Live Wire

Series produced by Live Wire! Radio

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Live Wire artfully blends unpredictable conversation, live music, and original comedy from all types of cultural talent and creative minds, from emerging artists to established acts.

NOTE: This program is available to PRX affiliates. For more information please email memberships@prx.org.

Hosted by Luke Burbank (Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me, CBS Sunday Morning), the show is taped in front of a live audience in Portland, Oregon and reaches over 300,000 listeners via 150 public radio stations across the country (including WAMU in DC, KUOW in Seattle, KJZZ in Phoenix, Minnesota Public Radio, and more).

Past guests include writers and authors such as George Saunders, Cheryl Strayed, Hanif Abdurraqib, Lindy West, Chuck Klosterman, Salman Rushdie, and Gary Shteyngart; performers and comedians John Hodgman, Paul F. Tompkins, Abbi Jacobson, Michael Ian Black, Jackie Kashian, Naomi Ekperigin, Ian Karmel, Phoebe Robinson, Andy Kindler, and Reggie Watts; and film directors Gus Van Sant, Todd Haynes, Lynn Shelton, and Chapman & Maclain Way (Wild Wild Country). Past musical guests include Helio Sequence, The Dandy Warhols, Meklit, Laura Gibson, Open Mike Eagle, Pink Martini, Jonathan Coulton, and Bilal, to name a few.

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Hosted by Luke Burbank (Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me, CBS Sunday Morning), the show is taped in front of a live audience in Portland, Oregon and reaches over 300,000 listeners via 150 public radio stations across the country (including WAMU in DC, KUOW in Seattle, KJZZ in Phoenix, Minnesota Public Radio, and more). Past guests include writers and authors such as George Saunders, Cheryl Strayed, Hanif Abdurraqib, Lindy West, Chuck Klosterman, Salman Rushdie, and Gary Shteyngart; performers and comedians John Hodgman, Paul F. Tompkins, Abbi Jacobson, Michael Ian Black, Jackie Kashian, Naomi Ekperigin, Ian Karmel, Phoebe Robinson, Andy Kindler, and Reggie Watts; and film directors Gus Van Sant, Todd Haynes, Lynn Shelton, and Chapman & Maclain Way (Wild Wild Country). Past musical guests... Show full description


Additional Files

651 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Eclectic Indie Band Typhoon, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Current Oregon Poet Laureate PAULANN PETERSEN. Her latest book is The Voluptuary. KATE BEATON, cartoonist for The New Yorker, brings her highly a...

Bought by KUOW


  • Added: Feb 15, 2012
  • Length: 55:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Eclectic Indie Band Typhoon, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Current Oregon Poet Laureate PAULANN PETERSEN. Her latest book is The Voluptuary. KATE BEATON, cartoonist for The New Yorker, brings her highly a...

Bought by Rhythm & News Service


  • Added: Feb 15, 2012
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Improvisational Comedian Reggie Watts, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Comedian Reggie Watts, Musician and Author Josh Ritter, Radio Talk Show Host Peter Sagal and Author Sarah Vowell.

  • Added: Feb 08, 2012
  • Length: 54:58
Caption: Improvisational Comedian Reggie Watts, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Comedian Reggie Watts, Musician and Author Josh Ritter, Radio Talk Show Host Peter Sagal and Author Sarah Vowell.

Bought by KUT, KUOW, Rhythm & News Service, and WNJR


  • Added: Feb 08, 2012
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Famed Author Chuck Palahniuk, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Famed Novelist Chuck Palahniuk, Author Lidia Yuknavitch, Indie rock band Blouse.

  • Added: Feb 03, 2012
  • Length: 55:00
Caption: Famed Author Chuck Palahniuk, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Famed Novelist Chuck Palahniuk, Author Lidia Yuknavitch, Indie rock band Blouse.

Bought by Rhythm & News Service


  • Added: Feb 03, 2012
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist Jennifer Egan, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Steve Almond, author and journalist, and Portland synth-pop musical guests, Wild Ones

Bought by KUOW


  • Added: Jan 26, 2012
  • Length: 55:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist Jennifer Egan, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Steve Almond, author and journalist, and Portland synth-pop musical guests, Wild Ones

Bought by KUOW and Rhythm & News Service


  • Added: Jan 26, 2012
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Isabel Wilkerson, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Graphic Novelist Craig Thompson, Pulitzer Prize winning Author Isabel Wilkerson, Musical guest Stephanie Schneiderman w/ chorus and string quartet.

Bought by KUOW


  • Added: Jan 19, 2012
  • Length: 55:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pulitzer Prize- winning Author Isabel Wilkserson, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Graphic Novelist Craig Thompson, Pulitzer Prize winning Author Isabel Wilkerson, Musical guest Stephanie Schneiderman w/ chorus and string quartet.

Bought by Rhythm & News Service and WNJR


  • Added: Jan 19, 2012
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Blind Pilot, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Musical guests Blind Pilot, Radio Host Adam Klugman, Poetic force of nature Anis Mojgani.

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass.


  • Added: Jan 11, 2012
  • Length: 54:58
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Blind Pilot, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Musical guests Blind Pilot, Radio Host Adam Klugman, Poetic force of nature Anis Mojgani.

Bought by Rhythm & News Service and KUOW


  • Added: Jan 11, 2012
  • Length: 58:50
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Filmmaker Curt Ellis, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Guests include Filmmaker/Co-Founder of FoodCorps, Curt Ellis, Storyteller Katrina Scotto di Carlo, Canadian musician, Dan Mangan.

Bought by Rhythm & News Service and KUOW


  • Added: Jan 05, 2012
  • Length: 58:52
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Filmmaker Curt Ellis, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
Guests include Filmmaker/Co-Founder of FoodCorps, Curt Ellis, Storyteller Katrina Scotto di Carlo, Canadian musician, Dan Mangan.

  • Added: Jan 05, 2012
  • Length: 54:49
Caption: Acclaimed Author and original Head Writer for The David Letterman Show, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
MERRILL MARKOE - Original Head Writer for Late Night with David Letterman. Author of "Cool, Calm & Contentious." CARL ADAMSHICK - Poet and winner...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass.


  • Added: Dec 30, 2011
  • Length: 54:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Acclaimed Author and original Head Writer for The David Letterman Show, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
MERRILL MARKOE - Original Head Writer for Late Night with David Letterman. Author of "Cool, Calm & Contentious." CARL ADAMSHICK - Poet and winner ...

Bought by KUT, Rhythm & News Service, KUOW, and WNJR


  • Added: Dec 30, 2011
  • Length: 58:56
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Author Daniel Handler a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
DANIEL HANDLER - Author of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortuante Events. SHELLEY MCLENDON - Writer, producer, actor, and improvisor. DUOVER -...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass.


  • Added: Dec 22, 2011
  • Length: 54:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Author Daniel Handler a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
DANIEL HANDLER - Author of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortuante Events. SHELLEY MCLENDON - Writer, producer, actor, and improvisor. DUOVER -...

Bought by WBEZ, Rhythm & News Service, and KUOW


  • Added: Dec 22, 2011
  • Length: 58:53
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Tom Kenny voice of SpongeBob, Credit: jennie Baker for Live Wire!
TOM KENNY - voice of Spongebob SquarePants JOHN de GRAFF - author, speaker & national coordinator of Take Back Your Time TELEKINESIS - an Indie R...

Bought by KUOW


  • Added: Dec 15, 2011
  • Length: 54:55
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Tom Kenny voice of SpongeBob, Credit: Jennie Baker for Live Wire!
TOM KENNY - voice of Spongebob SquarePants JOHN de GRAFF - author, speaker & national coordinator of Take Back Your Time TELEKINESIS - an Indie R...

Bought by Rhythm & News Service and WNJR


  • Added: Dec 15, 2011
  • Length: 58:56
  • Purchases: 2