PRI: The Sound of Young America

Alan Zweibel

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 21:17:00 GMT

Alan Zweibel was an original writer on Saturday Night Live, a co-creator of the groundbreaking sitcom It's Garry Shandling's Show, and is a producer on and contributor to Curb Your Enthusiasm. His new book is Clothing Optional.

John Hodgman

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:55:00 GMT

John Hodgman is a contributor to the Daily Show and the author of two books, the more recent of which is More Information Than You Require.

Gideon Yago

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:55:00 GMT

Gideon Yago is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning journalist, best known for his work on MTV News. He's the host of The IFC Media Project.

The Dirtbombs

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:19:00 GMT

The Dirtbombs are a Detroit-based rock and roll band. Their newest album is We Have You Surrounded.

Raphael Saadiq

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:06:00 GMT

Raphael Saadiq is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was a founding member of the groups Tony! Toni! Tone! and Lucy Pearl.

Found Magazine

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:33:00 GMT

Pete Rothbart is an editor at Found Magazine, a magazine composed exclusively of things people have found -- from shopping lists to personal notes to (once) a dead frog.

Dan Savage

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 20:10:00 GMT

Dan Savage is the writer of the sex and relationship advice column Savage Love, which runs in alternative newspapers around the country. He also edits the Seattle newspaper The Stranger. This interview was recorded live on stage at Seattle Sketchfest.

Graham Linehan

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 19:17:00 GMT

Graham Linehan is an Irish comedy writer, who co-created the sitcom Father Ted, and created the series The IT Crowd. He also worked on shows like Big Train, Brasseye, and The Day Today.

Comedy Spooktacular

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:22:00 GMT

Election comedy from Jordan Morris, an essay from Simon Rich and a SPOOKTACULAR sketch from Elephant Larry.

Mikita Brottman

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:01:00 GMT

Mikita Brottman is the author of The Solitary Vice: Against Reading.

Sarah Vowell

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:14:00 GMT

Sarah Vowell is the bestselling author of numerous books of memoir and popular history. Her most recent is The Wordy Shipmates.

Calexico

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:05:00 GMT

Calexico are a Tucson, Arizona based band known for their unique blend of traditional Mexican music and Southwestern sound.

Marianna Palka

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:24:00 GMT

Marianna Palka is the writer, director and star of the independent film Good Dick, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is currently in theaters.

Jonathan Coulton, PWRFL Power and Rhett Miller at Bumbershoot

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:26:00 GMT

Music from Bumbershoot, with Jonathan Coulton, PWRFL Power and Rhett Miller of the Old 97s.

Tig Notaro & Greg Behrendt at Bumbershoot

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 21:22:00 GMT

Comedy from Greg Behrendt and Tig Notaro, plus a bonus interview with Behrendt.

Janeane Garofalo at Bumbershoot

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 19:24:00 GMT

Janeane Garofalo is an actress and standup comic. She's currently a co-star on the FOX series 24, and is working the road as a standup as part of the "Satiristas."

Sandra Tsing Loh

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 17:53:00 GMT

Sandra Tsing Loh is a performer, commentator and writer based in Los Angeles. Her most recent book, about sending her daughter to school, is Mother On Fire: A True Mother*#$(ing Story About Parenting.

Louis CK

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:44:00 GMT

Louis CK is a comedian, writer and director. His new Showtime comedy special is Louis CK: Chewed Up. He created and starred in the HBO series Lucky Louie and wrote and directed the cult film Pootie Tang.

Andy Daly

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:46:00 GMT

Andy Daly is an actor and comedian. He's probably best known as a former cast member on Mad TV, or as a mad announcer in last summer's Semi-Pro. He's just released his first CD, Nine Sweaters.

Ratatat

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:14:00 GMT

Ratatat are an instrumental music duo whose their album, LP3, was recently released. Their sound combines elements of rock, hip-hop and dance music.

