Sleeping with Celebrities
Getting to sleep can be difficult sometimes. Now you can achieve that urgently needed rest by taking advantage of our most precious natural resource: celebrities. Each week on the slyly humorous and reassuring Sleeping with Celebrities, host John Moe talks with a different guest from the world of entertainment about something they know a lot about. The conversation is guaranteed to be just interesting enough to draw your attention away from your own swirling anxieties but never interesting enough to keep you awake. No startling revelations, no dramatic screaming confrontations, but plenty of low-key dialogue, intricately laced deadpan comedy, and a ticket to dreamland.
Episodes
All the Background Doohickeys at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts with Stephen Thompson
Stephen Thompson is one of the co-hosts of NPR’s delightful Pop Culture Happy Hour, along with former Sleeping with Celebrities guests Linda Holmes and Glen Weldon and future guest Aisha Harris. Aside from being a culturally smarty, he’s one of the founders of the Tiny Desk Concerts, which has played host to some of the biggest names in music playing in a very small corner of an office floor of cu
Susan Orlean on How to Win Over Pets and Influence Zebras
In talking about Susan Orlean, many people give her well-deserved credit as being the author of acclaimed best-sellers like The Orchid Thief, Rin Tin Tin, and The Library Book. They don’t mention perhaps her most impressive accomplishment of all: she knows how to get animals to like her. All kinds. Zebras are a bit tricky because, as Susan explains, they are the asshole of the animal kingdom. Susa
Musician Hamilton Leithauser on Learning Chess (Hard) and Building Chess Boards (Also Hard)
The life of a touring musician can involve a considerable amount of down time. There’s travel, checking into the hotel, sound check, the show, and some schmoozing, but that leaves many hours in the day for maddeningly difficult hobbies. Hamilton Leithauser of the Walkmen and an acclaimed solo career has poured a lot of time into learning chess and, while not on the road, building his own boards. H
Jimmy Pardo Has Just An Absurd Amount Of Knowledge About The Band Chicago
Like, so much. As in, he knows the name of Peter Cetera’s brother. He remembers most of the set list from a concert BY Chicago IN Chicago in 1981. Jimmy, of course, is the host of Never Not Funny, an absolutely essential comedy podcast now celebrating its 20th anniversary, which is about 19 years, eleven months, and three weeks longer than most podcasts make it. Now, Chicago, the band, is not know
Wil Wheaton Tells You All About The Prisoner. You Have Become His The Prisoner Prisoner.
Wil Wheaton knows a thing or twelve about deeply loving a television series. He is part of the Star Trek universe after all, as Wesley Crusher, first appearing on Start Trek: The Next Generation, reappearing in various Trek iterations ever since, and that’s a show that has its passionate fans. Same with The Big Bang Theory, where Wil played a kind of alternate universe version of himself. For Wil,
Tom Bergeron - Yes, THAT Tom Bergeron - Makes Angry Birds Surprisingly Soothing
We all know Tom Bergeron from various television games and competitions he has hosted over many decades. He was at the helm for Hollywood Squares, emceed Dancing With the Stars, and showed us a great many of America’s Funniest Home Videos (which, oh yes, absolutely was a competition). And he’s still busy with contests today, this time as an expert in the game app Angry Birds Friends, which he play
Get Ready for the NFL Season with Retired Punter Chris Kluwe, Who Played the Sleepiest of Positions
The National Football League, with all its attendant huddles and wide receiving and roughings of the passer, is about to begin a new season. And although the touchdowns will make the highlight reels, we here at the show are big fans of the little moments when things don’t work out so well. We like when the punter comes out. So we’re bringing back an episode from a recent Super Bowl with veteran pu
Michael Ian Black on Cunning Two-Letter Scrabble Plays (RERUN)
This episode originally ran July 19, 2023
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The actor, writer, comedian, and bon vivant Michael Ian Black is an enthusiast of the word game Scrabble and, in particular, the very short two-letter words that can make all the difference in a competitive game. Sure, lots of players want to use long words of seven or even more letters but a well-placed QI or a sly ZA can rack up more points than one
The Daily Show’s Zhubin Parang Feels Less Miserable Watching Les Misérables
Zhubin Parang, who has been with The Daily Show since the first time around with Jon Stewart, fully recognizes that among the many characters in the musical Les Misérables, only Javert really has an actual character arc. Only he goes somewhere over the course of the story. The rest kind of hold their ground, face grim adversity, and sing sing sing. That’s all good with Zhubin, he loves the crap ou
What’s the Deal with How Much Francisco Ramos Likes Seinfeld? The Show, I Mean.
The title of hilarious comedian Francisco Ramos’s new standup special, Still Learning, is not about his constant absorption of new information about episodes of the classic sitcom Seinfeld but it could apply. The special’s title refers to learning about marriage. Francisco is now divorced. But his relationship with Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer is still going strong. Francisco walks us through
Lauren Weedman, From Hacks, Loves Rocks, May Be Sisyphus
As the slightly unhinged, or maybe more than slightly, mayor of Las Vegas, Jo Pezzimenti on HBO’s Hacks, Lauren Weedman leaves a hilarious and unforgettable impression, so much so that she’s a nominee for Best Supporting Actress at the upcoming Emmy Awards. Audiences might also know her as Melissa’s sister, Kristin Marie Schemmenti on Abbott Elementary. Frankly, we don’t know what’s up with those
Exploring the Washington Wizards, the NBA’s Most Ambien Team, with Jamel Johnson
Jamel Johnson is a DC native and has been following the Wizards his whole life. He’s seen the rise and fall of Gilbert Arenas, the arrival and departure of John Wall, and everything from Gheorge Muresan to Muggsy Bogues, all without an NBA title in Jamel’s lifetime. Mid-Range is both the title of his new comedy album and the name of type of jump shot he hopes the team can nail as it heads into a n
Jesse Thorn Has More Thoughts On Menswear Formality Levels Than You Do, Probably
Maximum Fun, the network upon which you hear our program, was founded by one Jesse Thorn, who continues to host an improbable number of podcasts on the network. Three, in fact: Bullseye (an interview program with cultural figures, also on NPR), Jordan, Jesse, Go! (where he horses around with Jordan Morris), and Judge John Hodgman (where he is the bailiff to the titular judge. But Jesse’s interests
Know Your Extraterrestrials with Elliott Kalan
The universe is full of all sorts of alien creatures, we just know it. Problem is, they’re far away and, like us, possibly too stupid to invent really cool spaceships in order to visit. That’s why the book Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials was written and illustrated, earning a devoted following that includes Elliott Kalan. The book is a massive compendium of all sorts of aliens culled from sci
Ryan Miller of the Band Guster Enjoys the Ordered Verticality of Lists
You are reading something that was written in paragraph format, with complete sentences, grammar, nouns, and verbs. That’s not how Ryan Miller of the beloved band Guster likes it. Ryan enjoys lists. Likes reading them, creating them, and relying on the whole idea of ordered verticality. He tells us about the extensive playlist of songs he always keeps handy for his kids, how this list has been aro
NPR’s Glen Weldon Talks The Silmarillion and That Ought To Put You To Sleep
You have to be a slight J.R.R. Tolkien nerd to watch the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings film series. They’re long, there’s three of them, and it helps to know your hobbits from your elves. You have to be even more of a fan to read the dense, lengthy Tolkien books. But then there’s Glen Weldon, co-host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, who has read everything Tolkien many times over including The S
Sondre Lerche Takes On A-ha and Soothingly Reads Fjord Names
When you’re a Norwegian musician, you get used to hearing a lot of the band A-ha, the biggest ever to come out of the Nordic country shaped like an arm from the elbow down. And that’s fine with Sondre Lerche, the most popular Norwegian solo musicians of all time. Sondre adored A-ha by rarely gets to share all his knowledge. Until this bedtime, that is. Sondre also reads the names of 15 fjords in t
Is This Heaven? No, It’s Iowa and NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben Talking Field of Dreams
We have to imagine that the life of an NPR White House Correspondent does not consistently feel relaxed, homey, sentimental, and warm. But you know what does? Field of Dreams, the 1989 Kevin Costner movie about an Iowa farmer with a field overrun by baseball ghosts. Danielle Kurtzleben, a White House Correspondent for NPR, is from Titonka, Iowa (population 491) and has probably seen the movie elev
Let’s Go to Trader Joe’s with Dan Mintz. That Will Be Nice.
Dan Mintz is an actor, comedian, and writer with a new standup special, Well-Rounded Entertainer, premiering soon on YouTube. Dan is best known as Tina Belcher on the beloved animated TV comedy Bob’s Burgers, which has been on the air for 16 seasons. Where can you get burgers besides Bob’s? Trader Joe’s, that’s where. Dan likes to shop there for foods that will please his family and provide nutrit
Dulcé Sloan Knows Every Trope, Archetype, and Inevitable Plot Point of K-Dramas
Dulcé Sloan has been in your American television many times, appearing as correspondent and guest host of The Daily Show, doing stand up on Conan, and voice acting on The Great North. But she doesn’t have much time to watch her own shows because she’s too busy getting chin deep in Korean dramas, studying their patterns, delighting in the long built-up kisses, and talking about them on her new podc
Comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes Used to Garden and Remembers It Fondly and At Some Length
You may have seen the very funny Anjelah Johnson-Reyes in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ugly Betty, Superstore, or even on the sidelines as an Oakland Raiders cheerleader. Perhaps you’ve seen her comedy specials, including the brand new Ugly Baby, which is about her experiences becoming a mom and, fear not, she is the titular ugly baby here. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ve seen Anjelah in her garden, careful
Rebecca Sugar: Creator of Steven Universe, Knower of Earthen Building Techniques
In the Venn diagram of “heart” and “animation”, the overlap is Rebecca Sugar. Her series, Steven Universe, was more than just the adventures of an unusual boy’s search for identity in a spectacularly imaginative spiritual/paranormal world, it was mind-expanding and profoundly human and humane literature for legions of adoring fans. Rebecca’s non-animation interests are decidedly and literally much
Live From SF Sketchfest with John DiMaggio, Moshe Kasher, and Meredith Edgar
A live in-person performance of Sleeping with Celebrities? At a real theater, the Bayfront Theater, with lights and guests and an audience? At 5pm in the afternoon? Believe it because it happened. We ventured to the home of Rice-a-Roni, San Francisco to join comedy geniuses from all over at the SF Sketchfest. Hear actor John DiMaggio reveal the secrets of voiceover in a mellow voice that he’s not
A Lot of Work Goes Into Eliza Coupe’s Spiritual Practice, But Not If You’re Just Listening To It For Sleep Reasons
Eliza Coupe is an actor who has appeared regularly on shows like Scrubs, where she was Dr. Denise “Jo” Mahoney, and Happy Endings, where she starred as Jane Kerkovich-Williams. She’s also a person who lives much of the time in Joshua Tree, California, dedicating herself to a rather elaborate, daily, hours-long spiritual practice. We’re going to let her go through all that effort while you simply l
MaxFunDrive 2026 BoCo Preview: Soundscapes - Runyon Canyon Hiking Trail
It’s MaxFunDrive 2026! Listen to the full Bonus Content episode (as well as all of the BoCo in Max Fun history) by going to www.MaximumFun.org/joinsleeping. It’s our one-stop portal to become a member and support Sleeping with Celebrities.
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Welcome to Maximum Fun's own BoCo Vault, Sleeping with Celebrities Wing. We bring you beautiful soundscap
Bonus Mini-Sode: Bigfoot Guys, Aliens Guys, and That’s the Two Types of Guys w/ Drea Clark
Drea Clark, one of the hosts of the popular and important Maximum Film! podcast has a theory: all middle-aged Guys think about the Roman Empire but from there, the Guys separate into Bigfoot Guys and Alien Guys. Sure, there are anomalies but you can mostly separate guys into those groups. Our host, John Moe, Bigfoot Guy, gets Drea’s opinion on where Rock History Guys, Computer Guys, and other Guys
Sleeping with the U.S. Constitution featuring SO MANY STARS
Pretty big celebrity this week: the document that forms the spine of the United States. The one that members of the military pledge loyalty to instead of the President. The words that serves as a manual for law, justice, and government itself, meant to outlast any administration or trend. And we called in an avalanche of celebrities to read it to you. Peter Sagal, Paget Brewster, John Hodgman, Ope
MaxFunDrive 2026 BoCo Preview: Ambient Soundscape by Daniel William Gonzalez - Vanishing Point
It’s MaxFunDrive 2026! Listen to the full Bonus Content episode (as well as all of the BoCo in Max Fun history) by going to www.MaximumFun.org/joinsleeping. It’s our one-stop portal to become a member and support Sleeping with Celebrities.
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Welcome to Maximum Fun's own BoCo Vault, Sleeping with Celebrities Wing. We bring you beautiful soundscap
Bonus Mini-Sode: Walking Friendly Dogs on a Nice Day, Part 2
Doesn’t that sound pleasant? Join host John Moe as he strolls his Saint Paul neighborhood with his dogs. There’s Sally, a black lab mix and senior resident dog, Maisy, an all-over mutt and resident dog who doesn’t like putting on harnesses but does like walks, and Weenie, a foster pug puppy who keeps up with the ladies but not in a straight line. On this walk... Weenie is slightly too big for a ca
MaxFunDrive 2026 BoCo Preview: Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, Kim Jong Un, Pretty Much. And Blaine Capatch
It's MaxFunDrive 2026! Listen to the full Bonus Content episode (as well as all of the BoCo in Max Fun history) by going to www.MaximumFun.org/joinsleeping. It's our one-stop portal to become a member and support Sleeping with Celebrities.
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It would be very difficult to get all those celebrities booked for one episode of Sleeping with Celebriti
Rob Huebel and His Sure-Fire Completely Doomed Business Ideas
Rob Huebel, a friendly and hilarious person, has appeared in movies and tv shows like The Other Guys, The League, and The Sex Lives of College Girls, plus numerous things that don’t have “The” in the title. His new comedy horror film is Grind and he stars in the upcoming There's a Batman Film Starring Gary Busey Buried in the Desert and I'm Going to Find It, which won the special "Sleeping with Ce
Bonus Mini-Sode: Walking Friendly Dogs on a Nice Day, Part 1
Doesn’t that sound pleasant? Join host John Moe as he strolls his Saint Paul neighborhood with his dogs. There’s Sally, a black lab mix and senior resident dog, Maisy, an all-over mutt and resident dog who doesn’t like putting on harnesses but does like walks, and Weenie, a foster pug puppy who keeps up with the ladies but not in a straight line. On this walk... John muses on Guy Branum's descript
Casters on Casters: John Moe and Brenda Snell
It's MaxFunDrive. And here, for the first time, we give you an exclusive look (well, listen) at the craft of podcasting: presenting Casters on Casters.
In this episode, John Moe (Sleeping with Celebrities & Depresh Mode with John Moe) talks about his double life, as a person who speaks in a normal voice, and the host he becomes for Sleeping with Celebrities. And Brenda Snell (Secret Histories of N
Hrishikesh Hirway: Song Exploder / Paper Explorer
Out of all the podcasts in the world, and there are dozens, Song Exploder is one of the best and totally unique. Hrishikesh Hirway, well, more deconstructs rather than explodes songs and is joined by the musicians who created the song in the first place. And the guests! How about Madonna! U2! Sabrina Carpenter! And so many more. Hrishi is a musician as well with a new album, In The Last Hour of Li
Martha Kelly Has More Thoughts Than You Might Have Realized About Alvin & the Chipmunks
You might know Martha Kelly from her role Emmy-nominated role as the drug lord Laurie on the HBO series Euphoria or for her part as Martha, the deadpan hilarious Costco insurance agent and best friend of Zach Galifianakis’s character in Baskets. You don’t know her from her part in the Alvin & the Chipmunks series of films because she wasn’t in those. Still, her knowledge of those movies runs very
Sam Sanders Puts Together Audio Shows and Makes Peace with the Beasts. Metaphorically.
If you listen to audio programming, and of course you do, you already know Sam Sanders’ voice from show’s like NPR’s It’s Been a Minute, The NPR Politics Podcast, and The Sam Sanders Show on KCRW, for which he was a natural choice to host, given his name. Sam has a great voice and he works incredibly hard on the somewhat interesting but not ultimately fascinating task of putting together an audio
Holding Your Horses, Your Actual Horses, Not a Metaphor, with Jennifer Hale
Jennifer Hale is voice actor royalty, having vocally appeared as Jean Grey in X-Men ‘97, Cinderella in Disney’s House of Mouse and Ralph Breaks the Internet, Captain "FemShep" Shepard in the Mass Effect games, and Black Cat in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. So, look, you’re in good hands with this voice. This voice knows what it's doing. And it’s ready to send you off to sleep with tales of hors
Damian Young from The Comeback Knows More About Neckerchiefs Than You Do
Being a professional actor, even a very successful one like Damian Young, comes with a fair amount of time left to your own devices. One could use that time to learn Finnish, master close-up street magic, or you could be like Damian and become extremely well dressed. You may have seen him as Lisa Kudrow’s husband in the brilliant comedy series The Comeback (which comes back for a third season on M
Inglourious Basterd Paul Rust Made Collages as a Kid and Just Never Stopped
We’ve never had occasion to use the phrase “titular basterd” on our show before but here it is, possible and even necessary in writing about Paul Rust and the film Inglourious Basterds. We’re not misspelling “basterd” or “inglourious”, mind you, that was director Quentin Tarantino’s artistic choice. Q was also the one who cast Paul Rust, veteran comedy performer in movies and TV, as part of the en
Stephnie Weir Struggled Making Special Napkins to Give to Billy Crystal
You may have seen Stephnie (not a typo, she spells it that way) Weir as a cast member on Mad TV or in appearances on Modern Family, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Lady Dynamite. But if you live near Stephnie or happen to be a close friend or colleague, you may also know her from the handmade holiday napkins she distributes to her inner circle. She methodically walks us through the steps of gathering sup
Jordan Morris on Godzilla Taxonomy and Canonical Use of “Skreeonk.”
Jordan Morris is known to Maximum Fun fans as the funny and engaging co-host of Jordan, Jesse, Go! and Free With Ads. He also makes comics, such as the new Predator: Bloodshed series. It’s all about the Predator, monster sci-fi icon, and his efforts to purchase and install a new shed to put all his blood in. He goes to Home Depot, he tries building one himself after watching YouTube videos, but al
Simeon Lipman from Antiques Roadshow Tells You At Great Length About Baseball Cards
We’re hundreds of episodes into Sleeping with Celebrities but we’re just now getting a PBS voice on? I know. We’re so sorry. But this will make up for it. The brilliant, engaging, and funny Simeon Lipman from Antiques Roadshow knows more about baseball cards and, actually, punk rock memorabilia than most people will ever know about anything. And his knowledge includes a whole lot of arcane data. L
Vella Lovell Slowly and Carefully Introduces a New Cat to an Old Cat
The hilarious actor Vella Lovell is a put-upon director of an animal control precinct in the sitcom Animal Control, a role that involves much more animal contact than one would expect for an office job. Turns out Vella, who also played the neighbor Heather on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, has a natural knack for helping animals calm down. This was evident in her long process of introducing a new kitten, Te
Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hütz Walks You Through the Downstroke Part of Playing Guitar
It is foolish to try to describe the music of the Gogol Bordello and its charismatic frontman Eugene Hütz so we’ll just list the genres Wikipedia uses: Punk rock, folk punk, Latin rock, polka, folk rock, dub, Romani, and Gypsy punk. Wikipedia also uses the adjective “theatrical” and we won’t argue with that. Within the veteran hit band’s whirling storm of musical virtuosity, there are guitars. In
A Discussion of Bigfoot with Todd Stashwick That Gets a Bit Too Exciting But Then Calms Down
Actor Todd Stashwick’s IMDb page is miles long, with appearances in Laws & Orders OG and SVU, Angel, Buffy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Riches, Phineas and Ferb, and Star Trek: Picard and the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series VisionQuest. He’s also a Bigfoot enthusiast. Not a big foot enthusiast, a fan of the cryptozoological creature also known as Sasquatch. Alert followers of h
Jordan Carlos Lives in New York City and Drives an Actual Car
There are many transportation options in New York. It’s not all subways and taxi cabs that cut in front of you and make you yell about how you’re walking here like in that movie. There are also regular old cars, like the one comedian and writer Jordan Carlos has for getting around that city. He tells us in detail what that’s like, what the sky tram to Roosevelt Island is like, and how complicated
Rachael Yamagata On The Importance of Backyard Vigilance
Rachael Yamagata is an accomplished musician and singer who has recorded several acclaimed albums, including Starlit Alchemy just a few months ago, and performed and recorded with the likes of Rhett Miller, Jason Mraz, and Bright Eyes. When she’s not making beautiful music, she’s watching her back yard like a hawk. Like a hawk that takes on several ambitious backyard projects. Relax in Rachel’s so
Akilah Hughes Guides You To Just Barely Interesting Things on Social Media
Instagram can be a minefield of powerful influencers making you feel terrible about not having millions of dollars and a glamorous lifestyle, or, OR, it could be filled with odd things like banjo players plucking away in National Parks. Writer, comedian, filmmaker, and podcaster Akilah Hughes has published a memoir, Obviously: Stories From my Timeline, written for Steven Soderbergh’s Command Z tel
150th Episode: More All-Star Guests Who Excelled at Understanding the Assignment
We love all of our guests on this podcast and are delighted that they helped amuse you to sleep. There are some among those guests who seem to have an extra-special ability to get what we’re asking for, to grasp the mission, to understand the assignment. They speak in extra hushed tones, they choose astoundingly benign subject matter, they delight and bring forth some nice laughs, they drone, they
Hanging Out at Airports with Roxane Gay (RERUN)
This episode originally ran April 23, 2025.***Roxane Gay is one of the greatest writers in the world today. Everyone knows this. We’re so thrilled that she agreed to be on our show. Roxane is the author of books like Bad Feminist and Hunger, writes for the New York Times, is a respected social critic and noted professor. All this means that she travels a lot and she joins us, using a very soothing
