Live Wire with Luke Burbank

Host Luke Burbank and Elena Passarello describe their dream lives; comedian Ian Karmel (The Late Late Show with James Cordon) takes down the masculinity of men's grooming products; Al Letson, host of investigative radio show Reveal, revisits an uncomfortable encounter with a far-right protester; writer Caitlin Kunkel tells us what women really want in her book New Erotica for Feminists: Satirical Fantasies of Love, Lust, and Equal Pay; and singer-songwriter Laura Gibson performs "Tenderness" from her latest album Goners.

Host Luke Burbank and Elena Passarello make some small wishes for the future; Jill Lepore, historian and staffer at The New Yorker, tells us about the first American company to predict voter behavior through the use of computers; writer Ijeoma Oluo envisions a future free from racism and sexism in her book Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America; and indie folk duo The Bengsons spread a little hope with their viral hit "The Keep Going Song."

Host Luke Burbank and Elena Passarello dream up their post-pandemic travels; star and co-creator of Broad City Abbi Jacobson recounts the highs and lows her solo cross-country road trip, as illustrated in her New York Times bestselling essay collection I Might Regret This; writer Nicole Chung discusses her journey to discover the difficult truth behind her own adoption, which formed the basis of her debut book All You Can Ever Know; and seven-piece soul ensemble The Dip perform their single “Atlas.”

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello give gratitude to some of their favorite things; Emmy Award-winning entertainer Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) makes the case against inside jokes in her new collection of essays I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are; MacArthur Fellow and poet Natalie Diaz explores the connection between poetry and basketball; and singer-songwriter Kevin Morby performs "Campfire" from his latest album Sundowner.

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello describe the small things they've recently accepted; memoirist Thomas Page McBee shares what he learned about masculinity while training to become the first transgender man to box at Madison Square Garden; Dope Queen Phoebe Robinson reflects on managing debt and embracing "trash" culture; and Americana wunderkind Sammy Brue performs "Our Garden" from his EP Down with Desperation.

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello chat about the movies they've watched countless times; New York Times opinion writer and bestselling author Lindy West unpacks why she's known as the official hater of Love, Actually; filmmaker Kirsten Johnson comes to terms with the life, death, and legacy of her father through her Netflix documentary Dick Johnson is Dead; and folk singer Leyla McCalla brings the musicality of Langston Hughes' poetry to life with "Song for a Dark Girl" from her recently re-released album Vari-Colored Songs.

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share their most effective coping mechanisms during stressful times; journalist and activist Jose Antonio Vargas recounts coming out as an undocumented immigrant with the publication of his memoir Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen; poet Danez Smith praises personal heroes in their poem “My President;” and singer-songwriter Angelica Garcia performs the one-woman version of her song "It Don't Hinder Me."

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello reminisce about their most memorable Halloween costumes; filmmakers Cristina Costantini & Kareem Tabsch reveal the man behind the cape in their Netflix documentary Mucho Mucho Amor about famed Puerto Rican astrologer Walter Mercado; and singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell takes us to the underworld of Greek mythology to discuss her Tony Award-winning folk opera Hadestown, before performing one of its hit tracks "Wedding Song."

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello get rid of some unnecessary things; poet Tommy Pico explains how writing as his alter ego "Teebs" allows him to be less self-censoring in his work; journalist Eli Saslow discusses Derek Black – the subject of his book Rising Out of Hatred – and how the once-heir to the white nationalist movement made a stunning transformation; comedian Emily Heller spins gut-busting analogies to online dating; and indie rock duo The Helio Sequence performs “Lately” from their album Keep Your Eyes Ahead.

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share the small things that fascinate them; writer and Radiolab co-host Lulu Miller unpacks the problematic practices of turn-of-the-century taxonomist David Starr Jordan; comedian and New York Times contributor Sopan Deb discusses his memoir Missed Translations about reconnecting with his immigrant parents; and Moorea Masa performs her latest single "Honey."