Bullseye with Jesse Thorn Folgen

Jesse talks with one of the greats: Laurie Metcalf. You definitely know Laurie from from Roseanne. For 9 years she played Jackie, on the hit TV show. She's now starring in The Conners, the new Spinoff. She's also an Academy Award nominee for her work alongside Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird, the fascinating, beautiful coming of age film directed by Greta Gerwig. These days, Laurie's been working a lot on Broadway. She's been nominated for a bunch of Tony's and won 2017's Best Actress award for her role in A Doll's House part II.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Brian Raftery writes for GQ, Wired and Rolling Stone, among others. He just wrote a really interesting book. He called it "Best Movie Year Ever" and in the book's 300 pages, Brian makes the case that one of the most interesting and memorable years in cinema history... was 1999. The year that saw the release of Office Space. Rushmore. Three Kings. Being John Malkovich... you get the point. It's a great read, tons of interviews and insight into a year that not just saw a bunch of classic movies but changed the way studios marketed them. Listen to this one for a fascinating conversation about film!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What follows is one of our favorite interviews we've recorded this year. Seriously. It's with an artist you probably haven't heard of. His name's Tom Scott. He's from New Zealand. He's been a rapper there for about 10 years now, he's one of the biggest role players in the small, burgeoning scene there. Last year he created the group Avantdale Bowling Club and released a self-titled record for the group. It combines jazz with hip-hop in the same way Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly did. It's lush and beautiful like Pharoah Sanders or Alice Coltrane. Tom's rhymes are deeply personal and affecting and honest. It's one of our favorite albums of the year. Don't miss this one!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy