Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Weird Al Yankovic, a legendary parody musician with a career spanning four decades, shares insights into his journey from a bullied youth to musical icon. He discusses his early influences and the challenges of breaking into the industry. Al reflects on the evolution of comedy music and the art of crafting parodies, revealing his creative process for songwriting. He also touches on the making of his biopic and how it captures his unique blend of humor and musical talent. Laughter and nostalgia abound in this entertaining conversation.

James Adomian is a comedian with a foot in two worlds. He's a stand-up comedian and impressionist who's performed on the Late Late Show, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live and many more. He's got a brand new stand-up special out now called James Adomian: Path of Most Resistance. He joins us to talk about the new special and even does a few impressions.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

DeMar DeRozan is a basketball player for the Sacramento Kings. He's a six time NBA All-Star and an Olympic gold medalist. DeRozan just released a memoir: Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm. He joins us to talk about some tough subjects covered in the book like his struggle with depression. He also gets into what it was like to be named dropped in one of the hottest songs of summer – Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Good gourd! It's a very special Halloween Spooktacular edition of Bullseye, where we're revisiting some of our best Halloween interviews. First up: R.L. Stine, creator of the Goosebumps series. Then, a very special visit from comedian Andy Daly with the song that changed his life: The Monster Mash! Finally, the "damned" finale: Cassandra Peterson, the woman behind Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Nicolay of the Foreign Exchange joins us to talk about the song that changed his life. A Prince track that, honestly, we were very surprised hadn't been picked yet.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

MAVI is a rapper from Charlotte, North Carolina. In recent years, he's become one to watch. On his latest album Shadowbox his flow teems with self doubt and anxiety. The melodies and samples linger long after the record's finished. MAVI joins us on the latest episode of Bullseye to discuss the record. The themes in his albums are often filled with pain and loneliness, so get into how he's been doing lately to handle those feelings.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jordan Morris is a comedy writer, podcast host, and author. His new graphic novel Youth Group follows a teen who apprehensively joins a Christian youth group and comes to find that demons are real! Fear not, as the youth group is intent on exorcising the demons from whence they came. We get into Jordan's graphic novel and so much more on Bullseye.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What do the films Men in Black, The Addams Family and Raising Arizona all have in common? They were all shot by cinematographer and director Barry Sonnenfeld. He's responsible for filming and directing some of the biggest movies from the 20th century. He joins us to talk about his new memoir and reflect on his many years in show business.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sérgio Mendes died last month. He was 83 and had been dealing with long COVID for several months. His band Brasil '66 was at the forefront of a bossa nova explosion that introduced the genre to listeners across the world. When Mendes joined us nearly a decade ago, he talked about how his music evolved over the years and he got into the show at Carnegie Hall that changed music history forever.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Herb Alpert is most famous for the music he created with his band, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. His career as a musician and producer has spanned over six decades, breaking ground on artists like The Police and Janet Jackson. In the nine years since Herb was last on Bullseye, he's dropped nine more records. We revisit our conversation with the music legend in honor of the recent release of his 50th studio album, 50.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy