020: Interview: Jesse Thorn, Part 2

Merlin talks with The Sound of Young America’s Jesse Thorn about how podcasts let him engage with a wider audience, the greying of public radio’s average listener, and how radio can be programmed to become almost unnoticeable. Note: This is the second segment in our six-part interview with Jesse Thorn. Don’t miss the other segments. Click To Play break Also mentioned in (or related to) this segment: UC Santa Cruz; KZSC; Maximum Fun Forum; WNYU; photos from Jesse’s recent meetup; TSOYA Flickr Group; Spiderman 3; KKSF (San Francisco’s Smooth Jazz); WFSU; WFSQ, and their playlist; Scott Simon (Scott, we kid because we love.); Fresh Air; MC Solaar; Killer Mike; Andrew W.K.; Jesse’s somewhat infamous letter to Weekend ATC; Matisyahu, a hasidic hip-hop artist; Orientalism; Google Answers: Average listener age for public radio; Jesse’s MaxFun post: NPR Listeners: Exactly How You Picture Them; Kelefa Sanneh; KPCC. Jesse Thorn (a/k/a, “America’s Radio Sweetheart”), is a nationally syndicated public radio host, raconteur, and podcaster who’s best known for The Sound of Young America and several other programs under the aegis of his “Maximum Fun” site: The Sound of Young America Episode Archive, Recent Episodes, Subscribe, iTunes Jesse’s terrific interviews with comedians, writers, actors, and other people he finds awesome. Coyle & Sharpe: The Impostors Recent Episodes, Subscribe, iTunes More info at their site. Vintage street terrorism from the skinny-tie 60s. Classic bits from the original and quintessential “man on the street” comedy put-on team. Jordan, Jesse, GO! Recent Episodes, Subscribe, iTunes Jesse and his pal, Jordan Morris (Boy Detective), do free-form. And it’s really funny. Seriously. Kasper Hauser Comedy Podcast Episode Archive, Recent Episodes, Subscribe, iTunes Sketch comedy from San Francisco’s hilarious “Kasper Hauser” comedy group, perhaps best known for their “Sky Maul” catalog parody. The College Years Recent Episodes, Subscribe, iTunes Santa Cruz-era episodes of The Sound of Young America, decanted for your present-day enjoyment. Merlin’s personal picks for a few Sound of Young America episodes to get started with: October 13th, 2006 — Best Friends - “Guests John Hodgman and Jonathan Coulton. Our guests were college classmates, and remain close friends today. Hodgman is an author and is regularly seen on The Daily Show. Coulton is a comic singer-songwriter.” April 10th, 2007 — Jack McBrayer - “We talk with Jack McBrayer, who plays Kenneth, the lovable NBC Page, in the NBC sitcom ‘30 Rock.’” August 26th, 2006 — The Impostors - “Guest Mal Sharpe. Mal Sharpe was half of Coyle & Sharpe, a ground-breaking team of put-on artists who terrorized 1960s San Francisco.”

Pyro TV | July 13, 2007

Tags:. .aegis. .america. .archive. .atc. .audience