Bullsye with Jesse Thorn Podcast Review

The Pitch:

An interview-based curated guide to culture.

The Product:

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn somehow escaped Podcasteroid’s eye until now, which is odd as it sits squarely in our wheelhouse of pop culture interviews and being an increasingly fervent NPR fan the older we get.

Multiple ~hour-long episodes drop each week, each featuring a different pop culture creator, with a mix of straightforward interviews about recent projects, in depth career-spanning conversations, and several recurring feature episodes like “The Song That Changed My Life” and “I Wish I Made That”.

On the surface, this type of podcast used to be omnipresent, often hosted by comedians with a god complex, participating in indulgent riff-heavy, sycophantic chats. Bullseye, if you couldn’t guess, is somewhat different.

NPR has a pretty distinct style — one that can be easily and often parodied — and host Jesse Thorn does very little to lean away from the mannerisms you might expect from public radio. Digging even slightly below surface level, however, you can discover a distinct comedic voice, a quick wit, and an ease on the mic that suggests Thorn has been doing this a long time.