Tue, 24 June 2014
Jesse talks to the man inside the Big Bird suit. Caroll Spinney has been Big Bird since the beginning in 1969. He’s actually Oscar the Grouch, too. Spinney will talk about why he’s stayed connected to the world of Sesame Street for so long. Then later, comedian Ian Edwards talks about going from fast-food employee to professional comedian. Plus, some recommendations for great old movies and the reason why Randy Newman’s ‘I Love L.A.’ is ironic but also kind of not ironic. |
Tue, 17 June 2014
Max Greenfield plays Schmidt on the FOX sitcom New Girl. He'll talk about why it’s the role he was really meant to play. But first, Jesse talks to the music critic Carl Wilson. He wrote a book about a Celine Dion album, but more than that the book is about why we like what we like and hate what we hate. Then later, Moby will talk about the punk song that changed his life, the L.A. Times’ book critic Carolyn Kellogg will share a some new fiction and non-fiction you should check out, and Jesse will tell you about the perfect music for riding low and slow. |
Tue, 10 June 2014
Jesse talks with the comedian Nick Thune. For a long time he didn’t talk much about his personal life on stage. That's been changing recently. They’ll talk about that and his new special Folk Hero. Then Jesse talks to the rapper Vince Staples. As a teenager, he got jumped into a gang in Long Beach, where he’s from. He didn’t expect to become a rapper, and he doesn’t think street life is anything to brag about. We’ll talk about his life and newest mixtape. Then, Marc Weingarten and Tyson Cornell explain why In The Court of the Crimson King was a blueprint for prog rock. And lastly, Game of Thrones just overtook The Sopranos as HBO’s biggest show of all time. Jesse loves it, but doesn’t care how it ends. He’ll explain. |
Tue, 3 June 2014
[r] Maybe you’ve seen Luis Guzman in more movies than anyone else, or maybe it just seems that way. On this episode, Guzman talks about his journey from New York social worker to prolific Hollywood character actor who lives in Vermont. Then later, David Rees talks about why he dedicated himself to the craft of artisanal pencil sharpening. Plus, Pitchfork’s Ian Cohen talks about a heavy record from last year that has already made his best-of-all-time list. And Jesse says that rap isn’t poetry, but that it can be just as densely packed with meaning and allusion. He’ll play a Jay-Z verse that proves it. |