Tue, 11 November 2014
We break format this week to bring you the Judge John Hodgman Special. Maybe you know John Hodgman from his appearances on The Daily Show, or as the PC from the Mac vs. PC ads. But did you know he's also a fake judge on the internet? On his podcast Judge John Hodgman, he hears disputes from real people all over the world via Skype and tells them who's right and who's wrong. And Jesse Thorn is the bailiff. We'll hear two court cases: in the first, a shy teenager files suit against her pushy dad. In the second, two friends spar over ill-mannered ponies. Then, Judge Hodgman will issue a few snap judgments. |
Tue, 4 November 2014
For a time, Mendes was probably the most famous Brazilian musician in the world. Mendes will talk to Jesse about why bossa nova has such a universal appeal. Jesse will also talk to James Fearnley. He plays accordion for The Pogues. Fearnley will talk about mixing traditional Irish folk with punk music. He’ll also talk about when he knew that lead singer Shane MacGowan’s hard-drinking ways had gone too far. Then later you’ll hear comedian Brent Weinbach’s set from MaxFunCon. Lastly Jesse will talk about tell you about a great new thing on adult swim: What if Jesus lived in America, in 2014? In Compton? Well on this show, he does. |
Tue, 28 October 2014
[r] Hear interviews with two of the best interviewers in the world. First up is Elvis Mitchell. He hosts KCRW’s The Treatment. He and Jesse will talk about their mutual love for the movie Pootie Tang. He’ll also explain why he was arrested on the Canadian border with Cuban cigars and 15 thousand in cash. Then, hear Jesse’s conversation with broadcasting icon Bob Edwards. He was the host of Morning Edition when it started in 1979. He’ll explain why he stuck with public radio for decades. He’ll also talk about what NPR was like at the very, very beginning, Plus, Damian Kulash from the band OK GO talks about the song that changed his life. And Jesse tells you about the time when no place on Earth boomed like Coney Island. |
Tue, 21 October 2014
This episode was taped live in the Masonic Lodge at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Dan Harmon joins talks about why he was fired and then re-hired from his sitcom Community, and reveals what might be in store for the future of the show. Actor Rob Corddry talks about growing up as the ‘golden child’ what it’s like being on-set with Michael Bay. Plus, you’ll hear stand-up comedy from Andy Kindler and Steve Agee and music from Sara Watkins and members of the Watkins Family Hour. |
Tue, 14 October 2014
DJ Quik was a house producer for Death Row Records and helped develop the G-funk sound. A lot of times those records were dramatic narratives about gangbanging. He’ll talk about how that drama spilled into real-life and about how he had to remove himself from that lifestyle. He’ll also talk about how he samples, his studio equipment and his awesome, awesome hairstyles over the years. It’ll be fun. Then, you’ll hear stand-up comedy from Cameron Esposito’s brand new album. It’s called Same Sex Symbol. Lastly Jesse will talk about why you should go and get SkyMaul 2: Where America Buys His Stuff. |
Tue, 7 October 2014
Merrill Garbus layers vocals with drum loops and ukulele as the creator of tUnE yArDs. She’ll talk about why she turned away from classical music as a kid, and you’ll hear some songs from her new album. It’s called Nikki Nack. Then Jesse talks to John Darnielle from The Mountain Goats. Darnielle has actually just put out his first novel. It’s called Wolf in White Van. Plus, fine artist Josh Dorman talks about the painting he wishes he had made, and why that got him in trouble creatively. Lastly Jesse tells you about the real hero of The Onion: The Area Man. |
Mon, 7 February 2011
Bill Carter is the author of two books about the politics and people of late night television, and a media reporter for the New York Times. His most recent book is The War for Late Night, a thoughtful and exciting behind-the-scenes look at the Sturm und Drang of the late night wars over Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and The Tonight Show. |
Mon, 8 November 2010
Friend of the show John Hodgman reads a piece written specially for our live show in New York City, entitled "16 Things to Do in Connecticut Before the Coming Total Collapse of Civilization". One of his newest ventures is the Judge John Hodgman podcast, available on iTunes. |
Thu, 23 September 2010
John Waters has a new book out called Role Models that packs a few surprises -- chief among them the influence of Johnny Mathis. |
Fri, 17 September 2010
Are you capable of looking past your own prejudices? Simon Rich has prepared a set of brain teasers to answer that question. Featuring Rob Huebel. Simon Rich's new novel is Elliot Allagash. |
Mon, 2 August 2010
Corb Lund is a musician and third-generation rancher from Alberta, Canada. He played for over ten years as part of punk band The Smalls, and now brings some of that irreverence to writing roots-country music about his own experiences and those of his ancestors on the Canadian prairies. |
Wed, 28 July 2010
Andrew Noz is the blogger behind Cocaine Blunts & Hip-Hop Tapes, one of the internet's most successful hip-hop blogs. He's also a contributor to NPR, Complex and The Washington City Paper, among other outlets. |
Fri, 23 July 2010
Nathan Rabin and Josh Modell join Jesse to recommend the best of popular culture. Nathan chooses Louis CK's Louie and the new film The Kids Are All Right. Josh Modell chooses Inception and Children's Hospital. |
Wed, 21 July 2010
Stadup comic Nick Adams is the author of How To Make Friends With Black People and a writer for the upcoming NBC series Perfect Couples. |
Mon, 19 July 2010
Samantha Bee is The Daily Show's longest-tenured correspondent, with seven years on the air. She's just released a memoir, entitled I Know I Am, But What Are You? |
Mon, 19 July 2010
Jordan Morris tells us what's hot and what's not. |
Wed, 14 July 2010
Colson Whitehead is one of America's most acclaimed novelists. He was the recepient of a MacArthur "genius" grant for his fiction, which includes Apex Hides the Hurt and John Henry Days. His latest novel is Sag Harbor, about the African American beach enclave. |
Mon, 12 July 2010
Jose James is an acclaimed jazz and soul singer. He has two new albums - a forward-looking, genre-hopping record called Blackmagic and a collection of piano-and-vocals standards called For All We Know |
Thu, 8 July 2010
Los Angeles comedy group Superego contribute this sponsorship message from My Baby Dreamer. |
Thu, 1 July 2010
Dan Clowes is the creator of numerous comics and graphic novels, including Ghost World and Art School Confidential. His latest is Wilson. |
Tue, 29 June 2010
Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of BoingBoing, the editor of Make Magazine, and the author of the new book Made By Hand, about the pleasure of making things yourself. |
Sat, 26 June 2010
Comedian Matt Braunger has been seen on Comedy Central, The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He was also a cast member of Mad TV. |
Tue, 22 June 2010
Kyle Ryan and Genevieve Koski of The AV Club join Jesse to recommend the best in popular culture. Kyle recommends the latest Roots album, How I Got Over and the documentary film, Winnebago Man. Genevieve recommends the new Robyn release, Body Talk Pt. 1 and the Starz show, Party Down.
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Thu, 17 June 2010
Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh are founding members of the art-rock band Devo. They had remarkable chart success in the early 1980s, including the hit Whip It. Their philosophy of devolution, compelling videos and bold aesthetic presentation were as big a part of the band as their danceable rock music. Their latest record, Something For Everybody, is their first since 1990. |
Mon, 14 June 2010
The band Hanson hit it big as teenagers in the late 1990s with the megahit MmBop. More than a decade later, they're still making acclaimed R&B-infused pop rock. Their latest album is Shout It Out. |
Wed, 9 June 2010
Kyle Kinane is an emerging stand up comedian who mixes a honest, self-deprecating delivery with his natural story-telling ability. He's recently toured with Patton Oswalt and Brian Posehn. Kyle has also been a guest on several comedy podcasts, including Doug Benson's "Doug Loves Movies", Marc Maron's WTF, Comedy and Everything Else, and The Adam Carolla podcast. |
Mon, 7 June 2010
Nick Thune is a stand up comedian, actor, guitarist and writer. His observational humor often interlaces storytelling with music. He's made the late night rounds doing stand up on The Tonight Show and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and as a correspondent on The Jay Leno Show. He's also had his own Comedy Central special and created the web series "Nick's Big Show". He recently released his debut album, Thick Noon, on Comedy Central Records. |
Fri, 28 May 2010
Standup comic Holly Mills is a regular in clubs in the Los Angeles area. Her set was recorded at The Sound of Young America Presents: Laugh Night, a benefit for Art Share Los Angeles. |
Thu, 27 May 2010
In this touching and hilarious song, Karen Kilgariff (Mr. Show, Ellen, Girls Guitar Club) gives us a behind the scenes look at the life of a successful comedy writer and standup comic. |
Mon, 24 May 2010
Adam Carolla is a radio and television personality, writer and actor. He hosted or co-hosted The Man Show, The Adam Carolla Show, Too Late with Adam Carolla, and Loveline. He now hosts The Adam Carolla Podcast, one of the internet's most popular. He also co-wrote and starred in the feature film The Hammer. |
