Authentic Connection: Jesse Thorn's 25 Years of Genuine Interviews

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "Enshittification" by Cory Doctorow - This concept explains how online platforms degrade over time, moving from serving users to exploiting them for profit, particularly in businesses funded by venture capital.

Videos & Documentaries

• Soul Power - A documentary about the concert in Zaire that accompanied the "Rumble in the Jungle" boxing match, featuring artists like James Brown, Fela Kuti, and Bill Withers.
• When We Were Kings - A documentary that covers the "Rumble in the Jungle" boxing match, providing a parallel to the "Soul Power" concert.

Music

• "Just the Two of Us" by Bill Withers and Grover Washington - A record that Bill Withers put out, after which he quit the music business due to his dislike for his record label.
• "Grandma's Hands" by Bill Withers - Mentioned as an example of beautiful art.
• Dance record Michael K. Williams was in the video for - This song was a significant break for Michael K. Williams as a dancer and brought back powerful memories for him during an interview.

People Mentioned

• Matt Besser (Upright Citizens Brigade) - An early guest on Jesse Thorn's show.
• Matt Walsh (Upright Citizens Brigade) - An early guest on Jesse Thorn's show.
• Mike Nelson (Mystery Science Theater 3000) - An early guest on Jesse Thorn's show, known for a memorable impromptu acting segment.
• Steve from Blues Clues - An interviewee who refused to discuss Blues Clues.
• Dustin Diamond (Screech on Saved by the Bell) - An interviewee whose disastrous interview led Jesse Thorn to be more selective about guests.
• Bill Withers - A musician who had stopped doing media for 20 years and was interviewed about his life and reasons for leaving the music business.
• Riley - A character in an act-along record with whom Mike Nelson improvised a scene.
• Chris Bannon (Program Director at WNYC) - Emailed Jesse Thorn, leading to the show being broadcast on WNYC.
• Amy Sedaris - An interviewee who had a memorable interaction involving Jesse Thorn's taxidermied squirrel.
• Terry Gross (Host of Fresh Air) - Referenced for her preference for remote interviews and her approach to interviewing.
• Michael K. Williams (Actor, Omar on The Wire) - An interviewee who had a deeply emotional reaction to hearing a song from his past.
• Pedro Almodóvar (Film Director) - Interviewed about his experience with migraines and how it influenced his art.
• Antonio Banderas - Actor who played a character in Almodóvar's film, based on Almodóvar's experience with migraines.
• Jean Grae (Retired Rapper) - An interviewee who expressed a desire for more technical conversations about rap.
• Dave and Graham (Hosts of Stop Podcasting Yourself) - Friends whose work Jesse Thorn admired.
• The McElroy Brothers (Hosts of The Adventure Zone and My Brother, My Brother and Me) - Friends whose work Jesse Thorn admired.
• Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon) - Mentioned in the context of venture capital and market capture strategies.
• Steve (Jesse Thorn's father-in-law) - Worked at a worker-owned hardware store and advised Jesse on worker ownership.
• Bill Moyers - Referenced for his perspective on the value and purpose of public media.

Organizations & Institutions

• Upright Citizens Brigade - Mentioned as the affiliation of early guests Matt Besser and Matt Walsh.
• KZSC - The college radio station at UC Santa Cruz where Jesse Thorn started his radio show.
• WNYC - The public radio station that first broadcast Jesse Thorn's show, Bullseye, to a larger audience.
• Maximum Fun - The podcast network founded by Jesse Thorn, which transitioned to a worker-owned cooperative.
• Apple TV - Sponsor of the "Adrift" podcast.
• Blanchard House - Producer of the "Adrift" podcast.
• CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) - Referenced in the context of attacks on public media.

Podcasts

• Adrift (Apple Original podcast produced by Blanchard House) - A true story about the Robertson family surviving a killer whale attack at sea.
• Bullseye - Jesse Thorn's public radio show and podcast, which is the main topic of the episode.
• The Turnaround - Another podcast hosted by Jesse Thorn.
• Judge John Hodgman - Another podcast hosted by Jesse Thorn.
• Jordan, Jesse, Go! - Another podcast co-hosted by Jesse Thorn.
• Stop Podcasting Yourself - A podcast hosted by friends of Jesse Thorn.
• The Adventure Zone - A podcast hosted by the McElroy brothers.
• My Brother, My Brother and Me - A podcast hosted by the McElroy brothers.
• Fresh Air - Terry Gross's radio show, referenced for its interview style.

Other Resources

• Mystery Science Theater 3000 - A show that Mike Nelson was associated with, mentioned as an example of art.
• Saved by the Bell - The TV show Dustin Diamond (Screech) was known for.
• Largo - A 250-300 seat club in Los Angeles, mentioned as a potential venue for Bill Withers to play music.
• The Wire - The TV show where Michael K. Williams famously played Omar.
• Sesame Street - Mentioned as an example of radically inclusive public media success.
• Tiny Desk Concerts - Mentioned as an example of radically inclusive public media success.