he took on the terrifying role as Judge Doom? Maybe it's not a film at all, but rather the beloved sitcom series Taxi where he starred as the oddball New York City cab driver "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski. Christopher Lloyd has performed in a number of iconic roles over the years and at the age of 82 he has no plans to stop anytime soon. Jesse recently spoke with the Hollywood veteran about his remarkable career in acting and why he continues to do it. They also talked about his new film "Senior Moment" where he stars alongside William Shatner and Jean Smart. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Riz Ahmed has spent the last decade pursuing dual careers in acting and hip-hop. His work has been political, controversial, funny, subtle — the sort of stuff critics love — and it's found huge audiences, despite all that controversy. He started in British independent movies like suicide-bomber comedy Four Lions, acted in a Star Wars movie, and now has made history as the first Muslim actor to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. As if all that wasn't enough, he's also a pretty good MC! When we talked in 2016, he had just released an album as part of the hip-hop duo Swet Shop Boys. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

With a little help from the smash hit "Cannonball" on their 1993 album "Last Splash," The Breeders became one of the biggest names in early '90s alternative rock. In 2018, we chatted with the band's lead guitarist and singer Kim Deal. She talked about the music scene in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio, how unintended her success was, transitioning from the Pixies to The Breeders, and what it felt like the first moment she realized that she had written a song that people wanted to dance to. She also talked about The Breeders reuniting for "All Nerve," their first project in almost a decade, which dropped in 2018.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Have you seen the latest Spike Lee Joint? Da 5 Bloods? It's one of the best movies of 2020. It follows the story of four Black Vietnam war veterans who return to Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City. Officially, they're looking for the remains of their fallen squad leader. Unofficially... they've returned in search of buried treasure left behind during the war. Delroy Lindo's portrayal of war veteran Paul completely steals the show. It's an emotional, raw depiction of a very complex person who's been through immense trauma. The performance is breathtaking. Returning to the land which caused all of them so much pain opens old wounds and reignites unresolved heartache. Public radio veteran Ray Suarez talks with Delroy Lindo about Da 5 Bloods. Delroy reflects on the previous times he worked with Spike Lee almost two decades ago. Plus, Delroy was born in London, spent part of his life in Canada, and only came to the US in his late teen years. He talks about how that experience has influenced his craft.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Nikki Giovanni is a Grammy-award winning poet, essayist and professor at Virginia Tech University. She's been creating beautiful, plain spoken prose that's knocked us off our feet since the 1960s. She's worked with James Baldwin, Maya Angelou and Mohammad Ali. Oprah considers her to be a "living legend." Her powerful prose will catch you off-guard if you're not careful. Her words speak truth to power. Her words emancipate the mind, the body and the soul! Her latest collection of poems is called "Make Me Rain." Nikki joins Bullseye to talk about the first poem she can remember writing, overcoming teenage angst and why she's not afraid—excited even—to find life on Mars. Plus, she'll tell us why never being satisfied can be toxic.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

He goes by many names: Forty Fonzarelli, Charlie Hustle, 40-Water or maybe you know him as the Ambassador of the Bay Area. When it comes to Bay Area hip-hop, E-40 quite possibly the greatest of all time. His distinctiveness has kept him relevant for three decades now, from mob music in the 1990's to hyphy slaps in the aughts to new music today. A couple months ago E-40 put out a brand new record with another Bay Area veteran: Too $hort – it's called Ain't Gone Do It. We're taking the time to revisit our conversation with E-40 from 2019. When he joined us we pulled up some deep cuts from R&B singer Saint Charles, who 40 knows as his Uncle Chuckie. Plus, he talked about his college days at Grambling State University. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It Was Kathryn Hahn All Along! Kathryn Hahn shows up just when you need her most in some of our favorite television series and movies of the past 15 years! She's appeared in Step Brothers and Anchorman, in Parks and Recreation as political whiz Jennifer Barkley, as Rabbi Raquel Fein in Transparent and she stole the show in the recent Marvel hit WandaVision on Disney+ as nosy neighbor Agnes. She can do drama, comedy, action villain—she pretty much does it all! When she joined us in 2017 she was starring opposite Kevin Bacon in the Joey Soloway adaptation of the Chris Kraus novel, I Love Dick. Kathryn talks to Bullseye with Jesse Thorn about tapping into her own obsessions to get into character, playing complicated women and how her children helped strengthen her creativity. Plus, she'll tell us about that time she had a crush on Jesus Christ! To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Craziest Day of my Entire Career is a segment that gives us the chance to talk with some of our favorite people about some truly unbelievable stories. This time around, we're joined by the comedian Kate Willett. Her debut, Glass Gutter, was one of our favorite albums from the last few years. She's followed that album up with an Audible Original series called Dirtbag Anthropology. It's a deeply personal series where Kate talks plainly about her life story: losing partners to divorce, to death, about what it's like to be a queer comic. When we asked Kate about the craziest day in her entire career she shared a story about a friend she met in grade school. They had lost touch over the years, but one day she was performing stand-up and an audience member recognized her. Things only got stranger after that. Kate Willett's Audible Original, Dirtbag Anthropology is available now. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

