Live Wire With Luke Burbank

Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello confess their guilty pleasures; New York Times columnist Lindy West reveals how she tried to entice Donald Trump into blocking her from Twitter; Sarah Gertrude Shapiro unpacks how her Lifetime series UnREAL was inspired by her own troubled experiences as a producer of The Bachelor; comedian Alex Falcone shares his frustrations over the "fashion raccoons" of secondhand boutiques; Portland startup entrepreneur Stephen Green speaks on the importance of supporting local Black businesses; and soul group Moorea Masa & The Mood perform “Ever Moving.”

Comedian Laurie Kilmartin talks about her new book Dead People Suck, in which she uses dark humor to process the death of her father; writer, podcaster and YouTube star Gaby Dunn spills about her problems with money and defining her sexuality in the age of social media; singer-songwriter Chris Staples reflects on being mistook for a popular country singer with a similar name, and host Luke Burbank is joined onstage by writer Elena Passarello to unpack a story about watching a tongue-in-cheek puppet show of actor Ethan Hawk… and how relaying the tale to the actor himself fell flat.

Writer Terese Marie Mailhot discusses her new memoir “Heart Berries” and the importance of empathy for the indigenous experience, comedian Jason Traeger describes his therapist choices in Portland, program director of the American Culinary Institute Sophie Egan talks about what’s known as the American food psyche, and former Fats Domino band member and saxophonist Reggie Houston performs the jazz standard “Autumn Leaves."

Luke Burbank describes his attempts to get enlightened, acclaimed author George Saunders explains how swimming in a river of monkey poop led to an illustrious writing career and opens up about his newfound admiration for Abraham Lincoln (the protagonist of this newest work, "Lincoln in the Bardo"), comedian Jay Larson riffs on passive-aggressive Yelp reviews, Unlikely Hikers' Jenny Bruso reflects on her journey to make the outdoors more accessible for all, and indie folk band Horse Feathers perform the first track off their forthcoming album, “Appreciation.”

Host Luke Burbank details how his contrarian streak affects his marriage, author Lidia Yuknavitch shows us how to embrace our inner misfit, Dinner Party Download hosts Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam make the case against brunch, comedian Andy Kindler discusses how his recent foray into therapy has changed his comedy, and Ural Thomas and the Pain bring us musical relief.

Say goodbye to 2017 with the Live Wire Time Capsule Throw Down! Recorded at Seattle’s Neptune Theatre, host Luke Burbank plays a game with guests John Roderick and Ken Jennings in which they attempt to encapsulate this past year in all its strangeness.

Omnibus podcast hosts Ken Jennings and John Roderick give a glimpse of what stories are inside their audio time capsule for future generations (and/or alien invaders), BuzzFeed grammar wiz Emmy Favilla breaks down the problem with punctuation, Seattle’s Civic Poet Anastacia-Reneé shares what it’s like to have an identity that encapsulates everything the president hates, and singer-songwriter Laura Gibson utilizes her newly acquired MFA to improvise musical CliffsNotes about literary classics.

Luke Burbank kicks off the “Cautionary Tales” episode with a harrowing anecdote about his dog’s actual tail, Welcome to Night Vale creators Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor provide some techniques for concentrating on art during trying political times, poet Danez Smith deconstructs wokeness, author Edan Lepucki shares her methods for conjuring a ‘female snarl’ writing state, and musician and animator Chad VanGaalen performs the track “Static Shape.”

In this special “Leftovers” edition of Live Wire, host Luke Burbank offers up a smorgasbord of cutting room floor delights. Snap Judgment host Glynn Washington crafts cocktail-related stories, a hypnotist helps Elna Baker discover she has 11 fingers, futurist comedian Baratunde Thurston stands his intellectual ground, Ariel Levy evaluates the credibility of some celebrity factoids using only her journalistic instinct, and folk troubadour John Craigie performs the tune, “I Am California.”

Luke Burbank reflects on the lessons he learned from a day without his iPhone, New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik shares his 40-year nostalgia theory and how sex with a long-term partner can reach civil war reenactment status, essayist Elena Passarello coins the term “animalsonified” while examining humans’ complicated relationships with famed mammals, and RnB singer Blossom performs the brand new track, “Possibilities.”

Luke Burbank peels back the curtain on a show recording gone wrong that later became the foundation of Live Wire Miracle Day, author and advice columnist Cheryl Strayed offers up some Thanksgiving table survival techniques, futurist comedian Baratunde Thurston reveals the dangers of “anti-social people developing all of our social tools,” and musical guest Meklit brings us along on her journey to find beauty and music in everyday sounds.

Luke Burbank remembers a childhood basketball wager that put the fate of Christianity on the line, Cards Against Humanity co-founder Max Temkin depicts his “particular subspecies of nerd,” poet Kevin Coval explains why hip-hop deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, comedian Adam Burke asks Chicago to drop the “no ketchup rule,” and rapper Malcolm London performs songs from his latest release, OPIA.

Filmmaker Lynn Shelton details how working on a fishing boat helped her appreciate life on a film set, Second Wave podcast host Thanh Tan details her life as a child of Vietnamese immigrants long after the war, comedian Kevin Avery describes how his podcast “Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period” made his run-in with the star especially awkward, and Makana schools us on slack-key guitar.

Host Luke Burbank makes yet another mid-life crisis purchase, iconic B-movie actor Bruce Campbell explains why you’ll never meet Tom Cruise, folk legend Loudon Wainwright III muses about his own propensity to share intensely personal experiences and his children’s (occasionally hurtful) ability to do the same, and comedian Karinda Dobbins spins personal anecdotes about systemic racism into comedy gold.

In this special edition of Live Wire, Luke goes backstage during soundcheck for "Lampedusa: Concert for Refugees" to talk to some of the most iconic musicians of our time. Emmylou Harris reveals how she got waylaid on her way to Woodstock, Dave Matthews talks about managing a wide spectrum of his feelings during live performances, Steve Earle discusses how his real-life struggle with addiction intersected with his role on the HBO series The Wire, Patty Griffin recounts how she overcame her shyness through music and how her parents have helped her stay humble and Brandi Carlile reflects on her musical start as a teenager winning karaoke championships.

Live Wire visits Salt Lake City! Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street details the complex mental gymnastics that go into avoiding a fatal ski crash, author Mark Sundeen shares stories of people who make radical choices to live their values, radio producer Scott Carrier recounts how hitchhiking to NPR’s headquarters kicked off his career, and musical prodigy Sammy Brue reveals musical wisdom beyond his 16 years.

Author Salman Rushdie reveals the Queen’s go-to icebreaker for talking to authors, comedian Joe Kwaczala questions the singing training of Catholic priests, showrunner Shadi Petosky describes how she’s working to increase queer representation in children’s media, and Death Cab for Cutie sideman Dave Depper takes the spotlight.

Luke Burbank remembers the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption before speaking with two hikers stranded in the Eagle Creek Fire, writer Chuck Klosterman shares his theories about flawed thinking, author Shawn Wen describes the creative journey her fascination with mime Marcel Marceau has taken her on, and Justin Townes Earle talks about growing up in the shadow of musical greatness.

In this special Labor Day episode of Live Wire, blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer recalls summiting Everest and what it was like seeing his son’s face for the first time, social entrepreneur Leila Janah illuminates issues with current aid models and how conscientious consumers can change the world, comedian Mohanad Elshieky takes some punches at the American political system, and singer-songwriters Walter Martin and Jason Isbell chime in with their own labors of love.

A listen back to Cameron Esposito's 2014 appearance on Live Wire, including her attempt to update Luke's lesbian cultural references and her completely original pronunciation for "guacamole."