Jon Lovett Will Not Reveal How All of America Could Collapse
You might know Jon Lovett as the host of the podcast Lovett or Leave It or as one of the hosts of the influential Pod Save America show. On those shows, Jon and others talk about big events in politics and try to make sense of it all. Which is hard. But it turns out that America itself, the very Constitution of this nation, may have a fatal flaw it in it, a loophole that could be activated and ins
Jodie Sweetin’s Full House of Legos
We understand that for many people, Jodie Sweetin is forever linked to Stephanie Tanner, the character she played for eight years on Full House and four more years on Fuller House. But we doubt Stephanie was nearly as much into Lego building sets as the real Jodie is. In fact, we seriously doubt anyone is as much into Legos as Jodie. She joins us to talk about some of her favorite sets that she’s
Bridger Winegar Needs a New iPhone and Will Consider ALL Options
Actor and writer Bridger Winegar has appeared in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and as the host of his own delightful podcast I Said No Gifts, where his guests insist on bringing gifts, despite the title and he acts upset but really loves it. Bridger has had his iPhone for a long time, it gets used a lot, and, frankly, it’s pretty worn out. So he needs a new one. But rather than sim
Comic Myq Kaplan Could Use Some Advice. Columns. I Mean, He Likes Advice Columns.
The comedian Myq Kaplan has appeared on The Tonight Show, Conan, Late Night with David Letterman, and many other television programs. He also hosts two podcasts, has released comedy albums, and has a new comedy special, Rini, which is also the name of his girlfriend. That’s an unusual name but then so is Myq. He used to be Mike but changed it at summer camp one year and it stuck. You can change yo
Let’s Go to a Concert with Wendi McLendon-Covey
We were so excited (though we kept it subdued) to meet the hilarious Wendi McLendon-Covey from Reno 911!, St Denis Medical, Bridesmaids, and Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar. Wendi enjoys going to concerts and says it gives her the same satisfaction as travel but it’s shorter and cheaper. You’ll find that listening to Wendi talk about concerts is like traveling or going to a concert yourself but wi
Eddie Pepitone Is One Purchase Away from Happiness
You might know Eddie Pepitone from standup stages around the country, as “The Heckling New Yorker” on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, as an actor on Reno 911! or Bob’s Burgers, from his brand new comedy special The Collapse, or from his podcast Apocalypse Soon. Or if you’re a close follower of people who get worked up about purchasing binoculars and then never really use the binoculars, you might k
You’ll Sleep Better Knowing Inspector Gamache is on the Case, Says Allison Raskin
Allison Raskin has a pretty diverse array of interests. She’s a former Buzzfeed video creator, co-host of the podcast Just Between Us, and the author of numerous best-selling books, including Please Send Help, Overthinking About You, and the new Save the Date. How does she unwind from this busy life? By being obsessed with Inspector Gamache, the Quebecois crime solver found in novels by Louise Pen
Halloween is Here. Let’s Rank Witches with Lindy West and Meagan Hatcher-Mays
Look, it’s okay. You’ll be able to sleep just fine. Sure, witches can be scary but keep two things in mind: witches are pretend so they can’t hurt you and some list-making analytical thinking is a great way to doze off to some shuteye that is guaranteed toad, broomstick, and cackle-free. SwC returning guest Lindy West teams up with Meagan Hatcher-Mays to do the honors. The two of them host the pod
Zach Reino and Jessica McKenna Love Musical Theater and Its Regulations, and Tiki Bars
Can you improvise a musical? Sure, you can. But isn’t it hard to do? Absolutely. That’s why hardly anyone does it. I mean, who wants to do hard things? Well, Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino do. They’re the hosts and creators of Off Book, a podcast where they improvise a whole new musical with each episode. They’ve also appeared on shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Goldbergs, and Comedy Bang! Bang
Amber Nash Takes You To Vermont. Well, a Catalog About Vermont, Anyway.
Fans of the long-running animated comedy Archer already know Amber Nash as Pam Poovey, the former H.R. director at ISIS. She has superhuman strength and a dolphin hand puppet. Pam does, not Amber. Amber has human strength and we don’t know about the puppets. Amber is the host of the brand new Rephrasing: An Archer Rewatch Podcast here on Maximum Fun. She’s also a devotee of the Vermont Country Sto
Actor/Comedian Steve Agee Has Seen Meatballs Way More Times Than You Have
Steve Agee is a beloved actor, writer, comedian, and all-around funny person, seen most recently as John Economos in the John Cena DC Comics series Peacemaker on HBO. You may have caught his work in films like The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 2. You didn’t see him in Meatballs, the 1979 Bill Murray summer camp comedy, because Steve was just a wee boy back then. Steve has seen Me
A Very Gentle and Mellow Tour of D.C. Hardcore with Roman Mars
We grant you that listening to actual D.C. hardcore music will probably not put you into the best state for sleep. The dulcet tones of Roman Mars, however, discussing said scene? Yeah, that ought to do it. Roman is the creator and host of the beloved and hugely popular podcast 99% Invisible and a public radio veteran so, yes, his voice is as smooth as butter spread on top of more butter. He shares
Nathan Pyle, Strange Planets, Hour Long Blocks of Old Commercials, and Rescue Dogs
Host John Moe leads off this episode by extolling the virtues of foster dog caretaking and he enumerates the many dogs his family as tended to in the last year: Cowboy, Bug, Beans, Ducky, Pork Chop, Radar, and Car Wash. All these dogs were, and all dogs are, eccentric.Then we welcome cartoonist Nathan Pyle, the man who brings you those Strange Planet cartoons where aliens attempt to understand the
How To Stack Tacos and Burgers With J. Kenji López-Alt Until You Conk Out
J. Kenji López-Alt knows more about food than you or I put together. He has won James Beard Awards, contributed to New York Times Cooking and Serious Eats, and his books include The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, The Wok: Recipes and Techniques, and a children’s book titled Every Night is Pizza Night. But he’s no snobby foody. He pays careful attention to how to stack ingredients i
Baron Vaughn’s Ken Burns Effect
Actor and comedian Baron Vaughn is familiar to audiences for his work on Grace & Frankie, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and The New Negroes with friend of the show Open Mike Eagle. He’s familiar to his family for watching a whole lot of those multi-episode, sepia photograph-intensive, history rich documentaries by Ken Burns on subjects like baseball, the Civil War, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Doritos
Ravi V. Patel’s Fitness Routine, Which Frankly Makes Us Tired Just Hearing About It
You have definitely seen actor, writer, and director Ravi V. Patel on a screen before. He’s one of those guys that seems to be in everything. Perhaps most recently as a team mentor on the new season of LEGO Masters Jr. or maybe co-starring on Animal Control with Joel McHale or acting in Ghosts or being put through some grueling paces on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. All the while, he has
Patrick McEnroe and Melissa Errico, Stars of, Respectively, Tennis and Broadway
When you have two guests on one show, you’re going to get a variety of topics, especially when they have such diverse interests as tennis great Patrick McEnroe and Broadway icon Melissa Errico. The two, married 26 years, take us on a very friendly and relaxing jaunt through a very old-timey English castle (that somehow has a sauna and Pilates room), various off-the-beaten-path tourist spots in Ita
Kendahl Landreth and Jordan Myrick Gently Realign Your Chihuahua Perspectives
As hosts of the Happy Wife Happy Life podcast, comedians/writers/actors Kendahl Landreth and Jordan Myrick help their listeners navigate everything related to relationships. Here on our show, in this episode, they bring that gift of harmony to society’s views of chihuahuas, especially their own rescue dog, Angel. As you drift off to sleep, you’ll hear about Angel’s peculiarities, why these dogs ar
Ana Marie Cox on the Architectural Styles of Texas Homes of the Seventies and Eighties
The versatile Ana Marie Cox is a podcast host (Space the Nation, Past Due), a veteran journalist (MTV News, The New York Times Magazine), the founding editor of Wonkette, a writing instructor, and a political pundit and analyst, frequently featured on various cable news programs. But not to worry. Ana stays out of the political fray in this interview. I mean, nothing better to keep you stressed ou
Listener Winter Burnett Tours Two Laundromats in Morris, IL
Here’s how we figure it: if you appear on our show (the most popular podcast in the world) (look that up) (don’t), you automatically become a celebrity. We have listeners all over this planet at least. That makes hardware store assistant manager Winter Burnett a celebrity. During our last Max Fun Drive, we set a stretch goal for new members and said if we hit that goal, one of you Sleepyheads coul
Demi Adejuyigbe’s Well-Developed Interest in Film Photography
The multi-talented Demi Adejuyigbe is a podcast host (The Gilmore Guys) writer (The Good Place, The Late Late Show with James Corden), and social media celebrity (those wonderful homemade videos for the song “September”). Those are all very exciting things that Demi does and we’re concerned they would keep you up. So instead, we’re focusing on his interest in film photography: the cameras he uses,
Meet Your Nocturnal Animal Friends with Janet Varney
You know Janet Varney from her starring roles in You’re the Worst and The Legend of Korra and from hosting two Maximum Fun podcasts, The JV Club and E Pluribus Motto, which she co-hosts with John Hodgman and which just launched its second season. But to the critters of the night, Janet is simply a friend, a liaison between themselves and all the diurnal humans. She talks about many nocturnal anima
The Many, Many Cats That Have Belonged to Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s. Many Cats.
Kathy Valentine is the bassist for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Go-Go’s. Emerging from the L.A. punk scene, ruling the charts, and still playing shows 47 years later, any member of the band must have a million thrilling stories about life as real live rock stars. But we’re a show that tries to put you to sleep so on our program Kathy talks about all the cats she has owned over the co
Paget Brewster: Star of Screen, Stage, and Barnyard Bone Broth
You may know Paget Brewster as FBI Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss on the television series Criminal Minds or as Joey’s girlfriend Kathy on multiple episodes of Friends. If you’re a particularly discerning entertainment consumer, you also know her from Andy Richter Controls the Universe or as Sadie Doyle on the podcast and stage series The Thrilling Adventure Hour. We’re not going to talk
John Hodgman Attempts To Memorize All of Maine’s Coastal Islands (RERUN)
This episode originally ran August 14th, 2024.***Is this a feat that the beloved author, actor, and host of Maximum Fun’s Judge John Hodgman can actually pull off? Well, no, probably not. There are over 4,600 such islands and he’s only one mortal human. Come on. But will he make a pretty game attempt for a little while and invite you to join his efforts as you drift off to sleep? Oh yes. Oh absolu
Julie Klausner Tours You Through Her Pleasant and Less-Than-Pleasant Massages
The very funny and charming Julie Klausner is known for her starring role in the acclaimed Hulu dark comedy series Difficult People and she has appeared in Big Mouth, What We Do in the Shadows, At Home with Amy Sedaris, and many other beloved and hilarious programs. It’s stressful work, we think, because Julie has had a lot of massages over the years and she’s here to tell you all about them. We h
Chris Duffy and the Joy of Sox
Chris Duffy is a writer, extremely funny comedian, and host of the TED podcast How To Be a Better Human. He’s also a former contestant on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? (answer: well, we all do, of course) where a producer asked what he would do if he won the titular million bucks and Chris said he would buy a lifetime supply of new socks. That’s a bad answer, the producer said, but Chris stands b
NPR’s Tamara Keith Has Strong Yet Soothing Opinions On Pie
You know Tamara Keith as NPR’s Senior White House Correspondent and as one of the hosts of the NPR Politics Podcast. You can count on her to deliver up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the most dramatic beat in journalism, even if it’s news that you may find very alarming. But there’s nothing alarming or upsetting about Tamara’s thoughts on the vast and delicious world of pies, it’s all very ple
Tamara Yajia: Brad Pitt’s Charcuterie Pal
Comedian, actor, and author Tamara Yajia has a new book Cry for Me, Argentina: My Life as a Failed Child Star that doesn’t spend all that much time on the subject of charcuterie boards. But that’s what our discussion is for. Learn about Tamara’s grandfather’s extensive and somewhat emotionally charged boards and how they inspired her to make vast boards of her own, first in England and then in Ame
Hanif Abdurraqib Has 90 Band Shirts. Which We Think You’ll Agree Is a Lot.
Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, cultural critic, and author of numerous books, including They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, A Little Devil in America, and There’s Always This Year. He’s very passionate about music, as is evidenced in his massive collection, purchased online and at concert venues, of concert t-shirts, band sweatshirts, and other vintage apparel linked to various artists. Hanif walk
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