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Bullseye with Jesse Thorn 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."
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new bullseye

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Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

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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."

Most Recent Episodes

Yaya Bey
Daniel Speer/Maximum Fun

Yaya Bey

Today on Bullseye, it’s songwriter and recording artist Yaya Bey! She just wrapped up a national tour in support of her new album, do it afraid. She talks to Bullseye about blending genres, and coming out on top after a tumultuous handful of years.

Yaya Bey

Listen · 41:28
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Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman at Maximum Fun HQ Daniel Speer/Maximum Fun hide caption

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Daniel Speer/Maximum Fun

Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation, Fargo, The Last of Us) returns to the show to talk about his new book, Little Woodchucks, and to share why woodworking is such a big part of his life. Plus, he gives Jesse a deep tissue massage. Yep, on the radio!

Nick Offerman

Listen · 40:52
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'Slow Horses' creator Will Smith

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Apple TV+

'Slow Horses' creator Will Smith

Will Smith is the creator and showrunner of the hit Apple TV spy thriller Slow Horses. Smith talks with Jesse about the show's unique blend of drama, action and comedy. He also shares how he learned from Armando Iannucci, the best in the biz, while working on Veep and The Thick of It. Also discussed: farts! And how star Gary Oldman's character Jackson Lamb uses them as a plot device.

'Slow Horses' creator and showrunner Will Smith

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Gwendoline Christie
Photo: Daniel Speer/Maximum Fun

Gwendoline Christie

This week, it’s Gwendoline Christie! She’s best known for her part as Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones launched Christie’s career. Before it wrapped, she was cast in two Star Wars movies. She recently earned an Emmy nomination for her part in Severance as the lady who was in charge of all the goats. She talks to Bullseye about art, resilience, and getting ready to wrangle all those goats.

Gwendoline Christie

Listen · 41:00
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Why Digable Planets' Blowout Comb is one of the greatest albums of all time

Diallo Riddle (left) and LUXXURY (right) at MaxFun HQ. Photographer: Daniel Speer hide caption

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Photographer: Daniel Speer

Why Digable Planets' Blowout Comb is one of the greatest albums of all time

Canonball is a segment that takes a closer look at albums that should be considered classics. This time around, Diallo Riddle and LUXXURY of the One Song podcast discuss the game changing album Blowout Comb by Digable Planets.

Why Digable Planet’s Blowout Comb is one of the greatest albums of all time

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Ghostface Killah

Supreme Clientele 2 by Ghostface Killah is out now. Danny Hastings hide caption

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Danny Hastings

Ghostface Killah

We're joined today by Ghostface Killah, a founding member of the hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. In 1996, Ghost put out Supreme Clientele – that record cemented his legacy. If you pull up one of those 100 best rap albums of all times list, you're bound to see it show up. Ghostface joins us on the latest episode of Bullseye to talk about Supreme Clientele 2, the follow-up nearly 25 years in the making. He also opens up about being responsible for two of his younger brothers with muscular dystrophy.

Ghostface Killah

Listen · 45:23
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Sonia Manzano

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Sonia Manzano

For nearly 5 decades, Sonia Manzano played the part of Maria on Sesame Street. She was the first Latina on the show – it was a big step forward for Latinas on TV! In 2021, she launched her own show called Alma’s Way. It’s an animated kids series about Alma Rivera, a 6-year-old Puerto Rican girl living in the Bronx. 

Sonia Manzano

Listen · 51:27
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Christopher Lloyd

Christopher Lloyd poses at the after party for the Los Angeles premiere of Amazon Studio's "The Tender Bar" at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on December 12, 2021 in Hollywood, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Christopher Lloyd

Christopher Lloyd has performed in a number of iconic roles over the years and at the age of 86 he has no plans to stop anytime soon. When Jesse last spoke with the Hollywood veteran, they chatted about his remarkable career in acting and what’s been keeping him in the biz. They also talked about his most memorable roles including his part as Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This interview originally ran in March of 2021.

Christopher Lloyd

Listen · 34:34
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Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert at the Max Fun Studios. Daniel Speer/Maximum Fun hide caption

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Daniel Speer/Maximum Fun

Elizabeth Gilbert

If you know Elizabeth Gilbert's name, it might be for her book Eat, Pray, Love. Earlier this month, Gilbert published a very different memoir: All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation. It centers around her relationship with her partner, the writer Rayya Elias and the aftermath of her cancer diagnosis. Elizabeth Gilbert joins us to talk about the intense, very harrowing book. Content Warning: This episode dives into some very intense topics including: addiction, cancer, sex, suicide, death and violence.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Listen · 39:43
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Jinkx Monsoon

Jinkx Monsoon stars in Oh Mary on Broadway through September 27th. Evan Zimmerman/MurphyMade hide caption

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Evan Zimmerman/MurphyMade

Jinkx Monsoon

Jinkx Monsoon is a legend in the world of drag. For fans of RuPaul's Drag Race she is often referred to as "Queen of All Queens" – she's the only performer to win that competition show twice. More recently she's been performing on stage like Little Shop of Horrors and Chicago. Currently, you can catch her on Broadway in Cole Escola's Tony award-winning play Oh Mary. We discuss Jinkx's latest gigs on the stage and how she found herself through drag performances.

Jinkx Monsoon

Listen · 44:24
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