Podcast Episodes

Rufus Wainwright’s rough road to becoming ‘the greatest songwriter on the planet’

Episode 20

Over the last three decades, Rufus Wainwright has released 10 studio albums, written two operas, and countless songs for TV and film. He’s been praised for his originality—Elton John once called him …

Published on 7 months ago

Inside actor Rita Wilson's other life as a singer

Episode 19

Actor, producer, and director Rita Wilson is known for her performances in films like “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Now and Then.” Her name can be found on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in credits for…

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Director Cord Jefferson on winning an Oscar and writing for love

Episode 18

Writer and director Cord Jefferson charts his journey from being a rule-following kid to an angry teenager to an adult with depression. After a lifetime of rejection, Cord shares what helped him fina…

Published on 8 months ago

Introducing Professional Book Nerds: An Interview with Daniel Handler

Episode 17

On this special episode, we’re featuring a conversation from our friends at the Professional Book Nerds podcast, a podcast from the book nerds at OverDrive.  

Every week host Joe Skelley chats book re…

Published on 8 months, 1 week ago

Failing publicly and feeling at home with Nextdoor’s Nirav Tolia

Episode 16

Cofounder and CEO of Nextdoor, Nirav Tolia, looks back on his childhood in small-town Texas, and how an inner conflict about belonging may have led to him creating the first social network for neighb…

Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Rock photographer Jay Blakesberg on capturing the souls of legends

Episode 15

From Nirvana to BB King, The Rolling Stones to Radiohead, legendary rock photographer Jay Blakesberg has been documenting music icons for nearly 40 years. His work has been published in thousands of …

Published on 9 months ago

Sandra Bernhard’s ‘risky, beautiful, and heartbreaking’ life

Episode 15

From her groundbreaking role playing one of the first openly gay characters on television, to her iconic appearances on David Letterman — where she repeatedly made the host speechless — actor and com…

Published on 9 months, 2 weeks ago

Chesa Boudin, raised by radicals, on the songs that shaped him

Season 1 Episode 14

Lawyer Chesa Boudin’s professional life has been nearly as tumultuous as his upbringing. He was raised by family friends because his parents—members of the Weather Underground—were incarcerated for c…

Published on 10 months ago

Rahsaan “New York” Thomas on breaking barriers behind bars

Season 1 Episode 13

Rahsaan “New York” Thomas spent more than two decades incarcerated before being granted a commutation for his rehabilitation efforts behind bars. He shares how his life was shaped by growing up in Br…

Published on 10 months, 2 weeks ago

Why Kara Swisher loves country music and the military

Season 1 Episode 12

Longtime journalist and media entrepreneur Kara Swisher has been covering Silicon Valley and the Internet since the days of dial-up. She’s taken nearly all of technology's titans to task with a fearl…

Published on 11 months ago