Bullseye with Jesse Thorn Folgen

Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey talks about fighting his way through 10 years as a marginal pro baseball player before giving himself over to the uncontrollable but devastating knuckleball.Then we travel back to the early 60s, on the streets of San Francisco, where James P Coyle & Mal Sharpe convince a man to rob a bank for them — all in the interest of humor. And for his Outshot, Jesse suggests you check out The Best Show on WFMU.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Craig Finn of The Hold Steady talks about the unpredictable and emotional music of the punk band The Replacements, and how one their songs changed his life. Video game journalist and TV host Morgan Webb talks semiotics, video games, and who REALLY makes up the gaming community. The actor Benedict Cumberbatch talks about putting his spin on one of pop culture's most ubiquitous heroes, Sherlock Holmes. And Jason Kottke suggests you check out the documentary Senna — about the Brazilian Formula One driver, and two mini-documentaries about HAM.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jesse interviews comedian Chris Gethard about booking P. Diddy at a tiny theater in New York. Lawrence Weschler talks about why CGI faces will never look quite right, and why humans are addicted to narrative. Plus some all-time TV picks from Erik Adams and Claire Zulkey, and pop culture advice from My Brother, My Brother and Me. [Episode originally aired January 2012]Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy