Bullseye with Jesse Thorn
Episodes
Shea Serrano
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist and author Shea Serrano has covered basketball and pop culture for ESPN, XXL, Grantland, the Ringer and more. His first book, The Rap Yearb...
NBA Hall Of Famer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest basketball players of all time: an NBA Hall of Famer, six-time MVP, 19-time All-Star, the master of the sky...
Bashir Salahuddin on Sherman's Showcase and South Side
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bashir Salahuddin is a comedy actor and writer. Alongside his friend and longtime collaborator Diallo Riddle, he co-created the shows South Side and S...
Bruce McCulloch
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bruce McCulloch is one of the founding members of the legendary Canadian sketch comedy team The Kids in the Hall. He starred in the eponymous TV show ...
Billy Idol on the song that changed his life
04 Nov 2022
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 ...
"Weird Al" Yankovic
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"Weird Al" Yankovic is the undisputed king of parody music. He's been recording music for over 40 years and sold millions of records. He's got an icon...
The Bullseye Halloween Spectacular: R.L. Stine, Monét X Change and Ana Fabrega
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're celebrating the season with our annual Bullseye Halloween Spectacular. We kick things off with an in-depth, funny conversation with R.L. Stine, ...
The Song That Changed My Life: Lil' Mike and Funny Bone
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Song That Changed My Life is a segment that gives a chance for musicians and artists to tell us about the song that made them who they are. This w...
Steve-O
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For over twenty years, Steve-O has performed on Jackass in all its iterations. He's done stunts on the original TV show, the movies and the spinoffs. ...
Avantdale Bowling Club's Tom Scott
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Scott is a rapper from New Zealand's underground hip-hop scene. He's been rapping for over a decade now. He grew up in Auckland – the biggest ci...
John David Washington on Ballers, BlacKkKlansman and more
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Before John David Washington was an actor, he was lacing up the pads every week for a career in professional football. It seems fitting, then, that wh...
Hua Hsu on his new book 'Stay True'
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hua Hsu is a staff writer for The New Yorker. He's written profiles and reviews of artists like Bjork, bell hooks, and Sandra Oh. He's also a professo...
Bonnie Raitt
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bonnie Raitt is a legend. Now in her 70's she's still touring, still shredding and still writing songs. She's been recording music for over 50 years a...
Michael R. Jackson, creator of 'A Strange Loop'
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael R. Jackson is the creator of A Strange Loop. The groundbreaking show won the honor for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical at the most rec...
Billy Eichner on writing and starring in Bros
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Billy Eichner was already a working comedian when he rose to fame as the host of Billy on the Street - a bonkers game show where he runs up and down t...
'This Fool' star and creator Chris Estrada
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Estrada is a stand-up comedian and co-creator of the new TV comedy, This Fool. Estrada also stars as the show's main character: Julio. Julio liv...
Bobby Moynihan
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bobby Moynihan first appeared on SNL in 2008, and starred on the show for nearly a decade. He did a few impressions, but his strength was portraying o...
Loudon Wainwright
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Loudon Wainwright III is a singer and songwriter. He began his folk career in the late 60s, and released his self-titled debut in 1970. He's occasiona...
Christine Baranski
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Christine Baranski is an actor with an impressive resume. She went to Juilliard, performed on Broadway in shows like The Real Thing, Rumors, and House...
Cristin Milioti
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cristin Milioti is an actor who's been in a lot of stuff lately. She's in the HBO show Made for Love , the new Peacock series The Resort and she's app...
Comedian James Acaster
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
James Acaster is a standup comic from London. On stage, his comedy is observational, a little absurd and animated, but also really cutting. His most r...
Bonnie Hunt
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bonnie Hunt has done it all. And she is extremely good at, well, all of it. She's a comedian, an actor, a TV host, a writer and a director. Her first ...
Adam Conover on 'The G Word' and 'Adam Ruins Everything'
26 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's easy to forget how even the smallest roles of the government can affect our lives in profound ways. The G Word is a comedy-documentary series tha...
Danny Elfman
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Danny Elfman has made some of the most iconic, recognizable music over the last half a century. He fronted Oingo Boingo in the early 80s. He scored hi...
Patton Oswalt on the Craziest Day of his Entire Career
19 Aug 2022
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...
Christina Ricci
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Christina Ricci talks with Bullseye about the unique, fascinating arc her career has taken. Ricci began as one of the most iconic child actors of the ...
Nicole Byer
12 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian Nicole Byer is busy, in every sense of the word. She plays the role of headstrong Nicky on NBC's Grand Crew, a show about a group of wine-lov...
Matt Berry
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Berry asks himself a very simple question before choosing which projects he wants to do. Is it funny? That's it. It's probably the reason why the...
'Bob's Burgers' creator Loren Bouchard
05 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There's something about the animation in Bob's Burgers that makes the show magical. Maybe it's the pacing of the dialogue, the musical sequences or ma...
D'Arcy Carden
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
D'Arcy Carden joins Bullseye to talk about her newest project, A League of Their Own. Amazon's newest series is based on the 1992 movie of the same na...
Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham
29 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hannah Waddingham's portrayal of Rebecca on Ted Lasso earned her an Emmy award last year and another nomination this year for the second season of the...
John Turturro on Do The Right Thing, Gloria Bell and More
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
John Turturro is an acting legend. He is an actor that many directors like to work with, including both Spike Lee and the Coen Brothers. This year he ...
Stranger Things' David Harbour on the Craziest Day of His Entire Career
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
David Harbour is currently starring on the Netflix blockbuster hit Stranger Things. He plays Police Chief Jim Hopper, initially tasked with searching ...
Isabella Rossellini
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Isabella Rossellini is probably best known as an actor, having acclaimed parts in movies like Blue Velvet, Death Becomes Her and Big Night. She was bo...
Dianna E. Anderson on exploring non-binary identity
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dianna E. Anderson is a writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their latest book called In Transit: Being Non-Binary in a World of Dichotomies. As th...
Howard Bryant on baseball legend Rickey Henderson
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sports writer Howard Bryant talks to Bullseye about the legacy of baseball great Rickey Henderson, and his new book Rickey: The Life and Legend of an ...
The Song That Changed My Life: Lisa Loeb
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lisa Loeb does it all. She is a Grammy-winning musician, has appeared in movies, hosted cooking and entertainment shows and even has her own line of g...
Sam Jay
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Jay is a stand-up comedian, writer and host of the HBO talk show PAUSE with Sam Jay. Sam talks about PAUSE's unique format, what it was like to st...
Joel Kim Booster on stand up, growing up adopted and more
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Joel Kim Booster is everywhere these days. Fire Island, the romantic comedy he wrote and stars in, debuted last month on Hulu. It's a modern retelling...
Elizabeth Ito, creator of City of Ghosts
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Netflix series City of Ghosts is a totally unique, fascinating program that tells the story of different places in Los Angeles through interviews ...
Kate Berlant and John Early
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Berlant and John Early have been performing as a comedy duo for over a decade now - their brand of comedy is a little surreal, a little unhinged ...
Robin Thede on 'A Black Lady Sketch Show'
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Robin Thede is the showrunner, creator and star of the Emmy-winning series A Black Lady Sketch Show. The show just wrapped up its third season on HBO....
Why Nicolas Cage is one of the most fascinating actors working today
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Keith Phipps is a writer who has worked for the AV Club and the Dissolve. He specializes mainly in pop culture, making him a natural fit for the show....
Mandy Moore
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mandy Moore first rose to stardom with her hit single Candy in 1999. It made Mandy a teen pop star, following the steps of her peers Britney Spears, N...
Ryan O'Connell on Netflix's 'Special'
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Content warning: This interview contains some explicit language and graphic, frank talk about sex that some listeners might be sensitive to. Ryan O'Co...
Bill Hader on 'Barry,' 'SNL' and more
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many know Bill Hader from his time on Saturday Night Live. He was kind of an impressions guy — he did a mean Alan Alda. One of his most memorable ch...
Dan Charnas on his new book 'Dilla Time'
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hip-hop historian Dan Charnas joins Bullseye to discuss his new book Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip Hop Producer Who Reinvente...
Adam Scott
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Scott is best known for his iconic roles in comedy: Parks And Recreation. Party Down. Step Brothers. The Good Place. His latest is a departure fr...
Claudia O'Doherty
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Claudia O'Doherty is, as you are about to hear, an extremely funny person. She is from Sydney, Australia. Some of her work includes serving as a write...
Michael Stipe
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Stipe is forever cemented in the minds of music fans as the lead singer of R.E.M., one of the biggest rock bands in history. You might also kn...
Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey will be forever linked together – thanks to one show: The Office. Angela and Jenna were strangers when the show star...
Three Busy Debras
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a time where there is a lot going on in the world, it is nice to have a break every once in a while. To find something silly, something weird and s...
Remembering Gilbert Gottfried
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gilbert Gottfried died last month. The standup comedian and actor was 67. To millennials of a certain age, he was an iconic voice actor: Iago in Aladd...
Legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ron Carter is a legend in the world of jazz. His work as a bassist has appeared on thousands of recordings, and has the world records to prove it. In ...
Alan Alda
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alan Alda has been performing for over six decades. He played the iconic role of Hawkeye in M*A*S*H , was Arnold Vinnick on The West Wing and starred ...
Paul Feig on "Minx," "Welcome to Flatch" and making gin
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Feig created TV shows like Freaks and Geeks, movies like Bridesmaids, Unaccompanied Minors and Spy. He's directed episodes of 30 Rock, The Office...
Molly Shannon
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We welcome a true "Superstar" on the latest episode, the one and only Molly Shannon! She's one of the greatest comic actors ever. Shannon just wrote a...
Courtney B. Vance
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Courtney B. Vance started acting in college. He went to Yale drama school, where he met his future wife Angela Bassett. He starred in the debut perfor...
Chloë Sevigny
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chloë Sevigny is, in a word: cool. She has an impeccable fashion sense and makes waves in that world. She's an Oscar nominated actor for her role in ...
Ben Schwartz on playing Sonic the Hedgehog, Jean-Ralphio and more
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Parks and Recreation's Jean-Ralphio! Star Wars' BB-8! The voice of Sonic the Hedgehog! We're joined by Ben Schwartz. Ben's big break came in 2010 with...
Actor and playwright John Leguizamo
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
John Leguizamo has been in well over 100 movies and TV shows, including the recent Academy Award-winning animated smash Encanto. That is impressive en...
Chuck Klosterman
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chuck Klosterman writes about culture. Pop culture, more specifically. Rock bands, basketball teams, adult entertainment, Saved by the Bell... you get...
Author Mary Roach on 'Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law'
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Roach is a science writer who covers very specific branches of research: sex in space, cadaver handling, that sort of thing. Her newest book is c...
Steven Van Zandt
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend on the show: Steven Van Zandt! Of course, you might know him better as Little Steven, a guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, ...
Amy Schumer
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Amy Schumer is, of course, the creator and star of the hit sketch show Inside Amy Schumer. She also wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed romc...
Chef and food writer J. Kenji López-Alt
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
J. Kenji López-Alt is a chaf and food writer who has written for the New York Times, Cook's Illustrated, Serious Eats, and more. A lot of his recipes...
Nick Kroll
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the first chapter of his career, Nick Kroll's comedy centered around big, outsized characters – the more preposterous the better. He created the...
Jeff Weiss on the life and death of Drakeo the Ruler
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On December 18, 2021, the rapper Drakeo the Ruler was murdered backstage at a festival in Los Angeles, his hometown. A group of 40 or so people ambush...
Greg Daniels on 'The Simpsons,' 'King of The Hill,' 'Space Force' and more
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Greg Daniels is a screenwriter, television producer and director. Over the span of more than three decades he's worked on some of the most beloved com...
K-Pop singer Eric Nam on the John Legend song that changed his life
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Song That Changed My Life gives us a chance to talk with different artists about the music that has inspired them. On the latest installment, we a...
Brian Cox
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You probably know Brian Cox from Succession. He plays patriarch Logan Roy on the show. But Brian has hundreds of credits acting with a career spanning...
Remembering Syl Johnson
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Syl Johnson, the Chicago soul and blues singer, died last month at 85. He was probably best known for his work on Hi Records, the home of Ann Peebles ...
Alana Haim
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alana Haim has been leading two very distinct careers. First, there's her music - Alana is one third of the Grammy nominated, critically acclaimed roc...
Remembering Betty Davis
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Betty Davis died earlier this month. She was 77. She was the very definition of a cult hero – she never cut a hit record, but her influence is still...
Christopher Walken
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You read that right: Chrsitopher Walken! One of the greatest character actors ever. So many iconic parts: King of New York, Pulp Fiction, The Deer Hun...
Alan Tudyk on the Craziest Day of His Entire Career
18 Feb 2022
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...
Big Boi & Sleepy Brown
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Big Boi and Sleepy Brown. Two legendary recording artists! Big Boi is one half of the legendary rap duo OutKast and a prolific solo-artist. Sleepy Bro...
Charlie Day
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Charlie Day is the star and co-creator of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. You probably knew that already, because Always Sunny is the longest runni...
Kristen Bell
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kristen Bell joins the show this week to talk about her new series The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window. It's a parody...
John Bradley
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
John Bradley was around 22 when he got the part that changed his life. On Game of Thrones he played Samwell Tarly, John Snow's close friend for nearly...
Remembering Louie Anderson
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Louie Anderson passed away last month at the age of 68. He was a veteran stand-up and comic actor who performed in movies and shows like Family Feud, ...
I Wish I Made That: John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I Wish I Made That is a segment where we invite some of our favorite voices in pop culture to dive deep into a work of art they did not make but they ...
W. Kamau Bell on 'We Need to Talk About Cosby'
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
W. Kamau Bell, a comedian and host, directed a new documentary series. It's called We Need To Talk About Cosby. It's about Bill Cosby – who he is, w...
Edi Patterson of The Righteous Gemstones
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Righteous Gemstones just kicked off its second season on HBO, and that's good news. It's a comedy about the Gemstones, a family of pastors and own...
Alfred Molina
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alfred Molina started his acting career almost 40 years ago. First on British TV and a couple of movies later on. Since then he's gotten over 150 role...
Remembering Joan Didion with Griffin Dunne
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just before Christmas this past year, the writer Joan Didion died. She was 87. Didion rose to fame for her journalism – she immersed herself in stor...
Glynn Turman
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Glynn Turman is a brilliant actor who's lived an extraordinary life. His first big role was at 12, in the original Broadway production of A Raisin in ...
Winston Duke
07 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Winston Duke was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to Brooklyn when he was nine. He studied acting at Yale and went on to work mainly in TV during...
John Cameron Mitchell
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Living legend John Cameron Mitchell joins us on the latest episode. He's directed the movies Shortbus and Rabbit Hole, acted on shows like Shrill and ...
Sarah Snook
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Odds are, you know Sarah Snook for her role on Succession, the latest Zeitgeist-y TV drama on HBO. Sarah plays Siobhan Roy. But to her friends and fam...
Benedict Cumberbatch
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Benedict Cumberbatch is pretty much one of the biggest actors around. In 2010, he got the title part on the BBC's modern day Sherlock Holmes reboot, j...
2021's End of Year Comedy Special
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time of year again! Our annual end of year best of stand-up comedy showcase is here! The whole team here at Maximum Fun combed through dozen...
Bullseye's 2021 Holiday Spectacular: Ronnie Spector, Sy Smith and Jane Lynch
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Bullseye Holiday Spectacular is here! We are revisiting some of our favorite Holiday interviews with different guests from over the years. First, ...
Yeardley Smith on the Craziest Day of her Entire Career
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For over 30 years now, Yeardley Smith has voiced Lisa Simpson, one of the most iconic characters of all time. She is also an on-screen actor and a co-...
Maxo Kream
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On the latest episode of Bullseye we're joined by Houston rapper Maxo Kream. Maxo's had a tough life, and he's not afraid to put that on wax. He's bee...
Hiam Abbass on Gaza mon Amour, Succession and more
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you know actor Hiam Abbass from one thing, it's probably Succession. Abbass plays Marcia, Logan Roy's wife. On a show famous for its craven, manipu...
Director Mike Mills
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Mills is a writer and director who's worked in film, TV, and on music videos. He's made the films Beginners and 20th Century Women and his newest...
Joe Pera of "Joe Pera Talks With You"
26 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Pera Talks with You is one of the quirkiest shows on television right now. Comedian Joe Pera portrays a fictionalized version of himself. He's a s...
Paul Reubens
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A special treat from the Bullseye archives: Paul Reubens! The man behind Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee is, of course, a beloved character among kids who gre...
The Song That Changed My Life: Aimee Mann
19 Nov 2021
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 ...