Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

[r] Keegan-Michael Key talks to Jesse Thorn about creating characters for his sketch show Key and Peele. Plus, Tituss Burgess from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, tells about the time he performed live at the Tony Awards with a malfunctioning microphone. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences....

Danny McBride is comedic writer and actor who started his career starring in the cult classic comedy, The Foot Fist Way. Although the film went to Sundance and was a modest success, McBride went back to North Virginia to work as a substitute teacher. Danny and frequent collaborator Jody Hill began creating the series Eastbound & Down, which would jumpstart McBride's career and make him a film and...

Though most people find it difficult to find anything funny about depression and anxiety, comedian Aparna Nancherla. has used her own struggles with mood disorders to inspire her comedy. A rising star in the comedy world, Nancherla bravely reveals her struggles with depression in a way that makes the experience both relatable and hilarious. Clams Casino joined Jesse to talk about the influences th...

Though she didn't earn a degree in the sciences, author Mary Roach has a knack for writing about them with insight and wit. Whether she's describing what happens to the body after death or the many aspects of human sexuality, Roach makes her topics accessible and fun. Roach has authored half a dozen books including: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife a...

Jesse Thorn sits down with comic book author and the designer of Netflix's Bojack Horseman, Lisa Hanawalt. He also talks to comic Wyatt Cenac about his upcoming stand up series, Night Train. 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

This week Jesse interviews Rachel Bloom,the star and co-creator the CW show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Also, Esperanza Spalding tells us about the song that changed her life. 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

[r] Jesse Thorn talks with John C. Reilly about Reilly's open-hearted and blustery comic creation, Dr. Steve Brule. Reilly shares stories from the summer of fun he had working on the movie Boogie Nights, and outlines the duties of an actor. Check it Out with Dr Steve Brule is currently airing on Adult Swim. Reilly's new movie The Lobster is in theatres now. Later, Las Vegas born singer-songwriter...

Jesse Thorn talks to Rashida Jones, from Parks and Recreation, The Office and Angie Tribeca - which just returned for its second season. Later Lawrence Weschler and Ramiro Gomez stop by the Bullseye studio to discuss their new art book, Domestic Scenes: The Art of Ramiro Gomez. Plus Jesse explores the fun, artistry and dark irony of the of the classic noir film, The Third Man starring Orson Welles...

Jesse Thorn talks to comedian and Fresh Off the Boat writer Ali Wong, who recorded her new comedy special Baby Cobra, while seven and a half months pregnant. He also sits down with Boogaloo legend Joe Bataan to talk about breaking into the music industry, why he dropped out of it for a while and how he came back with a performance on one of the very first rap songs, back in 1979. Joe Bataan is one...

[r] Jesse Thorn talks to DJ Quik - one of the most prolific figures in West Coast hip hop. They'll talk about why a leaked record and a couple of guns made Quik realize he needed a new circle of friends, why he never wants to stop making pretty beats for his records and his inspiration for his awesome, awesome hairstyles over the years. Plus comedy from Michael Ian Black and Jesse explains his lov...

Maria Bamford sits down with Jesse to talk about her own experiences as a patient of various Los Angeles mental health facilities, finding love and marriage and how wanting to work less proved to be a good career move. Her new show, Lady Dynamite will be available for streaming on Netflix from May 20th. You can find out more about her upcoming tour dates by visiting her website at mariabamford.com...

Margaret Cho sits down with Jesse to talk about beginning her career during the 90s comedy boom in San Francisco, growing up in a Korean immigrant family, and how the community around her family's gay bookstore continues to touch and inspire her life. Margaret Cho's new album American Myth is now available on iTunes and on her website, MargaretCho.com. She's also out on tour this May and June. Lat...

Jesse Thorn talks with GeenaDavis about her acting career, The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and how taking up archery changed her life. Plus multiple Emmy Award-winning comedian, Louis CK discusses self-funding anddistributing his new show, Horace and Pete. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast spons...

Jesse Thorn talks to Mike Judge, the comedy writer behind shows like Beavis and Butthead, Office Space, King of the Hill and Silicon Valley. Later he speaks with Sharon Horgan, whose show Catastrophe just returned for its second season. 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 P...

Author and screenwriter Nick Hornby made his name with books like High Fidelity and About A Boy. His latest novel, Funny Girl is about a British actress starring in a 1960s sitcom. Hornby talks with Jesse about old TV comedy, personal ambition and sitting on a couch next to Adam Sandler. Later, character actor Luis Guzmán tells about the role that changed his life, Pachanga in Carlito's Way. Plus...

Jesse Thorn talks to Ellie Kemper, star of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and discusses Batman with Pop Culture Happy Hour's Glen Weldon. Plus, Jesse on how A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg has reverberated through his life. 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

Jesse Thorn talks to musician Thao Nguyen from the band Thao and the Get Down Stay Down and to the filmmaker Lance Bangs. Plus Jesse thinks it's time you gave the band Black Sabbath another listen. 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

[r] Jesse Thorn talks to the comedian, writer, director and actor, Bob Odenkirk, plus the historian, author and DJ Rickey Vincent tells us why Parliament's Mothership Connection ended an era - and then started a new one. 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

Jesse Thorn talks to Dick Van Dyke, legendary star of stage and screen, memoirist and now bodybuilder. Plus pop culture critic and writer Margaret Wappler argues that Bjork's album Post deserves a place in the popular canon. 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

Jesse Thorn talks to comedian and actor Zach Galifianakis about his new TV show Baskets, and to Michael K. Williams from Boardwalk Empire and The Wire and who can currently be seen in the new show, Hap and Leonard. Plus Jesse remembers the poignancy of rapper Poetic's examination of his own mortality. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship...

Jesse Thorn talks to the magician, sleight-of-hand artist and historian Ricky Jay, about his new book Matthias Buchinger: The Greatest German Living. Later he sits down with the menswear writer G. Bruce Boyer. Boyer's new book is True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear. Plus comedy from Brandie Posey's new album, Opinion Cave and Jesse shares what he loved about the movie Attack...

[r] Jesse Thorn talks to Gillian Jacobs about her time starring in Community and to the restaurant critic, Jonathan Gold. 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

Jesse Thorn talks to actor Jason Sudeikis and comedian Paul F Tompkins. Plus Sarah Vowell shares the piece of work she wishes she'd made and Jesse talks about a twenty year old SNL sketch that changed his life. 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

Jesse Thorn talks to comedians' comedian, Dwayne Kennedy and our producer Julia Smith sits down with acclaimed British comic Noel Fielding. Plus Jesse considers the unwarranted backlash to Beyonce's new song and video, Formation. 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

[r] Jesse Thorn talks to comedian Todd Glass, about his memoir The Todd Glass Situation and with the beloved children's performer, Raffi. Plus author Ariel Schrag talks about the novel, September Girls and Jesse remembers the album of songs that Van Morrison made out of spite. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podca...