Sat, 22 May 2010
Batman takes on The Riddler, who takes on himself in this sketch from ImprovOlympic regular Sarah Gee. |
Thu, 20 May 2010
Walter Mosley is the author of more than 30 books. He's best known for his acclaimed mysteries, including the Easy Rawlins series, which began with Mosley's first novel, Devil in a Blue Dress. His latest is Known to Evil. |
Sun, 16 May 2010
Jim Lehrer is the anchor and executive editor of The PBS Newshour. He's also the author of 20 novels, the most recent of which is the train mystery The Super. |
Thu, 13 May 2010
Donald Glover is a standup comic, writer and actor. He is one of the stars of NBC's Community and a member of Derrick Comedy, whose first film, Mystery Team, is available on DVD May 25th. |
Thu, 6 May 2010
Julie Klausner has written for Saturday Night Live and Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins. Her new book is a dating memoir called I Don't Care About Your Band. |
Tue, 4 May 2010
Mark Oppenheimer is the author of Wisenheimer, a memoir about growing up verball precocious and finding himself in organized debate. He's also religion columnist for the New York Times and professor of English and Political Science at Yale. |
Sun, 2 May 2010
Jordan Morris tells us what's up, down and all around in these United States. |
Mon, 26 April 2010
Editor in Chief Josh Modell and Film Editor Scott Tobias of The AV Club join Jesse to proffer some gems in the world of arts and entertainment. |
Thu, 22 April 2010
The XX are a three-member band from London, England. Their self-titled debut album was one of the most acclaimed releases of 2009. |
Mon, 19 April 2010
Stephen Moffat is the head writer of the lastest series of Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays The Doctor, and Karen Gillan plays his companion. The new version of the beloved sci-fi adventure series is entering its fifth season on the BBC in the UK, and on BBC America in the States. |
Fri, 16 April 2010
The Christian folk music duo God's Pottery teach an important lesson about keeping your stuff in your pants. |
Sun, 11 April 2010
Andy Richter is best known as sidekick to Conan O'Brien, on both Late Night and The Tonight Show. He's also a succesful comic writer and actor. |
Wed, 31 March 2010
Lemmy is the legendary frontman of the band Motorhead. We talk with him, and with Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski, the directors of a documentary called Lemmy which premiered at South by Southwest in Austin. |
Mon, 29 March 2010
Matt Harlock is one of the directors of American: The Bill Hicks Story, about the legendary rebel comic. We talk with Harlock and Bill's brother Steve. |
Wed, 24 March 2010
David Gordon Green is a director. His films have ranged from the touching indie drama George Washington (his debut) to his most recent, the stoner action-comedy Pineapple Express. He's also worked with college friends Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Ben Best on the HBO series Eastbound and Down, and on the upcoming fantasy comedy Your Highness. |
Mon, 22 March 2010
Malcolm Ingram is the director of Bear Nation, a documentary about gay bear culture that premiered at South by Southwest in Austin. He previously directed Small Town Gay Bar. |
Sun, 21 March 2010
Standup comedy from Karen Kilgariff. Kilgariff was head writer of Ellen, and a castmember on Mr. Show. |
Fri, 19 March 2010
Christian folk music duo God's Pottery teach us an important lesson about adoption through the medium of song. |
Mon, 15 March 2010
Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh are two of the founders of the Upright Citizens Brigade. They also have a new semi-improvised sitcom on Spike TV called "Players." |
Fri, 12 March 2010
Keith Phipps and Tasha Robinson from The AV Club join us again to recommend some of the best in overlooked pop culture. |
Mon, 8 March 2010
Luis Guzman is one of America's most succesful character actors. He's appeared in dozens of films and television series, from Short Eyes in the 1970s to Miami Vice in the 1980s to Carlito's Way, Boogie Nights and The Limey in the 1990s. Now he's featured on the new HBO show How To Make It In America. |
Tue, 2 March 2010
Jordan Morris tells you what's what once again. |
Thu, 25 February 2010
Jeffrey Blitz and Sean Welch were nominated for an Oscar for their first documentary feature, Spellbound. Blitz went on to direct the fictional feature Rocket Science, as well as episodes of The Office. Now, Blitz and Welch have a new documentary, called Lucky, about lottery winners. |
Tue, 23 February 2010
Trevor Groth is the director of programming at the Sundance Film Festival. He started at the festival as a teenaged volunteer, and has been charged with reinvigorating its rebellious spirit. |
Fri, 19 February 2010
Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner are the creator and director of Drunk History, a series of shorts in which comedians get very, very drunk, then re-tell their favorite stories from history. The stories are re-enacted, with drunken narration and dialogue, by actors like Don Cheadle and Jack Black. It won the short film prize at Sundance. |
Wed, 17 February 2010
Biker Fox is a cycling enthusiast and local legend in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jeremy Lamberton is the director of a documentary feature about Biker and his eccentric lifestyle. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City. |
Mon, 15 February 2010
Drake Doremus' second feature, Douchebag, premiered at Sundance 2010. It's about two brothers who hit the road before one's wedding. It was inspired by Doremus relationship with the editor of his first feature, who makes his acting debut in Douchebag. |
Thu, 11 February 2010
Taika Waititi is the writer, director and star of "Boy," which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. James Rolleston is his pre-teen co-star. The film, based on Waititi's Oscar-nominated short, is a funny and affecting coming-of-age story set in a rural New Zealand village. Waititi previously directed "Eagle vs. Shark." |
Mon, 8 February 2010
Kevin Kline is one of America's greatest actors. He's one of the few to have won an Oscar for a comic role (his amazing turn in "A Fish Called Wanda"), and he's been acclaimed for his work in everything from contemporary drama to Shakespeare to light opera. We spoke with him at Sundance after the release of " |
Fri, 5 February 2010
Salvador Santana is a keyboard player and singer-songwriter. His father is guitar legend Carlos Santana. He's just released a new LP, Keyboard City. |
Tue, 2 February 2010
Loudon Wainwright III is an accomplished singer-songwriter, an occaisional actor, and the scion of a musical family. Three of his children - Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche are professional musicians. |
Tue, 26 January 2010
Tasha Robinson and Nathan Rabin of The AV Club join Jesse to recommend a few great films which are new to DVD. |
Wed, 20 January 2010
Gahan Wilson is perhaps America's most legendary cartoonist. For more than 50 years, his distinctively twisted single-panel cartoons have appeared in magazines like Playboy and The New Yorker. |
Mon, 18 January 2010
TV writer Jane Espenson is executive producer of Caprica, a new series based in the Battlestar Galactica universe. She's also written for Ellen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Gilmore Girls and more. |
Thu, 14 January 2010
Elna Baker is a comedian and writer. Her memoir is "The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance." |
Mon, 11 January 2010
Aziz Ansari is an actor and comedian. He's a regular on Parks and Recreation, and a member of the comedy group Human Giant. He's also been in films like Observe & Report and Funny People. |
Thu, 7 January 2010
Standup comedy from Hugh Moore, recorded live at the Bentzen Ball in Washington, D.C. |
Mon, 28 December 2009
An hour-long TSOYA special featuring our favorite comedy of 2009, including Maria Bamford, Dana Gould, Patton Oswalt, Tig Notaro and more. |
Tue, 22 December 2009
Rob Halford of Judas Priest and the directors of Until the Light Takes Us, about Norweigan black metal, join us for a brutal metal holiday special. |
Thu, 10 December 2009
Donald Glover is a writer, comedian and actor. He was a writer for NBC's 30 Rock, and now acts on NBC's Community. His sketch group, Derrick Comedy, has a new feature film called Mystery Team. |
Tue, 8 December 2009
Mark Duplass is an actor and filmmaker. He stars in the new FX comedy The League, and with his brother Jay has written, directed and starred in several acclaimed films, including The Puffy Chair and Baghead. |
Thu, 3 December 2009
Jordan Morris ranks America in his own inimitable way. |
Mon, 30 November 2009
Alex Patsavas has been been filling up your portable music device with the non-mainstream/indie rock music you love without you even knowing it. |
Tue, 24 November 2009
Ian MacKaye is a punk rock legend. His bands have included Minor Threat, Fugazi and most recently The Evens. He joined us live on stage in Washington DC. |
Thu, 12 November 2009
Scott Schuman is the proprietor of the street photography blog The Sartorialist. His new book is a collection of the best of his photos. |
Tue, 10 November 2009
Nick Hornby is the author of numerous novels; his most recent is called Juliet, Naked. He also wrote the film An Education. |
Fri, 6 November 2009
Music from our recent East Coast trip from Andrew WK, Nellie McKay and The Spinto Band. |
Thu, 5 November 2009
MaxFunStore.com is the place to go for all your stuff-related needs. Go for it!
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Wed, 4 November 2009
Live comedy from our shows in Philadelphia and New York City. |
Tue, 3 November 2009
Charles Burns is a cartoonist and illustrator whose best-known work is the graphic novel Black Hole. We spoke with him at the Philly Improv Theater in Philadelphia. |
Thu, 29 October 2009
Dr. Robert Hicks is the director of the Mutter Museum at the College of Physicians in Philadelphia. It's a museum of medical history - and oddities of the human body. |
Fri, 23 October 2009
Rik Cordero helped revolutionize hip-hop videos with clips for artists like Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, The Roots and Nas. He's also the director of the feature film Inside A Change. |
Tue, 20 October 2009
Scott Adsit is a veteran of Chicago's Second City and plays Pete on NBC's 30 Rock. We'll also talk about how Scott's involvement in the series Moral Orel almost caused a rift in his family. This episode taped live at WNYC's Jerome L. Green Performance Space. |
Thu, 15 October 2009
Ricky, Julian and Bubbles are the stars of the Canadian documentary-style sitcom The Trailer Park Boys. For years, the show has tracked their charming inability to make anything of themselves. |
Sun, 11 October 2009
Langhorne Slim plays songs from his new album Be Set Free. |
Tue, 6 October 2009
Bucky Sinister is the author of Get Up: A 12-Step Guide to Recovery for Misfits, Freaks, and Weirdos |
Mon, 5 October 2009
In a commentary, Marc Maron says he's not so sure that someone in India should be pre-distressing his belts. |
Mon, 28 September 2009
Nathan Rabin is head writer for The AV Club and author of The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought To You By Pop Culture. |
Mon, 14 September 2009
A full, hilarious hour with the San Francisco comedy group Kasper Hauser, plus a bonus sketch for podcast listeners. |
Thu, 10 September 2009
The filmmaker behind the typeface documentary Helvetica talks about his new film Objectified, which explores our interactions with everyday stuff. |
Mon, 7 September 2009
Inside comedy writing with Mike Sacks and his new book about comedy writers And Here's The Kicker: Conversations With 21 Top Humor Writers About Their Craft. |
Thu, 3 September 2009
There's odd standup comedy, and then there's standup comedy so odd it gets you banned from a network late night show... after you've already taped your appearance. Comedian Brent Weinbach is my guest. |
Mon, 31 August 2009
Al Madrigal talks about his new comedy record Half Breed and the career he held before becoming a comedian: firing hundreds of people from their jobs. |
Mon, 24 August 2009
Jon Friedman is a comedian, writer, and host of the The Rejection Show, New York City's live showcase of rejected work. His new book is Rejected: Tales of the Failed, Dumped and Cancelled. We'll hear about Friedman's early days screening unsolicited submissions for The New Yorker and Comedy Central, plus what it's like at his new gig blogging for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. |
Tue, 18 August 2009
Rob Siegel is a former editor for The Onion and penned last year's Mickey Rourke vehicle The Wrestler. He's just written and directed Big Fan, a dark film starring Patton Oswalt as man beaten up by his favorite player on the New York Giants. Siegel's characters seem to find fulfillment on the fringes of society -- listen in to find out why. |
Thu, 13 August 2009
Chris Anderson is editor-in-chief of WIRED and is also the author of Free: The Future of a Radical Price which explores how the price for delivering content is trending towards zero. We'll talk about the repercussions that's having on the creative industry and those whose job it is to create thoughts. |
Mon, 10 August 2009
Greg Kot is the music critic at the Chicago Tribune, host of the public radio program Sound Opinions, and has written for the likes of Rolling Stone, Details, Blender, and Encyclopaedia Britannica among others. His new book is Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music. We'll talk about how the music industry got to where it is today, and what might be next. |
Fri, 7 August 2009
Paul Rust has just made his big break starring in the teen romp I Love You Beth Cooper, but he's been a long time friend of the show and was named one of Variety's 10 Comics To Watch in 2008. Rust will talk about how the silliness of Pee-wee Herman remains a seminal influence and the best parts of working with a big time, earnest filmmaker like Chris Columbus. |
Tue, 4 August 2009
Charlyne Yi made her first on screen appearance playing the stoned girlfriend of Martin Starr's character in the Judd Apatow flick Knocked Up. Now, she's written Paper Heart a documentary and narrative film in which she also stars opposite Michael Cera. Hear from Yi about why she doesn't believe in love, and from Paper Heart director Nick Jasenovec about the choice of casting someone else to play himself. |
Wed, 29 July 2009
Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon and Ken Marino talk about the history of the sketch comedy group The State. |