Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Rene Russo & Dan Gilroy of 'Nightcrawler'

10 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Writer/director Dan Gilroy and star Rene Russo of 'Nightcrawler' talk about exploring the seedy business of TV news, collaborating as a married couple...

John Oliver & Larry Wilmore

03 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

[r] Two late night hosts and Daily Show alums! Jesse talks to John Oliver about why it's sometimes weird to make jokes about American politics when yo...

Judy Greer & Richard Ayoade

13 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The reason you might not be able to place Judy Greer is because she never really plays the lead. She's come to terms with that, and she's had supporti...

Best Comedy of 2013 Special

31 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Take pity on our poor intern Brian. We sat him down in front of a computer with a stack of comedy CDs as high as an elephant's eye. He sifted through ...

Mel Brooks & Aimee Mann

24 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

[r] It's hard to imagine what American comedy would look like without Mel Brooks. Jesse talks to Brooks about about fighting in World War II (where he...

2013 Holiday Special

17 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

[r] This holiday season, listen back to Jesse's interview with Ronnie Spector. As the lead singer of the Ronettes, she recorded some of the most iconi...

Jack Black and Bun B

10 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Black will talk to guest host Susan Orlean about which came first, the acting or the music. He'll also talk about why he'd like to work with Davi...

Henry Bushkin Talks Johnny Carson

03 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Who WAS Johnny Carson? Guest host Mike Pesca will talk to Henry Bushkin about just that. He was Carson's longtime lawyer and fixer. Carson even once c...

Big Boi and Catherine O'Hara

26 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

[r] Actress Catherine O'Hara talks about her start with the Second City's SCTV, blockbuster success with Beetlejuice and Home Alone, and her perfect e...

Brett Gurewitz and Jimmy Pardo

19 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Jordan Morris is back to talk with Brett Gurewitz. Not only is he a founding member of Bad Religion, he also owns the juggernaut independe...

Tom Bissell and Greg Sestero Talk About "The Room"

12 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Jordan Morris sits down with actor Greg Sestero and journalist Tom Bissell. In 2003, Greg co-starred in a movie called "The Room". Its stil...

Bill Hader, June Diane Raphael and The Internet

05 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Take a listen to our show taped live at KPCC's Crawford Family Forum! Bill Hader reveals some of his favorite characters that never made it onto SNL, ...

Elizabeth Gilbert, Gillian Jacobs and Fred Armisen

29 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Gilbert's new novel traces the life of a woman living in the 19th century as a botanist. Jesse will ask Elizabeth about what the reaction to...

Bill Withers

22 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

[r] Tune in for a rare interview with the soul legend Bill Withers. He retired from the music industry in the mid 1980s and, with a few exceptions, ha...

Nick Offerman and The Birthday Boys

15 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Offerman plays Ron Swanson on Parks & Recreation. Swanson is one of the most beloved characters on TV... known for his love of meat, his hatred o...

Nicole Holofcener, Jane Espenson, Brad Bell

08 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole Holofcener has written and directed five films. The fifth, her newest is called 'Enough Said'. It's a sweet and sharp movie starring Julia Loui...

Junot Diaz and Carrie Fisher

01 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Junot Diaz has a book of short stories out now in paperback. It's called 'This Is How You Lose Her.' Junot's book is new, but the protagonist Yunior i...

Stephen Merchant, Co-creator of The Office

24 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Merchant says he didn't get into comedy to become popular. He did it mostly to please himself. But then, with his buddy Ricky Gervais, he made...

Actor Stephen Tobolowsky

17 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

[r] Stephen Tobolowsky is a veteran character actor. Now he's an author, too, but his book isn't about Hollywood stuff. It's about normal stuff from h...

The Influence Of Bob And Ray With David Pollock

10 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

From Bob Newhart to George Carlin, the comedy duo Bob & Ray influenced some of the 20th century's finest entertainers. Jesse will talk with comedy wri...

Jon Mooallem & Elmore Leonard

03 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to sharing the planet with other animals, you might think that we humans are just screwing it all up. Ruining everything. Hogging all th...

Prodigy of Mobb Deep

27 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

[r] First, an interview with the rapper and author Prodigy, one-half of the seminal hardcore hip hop duo Mobb Deep. He'll talk about why his naturally...

Lewis Black & Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer

20 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Hear Jesse's interview with one of comedy's greatest grumps: Lewis Black. He didn't become a stand-up until his mid-thirties. Find out why he left the...

Kumail Nanjiani & Lake Bell

13 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

First up on the show is an interview with Kumail Nanjiani. He has come a long way since we had him do stand up on our show a few years ago. He just pu...

Fred Willard & David Gordon Green

06 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

If a director is looking for the perfect guy to play an oblivious, cocky buffoon then Fred Willard is their man. Jesse talks to Fred about his entire ...

Comedy group Kasper Hauser & David Rakoff

23 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A lawyer, a writer, a psychiatrist, and a theater professor got together to write a humor book about earning your MBA on the toilet. The group is call...

Rick Moranis and Booker T. Jones

16 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Moranis was a movie star. Strange Brew, Ghostbusters, Spaceballs, Honey I Shrunk the Kids. And then he quit. We'll talk about why he doesn't regr...

Nathan Rabin and Benjamin Nugent, author of American Nerd

09 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

You'd be hard pressed to find two music groups with more divergent sounds than the jam band Phish and the horrorcore rap duo Insane Clown Posse. But t...

The Directors of "Doin' It In The Park" and Mary Roach

02 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Delve into the culture of pickup basketball this week, and find out why each of the hundreds of courts in New York City is a unique experience. Jesse ...

Lemmy and Jackson Publick

25 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

[r] Who is Lemmy? Well he's the singer for Motörhead and he's revered by metal fans around the globe. Jesse talked to Lemmy in person a couple of yea...

Paul Feig and Ophira Eisenberg

18 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Director Paul Feig talks about being a child magician, an actor and stand-up, and what finally drove him behind the camera to direct film and televisi...

Charlie Wilson from The Gap Band

11 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Charlie Wilson made hits in the 80s as the frontman of the Gap Band. In the 90s he was homeless on the streets of LA. Then, he turned it all around. J...

"Weird Al" Yankovic and Geoffrey Nunberg

04 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

[r] "Weird Al" Yankovic is a master of parody music and one of the all-time bestselling accordionists. He and Jesse talk about Yankovic's multi-decade...

Christopher Guest & Dan Kennedy

28 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Christopher Guest talks about the origins of his signature style of parodic filmmaking. He'll also talk about why music pops up in his movies so much....

Nile Rodgers

21 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Nile Rodgers played guitar on the new Daft Punk single, but decades before that he launched a string of hits with the group Chic, including "Le Freak"...

Mel Brooks and The Source Family

14 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse talks to Mel Brooks about his unparalleled career — from writing for Sid Caesar on television in the 1950s to working with Gene Wilder on The ...

Huey Lewis and Phone Phreaking with Phil Lapsley

07 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse talks to Huey Lewis about his pub rock beginnings, his multi-platinum success with the album Sports, and how he wrote songs for movies like Back...

Simon Amstell and Brian K. Vaughan

30 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

We revisit Jesse's interview with the delightful stand-up comic Simon Amstell. On TV, he prods at the powers that be and has even caused a few walk-of...

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Armando Iannucci and Billy Bragg

23 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

We're talking Veep this week with the HBO comedy's showrunner, Armando Iannucci, and its star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Iannucci talks about geeking out o...

Shane Carruth (Upstream Color) and Rodney Ascher (Room 237)

16 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse talks to the director Shane Carruth. His new movie Upstream Color has almost no dialogue, involves a kind of abstract science fiction premise, b...

Big Boi from OutKast and Catherine O'Hara

09 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Actress Catherine O'Hara talks about her start with the Second City's SCTV, blockbuster success with Beetlejuice and Home Alone, and her perfect encap...

Lily Tomlin, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Davy Rothbart

02 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

There's no mistaking actress Lily Tomlin. Even when the part is small, she's never lost in the background. In fact she almost steals the show in the n...

