Live Wire with Luke Burbank

PRX

4.5 (299)
PERFORMING ARTS
UPDATED WEEKLY

Like late-night for radio, Live Wire is hosted by Luke Burbank (Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me) and artfully blends an eclectic mix of artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, comedians, and cultural observers.

5 DAYS AGO

Carvell Wallace, Joy Sullivan, and Danielle Durack

New York Times bestselling author and podcaster Carvell Wallace unpacks his transformative memoir Another Word for Love, where he mines his own history of growing up, getting sober, and finding his voice as a writer; poet Joy Sullivan discusses her collection Instructions for Traveling West, which explores themes of home, luck, and starting again; and singer-songwriter Danielle Durack performs "Moon Song" from her latest album Escape Artist. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello hears from our audience about their most memorable road trips.

53 min
NOV 8

W. Kamau Bell, Jane Marie, and Y La Bamba (REBROADCAST)

Comedian and television host W. Kamau Bell discusses his Substack newsletter Who's With Me? and how AI got his comedic personality all wrong; journalist and podcaster Jane Marie breaks down multi-level marketing and how it preys upon working class Americans; and indie band Y La Bamba perform "Crema de Melón." Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello unpack some wild scams our listeners have fallen for.

52 min
NOV 1

Shalom Auslander, Simon Shieh, and Kara Jackson

In his memoir Feh, writer Shalom Auslander attempts to escape his biblical upbringing and carve his own path, with a little help from Kafka; poet and former professional Muay Thai fighter Simon Shieh reckons with trauma, masculinity, and the art of healing in his debut collection Master; and singer-songwriter Kara Jackson performs her single "Pawnshop" from her album Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?, live from the Pickathon festival. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello hear from our audience about the small, shameful things they grapple with.

52 min
OCT 25

Dulcé Sloan, Brian Lindstrom, and S.G. Goodman

Comedian Dulcé Sloan (The Daily Show) shares some anecdotes from her new book Hello, Friends!: Stories of Dating, Destiny, and Day Jobs, including how becoming fluent in Spanish as a kid turned her into the neighborhood's child lawyer; filmmaker Brian Lindstrom chats about his documentary Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill, which follows the short life of a 1970s folk singer who went from living in her car to the cover of Rolling Stone, before fading into obscurity; and singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman performs the title track from her album Teeth Marks. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share some under-appreciated artists nominated by our listeners.

52 min
OCT 18

Roger Reeves, Sean Jordan, and Erin Rae

Poet Roger Reeves explains how he tried to reach the universal through the personal in his first collection of essays Dark Days; stand-up comedian Sean Jordan unpacks why instructional videos on potty training your kids might be flawed; and singer-songwriter Erin Rae performs the title track of her critically-acclaimed album Putting on Airs, recorded live from Pickathon festival. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share some parenting challenges from our listeners.

52 min
OCT 11

Bianca Bosker and Brittany Davis (REBROADCAST)

Journalist and bestselling author Bianca Bosker (Cork Dork) takes us behind the scenes of the highfalutin art world with her new book Get the Picture, before getting a lesson on masterworks from a four-year-old; and singer-songwriter Brittany Davis performs the single "So Fly" from her new album Image Issues. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello reveal the uncharted industries our listeners would love to go undercover in.

52 min
OCT 4

Emily Nussbaum and Pink Martini

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Emily Nussbaum (The New Yorker) unpacks her book Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV, which explores our obsession and distaste for what she calls "dirty documentary;" pianist Thomas Lauderdale and vocalist China Forbes of Pink Martini chat about their 30-year journey with the genre-bending musical group, before performing "Una Notte a Napoli" from their album Hang on Little Tomato. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello hear from our audience members about an imaginary reality TV show they'd like to see.

52 min
SEP 27

Emily Flake, Tessa Hulls, and Pure Bathing Culture (REBROADCAST)

Cartoonist Emily Flake (The New Yorker) reveals Joke in a Box, her 70-card deck of creative prompts, which results in some live cartooning from the stage; writer and artist Tessa Hulls discusses her graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts, which looks at the three generations of Chinese women in her family; and indie pop duo Pure Bathing Culture perform "The Memento" from their latest album Chalice. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello tells us some favorite (short) jokes.

52 min

See All (659)

4.5

out of 5

299 Ratings

Love love love!

12/11/2023

KaleyOne

I love everything about this show. It’s perfect company when I’m in the kitchen cooking or commuting to work. The Best News is a really unique (refrettably) portion and always makes my day brighter. Thanks Luke, Elena, and team for such a beautiful show.
Great discussions and variety of guests

10/03/2023

questionlp

Live Wire has an incredible spectrum of guests, topics, discussions and musical guests that provides a palate cleanser after drudging through the usual news and politics of the day.
Overdoing the rebroadcast some

08/25/2023

RivkaBelle

Love the show. You’ll hear most episodes often enough to memorize them.
Found it!

08/20/2023

SRSC12

Livewire is the perfect reprieve from the 24/7 political podcasts that formerly consumed my days. I was drained and desperately needed laughter, positive thought, and re-ignited enthusiasm when I found Livewire. I cannot recommend this vacation for the soul enough!

Like late-night for radio, Live Wire is hosted by Luke Burbank (Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me) and artfully blends an eclectic mix of artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, comedians, and cultural observers.