Bullseye with Jesse Thorn Folgen

We're talking Veep this week with the HBO comedy's showrunner, Armando Iannucci, and its star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Iannucci talks about geeking out on American and British politics and recreating them on-screen. Then, Louis-Dreyfus talks about her days on Seinfeld and her favorite dirty phrase from Veep. Plus, British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg talks about the song that changed his life.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jesse talks to the director Shane Carruth. His new movie Upstream Color has almost no dialogue, involves a kind of abstract science fiction premise, but keeps you fully engaged. Then Jesse talks to Rodney Ascher, who directed Room 237. It's a documentary about The Shining. But it doesn't go behind the scenes. It features interviews with people who have radical theories about the movie. One guy even says that the film contains signs of a faked moon landing. Rodney and Jesse talk about how plausible all this stuff is, and whether the authorial intent even matters. Plus, comedian Kyle Kinane offers tips on keeping down your cab fare.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Actress Catherine O'Hara talks about her start with the Second City's SCTV, blockbuster success with Beetlejuice and Home Alone, and her perfect encapsulation of comic absurdity in Christopher Guest films like Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind. But first, Jesse talks to Big Boi — one half of OutKast. The hip hop duo swung back and forth across the spectrum of popular music — zigging with cult favorites like "ATliens", and zagging with top 40 hits like "The Way You Move". Plus, pop culture advice from the hosts of My Brother, My Brother and Me.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy