Sam Sanders Puts Together Audio Shows and Makes Peace with the Beasts. Metaphorically.

Episode 162

1st April 2026

If you listen to audio programming, and of course you do, you already know Sam Sanders’ voice from show’s like NPR’s It’s Been a Minute, The NPR Politics Podcast, and The Sam Sanders Show on KCRW, for which he was a natural choice to host, given his name. Sam has a great voice and he works incredibly hard on the somewhat interesting but not ultimately fascinating task of putting together an audio program, whether that’s on podcast or radio. Or video, which still has audio in it. Sam Sanders talks with fellow audio programming veteran John Moe about all the elements of putting together a show such as his or, heck, the show you’re listening to here. Sam reveals his secret tricks to useful curveball questions and his recommendation of just lock your phone in the trunk and drive somewhere like Joshua Tree. Gotta say, Joshua Tree keeps coming up for our guests. John Moe likes it there too. And U2 has a whole album about it. Let’s get those guys on. Anyone have an Irish phone book? We need to look under B for Bono or, I guess, E for The Edge, assuming The is his first name?

Episode notes

If you listen to audio programming, and of course you do, you already know Sam Sanders’ voice from show’s like NPR’s It’s Been a Minute, The NPR Politics Podcast, and The Sam Sanders Show on KCRW, for which he was a natural choice to host, given his name. Sam has a great voice and he works incredibly hard on the somewhat interesting but not ultimately fascinating task of putting together an audio program, whether that’s on podcast or radio. Or video, which still has audio in it. Sam Sanders talks with fellow audio programming veteran John Moe about all the elements of putting together a show such as his or, heck, the show you’re listening to here. Sam reveals his secret tricks to useful curveball questions and his recommendation of just lock your phone in the trunk and drive somewhere like Joshua Tree. Gotta say, Joshua Tree keeps coming up for our guests. John Moe likes it there too. And U2 has a whole album about it. Let’s get those guys on. Anyone have an Irish phone book? We need to look under B for Bono or, I guess, E for The Edge, assuming The is his first name?

Listen to It’s Been a Minute, The NPR Politics Podcast, and The Sam Sanders Show on the radio and or wherever fine pods are cast. Follow Sam Sanders on Instagram @samsanders.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

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John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

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  • Sam Sanders

About the show

Getting to sleep can be difficult sometimes. Now you can achieve that urgently needed rest by taking advantage of our most precious natural resource: celebrities. Each week on the slyly humorous and reassuring Sleeping With Celebrities, host John Moe talks with a different guest from the world of entertainment about something they know a lot about. The conversation is guaranteed to be just interesting enough to draw your attention away from your own swirling anxieties but never interesting enough to keep you awake. No startling revelations, no dramatic screaming confrontations, but plenty of low-key dialogue, intricately laced deadpan comedy, and a ticket to dreamland.

Podcast art by Stefan Lawrence.

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