Chip Kidd at Bumbershoot

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:38:00 GMT

Chip Kidd is one of the world's best-known designers; he's designed book covers for innumerable authors. He's also a comic novelist. His most recent novel is The Learners.

Human Giant at Bumbershoot

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:17:00 GMT

The Human Giant are a sketch group whose eponymous series airs on MTV. We talked with them live on stage at Bumbershoot.

Adrian Tomine

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:46:00 GMT

Comics artist Adrian Tomine is the creator of the series Optic Nerve. His most recent book is "Shortcomings."

The Submarines

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 21:24:00 GMT

Chris Bowman interviews the Los Angeles indie pop group The Submarines. Their most recent album is Honeysuckle Weeks.

Robert Popper

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:06:00 GMT

Robert Popper was co-creator of the British comedy series "Look Around You." He's also the author, as "Robin Cooper" of "The Timewaster Letters," which are smash bestsellers in the UK, and have just been released in the US.

Seun Kuti

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:57:00 GMT

Seun Kuti is the leader of the band Egypt 80, which was founded by his father, the legendary creator of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti.

Bob Powers

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:57:00 GMT

Bob Powers is the author of the new choose-your-own-adventure-style book "You Are a Miserable Excuse for a Hero."

The Hold Steady

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:17:00 GMT

The Hold Steady are a Brooklyn-based, Minneapolis-bred rock and roll band. They're known for grand songs about teenagers and tough times.

Chris Parnell

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:08:00 GMT

Chris Parnell is an actor best known for his long stint on Saturday Night Live. He's also appeared in films like Anchorman and recently, Kabluey.

Camp Camp

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:48:00 GMT

Roger Bennett is co-author of "Camp Camp: Where Fantasy Island Meets Lord of the Flies." It's a collection of reminiscences and ephemera related to summer camp.

Explorers Club

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:37:00 GMT

The Explorers Club are a South Carolina-based rock band, whose music recalls the Southern California rock of the 1960s and the melodramatic pop of Phil Spector.

Ze Frank

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:39:00 GMT

Ze Frank is an internet super-celebrity, and the principal of zefrank.com. His year-long daily video blog project, The Show, was one of the first great successes of the video blog world.

Jay Smooth

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:44:00 GMT

Jay Smooth is a hip-hop radio host, blogger and vlogger. This interview was recorded live at Sketchfest NYC at the UCB Theater in New York.

Live in NYC: Music & Comedy

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:55:00 GMT

Comedy from Michael Showalter and Pangea 3000, music from Dawn Landes. Recorded live in New York.

Kabluey

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 21:58:00 GMT

Scott Prendergast is the writer, director and star of the indie comedy Kabluey. The film, which also stars Lisa Kudrow, concerns a young man helping tend to his brother's children while his brother is serving in Iraq.

Blu of Blu & Exile

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 18:55:00 GMT

Blu is the MC half of the hip-hop duo Blu & Exile. They released their critically-acclaimed first album, "Below the Heavens," last year.

Bomb It

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:10:00 GMT

John Reiss is the director of the documentary film "Bomb It". The film focuses on the world wide phenomenon of graffiti.

The Pixar Touch

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:22:00 GMT

David A. Price is the author of The Pixar Touch: The Making Of A Company. The book traces the history of Pixar from technology company to entertainment behemoth.

American Nerd

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:05:00 GMT

Benjamin Nugent is the author of "American Nerd: The Story of My People," a combination of memoir, sociology and reportage on the nerd in American life.

Ariel Schrag

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:08:00 GMT

Ariel Schrag wrote the autobiographical comics Definition, Awkward and Potential while still in high school in the late 90s. The books were just re-published.

The Eels

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:34:00 GMT

Mark Oliver Everett, sometimes known as E, joins us. He's the frontman of the rotating cast that makes up the rock band The Eels.

Comedy At The Edge

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:29:00 GMT

Richard Zoglin is the author of "Comedy at the Edge: How stand-up comedy in the 1970's changed America".