NBC's Must See TV with Warren Littlefield, former NBC executive

26 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Dive into the empire that Cheers built. Whether it was The Cosby Show, Seinfeld, Frasier, or Friends, Warren Littlefield oversaw all of it. NBC was a ...

Simon Rich and Bill Burr

19 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Rich is an absolutely hilarious writer. He sits down with Jesse, and says that he doesn't write about the way love happens, he writes about the ...

Moshe Kasher and Lateef the Truthspeaker

12 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Zalben and Brian Heater offer up some of their all-time comics favorites. The comedian Moshe Kasher talks about his amazing memoir, rapper Lateef...

Aisha Tyler and Bilal

05 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Nathan Rabin and Marah Eakin from the AV Club talk about a couple of their all-time favorite albums from Warren Zevon and Fleetwood Mac, respectively....

Andrew Rannells, Jim Lehrer, Thao Nguyen

26 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The actor Andrew Rannells talks about growing up gay in Nebraska, his role in The Book of Mormon, and how to avoid uncomfortable moments when filming ...

Boots Riley, Roman Mars and Steve Agee – Recorded at SF Sketchfest!

19 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The Coup's Boots Riley talks about using lyrics to battle capitalism coporatism, police brutality and injustice. Roman Mars, host of 99% Invisible, tr...

Maria Bamford and George Saunders

12 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The writer George Saunders talks about his early creative challenges, the slight constant pressure of capitalism, and Tenth of December, his new book ...

W. Kamau Bell, Mike Birbiglia and Eleni Mandell

05 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

W. Kamau Bell, host of Totally Biased, calculates the gentrification sweet spot. Singer-songwriter Eleni Mandell's life is changed by a Tom Waits song...

Nick Kroll and Billy Eichner

29 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse talks to Billy Eichner, who quizzes bewildered New York pedestrians on the topics that are nearest and dearest to his heart: Britney Spears, Mer...

Jeff Bridges, Bernie Glassman and H. Jon Benjamin

22 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

It may not be the movie that won Jeff Bridges an Oscar, but The Big Lebowski is still one of the actor's favorites. Bridges joins Zen master Bernie Gl...

Benedict Cumberbatch, Errol Morris and Craig Finn

15 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Craig Finn of The Hold Steady talks about the unpredictable and emotional music of the punk band The Replacements, and how one their songs changed his...

Aimee Mann & Seth Godin

08 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Aimee Mann explains her transition from an 80s pop star to a solo performer who writes mostly for her own tastes. Then, a conversation with Seth Godin...

The 2012 Comedy Special

01 Jan 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Bullseye features the best stuff from comedy specials and comedy albums released in 2012. Hear from Demetri Martin, John Mulaney, Maria Bamford, Jim G...

Bonus Episode! Dick Cavett and Dave Hill at MaxFunCon East

24 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

As a holiday gift, Bullseye features a conversation between two incomparable wits: Dick Cavett and Dave Hill. This event was taped live at MaxFunCon E...

Holiday Special with Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick & The Polyphonic Spree

18 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

It's the Bullseye 2012 Holiday Special! But don't worry, there will be no Rudolph, and no Jingle Bells ... not if Jonathan Coulton and John Roderick h...

Dolly Parton & Judd Apatow

11 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse interviews Dolly Parton about the sacrifices she made for her astounding career and how she feels about them now. Plus, Judd Apatow talks about...

Simon Amstell, Brian K Vaughn & Jordan Ranks America

04 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with the delightful stand-up comic Simon Amstell. On TV, he prods at the powers-that-be and has even caused a few walk-offs. But despite ...

RJ Smith profiles James Brown, comedy from Cameron Esposito

27 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

James Brown wasn't just the Minister of the New New Heavy Super Funk and the Godfather of Soul. He was the hardest working man in show business, and a...

Tavi Gevinson, Retta & Michael Ian Black

20 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Tavi Gevinson talks about how weird it can get navigating the fashion world as a teenager. Then Retta – the comedian and actress you might have seen...

Writer Fran Lebowitz

13 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

A conversation with the New York cultural authority Fran Lebowitz. Find out why she was expelled from high school, why she waltzed into a publishing o...

Actor Stephen Tobolowsky

06 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Tobolowsky is a veteran character actor. Now he's an author, too, but his book isn't about Hollywood stuff. It's about normal stuff from his l...

Ice-T, Greta Gerwig and Aaron Freeman

30 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Ice-T talks to us about interviewing Snoop, Rakim, and a bunch of other famous rappers for his documentary on rap. Plus, did Ice REALLY write rhymes f...

Key & Peele, Pop Culture Quandaries with My Brother, My Brother and Me

23 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Keegan-Michael Key & Jordan Peele talk about their comedy beginnings on MADtv; impersonating everyone from presidents, to weather men, to gang members...

Vijay Iyer, Demetri Martin & Dave Hill

16 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Jazz pianist and composer Vijay Iyer explores the relationship between music, the mind and the body. The comedian Dave Hill performs in front of his t...

Liam Lynch and Geoff Nunberg on the "A-word"

09 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The writer, director and musician Liam Lynch talks to us about bringing back his sock puppet duo Sifl and Olly and how he met not ONE, but TWO Beatles...

Syl Johnson, Gillian Flynn and Matt Berninger from The National

02 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse talks to Syl Johnson – the soul singer who has been sampled on countless hip-hop records — about turning down the record deal that ended up ...

Rob Delaney, Nellie McKay and Jordan Ranks America

25 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse talks to Rob Delaney, one of the funniest guys on Twitter with over a half a million followers. He might prefer the virtual world because he's s...

Wayne White, Antibalas, Brent Weinbach

18 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Wayne White is the subject of a new documentary directed by Neil Berkeley. If you ever wished you could live in Pee-Wee Herman's bizarre and amazing p...

R.A. Dickey, pitcher for the New York Mets

11 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Mets pitcher RA Dickey talks about fighting his way through 10 years as a marginal pro baseball player before giving himself over to the uncontrollabl...

W. Kamau Bell, Mike Birbiglia, Eleni Mandell

04 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

W. Kamau Bell, host of Totally Biased, calculates the gentrification sweet spot. Singer-songwriter Eleni Mandell's life is changed by a Tom Waits song...

Kurt Andersen, Chris Fairbanks and Ari Graynor

28 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Jordan Morris sits down with Kurt Andersen to talk about creative procrastination, why a new generation is happily digging into its parents...

Black Dynamite, The Explorers Club and Rachel Dratch

21 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Black Dynamite's Michael Jai White and Carl Jones talk about their favorite blaxploitation films of the 70s. Actress Rachel Dratch walks into a bar, a...

Bob Newhart and the Directors of Mr. Rogers & Me

14 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse talks to Ben and Christopher Wagner about America's most beloved broadcaster — Mister Fred Rogers — and they all hold back tears. Plus, Jess...

Redd Kross and Matt Braunger

07 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan Morris sits in for Jesse and talks to the influential punk band Redd Kross about their own influences — from Deep Purple to Ziggy Stardust —...

Michael Ian Black & Tom Bissell, author of Magic Hours: Essays on Creators and Creation

31 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Ian Black talks about his memoir: "You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations". Plus, Black explains why...

RJ Smith profiles James Brown, comedy from Cameron Esposito

24 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

James Brown wasn't just the Minister of the New New Heavy Super Funk and the Godfather of Soul. He was the hardest working man in show business, and a...

Lisa Kudrow, Eric Andre and American Pickers' Danielle Colby

17 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Kudrow — the "dumb" one from Friends — talks about her career in brain science, and her current Showtime show Web Therapy. Plus, Eric Andre d...

Robert Glasper and Pendleton Ward

10 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Glasper transforms the 90s grunge hit Smells Like Teen Spirit into something surprisingly beautiful. Jesse talks to Pendleton Ward about his an...

Mark Adams, Dave Hill, Jordan Ranks America

03 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Adams – a magazine editor who had never even slept in a tent as an adult– treks through the Andes tracing the journey of Hiram Bingham. And t...

Elvis Mitchell, of Montreal's Kevin Barnes and My Brother, My Brother and Me

26 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Elvis Mitchell on how he made a career writing about movies, and why he was arrested on the Canadian border with Cuban cigars and 15 thousand in cash....

Scott Aukerman, Mark Duplass, David Rees

19 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Duplass is involved in half a dozen projects. But he isn't worried about spreading himself too thin. Plus, Jesse talks to the writer and comic Sc...

Ice-T, Greta Gerwig and Aaron Freeman

12 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

In his new movie, Ice-T interviews Snoop, Rakim, and a bunch of other famous rappers. Plus, Ice reveals whether he wrote raps for Mr. T in the 80s. Je...

Daniel Handler, The Sklar Brothers and Nico Muhly

05 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Handler delves into his memories of young love to pen the novel "Why We Broke Up" — the twist? He writes the girl's side of the story. The Sk...

Kurt Braunohler and Walter Mosley

29 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Comedian Kurt Braunohler explains his improvised anti-game show, where among other things, comedians are challenged to verbally shame puppies. The com...

R.A. Dickey, pitcher for the New York Mets

22 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey talks about fighting his way through 10 years as a marginal pro baseball player before giving himself over to the uncontrolla...

Benedict Cumberbatch, Morgan Webb, Craig Finn

15 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Craig Finn of The Hold Steady talks about the unpredictable and emotional music of the punk band The Replacements, and how one their songs changed his...

Chris Gethard & Lawrence Weschler

08 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse interviews comedian Chris Gethard about booking P. Diddy at a tiny theater in New York. Lawrence Weschler talks about why CGI faces will never l...

Michael Ian Black and Tom Bissell

01 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Ian Black talks about his memoir: "You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations". Plus, Black explains why...

Tony Hale and Nicholas Stoller

24 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The actor Tony Hale talks about his early commercial work, his faith, and who to call when you need to learn a few new swear words ... FAST. Writer an...

Rachel Dratch and the creators of Eagleheart

17 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Comic actress Rachel Dratch walks into a bar, meets a guy and six months later she's pregnant. It's all in her new memoir. Plus, the creators of the c...

Jazz pianist Robert Glasper and animator Pendleton Ward

10 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with jazz pianist Robert Glasper, who transforms the 90s grunge hit Smells Like Teen Spirit into something surprisingly beautiful. Then P...

Bob Newhart and Benjamin and Christofer Wagner of "Mister Rogers and Me"

03 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse talks to Benjamin and Christofer Wagner about America's most beloved broadcaster --Mister Fred Rogers — and they all hold back tears. Plus, Je...

Moshe Kasher, Lateef the Truthspeaker, and the directors of Undefeated

27 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The comedian Moshe Kasher talks about his amazing new memoir, rapper Lateef the Truthspeaker reveals how jazz scat changed his life, and Jesse talks t...

Swamp Dogg, John Mulaney, Comic Book Picks and Kasper Hauser

20 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Unsung soul maverick Swamp Dogg reflects on his long and storied recording career, with hits ranging from R&B, to psychedelic to country. John Mulaney...

Baratunde Thurston, Stuff You Should Know, Mark Frauenfelder

13 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Author and comedian Baratunde Thurston talks about how to be black, whether it's in high school at Sidwell Friends, in college at Harvard, or while wo...

Jeffrey Tambor, Doug Jones, Andrew Noz and God on Noah

06 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Jeffrey Tambor talks about his portrayal of Jesse's favorite television character — Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show. Then, an intervie...

Key & Peele, The AV Club and My Brother, My Brother and Me

28 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Keegan-Michael Key & Jordan Peele talk about their comedy beginnings on MADtv; impersonating everyone from presidents, to weather men, to gang members...

David Wain, The AV Club, and Jordan Ranks America

21 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

This week David Wain makes the successful leap from cultiest-of-cult comedy to the mainstream multiplex – and keeps things super funny. Correspondan...