The Human Trampoline

jessethorn:

Before it even goes up on maximumfun.org, I wanted to share this episode of Bullseye that I’m really proud of. The guests are Judd Apatow and Dolly Parton. I talk with Judd about the unexpected pain of fatherhood and why family is worth it. I even check in with him on the new Pee-Wee Herman movie.

And I talk with Dolly Parton about growing up as one of twelve brothers and sisters in the mountains of Tennessee, where the doctor had to ride a horse in to deliver babies, and about what she had to give up to become a star.

Plus I extoll the virtues of one of my favorite books, Ego Trip’s Big Book of Racism, which makes a perfect holiday gift, and Jason from ….And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead talks about the song that changed his life: Waiting Room by Fugazi.

It’s a really special episode and I hope you’ll give it a listen. You can either listen directly here, or skip over to iTunes to subscribe free. Or just download it from this direct link: http://traffic.libsyn.com/tsoya/bullseye121211b.mp3 .

And if you like it, tell a friend, whydoncha? It’s embeddable, Facebookable, Tweetable and all that stuff on Soundcloud.

12 December 2012 ·

• Tags
• bullyseye
• dolly parton
• judd apatow

You don’t expect an interview with a major sports star to be so quietly compelling.

From Public Radio International’s Bullseye with Jesse Thorn:

R.A. Dickey is a pitcher for the New York Mets, and the only man in the majors currently throwing a knuckleball. His new memoir, Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest For Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball, is a story of perseverance more than anything. He had a difficult childhood marked by abuse and poverty, but found his gift in baseball. Early on in his career, the Texas Rangers offered Dickey a lucrative contract but retracted it when they discovered a physical abnormality that theoretically should have kept him from playing ball. Dickey then bounced back and forth between the major and minor leagues and says he floundered, personally and professionally. But he stuck with it, and worked on mastering the wildly unpredictable knuckleball pitch (and finally found stability and peace in his relationships with his family and friends). Now, at age 37 Dickey is just hitting the prime of his career while many players of his age have long since retired. If anything, the knuckleball means his best days may still be ahead of him.
 
R.A. sits down with us to discuss his search for peace from a troubled past, the art of throwing the perfect knuckleball, and exactly why he names his bats after fantasy swords. Wherever I Wind Up is available in bookstores now.

For more recommendations, comedy, and interviews about the best in pop culture every week, visit us in iTunes, our RSS feed or www.maximumfun.org.

19 June 2012 ·

• Tags
• bullyseye
• r.a. dickey
• mets
• knuckleball
• jesse thorn