Bullseye With Jesse Thorn

Kristen Bell joins the show this week to talk about her new series The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window. It's a parody of domestic thriller movies like The Woman in The Window and The Girl on the Train. Kristen plays the character of Anna in the show, a woman who lives in an upscale suburb and is having a rough go of it lately. Anna does not do much other than drink lots of red wine and stare out her window from a comfy looking chair. That is until one day when she witnesses a horrific crime across the street, or at least she thinks she does. Interviewing Kristen this week is our friend Helen Zaltzman. Helen hosts the language and linguistics podcast The Allusionist and Veronica Mars Investigations, which recapped Kristen Bell's breakthrough show of the same name. Helen talks with Kristen Bell about the new show and what it was like not only starring in it, but also to produce it. Kristen also talks about some of the extreme things Veronica Mars fans have done in the past to ge

John Bradley was around 22 when he got the part that changed his life. On Game of Thrones he played Samwell Tarly, John Snow's close friend for nearly a decade. In the beginning, it's clear that Sam isn't cut out for the world of Game of Thrones. He isn't a natural warrior. He's a bigger guy. Kind of soft. He's smart, but not especially cunning. He's nice, maybe a little goofy. And on any other show, you can pretty much guess his character's trajectory: maybe he stays a bumbling comic sidekick or maybe he gets killed off tragically. But instead the things he was bullied for: his kindness, his empathy, his bookishness... they turn out to be assets, not liabilities. These days, John Bradley keeps busy. He has two movies out this month – sci-fi disaster movie Moonfall and the romantic comedy Marry Me. We revisit our conversation with John from 2019. He talks with us about the surreal experience of watching the finale of Game of Thrones after it consumed most of his 20's. Plus, he shared the things that make him

Louie Anderson passed away last month at the age of 68. He was a veteran stand-up and comic actor who performed in movies and shows like Family Feud, Coming to America, and Life with Louie. When we talked with Louie Anderson in 2017, he had been starring in the FX series Baskets. We remember the life of Louie Anderson by revisiting this conversation with him on the latest episode. He talked with us about his role as Christine Baskets, who was loosely based on his mother, Ora Anderson. Louie shared his perceptions of his own career, including his comedy style and on-screen appearance. This extended interview also features material we never played when it originally aired – including one of his darkest jokes, and what it was like being the opening act for folks like Ray Charles and Dolly Parton in Las Vegas. Plus, he talked about how being able to laugh at some of the difficult moments in his life helped him heal from past struggles.

I Wish I Made That is a segment where we invite some of our favorite voices in pop culture to dive deep into a work of art they did not make but they really wish they did. This time around we are joined by John Darnielle. John is a writer and frontman of the folk rock band the Mountain Goats. He recently released his third novel which is called Devil House. It is an epic story that touches on the true crime fad of today, the Satanic panic of the 1980s and a spooky home in Milpitas, California. When we asked John to pick something he wished he had made, he sent us a list of a few different things. After narrowing down the list, he eventually settled on Speak & Spell, the debut album by new wave legends Depeche Mode.

W. Kamau Bell, a comedian and host, directed a new documentary series. It's called We Need To Talk About Cosby. It's about Bill Cosby – who he is, what he's done, and how we deal with that. It's a complicated, difficult topic. One that intersects with the fabric of the American entertainment system, with race, the justice system, the MeToo movement and so much more. In this conversation we talk with Kamau about the documentary at length. He talks about what Cosby meant to him as a kid and as a comic. He talks about Cosby's pioneering work in civil rights and in television, and about how we struggle to square all that with the person we now know Cosby to be. We Need To Talk About Cosby will be available to watch via Showtime on January 30.

The Righteous Gemstones just kicked off its second season on HBO, and that's good news. It's a comedy about the Gemstones, a family of pastors and owners of a massive megachurch with hundreds of thousands of followers. The show centers around Dr. Eli Gemstone (John Goodman), the patriarch, who's been preaching on TV for decades; he's played by John Goodman. But the show itself centers around Eli's kids: their power struggles, their scheming, their scandals, their hamfisted attempts to curry favor with their father. Among a stacked cast, Edi Patterson stands out as the daughter, Judy Gemstone, bringing a manic energy to the part. We'll talk with Edi about her own church experience, improvising – and "Misbehavin,'" the Christian country tune from season 1 she sang on and co-wrote.

Alfred Molina started his acting career almost 40 years ago. First on British TV and a couple of movies later on. Since then he's gotten over 150 roles. He's responsible for a bunch of other unforgettable scenes, in films like Boogie Nights, Chocolat and Magnolia. He played Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man 2 and has now reprised the role for Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is out now. When we talked with him in 2017, he'd just starred in the first season of Feud, the FX series. It's set in 1962, and it tells the story of the rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford when they filmed the movie "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" Jesse sits down with Alfred Molina to talk about his portrayal of director Robert Aldrich in the FX series, plus his memorable turns in films like Boogie Nights, Spider-Man 2 and more.

Just before Christmas this past year, the writer Joan Didion died. She was 87. Didion rose to fame for her journalism – she immersed herself in stories. In the late 60s, she broke through with Slouching Towards Bethlehem. In her career she covered a bunch of different topics – counter culture, war, immigration. She also wrote a handful of novels, a couple memoirs. We never got to interview Didion – she became a pretty private person in her last years. But in 2017, a documentary about her came out. The documentary was directed by Griffin Dunne, her nephew. Griffin Dunne is also an actor – he was in My Girl, the Martin Scorsese film After Hours, and the TV show This is Us. We remember the life of Joan Didion by revisiting this conversation with Griffin on the latest episode. We talked with him about the documentary, and the legacy of his aunt.

Glynn Turman is a brilliant actor who's lived an extraordinary life. His first big role was at 12, in the original Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun alongside Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Louis Gossett Jr. He's played mayor Clarence Royce on The Wire and Doctor Senator on the most recent season of Fargo. Just the other week he portrayed Mose Wright, the great-uncle of Emmett Till, in the ABC miniseries Women of the Movement. Those are just some of his 150-plus credits. Oh, and did we mention he was married to Aretha Franklin? When we talked with Turman last year, he'd just finished performing in the Academy Award-nominated film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Winston Duke was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to Brooklyn when he was nine. He studied acting at Yale and went on to work mainly in TV during his early twenties. He did not break into movies until he was thirty. That first movie role was M'Baku in 2018's Black Panther. He followed that up with an appearance in Avengers Infinity War, then with a starring role in Jordan Peele's Us. Last year, he starred in a very different movie. It was the Edson Oda film Nine Days. It is a sci-fi drama where Duke stars as an otherworldly entity who interviews souls for the chance to inhabit a body on earth. We are thrilled to have Winston Duke on the show, and just as excited to have our friend and correspondent Jarrett Hill interviewing him.

Living legend John Cameron Mitchell joins us on the latest episode. He's directed the movies Shortbus and Rabbit Hole, acted on shows like Shrill and Girls. But he's probably best known for his iconic work is the cult hit Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It's a story about queerness, about identity, about the threads rock and punk music shares with other live performances, like drag and cabaret and Broadway. These days, John Cameron Mitchell has gotten back to writing and recording new music. He's put out an ongoing benefit called New American Dream, in which he collaborates with Ezra Furman, Xiu Xiu and Stephen Trask – co-creator of Hedwig. Jesse Thorn talks with John Cameron Mitchell about his childhood, punk rock, his songwriting process, creating Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and how his relationship with the piece has changed over the years. Plus, he takes a deep dive into the making of his film Shortbus – a conversation that was too spicy for radio.

Odds are, you know Sarah Snook for her role on Succession, the latest Zeitgeist-y TV drama on HBO. Sarah plays Siobhan Roy. But to her friends and family, it's just "Shiv." Succession follows the Roy family. They own a giant conservative media conglomerate called Waystar Royco; the family's patriarch, Shiv's father Logan Roy, is aging and can't run the company forever. Who will he name to take over? And what will the players do to get what they want? Shiv's part in the drama earned Snook a bunch of critical praise and awards nominations, including an Emmy and, more recently, a Golden Globe. Linda Holmes, the terrific host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, talked with Sarah in 2020 about what it's like to play one of the most fascinating, complex and confounding characters on television today.

Benedict Cumberbatch is pretty much one of the biggest actors around. In 2010, he got the title part on the BBC's modern day Sherlock Holmes reboot, just called Sherlock. He plays Dr. Strange in the Marvel movies, including the brand new Spider Man: No Way Home. He is also in the brand new western called The Power of the Dog, which is playing in theaters and streaming on Netflix. When we talked with Benedict in 2012, it was on the heels of Sherlock's 2nd series. He talked with us about bringing a new take to an iconic character, and what has kept Holmes relevant to both writers and audiences all these years later. He also talked about the challenge he faced when taking on the role. Plus, he spoke with us about his harrowing experience being kidnapped and robbed while on set abroad.

It's that time of year again! Our annual end of year best of stand-up comedy showcase is here! The whole team here at Maximum Fun combed through dozens and dozens of albums to bring you some of the best. In a year that was extraordinarily difficult for stand-up comedy, that meant that some comedians got creative. We have albums recorded before the pandemic, albums recorded in front of only a handful of people and even one that was recorded at a drive-in! So sit back, relax, and get ready to laugh. It has been a long year and you have earned it.

The Bullseye Holiday Spectacular is here! We are revisiting some of our favorite Holiday interviews with different guests from over the years. First, we kick things off with Ronnie Spector. She talks with us about her work with The Ronnets and her fond love for Christmas music. We are then joined by singer/songwriter Sy Smith, who shares which classic holiday tune changed her life. We close things out by revisiting our interview with the one and only Jane Lynch. In 2016, she talked with us about her holiday album A Swingin' Little Christmas and some of her holiday traditions growing up. Happy Holidays!

For over 30 years now, Yeardley Smith has voiced Lisa Simpson, one of the most iconic characters of all time. She is also an on-screen actor and a co-host on the true crime podcast Small Town Dicks. When we asked Yeardley about the craziest day of her career, she took us back to 1986, before podcasts and before the Simpsons. It was a big part in a Stephen King film that she couldn't turn down, even if it meant a giant crazy truck might run her over.

On the latest episode of Bullseye we're joined by Houston rapper Maxo Kream. Maxo's had a tough life, and he's not afraid to put that on wax. He's been in and out of jail, along with many other members of his family. When hurricane Harvey hit Houston a few years ago, many of them lost their homes. He's also lost friends and relatives to gun violence, including his brother last year. He lost his grandmother to Covid-19 in 2020, too. On his latest record Weight of the World Maxo raps about losing his brother, his grandmother and becoming a parent. Jesse Thorn talks with Maxo about his critically acclaimed album Weight of the World. They discuss what his family members think about his records and how he writes about tough times.

If you know actor Hiam Abbass from one thing, it's probably Succession. Abbass plays Marcia, Logan Roy's wife. On a show famous for its craven, manipulative, sometimes frightening characters, Marcia dominates the lineup in all three categories. Most recently, though, Hiam's performed in a new movie - it's called Gaza, Mon Amour. It's Palestine's submission to this year's Academy Awards, and it's pretty much everything Succession isn't: it's a romcom. It's slow-paced. It's sweet in parts, sad and scary in others. It's a really unique film. Hiam joins us to talk about the movie, growing up in Nazareth, how she got the role to play Marcia on Succession, and whether or not she thinks Marcia loves her husband, Logan Roy. Succession intrigue! Don't miss it!

Mike Mills is a writer and director who's worked in film, TV, and on music videos. He's made the films Beginners and 20th Century Women and his newest movie is called C'mon C'mon. It's a film about the extraordinary burdens of parenthood and the ways it changes parents. It's also about kids and how amazing and resilient they can be, even in the face of serious trauma. Mike talks with us about C'mon C'mon and how the film connects to his personal experiences with parenthood. He also shares that the film features real interviews with kids conducted by Joaquin Phoenix. Plus, he'll talk about the role music plays in his creative process and how he always leaves room in the budget for live musicians on set.

Joe Pera Talks with You is one of the quirkiest shows on television right now. Comedian Joe Pera portrays a fictionalized version of himself. He's a soft-spoken, unassuming, kind person. Each episode involves Joe, a middle school choir teacher, guiding viewers through his life in the city of Marquette, Michigan. He talks about the simple things in life. It's quickly becoming one of our favorites here at Bullseye. Joe Pera Talks With You is back for season three. We're revisiting our conversation with Joe from last year, from when he had just wrapped season two. Joe Pera talked about doing comedy at his own pace, sleeping in a twin bed well into his twenties and why he enjoys casting non-actors in real locations. Plus, why he considers falling asleep to be a totally acceptable response to his performances. This interview originally aired in January of 2020.