Live Wire with Luke Burbank

Award-winning author Karen Russell takes us inside her "dust bowl epic" novel The Antidote, which employs the fantastical to comment on memory, climate change, and the nation's troubling history of land ownership; stand-up comedian Sam Miller finds sidesplitting humor in his own experiences with addiction and incarceration; and singer-songwriter David Ramirez explains how he pulled himself out of a rut and into solitude to write his latest album All The Not So Gentle Reminders, before performing the track "The Music Man."

Comedian, actor, and TV writer Guy Branum tells us why he ran away from Jeopardy host Ken Jennings, then dives deep into his Instagram series Things Only the Old Gays Remember; writer and filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat discusses his book We Survived the Night, which weaves oral history, reportage, and the legend of the "Trickster Coyote" to tell tale of modern Indigenous life; and singer-songwriter Georgia Maq, formerly of Australian indie rock trio Camp Cope, gives a soaring performance of her single "Tropical Lush Ice."

Podcaster and writer Kelsey McKinney (You Didn't Hear This From Me: Notes on the Art of Gossip) "spills the tea" on all things gossip — from prayer circles to AI tattle; award-winning author Omar El Akkad discusses his first book of nonfiction One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, which traces his disillusionment with the West and the failure of its promises; and indie folk band Kuinka perform their tune "Living Room Floor."

Acclaimed poet Reginald Dwayne Betts explains how dogs of all types found their way into his newest collection Doggerel, as well as his own dogged efforts to build libraries in prisons across America; actor and writer Annabelle Gurwitch reflects on her shocking cancer diagnosis and how she carpe diem(ed) until she found the beauty in the ordinary; and Americana musician Max Gomez gets the crowd singing along to a protest song about his home state of New Mexico, off his latest album Memory Mountain.

Bestselling author Lidia Yuknavitch discusses her new memoir Reading the Waves, which explores memory and how a shift in position can reshape our complicated stories; award-winning humorist and writer Felipe Torres Medina (The Late Show With Stephen Colbert) takes us on an adventure through the quagmire of the US immigration system with his book America, Let Me In: A Choose Your Immigration Story; and indie rock group Pedro the Lion performs "Spend Time" from their latest album Santa Cruz.

Humorist John Hodgman chats about ruling the "court" in his hit podcast Judge John Hodgman, plus his stint as a cheese monger and why reading Moby Dick does not give you the right to go "a-whaling" in the state of Maine; and China Forbes, lead vocalist of the "little orchestra" known as Pink Martini, joins the program as a solo act and performs "Full Circle" from her album The Road.

Slate writer Scaachi Koul unpacks her latest book of essays Sucker Punch, in which she delves into her unexpected birth, the dissolution of her marriage, and how her friends have come to know her as "the divorce doula." Multidisciplinary artist Emma Ruth Rundle explains how she crafted her debut poetry collection The Bella Vista – which touches on love lost, addiction, and discovering oneself – while traveling on tour, then performs “Blooms of Oblivion” from her album Engine of Hell.

Comedian Hari Kondabolu tells us about his new podcast Health Stuff and offers his "expert" advice on how to treat some strange medical symptoms of wild animals; best friends and podcasters Lindy West and Meagan Hatcher-Mays are put to the test on how well they really know each other; and musician John Craigie unpacks the paradox of being a shy person and a reluctant guitar player while finding great success as a singer-songwriter, before performing his new tune "Fire Season."

Writer and activist Kari Ferrell recounts her rise and fall as the "Hipster Grifter," New York City's infamous scammer of the late aughts, as told in her tell-all memoir You'll Never Believe Me; stand-up comedian Zak Toscani shares the trials and tribulations of growing up goth in Hawaii; and soul group Ural Thomas & The Pain perform “Gotta Say (I Love You)” from their album, The Right Time.

Live Wire celebrates Black History Month with a special episode. Writer and explorer Tara Roberts takes a deep dive into her project and now memoir, Written in the Waters, which follows a group of Black scuba divers dedicated to uncovering shipwrecks from the transatlantic slave trade; photojournalist Ivan McClellan takes us to the dusty trails and discusses his book Eight Seconds, a photographic exploration of Black rodeo culture in America; and singer-songwriter Danielia Cotton chats about her tribute album to Black country star Charley Pride, before performing her own track "Bring Out The Country (In Me)."

Poet and essayist Morgan Parker (You Get What You Pay For) unpacks the highs and lows of therapy... and how crying in The Gap afterwards is cathartic; writer and former professional soccer player Georgia Cloepfil explains how she hustled across the globe as an athlete, while weighing financial gain with her love of the sport; and Brazilian singer-songwriter Rogê performs his song “Existe Uma Voz” from his first solo album Curyman.

Advice columnist R. Eric Thomas, of the nationally-syndicated column Asking Eric, explains how he leads with empathy when giving advice to strangers — on everything from marital problems to issues with holiday cookies; Reverend Billy and Savitri D, activists and founders of the Church of Stop Shopping, discuss their tireless fight against corporations... and the 100-plus times they've been arrested as a result; and Americana trio The Brudi Brothers perform their viral hit "Me More Cowboy Than You."

Author Héctor Tobar explores the meanings and myths of the term "Latino" in his sixth book Our Migrant Souls; comedian and writer Jena Friedman (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) chats about her debut collection of essays Not Funny and recounts the time she put her foot in her comedic mouth; and indie folk trio Joseph performs a cover of Tom Waits' song "Come On Up to the House."

Actor and writer Jeff Hiller dives into his memoir Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success, which highlights his awkward youth as a bullied kid in Texas to his Emmy win for HBO's hit series Somebody Somewhere; stand-up comedian Mohanad Elshieky recounts some recent challenges... like getting stuck in his apartment elevator and being tricked into hiking by his wife; and singer-songwriter Edna Vázquez gives us a brief history of mariachi, before performing with Forest Grove High School's ensemble Mariachi Tradición.

Award-winning author George Saunders (Lincoln in the Bardo) unpacks his writing process and explains how creating confusion often leads to interesting literary worlds; and singer-songwriter Samantha Crain discusses the importance of making music in her Choctaw language, before performing "Joey" from her album A Small Death.

This "Best of 2025" special episode features some of Live Wire's favorite moments of the year: host Luke Burbank interviews an AI chatbot version of journalist Evan Ratliff; comedian Paul F. Tompkins receives a glitter bomb to celebrate his 7th appearance; authors Ira Madison III and Chuck Klosterman face-off in a quiz about Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs; musical comedian Riki Lindhome parodies The Sound of Music with her song So Long, Farewell, bidding adieu to another year... plus much more!