Bullseye with Jesse Thorn Folgen

From Bob Newhart to George Carlin, the comedy duo Bob & Ray influenced some of the 20th century's finest entertainers. Jesse will talk with comedy writer David Pollock about how Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding created that bond with their audience. Pollock's new book is called Bob & Ray, Keener Than Most Persons. And then, we revisit Jesse's interview with the Emmy-nominated actor Tony Hale. He's having a pretty good year. He's been in a couple of big television series in recent months — Arrested Development and Veep. Plus, our go-to rap critic recommends some all-time great tracks, and Jesse tells the true story of a man who spent the last decade and a half of his life secretly building something amazing in a rented garage.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When it comes to sharing the planet with other animals, you might think that we humans are just screwing it all up. Ruining everything. Hogging all the resources. But what if it's a little more complicated than that? What do the stories we tell ourselves about wild animals actually mean? Jon Mooallem's new book Wild Ones attempts to explain. Then later, revisit Jesse's conversation with the late master of American pulp ficton: Elmore Leonard. They'll talk about his distinctive prose and the many film adaptations of his work. Plus comedy from Kurt Braunohler, a couple of new DVD recommendations from film website The Dissolve, and Jesse explains the virtues of watching drunk people explain important historical events.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

[r] First, an interview with the rapper and author Prodigy, one-half of the seminal hardcore hip hop duo Mobb Deep. He'll talk about why his naturally shy demeanor was taken for weakness, selling crack cocaine when he was barely in middle school, and the jail time that turned his life around. Plus, Carolyn Kellogg from the Los Angeles Times shares some of her all-time favorite books and Jesse explains why you've been underappreciating Randy Newman all these years.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy