The Nightly

Matt Bragg talks with caller Alex about her Halloween wedding, two guests in hyper-realistic pigeon heads, and the great debate over what percentage dead is appropriately spooky. What You'll Hear: The 30% Dead Rule: Matt lays out his personal Halloween philosophy, which involves a strict minimum level of decomposition for any costume to count. An Aspen Tree Walks Down the Aisle: Alex describes her...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Kathryn from Wichita, Kansas about her neighborhood's over-the-top Halloween traditions, from giant skeletons and fog machines to buses full of trick-or-treaters pouring in from out of town. What You'll Hear: A Childhood of Tinfoil and Felt: Josh remembers his mom's scrappy homemade costumes, from a cardboard robot to a Where's Waldo win that made him the talk of t...

Greta Johnsen catches up with friend, book critic and crafter Liberty Hardy about the art of bedazzling. What You'll Hear: A Bedazzled Bucket Begins It All: Liberty traces her sparkly obsession back to a cracked drag-show confetti bucket that sat in her house for years before it sparked a whole new hobby. Eighteen Hours, One Neon Dog: Liberty walks through the surprisingly long, strangely meditati...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Abbie about giving herself permission to waste time, falling for hobbies she's bad at, and the bedazzled dog portrait that proves a gift doesn't have to be useful to be perfect. What You'll Hear: The Myth of Earned Downtime: Greta and Abbie dig into why rest keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list, and what happens when you stop waiting to deserve it. Bad at...

Matt Bragg talks with caller Alejandro about the upright bass, from its car-shopping logistics and toddler-inflicted scratches to its secret role in rock and roll history. What You'll Hear: Oasis Ticket Grumbling: Matt kicks off the night a little salty about missing out on Oasis tickets, though a consolation trip to Vegas softens the blow considerably. Meet the Doghouse, the Bull Fiddle: Alejandr...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Heather about her elaborate Oscars-night food pun contest, from a falafel crime scene to a rotisserie chicken nun. What You'll Hear: Anatomy of a Falafel: Heather recalls the deconstructed hummus crime scene that launched her into competitive food-pun hosting, sumac blood pooling and all. The Fruitalist Takes Brutalism to the Fruit Bowl: Watermelon staircases, grap...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Allison about Baby-G watches, Delia's catalog pages, and the magic of waiting for the bus with nothing but your own thoughts. What You'll Hear: Life Before Google Existed: Greta and Allison swap stories about commercial breaks, VHS tape limits, and the lost art of arguing about trivia with no way to look it up. The Joy of Being Unreachable: Allison confesses what sh...

Matt Bragg and Greta Johnsen trade transatlantic small talk about Fairbanks winters, fancy hotel gyms, anti-umbrella philosophy, and the eternal confusion of "pushing a meeting back." What You'll Hear: Two Hosts, One Overdue Introduction: Matt and Greta realize they've never actually spoken before, despite both hosting shows for Hatch, and fall into easy, wandering conversation almost immediately....

Josh Gondelman talks with caller Tomas about trading the Swiss school system for Texas sunshine, a seventeen-hour bus ride across the Alps, and the shawarma shop near his house in Houston. What You'll Hear: From Basel to Houston: Tomas explains how he ended up finishing high school in Texas a year early, and why his mom thought it made sense to skip ahead. Grading on a Curve, Swiss Style: The two...

Matt Bragg tracks down Yashi, the original owner of Big Goose (the four-foot stuffed goose that caller Julia chat with him about), to learn its true origin story. What You'll Hear: The Goose Heard Round Facebook Marketplace: Matt replays Julia's original call about the puzzling purchase that's been bugging him ever since, and sets off to find out where in the world a $15 goose that siz...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Natalie about her six-hour flight habit of scrolling through 40,000 photos, the vulnerability of reliving a decade of screenshots, and why some memories are better left uncleaned. What You'll Hear: The Attention Hostage Situation: Greta explains her overprepared flight survival kit, including a knitting project and downloaded podcasts, while Natalie admits her go-to...

Matt Bragg talks with Caller Anita about her love of ASMR role-play videos, ten-hour boxed fan loops, and rewatching Frasier in Spanish to drift off. What You'll Hear: A Case of Mistaken Fame: Matt kicks things off with a tour support story that ends in the most polite kind of being ignored, and what it teaches him about staying in unfamiliar hotel rooms. The ASMR Confession: Anita calls in wonder...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Elani about renting her event space while Paula Abdul sat in the next room and later spotting her own hallway on a reality TV show. What You'll Hear: A Celebrity Who Had No Idea Who Josh Was: Josh opens with his favorite brush-with-fame story, one where an actor's polite nod said everything about anonymity in show business. Paula Abdul, Tupac, and a Chicano Art Sho...

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Sylvia about trading her Google paycheck for a Silicon Valley gamble, the layoff that blindsided her, and the 3 a.m. regrets that keep circling back. What You'll Hear: The 3 A.M. Math Problem: Sylvia opens up about the intrusive thoughts that visit during perimenopause insomnia, mostly questions about the career path she didn't take. A Four-Hour Commute and...

Matt Bragg talks with caller Julia about the four-foot goose she rescued off Facebook Marketplace, her theory on manufactured whimsy, and the actor's trick of wiping your feet before walking onstage. What You'll Hear: A Jacket Collection, Not a Problem: Matt confesses his Vinted struggles and defends his growing pile of jackets as fine art, thank you very much. The Goose That Found Her: Julia desc...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Savannah about why her friends' pets never quite charm her through a screen, her cat Daisy's medieval-gremlin face, and the case for giving every pet its own dating profile. What You'll Hear: A Pug With a Bruiser Attitude: Josh opens with stories about his pug Maggie, who adores every human she meets but turns surprisingly scrappy around bigger dogs. The Trouble Wi...

Matt Bragg talks with journalist Lindsay Crouse about the guilt of dreading a workout, the zebrafish who know when to stop fighting the tide, and why quitting might be the bravest thing you do all year. What You'll Hear: The Run You Don't Have to Love: Matt revisits a caller's confession about dreading her workouts, and Lindsay explains why forcing yourself through something that drains you isn't...

Greta Johnsen talks with caller Courtney about juggling new motherhood and a full high school teaching load, and why aiming for "the 87% club" might be the kindest goal of all. What You'll Hear: Two Full-Time Loves, One Full Plate: Courtney opens up about the tug-of-war between teaching high schoolers she adores and mothering a 10-month-old she adores even more, and whether "enough" is even the ri...

Matt Bragg talks with caller Tony about his stand-up comedy class, the humbling art of never being the hero of your own joke, and his personal campaign to get more average-looking people on stage. What You'll Hear: The Pressure of Cheap Tickets: Matt opens with a funny gripe about how comedians get zero grace compared to a nil-nil football match nobody complains about. A Finance Guy Finds His Bubb...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Lindsay about mistaking empathy for weakness, the guilt of delegating too little or too much, and why she deserves an hour lunch break just like everyone else. What You'll Hear: A Boston Kid Full-Circle Moment: Josh opens with a sweet airport run-in with the mom of two former preschool students, and what it felt like to be greeted in a classic Bostonian way. Is Emp...

Greta Johnsen talks with caller Dave about his 1,019-day chess streak, his first wobbly zipper on a hand-sewn leather wallet, and why being merely amiable at guitar might be the whole point. What You'll Hear: Too Many Hobbies, Not Enough Time: Dave admits he's mid a whole bunch of projects at once, and he and Greta debate whether that's a wonderful problem to have or a recipe for chaos. Chess, Wor...

Matt Bragg talks with caller Hannah about her long-standing hatred of running, the truth behind getting "toned," and why strength training might be the better path to aging well. What You'll Hear: A Health Coach Who Hates Running: Hannah confesses she's spent a decade avoiding the very activity everyone assumes she loves, and explains why the step mill somehow beats it. Five Non-Negotiables for Fe...

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Brian about his eight-year tradition of full-sleeve fake tattoo birthday parties, the glitter koi fish that started it all, and the real ink it eventually inspired. What You'll Hear: Full Sleeve Party Favors: Caller Brian explains how a whim purchase of fake tattoo sleeves turned into an annual birthday ritual. From Fake Ink To Real Ink: The gateway drug effect is...

Greta Johnsen talks with comedian Negin Farsad about becoming aggressively delightful, the science behind chatting up strangers, and why lowering your headphones might be the friendliest thing you do all day. What You'll Hear: Eight Years of Aggressive Delightfulness: Greta revisits a phrase Negin coined years ago and asks her to define it all over again, now with a kid, a pandemic, and a lot more...

Greta Johnsen talks with caller Gaby about her move from New York to San Francisco, her first-ever Bumble BFF date, and the surprisingly great case for needlepoint groups and nude-model pottery classes. What You'll Hear: Saturn Returns, and So Does Home: Greta explains the astrological wisdom behind big life changes at 28, and why moving across the country solo deserves a round of applause, not ju...