Elizabeth Gilbert and Daryl Hall

Episode notes

New to Bullseye? Subscribe to our podcast in iTunes or with your favorite podcatcher to make sure you automatically get the newest episode every week.

And if you’re looking for a particular segment to listen to or share, check us out on Soundcloud.

Elizabeth Gilbert talks curiosity, life after “Eat, Pray, Love” and writing her most recent novel

If you know of the writer Elizabeth Gilbert, it’s probably from her 2006 memoir, Eat Pray Love. Gilbert’s book, which was about travel and love and re-gaining a sense of self, spent years atop the bestseller list and inspired a movie starring Julia Roberts. It also saddled Gilbert with a certain kind of fame.

Gilbert was already an accomplished novelist, biographer, and journalist when fame happened. But the massive success of Eat, Pray, Love necessarily transformed Gilbert’s creative life.

Gilbert returned to fiction with her first novel in thirteen years, entitled The Signature of All Things: A Novel. She spent several years doing research for the book, which follows the adventures of Alma Whittaker, a 19th century botanist who studies moss. The book shines with Alma’s curiosity for life and science, and her struggle of self-discovery.

She’ll talk about why she chose to write a “great moss novel”, how she chose to write her heroine Alma (homely, brilliant, and moneyed), and how she dealt with a certain kind of fame.
(This segment originally aired in October 2013)

If you liked this, let someone know! Click here to share this segment.

The Dissolve Talks about All-Time Favorite Movies: “Real Life” and “To Be or Not to Be”This week, a look back at some favorite films. Staff writer Nathan Rabin and Editorial Director Keith Phipps of film site The Dissolve join us to talk about some of their all-time favorite films.

Nathan recommends Albert Brooks’ 1979 satire Real Life, a prescient look at documenting “real life” in pre-reality television times.

Keith recommends the 1942 Ernst Lubitch classic To Be or Not to Be (Criterion Collection), starring Jack Benny and Carole Lombard.

(This segment originally aired in October 2013)

If you liked this, let someone know! Click here to share this segment.

Comedy: Patton Oswalt explains why sometimes shopping can be embarrassingWhen you lose a few pounds it’s natural to buy new clothes. You might try on those skin tight jeans that look so great on the model. But, trying on new clothes isn’t always fun. Sometimes it’s downright embarrassing. Patton Oswalt will explain why he didn’t end up with new pants.

His most recent stand up special, Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time, is out now. He’s actually gone silent for the summer. Taking a break from the internet. But you can catch him live in LA starting September 13.

Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates on forming a band, creating a signature sound, and hip hop samplingDaryl Hall, best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of Hall & Oates, is a singer, songwriter and producer with a collection of #1 songs to his name. He spent his formative years in Philadelphia around soul singers like Smokey Robinson.

Daryl Hall and John Oates met as students at Temple University, and went on to form a best-selling musical duo with chart-toppers like “Rich Girl”, “Sara Smile”, and “Private Eyes”. Hall talks about his first meeting with Oates, and how he used disco and punk rock to help create Hall & Oates’ signature sound.

His newest project is a web series called Live from Daryl’s House of performances and collaborations with a diverse set of musicians that’s included Minus the Bear, Cee-lo Green, Toots and the Maytals, Chromeo and the Neon Trees.
(This segment originally aired on The Sound of Young America in February 2011)

If you liked this, let someone know! Click here to share this segment.

The Outshot: Bo Jackson
And finally, the outshot for this week – Bo Jackson. How is a guy that fast, that strong? And how is a guy that strong, that fast? Jesse explains.

(This segment originally aired in January 2012)

If you liked this, let someone know! Click here to share this segment.