

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn
NPR
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."
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 3, 2023 • 47min
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt is a legend. Early in her career, she decided she'd only create songs she loved, on her own terms, and her career longevity is proof of that gifted precision. Last year, Bonnie released her 18th full-length studio album, Just Like That. Now in her 70's, Bonnie has won over a dozen Grammys – most recently she earned a Grammy for the title track off her latest album. To celebrate her recent Grammy win we're revisiting our conversation with Bonnie. Correspondent Ray Suarez talked with Bonnie about the album, coming into her own as an artist and so much more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Feb 28, 2023 • 42min
Jonathan Majors
Jonathan Majors has been acting professionally for about seven years now. He's done theater, TV, and starred in movies. In that short amount of time, he's become one of the most captivating performers in Hollywood. On screen, Jonathan is charismatic and charming when the role calls for it, and he can turn to vulnerable and broken almost instantly. He's the kind of actor that just takes the story to the next level. When I talked with Jonathan Majors in 2021, he was up for an Emmy for his work on HBO's Lovecraft Country. He's gone on to some massive films like Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and most recently, Creed III. Jonathan joined us on Bullseye to talk about Lovecraft Country, and reflected on being the child in a family of veterans. Plus, he dived into acting theory and craft – and he gets into it, really into it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Feb 24, 2023 • 41min
Academy Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins
Roger Deakins got his start as a director of photography in 1977 on the pulpy British drama Cruel Passion. He's since gone on to collaborate with several well-known directors including Sam Mendes, Ron Howard and the Coen Brothers. He's won two Academy Awards for best cinematography and is nominated for a third for his work on the war drama 1917. Aside from film, he's also a photographer. A couple years back, Roger published his first ever book of photography called Byways. The acclaimed cinematographer joins the show to talk about his extensive career and when he first got behind the camera. He also talks about what it's like collaborating with the Coen Brothers and why he likes shooting films for them. Plus, he breaks down his process for capturing still photos and talks about how photography led to his career in film.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Feb 21, 2023 • 45min
Director Jason Woliner on 'Paul T. Goldman' and 'Borat' Sequel
Jason Woliner has directed episodes of Parks and Recreation, Nathan for You and The Last Man on Earth. In 2020, he directed his first ever major motion picture: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. His latest project is really interesting: it's a documentary series, a project he's been working on for the last ten years. Paul T Goldman is a documentary series about a man who calls himself Paul T. Goldman. Goldman claims, among many other things, that his former wife stole money from him and ran a human trafficking ring. It's a wild, funny and at times touching show that is just as much a comment on true crime documentaries as it is a true crime documentary. We'll talk with Jason Woliner about Paul T. Goldman, and the meta nature of the show. Plus, we'll dive into Jason's time directing Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and the way things became very dangerous for him on set.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Feb 17, 2023 • 16min
Todd Rundgren on the song that changed his life
Todd Rundgren: the bedroom pop icon, soft rock sensation, producer extraordinaire! The legend himself joins Bullseye to tell us about the song that changed his life: "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen. He talks about learning to perform the tune in his high school band and why, after all these years, the song still haunts him.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Feb 14, 2023 • 51min
Michael Showalter on 'Spoiler Alert,' 'Wet Hot American Summer' and more
Michael Showalter is a founding member of the sketch comedy group The State. He's in part responsible for other cult comedy favorites like Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, Stella and more. These days, Showalter has been spending more and more time behind the camera.. He directed the new film Spoiler Alert. It's a romantic drama based on the book Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies, a memoir by TV writer Michael Ausiello.Michael joins us on the latest episode of Bullseye to talk about Spoiler Alert. Plus, what it was like to direct Sally Field, and his process when casting his movies.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Feb 10, 2023 • 24min
Remembering David Crosby
Music legend David Crosby passed away last month after a long illness. He was 81. Crosby's work paved the way for the folk rock movement. He was a founding member of The Byrds, and performed at Woodstock as a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Crosby was also an award winning solo musician in his own right, and he's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. We're remembering David Crosby by revisiting our 2016 interview with the late music icon.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Feb 7, 2023 • 43min
Remembering Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters
At the close of 2022, American music lost a treasure: Anita Pointer died at age 74. Alongside her sisters June, Bonnie, and Ruth, she was a founding member of the Pointer Sisters. To mark her passing, we're replaying our 2014 conversation with Ruth and Anita.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Feb 3, 2023 • 28min
Rapper Mavi on his new album "Laughing So Hard It Hurts"
Hailing from Charlotte, NC, young rapper Mavi is one to watch. He created his first album, "Let the Sun Talk", during his freshman year at Howard University. After garnering great reviews, his career started to take off. He recorded a second album, "End of the Earth," and got invited to collaborate with artists he admired and opened for Jack Harlow on tour. And last year, he recorded a stirring third album, "Laughing So Hard It Hurts." Mavi crams 16 songs into 32 minutes on "Laughing So Hard It Hurts." It's an album about pain and relationships. It's dense, intimate and even a little lonely-sounding at times. We talked with Mavi about why he made that choice.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jan 31, 2023 • 39min
John Larroquette
John Larroquette is an actor with almost 50 years of experience. The trajectory of his career is an especially interesting one. His first acting gig was narrating the intro to a very famous horror film by the name of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But, acting was not a viable career choice for Larroquette until he hit it big on the NBC sitcom Night Court. His performance as the prosecutor Dan Fielding earned him four consecutive Emmy awards and propelled his success as an actor. The original show aired its last episode in 1992. But this year, Night Court is back on NBC. John Larroquette joins us on Bullseye to chat about his return as Dan Fielding and what it's like to revisit such an iconic role after almost 30 years. Plus, his early ventures as a radio DJ and his journey to sobriety.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy