Episode notes
Our most ambitious production ever — an adaptation of George Saunders‘ hilarious story “Ask the Optimist,” from his most recent collection, The Braindead Megaphone. Produced by me (Jesse Thorn) with video & puppetry by Brian Hogg for Hoggworks.
You can view piece in video form above, or in listen to the radio/podcast version below. We convinced George’s publisher to let us run this piece by arguing that it might “go viral,” so please share! And for some perspective on George’s work, don’t miss this interview I conducted with George and ran a few days ago, or this show, which features an older interview with George.
Featuring an all-star cast:
The Optimist – Andy Daly
Mad – Jen Kirkman
Hurt But – Jonathan Coulton
W – James Adomian
Small Penis – John Hodgman
Not Altogether Hopeful – Maria Bamford
Turkey – Jonathan Katz
Ralph, the New Optimist – Dan Klein
Judy – Xeni Jardin
Please share your thoughts on this program on our forum!
Download This Show (MP3)
Subscribe in iTunes
Review the show in iTunes
Please Donate to Support the Show
Listen to This Week’s Show Online
Please allow our low-bandwidth server a little time after you click “play”
Embeddable Audio Player Code (Copy and Paste)
Embaddable Video Player Code
Our intersititial music is provided by Dan Wally
You might also enjoy these past interview programs:
Moustaches, Etc with Andy Daly and Richard Montoya of Culture Clash
On the Road with John Hodgman & Henry Rollins (MP3)
Analog & Digital with John Vanderslice and Xeni Jardin & Mark Frauenfelder
In this episode...
About the show
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.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.
If you would like to pitch a guest for Bullseye, please CLICK HERE. You can also follow Bullseye on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. For more about Bullseye and to see a list of stations that carry it, please click here.
Get in touch with the show
@bullseye.bsky.social
@bullseyewithjessethornPeople
How to listen
Stream or download episodes directly from our website, or listen via your favorite podcatcher!
