Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Dougie Poole is a Maine-based singer-songwriter. He makes country music, but it's not your standard country fare. His music is a little more experimental and a lot more psychedelic. When we asked Dougie Poole to pick the song that changed his life, it's no surprise that he chose a song off the beaten track. It wasn't a tune from Dolly Parton or Garth Brooks. The song was "Black Country" from the psychedelic noise rock duo Tonstartssbandht. And it inspired a college-aged Dougie Poole to start making music of his own.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Delroy Lindo is a veteran actor and writer. Born in London to Jamaican parents, Delroy spent his childhood moving from place to place. As a teenager, he moved with his family to Toronto and then San Francisco, where he began studying acting at the American Conservatory Theater. He spent the next decade alternating between movie roles and Broadway stages. His versatility in Crooklyn, Get Shorty, The Cider House Rules, and more only increased his demand. Currently, Delroy is starring in the new Hulu series Unprisoned. It's about a father who reconnects with his adult daughter after serving a 17-year prison sentence. He plays Edwin, whose life changes when he moves in with his therapist daughter Paige, played by Kerry Washington. Delroy has been a public figure for a long time, and for most of that time, he didn't really talk about himself. Now? He's writing a memoir. On this episode of Bullseye, we asked him what changed.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Robin Thede works hard. She always has. One of her first gigs in showbiz was on Queen Latifah's daytime talk show as head writer. Fast forward to 2015, Robin was making history. She became the first ever Black woman to become head writer on a late night talk show: The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. But Robin isn't only an incredible writer. She's an amazing comedian and actor. As a Second City alum, her name is up there with some of the biggest names in comedy like Jordan Peele, Amy Poehler and Steve Carell. And Robin's done a lot with this extraordinary legacy. For the past few years, she's been making waves as showrunner of the HBO show A Black Lady Sketch Show. This week on Bullseye, we're revisiting our chat with Robin about A Black Lady Sketch Show. Plus, we'll get into her childhood. Robin grew up in a mostly white, suburban part of Iowa. She'll talk about the challenges that being biracial presented and why she identifies as Black today.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Odds are, you know actor Sarah Snook from her role on HBO's Succession – one of the most acclaimed TV dramas in the last decade. Sarah plays Siobhan Roy. But to her friends and family, it's just "Shiv." Succession follows the Roy family. They own a giant conservative media conglomerate called Waystar Royco; the family's patriarch, Shiv's father Logan Roy, is aging and can't run the company forever. Who will he name to take over? And what will the players do to get what they want? Shiv's part in the drama earned Snook a bunch of critical praise and awards nominations. Linda Holmes, one of the terrific hosts of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, talked with Sarah in 2020 about what it's like to play one of the most fascinating, complex and confounding characters on television today.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Being able to make light of extremely heavy topics is what makes Atsuko Okatsuka a brilliant comedian. Her debut comedy special The Intruder aired on HBO last December. As the name of the title suggests, it's about the time someone tried breaking into her house. But, the show goes into a lot more than that. There are lots of stories about Atsuko's life and family. She talks about navigating her mother's mental illness and trying to impress teenagers. She also jokes about being undocumented for seven years and attending a Magic Mike Live show with her grandmother. Atsuko sat down with Bullseye to talk 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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Anna Deavere Smith is one of the most accomplished people in American theater. She's an incredible actor, playwright and scholar. But, Anna's also a trailblazer. Plays like Fires in the Mirror and Let Me Down Easy have pushed the boundaries of traditional theater. But Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 is perhaps the most exemplary of her work. Anna interviewed over 300 people about the Rodney King beating and its aftermath. And she turned their words into a play where she acted every part. 30 years ago, that show premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Now, the show is back at the Mark Taper Forum for a second run. It's been revised for a group of five people of different ages, genders and races. This week on Bullseye, Anna Deavere Smith joins us to talk about the revised production of Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Plus, what it's like to revisit such an iconic piece after so many years.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Craziest Day of My Entire Career is a segment that gives us the chance to talk with some of our favorite people about the weirdest workday they have experienced so far. This time around, we're joined by Marc Summers. He has built a remarkable career as a television host. Rarely will you find a person who has hosted as many TV shows as Marc Summers. When we asked Marc to tell us about the craziest day of his entire career he told us about the day he finally got the call to go on The Tonight Show. The other guest was Burt Reynolds. Things didn't go as planned. You can find his new show Marc Summers Unwraps wherever you get your podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Marc Maron has been performing stand-up comedy for decades. He always figured that would be his legacy. Until he started the mother of all podcasts: WTF with Marc Maron. The podcast came out of a very uncertain time in Marc's life as a comedian: he'd work the road, get a TV gig now and then. But as he got closer to middle age, he realized that lifestyle wasn't sustainable. So, he started making WTF. The success came shortly after, but Maron didn't leave stand-up behind. Earlier this year, he released a new comedy special on HBO called From Bleak to Dark where he talks about the loss of his partner, Lynn Shelton. It's some of his best work yet. This week on Bullseye, Marc Maron reminisces on his life as a struggling comic and talks about his tremendous success as a podcast host. Plus, what it was like to get behind a mic after losing one of the most important people in his life.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Craziest Day of My Entire Career is a segment where we invite guests from the entertainment industry to tell us about a single day where things went wildly off the rails. Sharing their story with us this week is Margaret Cho. She's an actress, an activist, and a musician. She's had multiple Grammy and Emmy nominations for her comedy and acting, and has been touring to sold-out crowds since 1999. Her one-woman show "I'm the One That I Want" was turned into a best-selling book and feature film. But back in the early stages of her career? She had to take whatever gigs she could get. When we asked Margaret about the craziest day of her career, she took us back to the start of her standup career. The time she did three shows, in three states, in one day.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, comedy legend Cheech Marin! He's one-half of the comedy duo Cheech and Chong. But Cheech is more than just a stoner icon. He was in the Lion King. He's starred in more than 100 episodes of Nash Bridges. And if you're a Spy Kids fan, you know him as "Uncle" Felix. Cheech is also well known in the art world. He has a huge collection of Chicano art that he's been steadily building since the '80s. This week on Bullseye, we get into Cheech's long and eventful career as an actor. He throws us back to when he moved to Canada when he first met Tommy Chong. Plus, he talks about his new museum The Cheech in Riverside, California.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy