Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Jesse Thorn

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture. 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." read less

Our Editor's Take

The informative and well-researched podcast Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a fascinating examination of culture and those who shape it. Guests include actors, musicians, comedians, and other entertainment professionals. Discussions cover a little bit of everything in a cross-section of cultural trends, events, and icons. Jesse Thorn is a concise, friendly interviewer who asks unique questions that create opportunities for guests to open up. He learns what listeners want to know and works hard to uncover rare stories.

Thorn spent years as a public radio host, giving him a wealth of experience in audio entertainment. He is a media entrepreneur and founded the Maximum Fun network. With a curious mind, he takes a new look at familiar topics. Those that love fresh perspectives from industry experts and cultural icons will love this show. Episodes bring specialists from all corners of the creative world to get detailed perspectives on pressing cultural questions.

Each episode uncovers something new, from artists discussing songs that changed their lives to stand-up comedians discussing their influences. Jesse has engaging discussions with significant pop-culture writers, filmmakers, and more. All things culture come to life in this intriguing and thorough podcast. There is so much to learn and enjoy in each episode of Bullseye with Jesse Thorn.

read less

Society & CultureSociety & Culture

Start Here

Billy Dee Williams

Billy Dee Williams

Billy Dee Williams might be best known as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise. He's an actor with eight decades under his belt and a man of many talents. He's a painter, a singer, and author who just released his memoir, What Have We Here? Portraits of a Life. Billy Dee Williams joins Bullseye to talk about his memoir and galaxies, far, far away.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Episodes

Billy Dee Williams

Billy Dee Williams

Billy Dee Williams might be best known as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise. He's an actor with eight decades under his belt and a man of many talents. He's a painter, a singer, and author who just released his memoir, What Have We Here? Portraits of a Life. Billy Dee Williams joins Bullseye to talk about his memoir and galaxies, far, far away.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Primer: What is Japanese City Pop?

Primer: What is Japanese City Pop?

We're presenting a preview of Maximum Fun's newest show Primer. In its debut season, music writer Yosuke Kitazawa (PBS SoCal, Light in the Attic) joins Christian Dueñas and special guests to explore Japanese City Pop. The show celebrates the lives of its artists, explores the cultural and historical context of the songs, and they reflect on the impact that music had on listeners everywhere. Linda Marigliano joins Primer to discuss City Pop icon, Miki Matsubara and her debut record, Pocket Park.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ed Ruscha has made art for almost 65 years. His work is in collections all over the world. His medium is eclectic – he's a painter, a photographer, an installation designer, a printmaker, and one of Los Angeles' most iconic artists. LACMA, just put on a retrospective of Ruscha's work. NOW THEN covers a career that's spanned over five decades. We get into the exhibit. We also get into some of his most famous works, including Chocolate Room – which is exactly what it sounds like.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tig Notaro is a Grammy and Emmy nominated stand-up comedian. Her new comedy special Hello, Again is out now, and it's hilarious. Tig returns to the show to talk about Hello, Again, her comedy career and her time starring in a Star Trek show.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Miranda July is a multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker. She's directed movies like Kajlillionaire and Me, You and Everyone We Know. She's designed apps and even recorded a spoken word album. She also just published her second novel, All Fours. In it, July covers marriage, middle age, and perimenopause. Miranda joins Bullseye to talk about her book, her career and the wild new soda flavor she helped make.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker

Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker

David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker – together they created some truly classic comedies: Airplane!, Top Secret, and The Naked Gun. They recently wrote a book called Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!. We've got Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker on the latest episodes to talk about the book and the rules of comedy. They also dive into why they cast Leslie Nielsen in their projects and what it was like to work with him.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Lisa Ann Walter on the craziest day of her career

Lisa Ann Walter on the craziest day of her career

Lisa Ann Walter has been in show business for a long time and has seen a lot. You may have seen her most recently as Ms. Schemmenti on the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary. When we asked her about the craziest day of her career, she took us back to 2010, to the set of the Ashton Kutcher action/comedy film Killers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Actor and comedian Cole Escola has written and starred in some of the funniest TV comedies: Difficult People, Hacks, and At Home with Amy Sedaris. Cole's recently taken their writing from the small screen to the stage with Oh, Mary!, a one act play that examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mary Todd Lincoln, like you've never seen before. The play makes its Broadway debut this summer. Cole joins Bullseye to talk about Oh, Mary!, gender, and all things Mary Todd Lincoln.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Isabella Rossellini