The Chris Farley Show

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 23:52:00 GMT

Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby talk about their book "The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts."

TSOYA is Live in NY June 14th!

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:10:00 GMT

TSOYA is live at Sketchfest NYC at the UCB Theater in New York on June 14th, with guests Ze Frank, Jay Smooth, Pangea 3000 and Dawn Landes.

The Grouch

Tue, 3 Jun 2008 18:21:00 GMT

The Grouch is a fixture in the West Coast independent hip-hop scene, as a solo artist and as a member of The Living Legends. The group help blaze the trail for independent, underground hip-hop in the early to mid 1990s.

Jack Handey

Fri, 30 May 2008 22:56:00 GMT

Jack Handey is the creator of "Deep Thoughts," and now the author of "What I'd Say To The Martians (and Other Veiled Threats)."

Maximum Fun Drive

Wed, 28 May 2008 15:09:00 GMT

Hey! You there who reads the podcast feed with a feed reader! Have you donated to support Maximum Fun yet?

Kenny Mayne

Tue, 27 May 2008 23:31:00 GMT

Kenny Mayne is a long-time ESPN personality. He's now also an author, with "An Incomplete & Innacurate History of Sport."

Reno 911 Creators

Fri, 23 May 2008 03:11:00 GMT

Guests Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant and Kerri Kenney-Silver are the co-creators and stars of Reno 911. The Comedy Central series, which spoofs COPS-style reality shows, is entering the second half of its fifth season. The trio also collaborated on the series "Viva Variety," and first worked together as members of the MTV sketch series The State.

Nellie McKay

Tue, 20 May 2008 18:48:00 GMT

Nellie McKay is a singer-songwriter who's garnered broad acclaim for her spectacular singing voice and her wry, funny songs.

Mike Birbiglia

Fri, 16 May 2008 18:38:00 GMT

Mike Birbiglia is a standup comedian. His new special "What I Should Have Said Was Nothing: My Secret Public Journal Live" adapts stories from his popular online diary.

Kirby: King of Comics

Thu, 8 May 2008 21:23:00 GMT

Mark Evanier is that author of Kirby: King of Comics, a lavishly illustrated biography of comic book legend Jack Kirby. He also worked with Kirby in the 1960s and 70s.

The Ten-Cent Plague

Fri, 2 May 2008 13:20:00 GMT

David Hajdu is an award-winning cultural historian. His book The Ten Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America, about the censorship of comics in the mid-1950s.

Bill James

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:56:00 GMT

Bill James is the father of sabermetrics, that objective analysis and study of baseball. His bright, funny writing brought baseball analysis to the masses in the 1980s, and helped revolutionize the management of baseball teams in the 21st century. Today, he works for the Boston Red Sox.

Sloane Crosley

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:26:00 GMT

Sloane Crosley is author of the humorous essay collection "I Was Told There'd Be Cake." It recently debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.

Ego Trip

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:14:00 GMT

Gaberiel Alvarez and Brent Rollins are members of the hip-hop media collective Ego Trip. The group produced the acclaimed magazine Ego Trip in the 1990s, and has since written two books and created several series and specials for VH1, the most recent of which is Ego Trip's Miss Rap Supreme.

Conservatize Me

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:25:00 GMT

John Moe is the author of Conservatize Me: How I Tried to Become a Righty With The Help of Richard Nixon, Sean Hannity, Toby Keith and Beef Jerky. He's also a contributor to American Public Media's Weekend America.

David Mitchell of Mitchell & Webb

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 21:58:00 GMT

David Mitchell is half of the British comedy team Mitchell & Webb. They're the stars of the acclaimed UK TV series "Peep Show" and "That Mitchell & Webb Look," the latter of which is running in the US on BBC America.

Dan Kennedy

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 21:22:00 GMT

Dan Kennedy is the author of "Rock On: An Office Power Ballad." It's a comic memoir about his time in the music industry.

Comedy by the Numbers

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:45:00 GMT

Prof. Eric Hoffman and Dr. Gary Rudoren are comedy researchers who've created Comedy by the Numbers: 169 Secrets of Humor and Popularity.

T-Shirt Contest!

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:56:00 GMT

We're having a t-shirt contest, looking for a design for a special, super-limited-edition T for our upcoming Maximum Fun Drive. Anyone can enter and anyone can vote on the entries. Visit pixish.com and search for TSOYA.

Ben Karlin

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:34:00 GMT

Ben Karlin was editor of The Onion, Executive Producer and Head Writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a writer on America: The Book and co-creator of The Colbert Report. He's just edited a book called Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me.

Comedy: Andy Kindler & Morgan Murphy

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

One of the LA alt-comedy scenes newest faces and one of its veterans perform standup.

Ask for it by name!

Sun, 9 Mar 2008 02:30:00 GMT

A special video request from Jesse: ask your local public radio stations to carry The Sound of Young America. The stakes are huge for the future of the show, and a quick phone call or email can make a huge difference.

Tony Millionaire

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 21:24:00 GMT

Tony Millionaire is the creator of the cartoon strip Maakies, which runs in alternative newspapers around the country. The strip has recently been picked up as a television series on adult swim called The Drinky Crow Show.

Joel Hodgson and Cinematic Titanic

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:25:00 GMT

Joel Hodgson was the original host of Mystery Science Theater 3000. He and his cohorts J. Elvis Weinstein and Frank Conniff discuss their new venture, Cinematic Titanic, which is, format-wise, a followup to MST3K.

RadioLab - Complete

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:42:00 GMT

Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich are the hosts of the public radio program RadioLab. It's a boldly artful show about big ideas, seen largely through the lens of science. The program's aesthetic combines Krulwich's extensive reportorial background with Abumrad's history as an experimental radio producer and music composer. (If you got a partial download of this show last week, delete that file and re-download.)

Seven Second Delay

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:41:00 GMT

Ken Freedman and Andy Brechkman are the hosts of the cult comedy-talk radio program Seven Second Delay on Jersey City freeform radio giant WFMU. Their show might be the highest concept talk show in the world. Ken also manages WFMU; Andy is the creator of the USA series Monk.

Zach Rogue Live in SF

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 16:20:00 GMT

Zach Rogue is frontman of the San Francisco indie rock band Rogue Wave. High-quality downloads of his songs can be found online at our site, maximumfun.org.

Danny Hoch Live in SF

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 06:04:00 GMT

Danny Hoch is an Obie award-winning actor and writer, and the founder of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival. His newest show, Takin Over, concerns the gentrification of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Bucky Sinister Live in SF

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 17:36:00 GMT

Bucky Sinister performs a poem from his collection All Blacked Out and Nowhere to Go.

Merlin Mann Live in SF

Fri, 1 Feb 2008 01:03:00 GMT

Merlin Mann is the founder of 43folders.com and a leader in the field of "lifehacking."

Jeffrey Blitz

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:27:00 GMT

Jeffrey Blitz is the director of the film "Rocket Science." He also directed the documentary "Spellbound."

Comedy: Help Me Help Me

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:05:00 GMT

Comedy from Stephen Bropy as self-help guru Bill Weatherall.

Swamp Dogg

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:35:00 GMT

Swamp Dogg is a soul legend, both as a performer and as a songwriter and producer. His eccentric and funny albums are beloved by soul afficianados.

Les Savy Fav

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:54:00 GMT

We are joined by Tim Harrington and Syd Butler of the band Les Savy Fav. Their new album is called Let's Stay Friends.

Eric Lax on Woody Allen

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:40:00 GMT

Eric Lax is the author of Conversations with Woody Allen as well as Woody Allen: A Biography.

The Wire's Wendell Pierce and Andre Royo

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 21:33:00 GMT

Wendell Pierce and Andre Royo play Bunk and Bubbles, respectively, on HBO's The Wire.

TSOYA Live in San Francisco Jan 14th!

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:34:00 GMT

The Sound of Young America is LIVE in SF on January 14th. Buy your tickets now for just ten dollars!

2007s Best Music and Movies

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:13:00 GMT

The AV Club's editors join us to tell us about the best music and movies of 2007.

Chris Hardwick

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:05:00 GMT

Chris Hardwick is the host of PBS TV's Wired Science, and half of the comedy music duo Hard N Phirm.

Chris Elliott

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:44:00 GMT

Chris Elliott is a legendary comic writer and actor. Now he's also a novelist.

Comedy: Wyatt Cenac

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:04:00 GMT

Comedy from Wyatt Cenac.

Steve Albini

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 17:44:00 GMT

Steve Albini is one of the world's most accomplished rock producers. He's recorded over 1000 albums for more than 1000 bands, including Nirvana, The Stooges and Joanna Newsom. Recorded live in Chicago at the Second City.

Live in Chicago: Comedy

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 18:40:00 GMT

Comedy from Hannibal Burress, Schadenfreude, Team Submarine and The Second City. Recorded live in Chicago.

Nick Hornby

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:03:00 GMT

Nick Hornby is the author of High Fidelity, About a Boy and most recently Slam.

Simon Rich

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:49:00 GMT

Simon Rich is the author of the humor book Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations. He's also a former editor of the Harvard Lampoon and a writer for Saturday Night Live.

Sarah Lamm

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:09:00 GMT

Sarah Lamm is director of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox, a new documentary about the legendary Dr. Bronner and his peppermint soap, which has become a counter-cultural icon.

Tim and Eric

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:55:00 GMT

Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are the creators of two Cartoon Network [adult swim] shows -- Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim and Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job!

Bryan Coffee: Shrimp

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:57:00 GMT

Comedy from Bryan Coffee's stage show The Weekly Armenian.

Ira Glass

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 05:05:00 GMT

Ira Glass is the host of This American Life. He recently edited the book The New Kings of Nonfiction.

The Upright Citizens Brigade

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 16:36:00 GMT

An interview with Matt Besser of the Upright Citizens Brigade, and improvisation from the UCB Theater.

Colin Hay

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:28:00 GMT

Colin Hay is a Scotland-born, Australia-raised, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter. He was also the frontman of the 1980s rock group Men at Work.

Dan Deacon

jesse@maximumfun.org — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 08:50:00 GMT

Dan Deacon is an electronic pop musician with a background in electronic art music. His latest album of frenzied ecstatic tunes is Spiderman of the Rings.

Kenna

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:25:00 GMT

Rocker Kenna was born in Ethiopia and raised in Cincinatti and Virginia. His dramatic, new-wavey records are co-produced by Chad Hugo of the super-producing duo The Neptunes.

The Sklar Brothers

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:11:00 GMT

The Sklar Brothers, standup comics and television and radio hosts, return to The Sound of Young America. They have a new standup comedy CD called Sklar Maps, as well as a new series on Superdeluxe.com.

Brian Posehn and Steve Agee

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:12:00 GMT

Brian Posehn and Steve Agee are co-stars of The Sarah Silverman Program. They play Brian and Steve, Sarah's gay, nerdy neighbords.

Ask the Optimist

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:17:00 GMT

An audio adaptation of a piece from George Saunders' most recent book, The Braindead Megaphone. Features Dan Klein of Kasper Hauser, Andy Daly (The Office, Mad TV), John Hodgman, Xeni Jardin, Jonathan Katz and more.

George Saunders

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 23:31:00 GMT

George Saunders is a MacArthur grant-winning satirist. His newest book is The Brain-Dead Megaphone.

Ten West - Jimmy and Jeb

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:31:00 GMT

Comedy from Los Angeles sketch group Ten West.

Austin Grossman

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:26:00 GMT

Austin Grossman's new novel is called Soon I Will Be Invincible. Before he started writing superhero literature, he was a writer for video games.