Maximum Fun Forum

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.

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn: Benedict Cumberbatch, Morgan Webb, Craig Finn and Jason Kottke

Beautiful outshot. Wow.

I hadn't heard of Kottke before, but after going to his site the first thing I saw was a time-lapse history of European borders over the past 1000 years and immediately bookmarked it. Ham sounds fantastic.

I felt bad for Morgan getting the "You're not really into games, are you?" all the time, since it probably translates to "hey, I play video games and pretty girls never talk to me. Are you sure pretty girls play games?" Maybe just replace that with girls in general. As a chubby guy that runs three times a week, she completely lost me when she said she doesn't work out. Now I hate her just as much as I hated every 150 lb. 6'1" guy that eats two pizzas for lunch every day.

Sentiment echoed.

_________________
http://twitter.com/endemictoearth

http://aspiringpolymath.tumblr.com

I'm going to echo the thanks for turning us listeners onto kottke.org. I know you've had Jason on before, but this time I finally checked out the blog. It's exactly what I look for in a time-waster on the net. It's fun, but I do feel a bit smarter after having spent some time there. As it's been running so long, and so many blogs attempt to do precisely what it does, I'm surprised it's not more widely known - or perhaps it is, and I'm the odd one out, for only just discovering it.

Bullseye has now overtaken JJGO as the MaxFun show I look forward to most each week. Great ep. And the outshot was totally moving.

That outshot brought tears to my eyes. Holy shit.

Dammit, Morgan Webb also totally lost me when she said she never works out. This episode was amazing regardless (including the rest of Ms. Webb's interview). Bullseye is firing on all cylinders.

_________________
Q) What do you get when you pickle a pickle?

A) A cucumber.

It's been said a ton already, but seriously, what a great goddamn Outshot. I've been a fan of Curtis Mayfield forever and listening to Jesse talk about that particular song only made me appreciate his work even more. Relating his son to it made me a little weepy for sure. Great work.

Just a really solid episode all around, all the interviews were interesting and any time Craig Finn is given the opportunity to talk about stuff is awesome.

I'm primarily familiar with The Chambers Brothers' cover of "People Get Ready;" I need to give the Curtis version some more listens. That Chambers Brothers' version is no joke and should not be overlooked though, and nor should the LP it's on, (The Time Has Come.) "All Strung Out" is a great power jam and there's lots of other great psych-soul on there.

_________________
"It's Mike IQ because I used to be in a punk band called IQ of 2. I don't think I'm smart. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I'm retarded."

If you liked the outshot this week, then you might also like this spotify playlist I've made of all the music featured on Bullseye so far:

Music from Bullseye with Jesse Thorne on Spotify

It's a collaborative playlist, so feel free to add any music that I missed.

Yeah, that Outshot was beautiful.

_________________
Check out my podcast! http://moviehomework.com

I know you keep saying that coming up with material for your Outshot each week is a burden, but it sure doesn't show. They're all great, but this one was a home run.

And good job getting Benedict Cumberbatch on! That was a wonderful interview.

_________________
Jason Perry

Jesse on People Get Ready:

"It's about approaching even the darkest and most terrifying problems with an open heart. Facing down challenges with faith, not just in Jesus or God, but in love, and decency. Faith that if you join with others in doing what's right, the world will change around you. And here's the thing about the song. Here's the thing I want my son to know about meeting the world with an open heart. You don't need no ticket. You just get on board."

Yeah.

I first heard that song in 2008 as part of a mix somebody made in honour of the inauguration, and so that's always going to be my association. And like most people I have a lot of mixed emotions thinking back on that event, not just the floaty, unified, hopeful feeling that song evokes. But it's *never* stupid to hope. And the fact that it leaves you open to being hurt and disappointed is what makes it brave to hope, and to continue to hope.