Bullseye With Jesse Thorn

Adrian Tomine is a cartoonist. Along with graphic novels like Killing and Drying and Shortcomings, he created the series Optic Nerve, which began publication in 1991. He's also made several classic covers for The New Yorker. His latest book is an illustrated memoir called The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist. Adrian joins Bullseye guest host Brian Heater to talk about how making comics prepared him for screenwriting, trying to do a book tour during a pandemic and what's next for him. Plus, he'll talk to us about an infamous Fresh Air interview.

Roman Mars hosts the radio show and podcast 99% Invisible. It's a show about the little known stories behind everyday design and architecture. Prefabricated homes. Trash can design. Even those little ramps you see on sidewalk corners: how and why did stuff like that come to be? He just released a new book based on the podcast – it's called the 99 Percent Invisible City. The book is an illustrated look at how cities work, and why they work the way they do. Roman Mars joins us to talk about life before podcasting, and what decades in radio has taught him. Plus, the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected the design of cities, and which of those changes might be permanent.

This week we're revisiting our 2017 conversation with musician Phil Elverum. Phil is a singer-songwriter best known for the music he records as the bands the Microphones and Mount Eerie. Earlier this year he released a new album titled Microphones in 2020. He joined Jesse to talk about grieving the loss of his first wife, cartoonist Geneviève Castrée, and how a trip British Columbia with his daughter inspired the album A Crow Looked at Me.

Singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco has been making music since she was a teenager. For decades now, she's recorded and released her music on her own label, Righteous Babe Records. Her music is both autobiographical and political, with influences from funk, rock, jazz and punk. She's released over 20 albums so far and her latest, "Revolutionary Love," will be available in January. Ani joins Jesse to talk about breaking away from self-sufficiency, writing beautiful music and taking time off from the road, Plus, she'll tell us what it feels like to jam with the one and only Prince! All that and more on the next Bullseye!

Carrie Coon is an actor best known for her roles on TV. You've seen her as Nora on HBO's The Leftovers. No one was as fearless and bold as Nora. She was angry and kind of tightly wound, traumatized by the loss of her entire family. In Season 3 of Fargo, Carrie played Police Chief Gloria Burgle: brave in the face of danger, but also baffled at humanity's capacity to be so violent and cruel. In her latest role, she's starring on the big screen in The Nest alongside Jude Law. In the film, a cross-continental move tears a marriage apart. Linda Holmes, the host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, talked with Carrie Coon recently about The Nest. Plus, Carrie also discusses how she got into acting and she describes her wedding – which is perhaps the most unconventional ceremony you've ever heard.

Actor and comedian David Cross is our guest! While you may know him best for his stand-up comedy and roles on shows like Arrested Development and Mr. Show, David joins Jesse to talk about his newest endeavor - a dramatic role in the new film The Dark Divide. He talks about the mental and physical challenges of playing that role, growing up in Georgia, and his enduring relationship with Mr. Show co-creator, Bob Odenkirk. Plus, why he'd describe his new movie, The Dark Divide, as an "underpants heavy" film.

This week, our guest is David Letterman. The one and only. He and Jesse talk about the Late Show, about his triumphs and failures, and latest TV show: My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, on Netflix.

We're joined by rapper A$AP Ferg of the A$AP Mob. Born Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr., he grew up in Harlem in an area dubbed "Hungry Ham." His music is hard to define but if you had to you'd need to include hip hop, trap, dubstep, house and soul. He's helped to redefine the term "New York rapper." His latest album is called Floor Seats 2. Ferg joined Bullseye in 2017 to talk about growing up in New York, attending performing arts school, his chance encounter with the late ASAP Yams and collaborating with the great Missy Elliott. Plus, he'll tell us why he loves the legend and the magic behind Madonna. All that and more on the next Bullseye!

Rob Halford is a legend in the world of metal music. He is the lead vocalist of heavy metal group Judas Priest. He recently released an autobiography called Confess. In it, he shares some truly incredible stories: like the time he handcuffed himself to Andy Warhol or when he explained heavy-metal to Queen Elizabeth. We're revisiting our interview with Rob from 2009. In this conversation Rob Halford reflects on the legacy of Judas Priest. Plus, coming to terms with his queer identity and his coming out within the metal community. We also talked about holiday music. When Rob joined us he had just released the heavy metal holiday record – Halford III – Winter Songs. And for even more holiday tunes check out Celestial by Rob Halford with Family & Friends from last year.

Musician Laura Jane Grace joins Bullseye this week! She talks with Max Fun's Jordan, Jesse, GO! co-host, Jordan Morris about her new album, Stay Alive. Laura fronts the punk band Against Me! and super-fan Jordan chats with her about her early days playing shows in a laundromat, her love of Guns N' Roses, and what it's like to record and album while in quarantine!

These days it might seem like we're in a bit of a time-loop. Days feel like months. Months feel like an eternity. That's probably what makes Hulu's Palm Springs the perfect movie for this time. It's a romantic comedy about two people who are forced to repeat the same day. The film stars Andy Samberg as Nyles, and Cristin Milioti, as Sarah. It's a funny and unique movie about relationships and depression. Linda Holmes, the host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, talked with Cristin Milioti recently about the complex portrayal of Sarah in Palm Springs. They try their best to discuss the movie's themes without spoiling too much of the plot. Linda also chats with Cristin about her roles on shows like How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, Fargo, and the Tony Award winning Broadway show Once.

It's a very special Halloween Spooktacular edition of Bullseye! We revisit our 2017 conversation with Cassandra Peterson, the woman behind Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She'll talk with Jesse about The Groundlings and creating the aesthetic behind her iconic character, her childhood growing up in the midwest and what it's like inhabiting such a sexual role. Next up, a very special visit from comedian Andy Daly (Review, Reno 911, Bob's Burgers), with the song that changed his life: the Monster Mash! Plus, De mero mero de Navidad pauses the Christmas movies for a moment to give us a Halloween treat! That's right, Alonso Duralde and April Wolfe from Maximum Fun's Who Shot Ya podcast and Switchblade Sisters share their favorite spooky flicks, and Jesse recommends a classic Halloween track!

This week we are revisiting our conversation with musician Tom Fec, better known by his stage name, Tobacco. His latest album, Hot Wet & Sassy comes out at the end of October. Tom joined Jesse last year to talk about his musical influences, his creative process, and why he rejects the label of psychedelic rock. Plus he tells us why you'll occasionally find him and his bandmates in Black Moth Super Rainbow performing concerts in masks.

Padma Lakshmi is a model, actress and the host of Top Chef on Bravo. She's the person telling everyone to pack their knives and go home. Her latest television series is Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi on Hulu. Each episode, Padma travels to a different part of the United States to highlight an immigrant community. The show celebrates different cultures and their place in American cuisine. The results of the conversations she has often reveal stories that challenge notions of identity, and what it means to be American. We're revisiting our conversation with Padma from 2016. When she joined us she discussed cultural differences she had to reckon with growing up between India and the United States, and her role on Top Chef.

We're joined by Kyle Kinane who chats with Jesse about his latest comedy special Trampoline in a Ditch. It was recorded in 2019. His voice is probably most well-known from his work on Comedy Central but did you know he was also in a punk band? Kyle joins Bullseye to chat about challenging himself and his audience with new topics, being the voice of Comedy Central and how the mid-90s punk scene prepared him for the analytical nature of comedy. All that and more on the next Bullseye!

Actor Richard Jenkins joins guest host Jordan Morris on Bullseye this week. Among his many roles, Richard is perhaps best known for his supporting actor roles on critically acclaimed TV shows like Six Feet Under and movies like The Shape of Water. He joins us to talk about his new films, Kajillionaire and The Last Shift, the show he saw as a kid that sparked his interest in theatre, and what it's like to act with improv comedians like Will Ferrell. Plus, he tells us about his first job at a pizza joint!

Hari Kunzru is a novelist and journalist. He is the author of several novels including: My Revolutions, Gods Without Men, and White Tears. His latest novel is called Red Pill. The book's protagonist is an unnamed narrator. He's a writer in Brooklyn, married with kids. In the back of his mind, he can't shake this feeling: something bad is about to happen in the world. He gets a job in Berlin, a residency. The time alone only invites more demons in. It sends him on a journey around the internet, to reactionary message boards and old blogs. Then, it sends him on a journey around the world, into stone huts in Scotland and Parisian hotels. By the end of the book you might start to wonder if his fears were justified. Hari joins guest host Carrie Poppy to talk about where he got the idea for this new book, the dark web, online privacy, and similarities between his real life experiences and Red Pill's narrator.

Veteran comedian Eddie Pepitone loves turning our expectations on their head. He's a working man's comedian with a set that perfectly melds the impassioned righteous rage of Lewis Black with the more understated observations of a comedian like Steven Wright. These days, due to the global pandemic, he's taken his act digital: live streams, video conferences, etc. His latest special, taped before the shutdown, is called "For The Masses." It's a special that fits the moment: Eddie sees all the scary, horrible and confusing stuff happening in the world, and helps us find joy in the absurdity of it all. It's also very funny. Eddie joins guest host Julie Klausner to discuss how comedy helped prepare him for the tribulations of 2020, fighting his addiction to bad news and his writing process for his new special. Plus, he'll pitch us his version of La La Land 2!

Writer Roger Angell is our guest his week. Roger is best known for his writing and editing for The New Yorker and most notably wrote about his love of baseball. This week, in celebration of his 100th birthday, we revisit our 2016 interview with him. He shares stories about being a young kid in New York watching Babe Ruth play, which baseball players are the best talkers, editing fiction at The New Yorker. Plus he tells us about why he doesn't write about baseball as a pastime but rather as an experience of watching players grow and evolve.

Catherine O'Hara is a comedy legend. Her work embodies a particularly special brand of comic absurdity. She helped launch SCTV alongside other burgeoning comedy greats like John Candy and Eugene Levy. She went on to star in some huge blockbuster comedies: Beetlejuice. Home Alone. Best in Show. At the Emmy awards a few weeks ago Schitt's Creek swept the comedy category. Catherine won a much-deserved Emmy for her lead role on the show. We're taking a moment to celebrate her Emmy win by revisiting our conversation from 2013. When Catherine joined us she talked to us about creating memorable characters with her longtime friend and collaborator Eugene Levy, and her own secret comedic formula.