Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Normally, when you tune into Bullseye, you'll hear interviews with different pop culture creators. This week, we're breaking the format a bit. That's because it's our annual end of year best stand-up comedy showcase! We're playing you some excerpts from the best stand-up comedy albums of 2022. Our list includes industry veterans and up-and-coming talents you are going to love.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Song That Changed My Life is a segment that gives us the chance to talk with some of our favorite creators in show business about the music that made them who they are today. This time around, we're joined by Rainn Wilson. That's right: Dwight from The Office and more! Rainn explains how Mystery Dance by Elvis Costello literally changed his life when he moved from Seattle to Chicago in his teen years. He had just switched schools, and describes the school assignment that helped him visualize a career in acting with the help of that Elvis Costello song. You can see Rainn star alongside Daniel Radcliffe in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story for free on the Roku Channel.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Charlotte Nicdao stars as Poppy on the Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest. It's a workplace comedy about a video game company, but it's not really about video games. Everyone on the show cares deeply about the thing they're working on. It's the massive online role-playing fantasy video game Mythic Quest. Charlotte Nicdao joins Bullseye to talk about the new season of Mythic Quest and playing the part of Poppy on the series. She also talks about growing up in Australia, and the first time she visited the United States when she was a teenager for music camp. She also takes us back to the time she auditioned for the part of a mob boss in her school's production of Guys and Dolls.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Actor Aya Cash joins us on Bullseye for the latest installment of The Song That Changed My Life. It's a segment where creators we know and love talk about the music who made them who they are. Aya has played in a number of memorable roles, and these days, she stars in the very funny sitcom Welcome to Flatch. When we asked her about the song that changed her life, she took us back to her childhood. Back to the nineties when she was growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, riding in the car with mom and dad listening to a classic song by Ani DiFranco.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Vanessa Ramos is a television writer. She's written for shows like Superstore, Bordertown, Crashing and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Her latest show is called Blockbuster on Netflix. It's a sitcom set at the very last franchise location of Blockbuster, and the employees who try to keep the store alive. We talk with Vanessa about creating the new sitcom, and her own memories of Blockbuster, and what VHS tapes were most important to her. Plus, how she got her start in comedy and what it was like to be in the writers room for Comedy Central Roasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Occasionally, we like to ask some of our favorite creators about a work of art they wish they'd created. This time, our guest is Guy Branum. When we asked Guy about the thing he wishes he had made, he picked a movie: 2017's Lady Bird, a classic coming-of-age story set in the early 2000s and directed by Greta Gerwig. Guy is a comedian who's appeared on Last Comic Standing, hosted the TV show Talk Show the Game Show, wrote and produced for The Mindy Project, and much more. He most recently appeared on the big screen in Bros.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sudan Archives has been making music for all her life. She grew up in Ohio, where she played violin in church and school bands. When she got her high school diploma, she headed out to Los Angeles to follow her dream of making music. Sudan Archives is a violinist who breaks new ground with what the instrument can do in pop music. She combines the instrument with her voice, her beatmaking and her songwriting, creating music that is truly mesmerizing. She joins Bullseye to talk about her music and new album Natural Brown Prom Queen. She also talks about her process for creating music and performing it live. Plus, Sudan dives into some of the violinists who inspire her.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Journalist and author Shea Serrano has covered basketball and pop culture for ESPN, XXL, Grantland, the Ringer and more. His first book, The Rap Yearbook, is a New York Times bestseller and a critical favorite. When we first talked with Serrano in 2017, he'd just followed it up with Basketball and Other Things, a book that is kind of like a written version of a late night party discussion with friends - with cool illustrations. Serrano covers topics like "great basketball villains" and "which NBA players get remembered for the wrong reasons?" He's since released Movies and Other Things - a similar book with movie rankings, hot takes and more ice breakers. This past month he expanded the illustrated series with another entry: Hip-Hop and Other Things. A version of this interview originally aired in October of 2017.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest basketball players of all time: an NBA Hall of Famer, six-time MVP, 19-time All-Star, the master of the skyhook shot and a key part of the Showtime era Lakers. Since retiring from basketball, Abdul-Jabbar has written books, columns and even worked as a writer for Veronica Mars. When we talked with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last year, he'd just narrated a documentary: Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America. We'll revisit our conversation with the NBA legend. Kareem discusses playing alongside Magic Johnson, his roller disco days, and so much more. Plus, he shares why he was never able to play a game of Double Dutch as a kid. A version of this interview originally aired in June of 2021Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Bashir Salahuddin is a comedy actor and writer. Alongside his friend and longtime collaborator Diallo Riddle, he co-created the shows South Side and Sherman's Showcase. South Side is a very funny sitcom that follows the stories of everyday people living on Chicago's South Side. The other show they created is Sherman's Showcase. The show's sort of like a sketch show, but with a unique format that's comparable to a variety show. Bashir Salahuddin stops by Bullseye to talk about Sherman's Showcase, and shares how it draws inspiration from shows like Soul Train and The Muppet Show. He also talks about meeting Riddle while in an acapella group at Harvard. Plus, Bashir shares how casting real Chicagoans in South Side has helped make the series even more hilarious.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy