Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

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 ...

Drew Magary, author of 'The Night The Lights Went Out'

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Drew Magary is a writer and novelist. He was a longtime columnist at Deadspin. He's written features for GQ, The Atlantic and more. His latest work is...

They Might Be Giants

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At the heart of They Might Be Giants, there are two Johns: John Flansburgh and John Linnell. The two singer/songwriters have been writing and recordin...

Sébastien Lifshitz, director of 'Little Girl'

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The documentary Little Girl is a profile of an 8 year old transgender girl named Sasha living in France. The film talks about the resistance Sasha mee...

Dam-Funk on the Giorgio Moroder song that changed his life

05 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 ...

Susan Orlean, author of 'On Animals'

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Orlean has been writing for decades. She's the author of the Orchid Thief, The Library Book and is also a staff writer for the New Yorker. This ...

Tamron Hall

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tamron Hall is a TV veteran: She's host of Emmy Award-winning talk show Tamron Hall. Before that, Tamron worked in news. She had her own show on MSNBC...

Jo Firestone on 'Good Timing,' 'Joe Pera Talks with You' and more

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jo Firestone's new comedy special Good Timing is the culmination of months of work from her and a group of senior citizens she taught how to do standu...

The Bullseye Halloween Spectacular: Jamie Lee Curtis, Elvira and Harvey Guillén

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: a very spooky Bullseye Halloween spectacular! We've got Jamie Lee Curtis, Harvey Guillén and the one and only Elvira, Mistress of the Dark...

John Carpenter

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

John Carpenter has made an impact on film in two different disciplines. As a director , there's so many memorable movies in his filmography: Halloween...

Sonia Manzano on playing "Sesame Street's" Maria and creating "Alma's Way"

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly 5 decades, Sonia Manzano played the part of Maria on Sesame Street. The role came to be during her college years while she was studying act...

Mac McCaughan: Superchunk, solo records, Merge Records

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1989, Mac McCaughan co-founded the band Superchunk. The band was abrasive and vulnerable; Guitars dominated their sound, with Mac's voice sitting l...

Photographer Gusmano Cesaretti, and graffiti artist Chaz Bojórquez

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The photography book Street Writers: A Guided Tour Of Chicano Graffiti was first published in 1975. To the extent that a photography book can be a cul...

Mark Mothersbaugh: The Craziest Day of My Entire Career

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Mothersbaugh doesn't need much of an introduction. He's a composer who's worked in TV and film for almost 40 years now. And, of course, he's also...

G Perico

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

G Perico is a gangster rapper from Los Angeles. That puts him firmly in a tradition stretching from Ice T and the DOC in the 80s through Ice Cube and ...

The Song That Changed My Life: Buddy Guy

24 Sep 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 ...

Jessica St. Clair and Dan O'Brien

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jessica St. Clair is a comedy writer and actor. Alongside Lennon Parham, she created and starred in the comedy series Playing House, which aired for t...

I Wish I'd Made That: Nick Offerman

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Artists, musicians, and filmmakers are often inspired by what they see or hear. Sometimes that thing is so great, they tell us they wish they made it ...

Remembering Michael K. Williams

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Michael K. Williams died earlier this month. He was 54 years old. He was best known for playing Omar Little on The Wire. Michael began his caree...

David Byrne

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

David Byrne! The one and only. The founder of the Talking Heads talks with Jesse about his latest project American Utopia, and his return to playing l...

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have been working together for 40 years, producing some of the biggest R&B records of all time. In their four decades of wor...

Rostam on the Paul Simon song that changed his life

27 Aug 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 ...

Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hannah Waddingham stars alongsie Jason Sudekis in Ted Lasso. She plays team owner Rebecca Welton in the series. Hannah joins guest host Linda Holmes ...

Uzo Aduba: In Treatment, Orange is the New Black and more

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Uzo Aduba first rose to fame playing a character known as Crazy Eyes. It was on Orange Is the New Black, a part of the first class of original TV show...

Bonus: Remembering Zumbi, of Zion I

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Zumbi, born Steve Gaines, made up half of the Oakland duo Zion I, who were stalwarts of the Bay Area hip-hop scene for decades. Zumbi died at 49 and w...

Sam Richardson

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On the latest episode we welcome back Sam Richardson! His breakthrough role came in HBO's Veep. The political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus wher...

Aidy Bryant on Shrill, Saturday Night Live, and more

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Odds are, you probably know Aidy Bryant from Saturday Night Live. She's been on the cast now for almost a decade. She's been on the cast now for almos...

Jonathan Majors

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Majors has been acting professionally for just under five years now. He's done theater, TV, and starred in movies. In that short amount of ti...

Alice Waters, chef and activist

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

50 years ago, in Berkeley, Calif., a restaurant called Chez Panisse opened its doors. It wasn't super buzzy at the time. The chef, Alice Waters, hadn'...

Kamasi Washington

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're revisiting our conversation with Kamasi Washington, one of the greatest living saxophone players. In the studio, he's played saxophone and arran...

Busy Philipps

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Busy Phillipps has well amassed over 60 credits on the big and small screen. Her first big break came when she was just 20 years old on the acclaimed ...

Tom Scharpling

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For over 20 years, Tom Scharpling has hosted The Best Show. It aired on the New York public radio station WFMU until around 2013, and now it's a podca...

Andrew McCarthy

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Brat Pack, as you might know, is a term for a group of 8 or so actors who starred in about a dozen movies in the 1980s. There's Molly Ringwald, Em...

Singer-Songwriter Liz Phair on her New Album "Soberish"

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Look at just about any "greatest albums of all time" list and you'll usually see Liz Phair's 1993 record Exile in Guyville. The album put her on the m...

Remembering Gift of Gab

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're remembering the life of rapper Gift of Gab, who died last month at just 50 years old. Gab was the co-founder and MC for the legendary Northern C...

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Melissa McCarthy has played some unforgettable parts, like in Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy. She met her husband, Ben Falcone, when they were members ...

John Waters: I Wish I Made Pasolini's 'Salò'

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Content Warning: this segment contains some graphic descriptions of torture, sex and violence. It's an interview with John Waters for a segment we do ...

Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger keep busy with various projects in show business. They're parents, too. The celebrity couple don't get much one-on...

Wendy and Lisa

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're dedicating this week's show to music duo Wendy and Lisa. Together they recorded some stone cold classics with Prince's band The Revolution: Purp...

Canonball: Writer Aaron Carnes on third-wave ska

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Canonball is a segment on Bullseye that gives us a chance to take a closer look at albums that should be considered classics, to find out what makes t...

NBA Hall Of Famer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

22 Jun 2021

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 and, of course, the ma...

Will Forte: MacGruber, SNL and more

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you know Will Forte from one thing, it's probably Saturday Night Live. He was a cast member for eight years, playing characters like MacGruber. He ...

Antonio Banderas on "Pain and Glory," "Mambo Kings" and more

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Award-winning actor Antonio Banderas is probably one of the most versatile, charming and handsome actors out there today. You've probably seen him in ...

Ryan O'Connell on Netflix's 'Special'

11 Jun 2021

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'C...

City of Ghosts creator Elizabeth Ito

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

City of Ghosts, the children's show on Netflix, is a bit hard to explain. It's animated in 3-D, and the characters — mostly children — look kind o...

Comedian Chris Gethard on the time he got Diddy to play the UCB theater

04 Jun 2021

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 some truly unbelievable stor...

Rick Steves

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Steves is probably best known as a public media travel expert. He's mastered the art of travel in his public television programs: Rick Steves' Eu...

Desus Nice and The Kid Mero

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Desus Nice and the Kid Mero are longtime collaborators and friends, having met at summer school in their native Bronx. They started first as podcast h...

Writer and Cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Hanawalt is a writer, cartoonist, and author of four brilliant books, including "Hot Dog Taste Test" and "My Dirty Dumb Eyes." You may be familia...

That time writer Jonathan Ames broke his nose in a boxing match

21 May 2021

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 some truly unbelieva...

Sons of Kemet's Shabaka Hutchings

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Shabaka Hutchings is a saxophone player and composer. He fronts the bands Sons of Kemet and Shabaka and the Ancestors. His music combines jazz, calyps...

Jason Schreier on the rise and fall of gaming's biggest studios

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For the better part of a decade, the video game industry has made more in revenue than Hollywood. Year after year, it's not even close. Some of the bi...

Ann Dowd

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ann Dowd is a veteran actor. Her career began on the stage, first in Chicago, where she went to school, then in New York. She started appearing on scr...

The Song That Changed My Life: Doc Severinsen

07 May 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 ...

Archivist and filmmaker Rick Prelinger

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Prelinger is an archivist and professor at UC Santa Cruz. He's a collector of found and discarded footage: home movies, outtakes from industrial ...

William Jackson Harper

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

William Jackson Harper won the hearts of fans as the sweet philosophy professor Chidi Anagonye on NBC's The Good Place. The role helped jump start his...

Documentary Filmmaker Ric Burns

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ric Burns has written, produced, and directed many documentaries over the last 25 years that capture fascinating narratives about different topics in ...

Director Raoul Peck

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Raoul Peck makes sweeping, breathtaking, insightful films that marry the political to the personal. As a director, he's made both documentaries and fe...

Remembering Jessica Walter

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last month, the actor Jessica Walter died. She was 80 years old, her family says she passed away in her sleep. Her career spanned over six decades. Sh...