We're joined by film directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart—creators of the new animated film Wolfwalkers. The film is the third installment in their Irish folklore trilogy that includes 2009's The Secret of Kells and 2014's Song of the Sea. Their latest follows the story of a young apprentice hunter named Robin as she bridges the world between an emerging 17th century colonized Ireland and the mysterious wolves said to be overrunning the lush woods that surround her family's town of Kilkenny. The film is lush, thought-provoking and adventurous. Tomm and Ross chat with Jesse Thorn about their breathtaking film, the films that inspired them as children and their own relationships to Irish folklore. Plus, they'll tell us what cartoon they consider the perfect stoner movie. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Born in Los Angeles' Crenshaw District, Terrace Martin found a love for hip-hop early on. The kids growing up around him were freestyling and playing in backyard shows. He grew up in a jazz household, and got his start as a saxophonist, too. With those two backgrounds, Terrace kicked off a career that would make him a trailblazing polymath in pop music. He's worked with rappers like Snoop Dogg, YG and Murs. He was heavily involved in Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, producing many songs on the album including the hit King Kunta. We're revisiting our conversation from 2017. At the time, he'd just released The Sounds of Crenshaw Volume 1 with his band, the Pollyseeds. In 2020, he released seven EPs – including Village Days, and Dinner Party late last year. When he joined us we talked about his thoughts on hip-hop, and jazz that's taught in academic settings. Plus, why working with Kendrick Lamar was so important to him. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris has a very unique style of storytelling. Part of his creative process includes the use of a device he invented called a "Interrotron." It allows the subjects of his films to look at him, the interviewer, while also looking straight into the camera, creating the sense that his subjects are addressing the viewer directly. He's been lauded among the film community as a visionary and his film debut, 1978's Gates of Heaven is required viewing in film schools across the country. Since then, he's made The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War and the 2014 Netflix series Wormwood. Revisit our 2014 conversation with the acclaimed director on why Wormwood is like an "Everything bagel," capturing the art of the story and how the mid 20th century inspires his obsession with retrospective filmmaking.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

We're joined by Christian Jacobs, aka MC Bat Commander. He's the frontman for the SoCal band The Aquabats. The band got their start in the ska scene in the mid 1990s. Today, they perform as a genre-bending, family-friendly band with a lot of theatrics, costumes and pageantry. Christian is also the co-creator of the The Aquabats! Super Show! and the beloved children's program Yo Gabba Gabba. Their latest album, "Kooky Spooky... In Stereo" continues the band's tradition of great rock sounds with superhero-themed fun! Christian joins Bullseye with guest host Jordan Morris to talk about his earliest musical memories, the theatrics of punk music and the origin of the band's name. Plus, we'll learn about how they booked their first show before writing a single song!To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Holly Hunter's had unforgettable roles in some of the best movies of the last 30 years. She's been nominated for several Academy Awards for her roles in films like Thirteen, The Firm, and Broadcast News. Her role in 1993's The Piano earned her an Academy Award. She starred in O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Raising Arizona – two Coen Brothers classics! Her latest role is as Arpi Meskimen on Mr. Mayor, the new sitcom from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Holly's one of the most talented actors in the game, and we're thrilled to share this conversation. We talk about the new sitcom Mr. Mayor. Plus, we'll dive into her portrayal of Jane Craig in Broadcast News. She'll also throw us back to the time she had just moved to New York City and was roommates with Jason Alexander, long before they had their breaks in showbiz. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Buckle up folks, it's about to get weird and maybe even a little bit icky! Dr. Sydnee McElroy and Justin McElroy are here to share all the weird and fascinating stories most of us have never heard about medicine through the ages. They're the hosts of the Maximum Fun podcast, Sawbones and they joined Jesse in 2018 to talk about why they started the podcast, how medicine evolved from balancing humours to germ theory, and how in spite of all our advances, we still can't cure hiccups! Plus Justin explains what a "zzyzx" is.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Actor Steven Yeun played fan-favorite Glenn Rhee for 6 years on AMC's wildly popular series The Walking Dead. He's also appeared in critically-acclaimed films Okja, Sorry to Bother You and 2020's Minari. He joined Bullseye in 2018 to talk about his work in Burning, a film that earned him a Best Supporting Actor award from the National Society of Film Critics. Steven chats with Jesse about Walking Dead fan culture, growing up in Detroit and how unpacking the minefields of assimilation impacted his adult life. Plus, he'll share with us the second-best hockey comeback story of the 90s.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy