Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

In the world of ska and punk music Fishbone are legends. We're joined by Angelo Moore and Chris Dowd, founding members of the band. Earlier this summer the band released their 8th full-length LP, Stockholm Syndrome. They talk about why the latest record is something they always dreamed of making. They also get into the bands that helped them visualize a career in music and so much more. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Paul Walter Hauser has a great list of big movie appearances. He’s in Fantastic Four and The Naked Gun, and he’ll be appearing in movies like Americana and the Bruce Springsteen biopic. Hauser talks to Bullseye about his unique path to his current acting career, as well as his other labor of love: professional wrestling. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Punk rock band PUP released their fifth studio album Who Will Look After the Dogs? back in May. We’re joined by the band’s lead singer Stefan Babcock and guitarist Steve Sladkowski to talk about the new record. They also chatted with us about their live shows and how the mosh pits at their shows and more! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

There’s probably nobody better to direct and write a movie like The Naked Gun reboot than Akiva Schaffer. He has a resume full of brilliant, dumb, joke-a-minute work. Together with Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone he is a member of the comedy trio The Lonely Island. Akiva wasn’t sure he wanted to direct The Naked Gun at first, he gets into why. Plus, why Popstar: Never Stop Never Stoppin’ didn’t click with audiences and his very funny work with The Lonely Island. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In 2021, Arooj Aftab became the first Pakistani to win a Grammy. It was a Best Global Music Performance for her single "Mohabbat" off of her 2021 album Vulture Prince. Her latest album is called Night Reign. Like Vulture Prince, It's ethereal and beautiful and kind of haunting. In this conversation, Aftab talks about the influence of Meshell Ndegeocello on her work, being a recording gear nerd in addition to being an artist, and how great the Urdu language is for metaphorical writing. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Eugenio Derbez has arguably earned the title of most successful comedy actor in Latin America. And in 2013, his film Instructions Not Included helped make him a star here in the United States. These days you can catch Eugenio in the show Acapulco, which is entering its fourth and final season on Apple TV +. Eugenio joins us to talk about the new season of the show, making the jump from being a movie star in Mexico to a movie star in the U.S. and much more! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Megan Stalter is an actor and comedian. She plays Kayla Schaefer on the hit show Hacks. She's the wildly inappropriate, yet charming assistant to Paul W. Downs' manager character. When we talked last year, Stalter had just starred in the movie Cora Bora. She played the title character, a singer/songwriter in a long distance relationship that she senses is in trouble. Megan joins us to talk about the film, her time on Hacks, and so much more. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Tramell Tillman plays Mr. Milchick on Severance, the bizarre, fascinating sci-fi workplace show on Apple TV +. Tramell Tillman is great as Mr Milchick. He shares how he collaborated with Ben Stiller to create the character. He also talks with us about his upbringing in Baltimore, his experience being raised in the Baptist church, and his early appearance on The Wire. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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Hayden Pedigo writes sprawling, beautiful songs around the acoustic guitar. Hayden just put out a new record called I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away. He stopped by the studio to talk about his songwriting process and even brought his guitar by the studio for a live performance. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

This week's guest is Richard Kind. He is not a star. He does not want to be a star. He is perfectly fine with that. Richard loves to be the kind of character actor that shows up, lays down four pages of unforgettable dialogue... and goes on with his day. We share some laughs with Richard Kind. He gets into working with John Mulaney on Everybody's Live and the career he almost had instead of acting. Plus, what it was like to work with Martin Short on the cult-comedy Clifford. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

We're joined by music historian and professor Rickey Vincent to talk about the legacy of Sly Stone. He talks to us about what made the funk icon so special and why there'll never be another like Sly again. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

This week on Bullseye, George Takei returns to talk about his new graphic-memoir: It Rhymes with Takei. His memoir focuses on his personal journey through discovering his identity as a gay man, hiding it, and how it felt to finally come out publicly. Takei talks to Bullseye about this, as well as his experience living in incarceration camps, and his roots in Los Angeles. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Being able to make light of extremely heavy topics is what makes Atsuko Okatsuka a brilliant comedian. Her new comedy special Father aired on Hulu last month. Atsuko chatted with us about how recording videos on social media with her family brought them closer together, what it was like bringing her grandma on her honeymoon and much more! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR 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 recently took 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. Cole joins Bullseye to talk about Oh, Mary!, gender, and all things Mary Todd Lincoln. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The one and only Mark Hamill joins us this week. He chats with us about his latest role in the epic, life-affirming drama The Life of Chuck. He also chats with us about what inspired him to take his acting skills to Broadway after Star Wars. Plus, he shares what got him into voice acting and does his iconic voice as the Joker from the animated Batman series for us. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

What was it like to work with Paul Reubens? The man behind Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee as Himself is a beautiful, touching documentary about one of the most talented and unique voices of our time. He died in 2023. We're joined by filmmaker Matt Wolf. He talks about what made Paul Reubens a dream subject for a documentary and how he got Paul to open up about difficult topics. Plus, Jesse talks about his own experience working with Paul on the Pee-wee Herman Radio Hour for KCRW. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

This week on Bullseye, we talk to Ego Nwodim! She just wrapped up her seventh season as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. She talks with us about her roundabout path to comedy, including nods to her hometown in sketches, and a whole lot about her incredible SNL character: Lisa from Temecula. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Mary Randolph Carter is an expert on all things junk. She's written many books on the topic including her latest called Live With the Things You Love: And You'll Live Happily Ever After. We asked Carter if there was ever one piece of junk she acquired over the years that stuck with her so much and lived inside her head rent free for so long that she wishes she made it. The object that came to mind was a very peculiar clock. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Questlove, drummer and bandleader for The Roots joins us on the latest episode. The legend. Lately, he's been working on music documentaries: Sly Lives! and Summer of Soul were both fantastic. He joins us to talk at length about Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music. Questlove gets into his early memories of Saturday Night Live as a kid and gets into how he's been involved with the show over the years. We also get into the forthcoming album from The Roots. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy