Best Lisa Carson Podcasts (2025)

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Documentary filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky 35:59

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3d ago35:59

35:59

Filmmaker Victor Kosskovsky has been thinking quite a lot about rocks these days. Things like big granite boulders, crushed up gravel and stunning slabs of marble. He formed those thoughts, and some opinions, into his most recent documentary: Architecton. It’s a movie entirely about stone. Victor joined us to talk about Architecton, what drew him t…

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HAIM 37:10

6d ago37:10

37:10

We're joined by the principal members of the band HAIM: Alana, Danielle and Este Haim. In 2013, they released their critically acclaimed debut album Days Are Gone and the rest is history. HAIM joins us in the studio to talk about making the latest record: I Quit. They also get into growing up in the San Fernando Valley and the shocking lyrics in th…

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The Beach Boys' Al Jardine 49:26

10d ago49:26

49:26

Our guest this week is Al Jardine, one of the founding members of The Beach Boys alongside Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Mike Love. Jardine left the Beach Boys in 1998 and has toured solo ever since. He just released an EP called Islands In The Sun, and he’s touring it with Brian Wilson’s band. Al Jardine talked with Bullseye about …

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Marlee Matlin 59:10

13d ago59:10

59:10

Earlier this year, Marlee Matlin was the subject of the documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore. The film chronicles her life and career as a performer and her efforts to make movies and TV more inclusive for deaf performers. Marlee and her longtime interpreter Jack joined us to talk about the documentary, Marlee’s career in showbusiness and m…

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Fishbone's Angelo Moore & Chris Dowd 33:03

17d ago33:03

33:03

In the world of ska and punk music Fishbone are legends. We're joined by Angelo Moore and Chris Dowd, founding members of the band. Earlier this summer the band released their 8th full-length LP, Stockholm Syndrome. They talk about why the latest record is something they always dreamed of making. They also get into the bands that helped them visual…

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Paul Walter Hauser 37:58

20d ago37:58

37:58

Paul Walter Hauser has a great list of big movie appearances. He’s in Fantastic Four and The Naked Gun, and he’ll be appearing in movies like Americana and the Bruce Springsteen biopic. Hauser talks to Bullseye about his unique path to his current acting career, as well as his other labor of love: professional wrestling. Learn more about sponsor me…

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Punk rock band PUP 43:09

24d ago43:09

43:09

Punk rock band PUP released their fifth studio album Who Will Look After the Dogs? back in May. We’re joined by the band’s lead singer Stefan Babcock and guitarist Steve Sladkowski to talk about the new record. They also chatted with us about their live shows and how the mosh pits at their shows and more! Learn more about sponsor message choices: p…

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Akiva Schaffer on 'The Naked Gun' reboot , The Lonely Island and more 48:25

27d ago48:25

48:25

There’s probably nobody better to direct and write a movie like The Naked Gun reboot than Akiva Schaffer. He has a resume full of brilliant, dumb, joke-a-minute work. Together with Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone he is a member of the comedy trio The Lonely Island. Akiva wasn’t sure he wanted to direct The Naked Gun at first, he gets into why. Plus,…

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Arooj Aftab 29:46

1M ago29:46

29:46

In 2021, Arooj Aftab became the first Pakistani to win a Grammy. It was a Best Global Music Performance for her single "Mohabbat" off of her 2021 album Vulture Prince. Her latest album is called Night Reign. Like Vulture Prince, It's ethereal and beautiful and kind of haunting. In this conversation, Aftab talks about the influence of Meshell Ndegeo…

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Eugenio Derbez 40:34

1M ago40:34

40:34

Eugenio Derbez has arguably earned the title of most successful comedy actor in Latin America. And in 2013, his film Instructions Not Included helped make him a star here in the United States. These days you can catch Eugenio in the show Acapulco, which is entering its fourth and final season on Apple TV +. Eugenio joins us to talk about the new se…

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Megan Stalter 29:39

1M ago29:39

29:39

Megan Stalter is an actor and comedian. She plays Kayla Schaefer on the hit show Hacks. She's the wildly inappropriate, yet charming assistant to Paul W. Downs' manager character. When we talked last year, Stalter had just starred in the movie Cora Bora. She played the title character, a singer/songwriter in a long distance relationship that she se…

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Severance's Tramell Tillman 26:52

1M ago26:52

26:52

Tramell Tillman plays Mr. Milchick on Severance, the bizarre, fascinating sci-fi workplace show on Apple TV +. Tramell Tillman is great as Mr Milchick. He shares how he collaborated with Ben Stiller to create the character. He also talks with us about his upbringing in Baltimore, his experience being raised in the Baptist church, and his early appe…

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Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media 2:01

2M ago2:01

2:01

Act now to ensure public media remains free and accessible to all. Your donation will help this essential American service survive and thrive. Visit donate.npr.org now. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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Folk guitarist Hayden Pedigo 40:52

2M ago40:52

40:52

Hayden Pedigo writes sprawling, beautiful songs around the acoustic guitar. Hayden just put out a new record called I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away. He stopped by the studio to talk about his songwriting process and even brought his guitar by the studio for a live performance. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices …

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Richard Kind 38:03

2M ago38:03

38:03

This week's guest is Richard Kind. He is not a star. He does not want to be a star. He is perfectly fine with that. Richard loves to be the kind of character actor that shows up, lays down four pages of unforgettable dialogue... and goes on with his day. We share some laughs with Richard Kind. He gets into working with John Mulaney on Everybody's L…

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Remembering Sly Stone with Music Historian Rickey Vincent 38:05

2M ago38:05

38:05

We're joined by music historian and professor Rickey Vincent to talk about the legacy of Sly Stone. He talks to us about what made the funk icon so special and why there'll never be another like Sly again. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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George Takei 39:55

2M ago39:55

39:55

This week on Bullseye, George Takei returns to talk about his new graphic-memoir: It Rhymes with Takei. His memoir focuses on his personal journey through discovering his identity as a gay man, hiding it, and how it felt to finally come out publicly. Takei talks to Bullseye about this, as well as his experience living in incarceration camps, and hi…

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Atsuko Okatsuka 38:22

2M ago38:22

38:22

Being able to make light of extremely heavy topics is what makes Atsuko Okatsuka a brilliant comedian. Her new comedy special Father aired on Hulu last month. Atsuko chatted with us about how recording videos on social media with her family brought them closer together, what it was like bringing her grandma on her honeymoon and much more! Learn mor…

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Cole Escola 50:58

2M ago50:58

50:58

Actor and comedian Cole Escola has written and starred in some of the funniest TV comedies: Difficult People, Hacks, and At Home with Amy Sedaris. Cole recently took their writing from the small screen to the stage with Oh, Mary!, a one act play that examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mary Todd Lincoln. Cole joins Bullseye to talk about Oh, …

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Mark Hamill 54:16

2M ago54:16

54:16

The one and only Mark Hamill joins us this week. He chats with us about his latest role in the epic, life-affirming drama The Life of Chuck. He also tells us about what inspired him to take his acting skills to Broadway after Star Wars. Plus, he shares what got him into voice acting and does his iconic voice as the Joker from the animated Batman se…

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Documentarian Matt Wolf on 'Pee-wee as Himself' 44:41

2M ago44:41

44:41

What was it like to work with Paul Reubens? The man behind Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee as Himself is a beautiful, touching documentary about one of the most talented and unique voices of our time. He died in 2023. We're joined by filmmaker Matt Wolf. He talks about what made Paul Reubens a dream subject for a documentary and how he got Paul to open up …

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Ego Nwodim 36:36

3M ago36:36

36:36

This week on Bullseye, we talk to Ego Nwodim! She just wrapped up her seventh season as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. She talks with us about her roundabout path to comedy, including nods to her hometown in sketches, and a whole lot about her incredible SNL character: Lisa from Temecula. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoi…

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I Wish I Made That: Mary Randolph Carter 13:55

3M ago13:55

13:55

Mary Randolph Carter is an expert on all things junk. She's written many books on the topic including her latest called Live With the Things You Love: And You'll Live Happily Ever After. We asked Carter if there was ever one piece of junk she acquired over the years that stuck with her so much and lived inside her head rent free for so long that sh…

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Questlove 48:53

3M ago48:53

48:53

Questlove, drummer and bandleader for The Roots joins us on the latest episode. The legend. Lately, he's been working on music documentaries: Sly Lives! and Summer of Soul were both fantastic. He joins us to talk at length about Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music. Questlove gets into his early memories of Saturday Night Live as a kid and g…

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Carson Lund made Eephus, the best baseball movie in recent memory 33:18

3M ago33:18

33:18

This week on Bullseye, we talk to Carson Lund, director of the new slice-of-life baseball film, Eephus. The movie is about two rec league baseball teams meeting to play their final game on a field, which will be torn down the next day to make way for a middle school. Lund talks to Bullseye about representing downtime in baseball, and rejecting the …

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Alexander Skarsgård 32:37

3M ago32:37

32:37

Alexander Skarsgård joins us to talk about the new Apple TV + sci-fi series Murderbot. He also gets into his upbringing and what it was like growing up around different artists and performers. Plus, he'll chat with us about some of his most memorable red carpet outfits. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Priv…

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Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey 51:05

3M ago51:05

51:05

Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey will be forever linked together – thanks to one show: The Office. The sitcom is celebrating its 20th anniversary. They were strangers when the show started, but soon formed a friendship that has lasted long after the show wrapped, including their podcast Office Ladies and their book The Office BFFs. They joined Bulls…

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Author Jane Borden on 'Cults Like Us' 48:00

3M ago48:00

48:00

Jane Borden is a writer with bylines in Vanity Fair, the Washington Post, and the New York Times Magazine. Jane is kind of obsessed with cults. She enjoys reading books on them, watching documentaries, and vintage news pieces on the subject. Jane's obsession has become her latest book. She joins us on Bullseye to talk about Cults Like Us. The book …

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Rapper Dezzy Hollow's new wave of West Coast funk 35:56

3M ago35:56

35:56

Rapper and producer Dezzy Hollow is a master of modern day West Coast funk. Earlier this year he released an album called OCEANSIDE, which he named after his hometown. He chats with us about the record, what he hopes his music can bring to the city and much more. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Pol…

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Keita Takahashi created one of the most beloved cult video games ever 33:17

4M ago33:17

33:17

Video game creator Keita Takahashi joins us to talk about how he got into designing video games and how he pitched the idea for his popular game Katamari Damacy to the folks at Namco. He also talks with us about his new game, to a T, which comes out soon. A version of this interview originally ran in April of 2024. Learn more about sponsor message …

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Lisa Kudrow 46:12

4M ago46:12

46:12

Lisa Kudrow's big break was on the massively successful sitcom Friends. She portrayed the street-wise, but kind of clueless Phoebe Buffay. She's one of Friends' most beloved characters. Before she broke out on that show she envisioned a very different future. Kudrow on her early career in science research, the cruelty of middle-schoolers that set h…

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Jean Grae 46:12

4M ago46:12

46:12

Jean Grae is back on the show! The multidisciplinary artist just wrote a collection of personal essays called In My Remaining Years. She joins us to talk about the new book, why she distanced herself from rapping, her upbringing and much more. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy…

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Bob Mackie 40:35

4M ago40:35

40:35

This week, it's Bob Mackie! Mackie has made a career out of dressing big personalities in kinetic, sparkling garb. His life and career were profiled in an incredible documentary late last year. Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion covers the era-defining design work he did and the extraordinary life he's lived. Mackie talks to Bullseye about his early affini…

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Comedian Mike Drucker on the craziest day of his career 13:35

4M ago13:35

13:35

The Craziest Day of My Entire Career is a segment where folks join us to talk about some truly unbelievable stories. Comedian Mike Drucker has had his fair share of crazy days – he's work for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Adam Ruins Everything, and Saturday Night Live. But his craziest day? It all happened at a paintball game when he was working …

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Andor creator Tony Gilroy 53:23

4M ago53:23

53:23

Writer, director and showrunner Tony Gilroy joins us to talk about the new season of Andor and what makes the show so different than any other Star Wars program. He also shares what his plans are after the series concludes, and tells us about how he almost entered a career in music instead of film. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastc…

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Charles Burnett 29:53

4M ago29:53

29:53

This week on Bullseye, we talk to filmmaker Charles Burnett. His most famous film, Killer of Sheep, was part of his Masters' thesis at UCLA Film School in 1977. Now, it's in the Criterion Collection and the Library of Congress. His 1999 romance film, The Annihilation of Fish, has just been restored and set for its first theatrical release. He talks…

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Fat Joe 32:52

4M ago32:52

32:52

Rapper Fat Joe is charming, verbose, and direct. He is a man who radiates confidence. You wanna make a banger for the club? Fat Joe's got em – Lean Back, What's Luv? ft. Ashanti, and All The Way Up. The Bronx legend joins us on the latest episode of Bullseye to talk about collaborating with KRS-One , LL Cool J and his latest record The World Change…

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Hieroglyphics' Casual on the song that changed his life 13:56

5M ago13:56

13:56

The Song That Changed My Life is a segment that gives a chance for musicians and artists to tell us about the song that made them who they are. This week, we talked to Casual – he was a founding member of underground Bay Area rap crew Hieroglyphics. Casual talks about Ride the Rhythm from Chill Rob G's debut album. The track helped Casual visualize…

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Josh Gad 38:42

5M ago38:42

38:42

Josh Gad joins us to talk about his new memoir In Gad We Trust: A Tell Some. He also gets into what life was like growing up in South Florida, the one time he refuses to use his Olaf voice and winning three national titles in teen oratory competitions. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy…

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Bruce Vilanch is proud of all the awful TV he made 41:28

5M ago41:28

41:28

Bruce Vilanch wrote for countless TV variety shows dating back over 50 years. Sometimes, those shows turn out great! Think of Billy Crystal at the Oscars! The stuff that's not so great, you can read about in his new book: It Seemed Like A Bad Idea At The Time: The Worst TV Shows in History and Other Things I Wrote. Vilanch tells Bullseye stories fr…

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Christina Hendricks 46:44

5M ago46:44

46:44

Christina Hendricks joins us this week to talk about the new Hulu series Good American Family. She also chats with us about her time as a model and a ballet dancer, and what life's been like for her after starring on one of the biggest shows ever – Mad Men. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy…

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Laurie Metcalf 34:06

5M ago34:06

34:06

Jesse talks with one of the greats: Laurie Metcalf. For nine years she played Jackie on the hit TV show Roseanne. These days, she's starring in The Conners, the ABC produced spinoff of the show. The Conners is wrapping its 7th and final season right now. On the latest episode, Laurie talks about her Oscar-nominated role in Lady Bird as well as her …

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Remembering Angie Stone 34:42

5M ago34:42

34:42

We're taking a moment to remember singer and R&B legend, Angie Stone, who died on March 1, 2025. She was 63 years old. When Stone spoke with Bullseye in 2023, she had just released her newest album: Love Language . She talked about having her heart set on performing from a very young age, the influence of her family on her career, and auditioning f…

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Lucy Dacus 50:13

5M ago50:13

50:13

Lucy Dacus is a beloved singer songwriter and one-third of the Grammy-winning supergroup boygenius. She just released her new record Forever is a Feeling, and joins us talk about the project, how she went about writing songs for it and much more. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy…

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Bonus: Bullseye Bests with Barry Sonnenfeld 8:33

5M ago8:33

8:33

The MaxFunDrive is a great time to look back at the past year here at Bullseye. In this excerpted segment we listen to a bit of our conversation with Barry Sonnenfeld. He showed up early so he could work on his lighting and camera. He also dropped the most unbelievably bonkers Werner Herzog story. Do these kind of moments and conversations mean som…

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Tom Green 48:08

5M ago48:08

48:08

The Tom Green Show was ahead of its time. Its surreal stunts and pranks influenced a number of TV shows over the past twenty five years in that genre. In recent years, Tom Green kind of took a break. But Tom Green fans can rejoice – he's the star of three new projects. The projects come at a reflective time of his life and he gets real about starti…

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Vincent D'Onofrio 42:39

5M ago42:39

42:39

This week on Bullseye, it's Vincent D'Onofrio. He talks about his many memorable roles in Full Metal Jacket, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Men in Black, and Daredevil. He also talks about how an actor accesses these grand characters through physical and emotional inspirations, as well as the Kingpin costume made of material developed by NASA. Learn…

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Bonus: Bullseye Bests with Tyrese Gibson 13:50

5M ago13:50

13:50

In this excerpted segment we listen to a bit of our conversation with Tyrese Gibson. Perhaps one of the most memorable moments in recent memory. Mid-interview Tyrese stopped us to take an important call from a Bay Area rap legend. Who was it? Only one way to find out! Surprising moments like these are what gets us excited about putting out a show –…

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George Lopez 55:02

6M ago55:02

55:02

This week we're talking with the one and only George Lopez. He joins us to talk about how he and his daughter Mayan approached creating their sitcom Lopez vs Lopez. He also opens up about his upbringing and the relationship he had with his grandparents who raised him. He also gets into how his comedy style has changed over the years since he first …

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Bonus: What's The Worst Job You've Ever Had? 3:41

6M ago3:41

3:41

We're presenting a sneak peek of a bonus episode for Bullseye's annual MaxFunDrive. Jesse is asking guests like Denzel Curry and Meg Stalter about the worst jobs they've ever had. If you like what you hear, we've got even more of it at maximumfun.org/join. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy…