Bullseye with Jesse Thorn
Bullseye from NPR is your curated guide to culture. Jesse Thorn hosts in-depth interviews with brilliant creators, culture picks from our favorite critics and irreverent original comedy. Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney's, which called it "the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world." (Formerly known as The Sound of Young America.)

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Blogroll:

Syndication

Lynda Barry is a legend of alternative comics. She’s one of the latest recipients of MacArthur “Genius Grant.” She’s written over a dozen books. These days, she’s been busy teaching. She’s an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. We’ll welcome her back on Bullseye to talk about her latest book: Making Comics. The book is sort of an illustrated guide on how to create comics. Some of it’s pulled straight from the classroom – things she’s been teaching her students for years. At the heart of the book is a belief Lynda has: anybody can draw. Anyone can make comics. Yes, even you! Lynda shares some exercises that will help even the most stubborn novice of artists. Plus, she explains why sometimes people who haven’t picked up a drawing utensil since childhood make some of the best comic drawings.


Comedian Maria Bamford is back! We are thrilled as always to welcome her for another conversation with Bullseye. The stand-up, writer, and actor joins us to talk about her two newest projects: the hour-long comedy special, Weakness Is The Brand and talk show, What’s Your Ailment?! where she talks with fellow comedians and entertainers like Tig Notaro, Baron Vaughn and Rachel Bloom about how mental health has affected their lives. Maria also chats with us about finding human connection in unexpected ways like meeting Twitter followers for coffee and comedy feedback, dealing with hecklers, the healing power of chicken wings, and how marriage has changed her. All that and more on the next Bullseye!


We’re joined by the very funny Zach Woods. You may know him best from NBC’s The Office where he played the truly dreadful Gabe for three seasons or his work as Jared Dunn on the HBO series Silicon Valley. He currently stars alongside Hugh Laurie on the TV show Avenue 5. It’s airing now on HBO. Zach talks to Bullseye about what initially drew him to acting, his secret comedy life as a teen taking the train from Pennsylvania to New York and how his anxious personality helped him tap into his latest character’s psyche. Plus, he’ll share his favorite inspirational RuPaul quote with us. All that and more. Let’s go!


Parks and Recreation’s Jean-Ralphio! Star Wars’ BB-8! And, now the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog! We’re joined by Ben Schwartz. Ben’s big break came in 2010 with a small recurring role on Parks and Recreation. Jean-Ralphio was a character who only showed up a few times a year – but he was one of the most memorable characters on the show. We’ll chat at length about his role on the show. You can hear his voice work alongside Jim Carrey and James Marsden in Sonic The Hedgehog, the new blockbuster that just hit theaters. We’ll chat about his long time fandom of the video game series. Plus, we’ll have him describe some truly cursed Sonic the Hedgehog online fan art.


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 are today. This time around, we’re joined by a true legend – Huey Lewis. In an era dominated by new wave, glam rock and hair metal Huey Lewis stood out with his bluesy pub-rock. He helped define pop music in the 80’s. Huey Lewis and the News had a run of hit singles during the 80’s and early 90’s. Their most successful album, “Sports,” was released in 1983. It’s one of our favorites here at Bullseye. Huey Lewis explains how Count Basie and Joe Williams’ “Alright, Okay, You Win” helped him visualize his career as a singer. Huey Lewis and the News are back with their first album in nearly a decade. Their latest release “Weather” is out now.


Steve Buscemi! The best ever. Steve joins us to talk about the latest season of his hit TBS show Miracle Workers, now in its second season. The anthology series steps back into the Dark Ages for season 2 with Steve playing a peasant with a name we can’t say on NPR. Let’s just say he’s a guy named after his occupation and he makes his living shoveling the kind of stuff that usually rolls down hill. The show is created by Simon Rich and co stars Daniel Radcliffe with guests appearances by Peter Serafinowicz and Chris Parnell. Steve chats with us about what it’s like to play a “Sweatpants god,” dying on screen dozens of times, and how his father shaped his career in the civil services as well as acting. Plus, he’ll talk to us about trying his hand at stand-up as an eighteen year old kid from Long Island.


We lost an incredibly talented broadcaster a few weeks ago: Jim Lehrer. He was 85. We’re taking a moment to remember Jim Lehrer. He was a giant in the world of journalism – particularly in the world of public broadcasting. Jim hosted “PBS’ NewsHour.” He was an anchor in public broadcasting for well over 35 years. He moderated a dozen presidential debates. When we spoke to Jim in 2010, he shared stories about juggling his job at a bus depot while being a college student and at Victoria College. Plus, the challenges of being the editor of his school’s newspaper. He also shared how he got his start in public media.


We’re taking a look back at some of our favorite episodes of Bullseye and couldn’t let this one pass us by. We revisit our conversation with the great Randy Newman. He’s just been nominated for two Academy Awards, one for the score he composed for Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” and another for the original song he composed for “Toy Story 4.” It’s called “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away.” Randy’s songbook is a part of the fabric of modern pop culture. He writes pop songs, catchy tunes that can perfectly encapsulate a touching film moment. But he also writes songs that come from a place of darkness. Randy talks about writing songs that tap into his feelings, being inspired to get into writing music for film by his three uncles and meeting Frank Sinatra. Plus, Randy ponders why a guy with seven Grammy’s hasn’t had more hits.