Isabella Rossellini

Isabella Rossellini is probably best known as an actor, having acclaimed parts in movies like Blue Velvet, Death Becomes Her, and Big Night. She's also a model, a performance artist, an accomplished singer and even an academic. When Isabella Rossellini joined Bullseye in 2022, she'd just starred alongside Jenny Slate in the animated film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. She spoke with guest host Louis Virtel about her role in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and why she is attracted to working in experimental film.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Throughout his nearly fifty year music career, Raffi has fought for kids. He's done it with beautiful, fun, and funny music. He's also done it as an activist. Raffi is on the really short list of children's performers who connect directly with the youngest people. When we last chatted with Raffi, he had just released his 2014 album Love Bug. He talked to us about the album, his early childhood in Egypt, his social activism and why he's dedicated his life to entertaining children.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Actor & Director Steve Buscemi

Actor & Director Steve Buscemi

Steve Buscemi! The best ever. The actor, director and producer joins Bullseye to talk about dying on screen dozens of times, and how his father shaped his career in the civil services and encouraged him to pursue acting. We'll look back on the first ever movie he acted in – one that ended up being a pivotal moment in the history of American queer cinema. Plus, he'll talk to us about trying his hand at stand-up as an eighteen year old kid from Long Island.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

DJ Quik is one of the most prolific figures in West Coast hip-hop. He's a great rapper, but he's always considered himself a producer first, crafting some of the most inventive samples and beats of the genre. This summer, DJ Quik joins fellow legends Warren G and Snoop Dogg for a tour across that great nation to the North on the Cali to Canada Tour. When Quik joined Bullseye in 2014, he talked about the method behind his sampling and his awesome, awesome hairstyles over the years.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Video game creator Keita Takahashi

Video game creator Keita Takahashi

Keita Takahashi is a video game creator and designer. He's responsible for the classic genre defining puzzle game Katamari Damacy. Keita Takahashi has a new game coming out soon. It's called to a T and it's about a child whose arms stick straight out like a "T". We talked with Keita Takahashi about how he got into designing video games and how he pitched the idea for Katamari Damacy to the folks at Namco. He also talks with us about his new game, to a T.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Alison Brie is the star of beloved television shows Community, Mad Men and BoJack Horseman. She joins us on the latest episode of Bullseye to talk about her latest: Apples Never Fall. We get into her time growing up in South Pasadena and what she learned about herself while working on the physically demanding wrestling tv series GLOW. Does she think the long-awaited Community movie is actually happening? Only one way to find out!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Paula Pell spent 18 years behind the scenes as a writer on Saturday Night Live. These days, you can see her on Girls5Eva–a sitcom about a 90s girl group that reunites today. She plays Gloria, the queer elder of the group making the most of their second wind. When she joined the show back in 2019, Pell starred in Wine Country alongside a few SNL legends. She also gave us an insider's view on some of her more controversial work on the late-night comedy staple.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jazz musician Shabaka Hutchings

Jazz musician Shabaka Hutchings

Shabaka Hutchings makes brilliant, beautiful genre blending songs. His music is vivid, complex and hypnotic. He recently hung up his saxophone and is playing the flute these days. When Shabaka joined the show back in 2021, his band Sons of Kemet had just put out a record called Black to the Future. He talked with us about making the new record during quarantine. He also discussed being an only child, the first instrument he learned to play and his love of old school gangster rap.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

R&B singer SiR on his latest record 'Heavy'

R&B singer SiR on his latest record 'Heavy'

On the latest episode, R&B singer SiR joins us to talk about his new record Heavy, growing up in Inglewood and his musical family. Plus, he gets vulnerable and frank about his path to sobriety. Right now is the best time to support Bullseye and the MaxFun podcasts you love by starting a monthly membership or upgrading your existing one! Learn more at https://maximumfun.org/join/Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jenny Slate has starred in films like Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Obvious Child and Everything Everywhere All at Once. She's also a standup - she just released her second special! Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional. Slate joins us to talk all about it. The MaxFunDrive is still going strong – right now is the best time to support Bullseye and the MaxFun podcasts you love by starting a monthly membership or upgrading your existing one! Learn more at https://maximumfun.org/join/Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

There aren't many actors who can straddle the worlds of high art and blockbusters as deftly as John Malkovich. His latest project is The New Look, a TV show on Apple TV +. The series takes place in Nazi-occupied France and tells the story of how France's fashion industry navigated a terrifying, inhuman reality. John Malkovich joins us to chat about The New Look and his love of fashion. He also talks to us about his upbringing and early years as a performer. Plus, we also get into one of our most favorite scenes of his from the film Burn After Reading.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hey, What's Your Job?

Hey, What's Your Job?

Movie stars, writers, artists: these are the typical fare for Bullseye interviewees. For our production company's annual MaxFunDrive, though, Jesse talks with Bullseye listeners. He asks them the same question: Hey, what's your job? We're presenting a sneak peek at one such interview with Joe - an apprentice an electrician in South Boston.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy