They Call Us Bruce

On the eve of their long-anticipated book release, Jeff and Phil welcome co-author Philip Wang and project manager Jes Vu, their co-conspirators on RISE: A Pop History of Asian America From the Nineties to Now. They discuss behind-the-scenes details on the making of the book, including The Good, The Bad and The WTF.

Jeff and Phil round up The Good, The Bad and The WTF of the week, including Ali Wong's latest standup special, Asian American excellence at the Winter Olympics, anti-Asian violence, Wrong Asians, and taking off your damn shoes inside the house.

Jeff and Phil welcome the one and only Dante Basco. He talks about his directorial debut The Fabulous Filipino Brothers, making a movie with his family -- his entire family -- growing up in Hollywood, and being perpetually linked to iconic characters, including Prince Zuko and, of course, RUFIO.

Jeff and Phil welcome Potluck Podcast pals Ada Tseng (Saturday School) and Raman Sehgal (Modern Minorities, Quarantined Comics) to celebrate the Lunar New Year and discuss superstitions, superheroes, Michelle Yeoh, Lou Diamond Phillips, urine, basement bunkers and utility journalism.

Jeff and Phil welcome award-winning journalist Lisa Ling, host of the new docuseries TAKE OUT WITH LISA LING. She talks about her own family's Chinese restaurant roots, the new ubiquity of Asian cuisines -- and the untold stories behind them, and why she does indeed have the best job in the world.

Jeff and Phil welcome Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston. She talks about breaking barriers as the first woman and first person of color elected to lead her city, hitting the ground running, "getting city hall out of city hall," and embracing both legacy and innovation.

Jeff and Phil welcome Michelle Li, reporter and anchor for KDSK in St. Louis, and Marian Chia-Ming Liu, Operations Editor for the Washington Post. They discuss racist voicemails, reclaiming our Asian names, and the significance of being Very Asian in 2022.

Jeff and Phil return from the holiday "break" and ring in the New Year with one last look back, talking about The Good, The Bad and The WTF of 2021 -- including Marvel movies, squid games, library rockers, big city mayors, licorice pizzas and the damn omicron.

Jeff and Phil welcome entertainment writer/critic friends Hanh Nguyen and Piya Sinha-Roy to catch up and discuss recent pop culture happenings, including Squid Game, Eternals, and Cowboy Bebop. They also play a Thanksgiving edition of their favorite segment: Thankful, Not Thankful and WTF.

Jeff and Phil welcome actress Ally Maki, who stars in the Marvel  series Hit Monkey. They discuss making movies and television during the pandemic, embracing the wild weirdness of an animated primate assassin, and creating community of shared identity: Asian American Girl Club.