Bullseye with Jesse Thorn
Episodes
Against Me's Laura Jane Grace
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Musician Laura Jane Grace fronts the punk band Against Me. On the latest , episode Jordan Morris chats with Laura about her early days playing shows i...
Bob Edwards
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Edwards died last month. He was 76. Edwards was the original host of Morning Edition when the program launched in 1979 – a legend in the public ...
Singer-songwriter Corb Lund
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Corb Lund is a country and western musician from Alberta, Canada. He's been recording music since the nineties and just released a new record called E...
Photographer Catherine Opie
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Catherine Opie's photographs have been shown in museums all over the world. Her career spans nearly four decades. Breathtaking photographs of queer an...
Why Biz Markie embodied hip-hop
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sacha Jenkins has chronicled hip-hop culture for decades now. He is one of the founders of the legendary magazine Ego Trip and has produced documentar...
Seth Meyers
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ten years ago Seth Meyers hosted the NBC show Late Night for the first time. Taking on a gig like that might seem a bit daunting, but Seth was up for ...
Chloë Sevigny
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chloë Sevigny is known for a lot of things in showbiz – but she is perhaps best known for being cool. She has an impeccable fashion sense and makes...
Meshell Ndegeocello
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meshell Ndegeocello has made a career as a bassist, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. She's been performing professionally for over thirty years now...
Cartoonist Bill Griffith on "Nancy" and "Zippy the Pinhead"
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Nancy comic strip is one of the most iconic and influential strips out there. It's a comic snob's favorite, but you also don't have to be a super ...
Dolph Lundgren
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We must break him! Dolph Lundgren's performance in Rocky IV features two of the most memorable pieces of dialogue in the storied franchise. Dolph stop...
Bob Mortimer
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Mortimer is a comic and author, renowned for his work in the British comedy double act Vic and Bob. These days, Mortimer is also a novelist. We ta...
Trace Lysette
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Trace Lysette is an actor, rapper and former drag performer. Last year, she had her first lead role in a film called Monica. It is a wonderful, quiet,...
Jo Firestone on 'Good Timing,' 'Joe Pera Talks with You' and more
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jo Firestone's comedy special Good Timing is the culmination of months of work from her and a group of senior citizens who wanted to learn stand-up co...
Prodigy of Mobb Deep
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Prodigy formed Mobb Deep alongside his partner Havoc when they were teens. Together the duo basically started gangster rap for the East Coast. When he...
Cory Doctorow on "The Internet Con"
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (now X) aren't what they used to be. Some of those social media platforms have changed beyond recognition, many other...
Craig Robinson
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Craig Robinson is likely in some of your favorite shows. The Office. Pineapple Express. And of course, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. These days, he's got a seri...
Benny Safdie
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Benny Safdie has done work on both sides of the camera. He's starred in movies like Oppenheimer and co-written and directed films like Uncut Gems. Rec...
Paul Dooley
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Dooley is a legend of showbiz. He's played some iconic dads in films like Sixteen Candles, Runaway Bride and Breaking Away. His book Movie Dad: F...
Sonia Manzano
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sonia Manzano is a legend of kids TV. She played Maria on Sesame Street for four decades and changed what children's media looked like. In 2021, she p...
Remembering Norman Lear
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Norman Lear died last month. He was 101. He was a writer and showrunner for some of the biggest, most influential sitcoms of all time. He's responsibl...
2023's End of Year Stand-Up Comedy Spectacular!
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each year, Bullseye looks back on the year in stand-up comedy by presenting listeners with an annual end of year stand-up comedy showcase! The Bullsey...
Bullseye's Holiday Special 2023: Lil Rel Howery, Henry Selick and more
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's the Bullseye Holiday Special! We've got Lil Rel Howery on what it was like to play Santa Claus in Dashing Through the Snow. Plus: Gregg Turkingto...
Patrick Stewart
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this week doesn't need much introduction. We're talking with the one and only Patrick Stewart. Patrick joins us on the latest episode of Bul...
Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ira Kaplan has played guitar and co-fronted the band Yo La Tengo for almost forty years. He founded Yo La Tengo with his wife Georgia Hubley back in 1...
Steven Wright
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you ask just about any alternative comic from the last twenty years to name their influences, one name you're sure to see come up is Steven Wright....
Steven Universe's Rebecca Sugar
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rebecca Sugar is behind some of the most magical shows on Cartoon Network. They started as a storyboard artist on Adventure Time. And went on to creat...
Nile Rodgers
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nile Rodgers has been in the game for over fifty years. He's a founding member of the band Chic, and he's produced songs for some of the biggest names...
Devendra Banhart on the song that changed his life
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart tells us about a beautiful, cinematic, heartbreaking song performed by the legendary Venezuelan singer Simón Díaz...
Comedian George Wallace
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
George Wallace has been doing stand-up for almost 50 years. He came up in New York – his roommate was Jerry Seinfeld. Wallace's humor, like Seinfeld...
Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jillian and Mariko Tamaki are talented graphic novelists. And if you didn't already know, the two are also cousins. They've collaborated on three proj...
Daniel Clowes
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Clowes is an award-winning writer and comics artist. He penned the Eight-Ball series and Ghost World, among others. This year, he released a gr...
Will Oldham, aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy, on the song that changed his life
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
His name is Will Oldham. You might know him better, though, as Bonnie "Prince" Billy or Palace or as half of the folk rock group Superwolves. His work...
Jack Handey
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yes, Jack Handey is his real name. He's one of the best to ever write for Saturday Night Live: Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, Giant Businessman, Toonces the...
Fashion Designer Carla Fernández
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Carla Fernández is a Mexico City based fashion designer who creates new clothes inspired by traditional, indigenous garments of Latin America. Her wo...
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a stock car racing legend. He's won more than two dozen races and has been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He's since (mo...
Soul singer Bettye LaVette
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bettye LaVette is a singer with over 60 years in the game. She's recorded dozens of albums. And earned multiple Grammy nominations for her work in the...
Ira Glass
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This American Life has been on public radio airwaves for almost three decades. This year, the show passed eight hundred episodes. And probably the mos...
Blues legend Bobby Rush on the song that changed his life
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Bob Odenkirk on his new children's book, 'Zilot & Other Important Rhymes'
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Odenkirk is an alt-comedy legend. He wrote for Saturday Night Live in the 90s. Then he got the part in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as Saul G...
Joe Maddon, World Series winning baseball manager
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Major League Baseball is in its Postseason. This week we're joined by a great – former Cubs, Rays and Angels manager Joe Maddon. The Book of Joe: Tr...
Maria Bamford on her new memoir "Sure, I'll Join Your Cult"
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Bamford is a brilliant stand-up comic. She's also now an author. She recently wrote her first book. It's a memoir called Sure, I'll Join Your Cu...
All-Star Pitcher Sean Doolittle
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sean Doolittle played a decade in the major leagues. He was a beloved weirdo and all-star with the Oakland A's. Then, a World Series champion with the...
Sam Richardson
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Richardson's breakthrough role came in HBO's Veep. Sam is also a writer. With the help of SNL alum Tim Robinson, they co-created and starred in De...
Benny the Butcher
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're concluding Rap Month with Buffalo MC Benny the Butcher. Alongside Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn, he's a member of the hip-hop collective ...
Master P
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the story of Master P, there's plenty of success. He's launched careers and sold millions of dollars in records. His label, No Limit Records, was h...
Bun B
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bun B and his partner Pimp C put Port Arthur, Texas on the map when they founded one of the most influential Southern rap groups of all time. UGK craf...
Angie Stone
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many of you may know Angie Stone as a soul-singer. But before her singing career took off, Angie was an MC in a rap group called The Sequence, one of ...
CHIKA
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Next up on Rap Month is viral rap star CHIKA. CHIKA's never been afraid to keep it real, especially online. The Alabama-born rapper went viral for the...
Jeezy
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rap month continues here at Bullseye. Next up, the trap pioneer Jeezy. On his major label debut in the mid-aughts, he called himself Young Jeezy. And...
Saba
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2018, the Chicago rapper Saba released the critically acclaimed Care for Me. A frenetic, beautiful album recorded after the loss of his cousin Walt...
Rakim
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This September is Rap Month at Bullseye - we're celebrating 50 years of hip-hop with a full month rappers. First up: Rakim! He changed the rap game fo...
John Wilson of 'How To' on the movie he wishes he'd made
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Wilson is the host and creator of the HBO series How To with John Wilson. Each episode of the show makes a simple, straightforward promise to the...
Soul singer Brenton Wood
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's almost impossible to be in a bad mood after hearing a song by Brenton Wood. His music has a sweetness and lightness with a bounce that conveys co...
David Byrne
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Along with fronting the Talking Heads, David Byrne has collaborated with Brian Eno, St. Vincent, Philip Glass, Selena and so many more. He's written b...
The Hold Steady's Craig Finn on the Song that Changed his Life
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Johnny Knoxville
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's an art to the perfect prank. This week, we're joined by Johnny Knoxville, an expert prankster. He's been at the center of the Jackass universe...
Remembering Paul Reubens
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Reubens was the man behind one of the country's most beloved household names. "Pee-wee Herman" was born out of Reubens' time at The Groundlings i...
Smokey Robinson
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's no other way to put it, Smokey Robinson is a legend. The Motown great and former frontman of The Miracles is responsible for some of the great...
Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Geezer Butler is patient zero for heavy metal bass riffs. He played bass for Black Sabbath. One of the greatest rock bands of all time and true pionee...
Boots Riley
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Boots Riley is known nowadays for his work as a writer, but he's been making waves as an artist for years. In his early 20s, he was the frontman and f...
'This Fool' creator and star Chris Estrada
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Estrada is a stand-up comedian and co-creator of the TV comedy, This Fool. Estrada also stars as the show's main character: Julio. Julio lives i...
Christine Baranski
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Christine Baranski is an actor with an impressive resume. She attended Juilliard and went on to perform on Broadway. She's also an Emmy award winning ...
Kool & the Gang's Robert "Kool" Bell
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kool & the Gang have made some of the biggest hits of all time. We're talking about some of the greatest party songs ever: "Get Down On It," "Celebrat...
Khalid
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's a strange thing, to be famous, right? Like, really really famous. Famous like Khalid, the singer. He deals with it in stride, though: making bril...
Nick Kroll talks Human Resources, Big Mouth and more
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Kroll is a comedian, actor and writer. Nick starred on the FX show The League, created the sketch comedy series Kroll Show. And if you watched VH...
Podcast 'Think Twice' and the complicated legacy of Michael Jackson
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The podcast Think Twice examines one of the toughest subjects in American pop culture: Michael Jackson. Not just his biography or his art, but what he...
Ann-Margret
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ann-Margret is your classic triple threat: she can sing, she can dance and she can act. Oh yeah, and you can't forget the fact that she's legendarily ...
Legendary fashion designer, Dapper Dan
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
These days, the look is everywhere, but the next time you see someone in a designer logo, head-to-toe: know that Dapper Dan brought you that. If you c...
Jon Hamm
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jon Hamm is an actor with a lot of range. He can do serious, and he can definitely do funny. The Missouri-born actor is hilarious in the movie Bridesm...
Ana Fabrega, co-creator of 'Los Espookys'
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ana Fabrega is a comedian, actor and writer. She's probably best known as a star and co-creator of HBO's Los Espookys. The show is about four friends ...
Tony Shalhoub on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Monk and more
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tony Shalhoub is a veteran of both the big and small screens. Recently, you might know Shalhoub from his role in the Amazon show The Marvelous Mrs. Ma...
Tre'vell Anderson on 'We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film'
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tre'vell Anderson is non-binary and black, and they often focus their work on identity, especially the places where queerness intersects with blacknes...
Michaela Watkins on You Hurt My Feelings, SNL and more
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michaela Watkins is a talented comic and actor. But when she first started acting, she thought she was going to be an actor actor. The Shakespeare and...
Eric Andre
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At this point in his career, Eric Andre is almost a household name. The Eric Andre Show was his first big project. The show kicked off in 2012, and is...
Hua Hsu on his Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Stay True
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hua Hsu is a writer. You might have seen his profiles and criticism in The New Yorker. But his most recent work isn't about Bjork or bell hooks. It's ...
Pianist and Cosmic Jazz Legend, Lonnie Liston Smith
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lonnie Liston Smith is a jazz legend. He's a pianist and keyboard player. He's worked with Pharoah Sanders, Miles Davis and Marvin Gaye. Smith is a ma...
Mary Steenburgen
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Not many actors can be nice, warm, and funny at the same time. Mary Steenburgen has basically made a career out of it. The Arkansas-born actress made ...
Bridget Everett talks "Somebody Somewhere"
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bridget Everett is a comedian and singer. She grew up in Manhattan, Kansas —- the "Little Apple" of the Midwest. When the time for college came arou...
Stanley Tucci
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Stanley Tucci is handsome, assertive, a killer dresser and he can teach you how to make a Negroni in under three minutes. He's also, of course, an exc...
Alan Ruck on playing Connor Roy in HBO's Succession
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are a lot of funny and strange characters on HBO's Succession. But there might not be any of them that are funnier and stranger than Connor Roy....
Shonda Rhimes
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Shonda Rhimes is one of the most accomplished TV writers and producers of our time. She's written shows like Scandal, Private Practice, How To Get Awa...
Rapper G Perico
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
G Perico is a gangster rapper from Los Angeles. Listen to one of his tracks, and it's hard not to hear the echoes of thirty-some years of records abou...
John Cale
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Cale grew up a promising viola player in Wales. He moved to New York to study classical music. There, Cale met Lou Reed and formed one of the mos...
Dominique Fishback on 'Swarm'
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the last decade, Dominique Fishback has been building up her resume with some stellar performances. In 2018, she appeared in the David Simon show ...
Elijah Wood
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Elijah Wood is, of course, the star of the Lord of the Rings movies. He's also known for his work as a former child actor who appeared in Back to the ...
Dougie Poole on the song that changed his life
21 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dougie Poole is a Maine-based singer-songwriter. He makes country music, but it's not your standard country fare. His music is a little more experimen...
Delroy Lindo
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Delroy Lindo is a veteran actor and writer. Born in London to Jamaican parents, Delroy spent his childhood moving from place to place. As a teenager, ...
Robin Thede Talks "A Black Lady Sketch Show"
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Robin Thede works hard. She always has. One of her first gigs in showbiz was on Queen Latifah's daytime talk show as head writer. Fast forward to 2015...
Sarah Snook on playing Shiv in HBO's "Succession"
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Odds are, you know actor Sarah Snook from her role on HBO's Succession – one of the most acclaimed TV dramas in the last decade. Sarah plays Siobhan...
Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Being able to make light of extremely heavy topics is what makes Atsuko Okatsuka a brilliant comedian. Her debut comedy special The Intruder aired on ...
Anna Deavere Smith
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anna Deavere Smith is one of the most accomplished people in American theater. She's an incredible actor, playwright and scholar. But, Anna's also a t...
Marc Summers on the Craziest Day of His Entire Career
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Craziest Day of My Entire Career is a segment that gives us the chance to talk with some of our favorite people about the weirdest workday they ha...
Marc Maron
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Marc Maron has been performing stand-up comedy for decades. He always figured that would be his legacy. Until he started the mother of all podcasts: W...
Margaret Cho on the Craziest Day of Her Entire Career
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Craziest Day of My Entire Career is a segment where we invite guests from the entertainment industry to tell us about a single day where things w...
Cheech Marin
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, comedy legend Cheech Marin! He's one-half of the comedy duo Cheech and Chong. But Cheech is more than just a stoner icon. He was in the Lio...
Christina Ricci
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Christina Ricci got her first paid acting gig when she was ten. Within a couple of years, Christina was everywhere: Casper, Now and Then, and of cours...
Eugene Levy
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eugene Levy is a legend in the comedy world. Hailing from Toronto, he first got his start in improv comedy and was a founding member of SCTV - the pio...
Little Brother
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Little Brother is a rap group from North Carolina. The three original members – Phonte, Big Pooh and 9th Wonder – were living in their college dor...
'Party Down' co-creators, Rob Thomas and John Enbom
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Party Down is a show with a simple premise. It's about a group of actors, writers and creative types who work at a catering company called Party Down....
Bonnie Raitt
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bonnie Raitt is a legend. Early in her career, she decided she'd only create songs she loved, on her own terms, and her career longevity is proof of t...