12 episodes

Part-interview, part-existential game show – this is Wild Card from NPR. Host Rachel Martin rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life's biggest questions. Rachel takes actors, artists and thinkers on a choose-your-own-adventure conversation that lets them open up about their fears, their joys and how they've built meaning from experience – all with the help of a very special deck of cards. Want more Wild Card? Support NPR by subscribing to Wild Card+. You'll get access to bonus episodes and you'll get to listen sponsor-free. Learn more at plus.npr.org/wildcard.

Wild Card with Rachel Martin Wild Card

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.7 • 225 Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

Part-interview, part-existential game show – this is Wild Card from NPR. Host Rachel Martin rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life's biggest questions. Rachel takes actors, artists and thinkers on a choose-your-own-adventure conversation that lets them open up about their fears, their joys and how they've built meaning from experience – all with the help of a very special deck of cards. Want more Wild Card? Support NPR by subscribing to Wild Card+. You'll get access to bonus episodes and you'll get to listen sponsor-free. Learn more at plus.npr.org/wildcard.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    A rare dive into David Lynch's mind

    A rare dive into David Lynch's mind

    David Lynch doesn't do a lot of interviews. The Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive creator usually just lets his work speak for itself. But he was excited to talk to Rachel about his new album coming out this summer, Cellophane Memories. And he also was game to dive into his love for transcendental meditation, a fateful childhood psychosomatic illness and a memorable encounter with a Buddha statue.

    To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy

    • 30 min
    David Lynch on the afterlife + Bowen Yang's childhood memento (Wild Card+)

    David Lynch on the afterlife + Bowen Yang's childhood memento (Wild Card+)

    David Lynch explains what he believes happens after we die and Bowen Yang talks about an object from childhood with special significance. To access this bonus episode, listen to Wild Card sponsor-free, and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard.

    Bowen Yang thinks being present is overrated

    Bowen Yang thinks being present is overrated

    Bowen Yang has had some iconic Saturday Night Live roles — the iceberg that sank the Titanic, the Chinese spy balloon, the Tiny Desk intern. And he's also had big successes outside SNL — in movies like Fire Island and Bros, and on his hit podcast, Las Culturistas. He talks to Rachel about living too much in the present, hard truths from Tina Fey and why the afterlife should have a rollercoaster.

    To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

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    • 29 min
    Jack Antonoff doesn't believe in 'no regrets'

    Jack Antonoff doesn't believe in 'no regrets'

    Jack Antonoff has seemingly cracked the code for producing hit albums, winning multiple Grammys for his work with artists like Lorde, Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift. But for his own songwriting, he leans into the unknown. He studies his anxieties, regrets and grief, and shares those feelings in songs with his band Bleachers — as well as in this game of Wild Card.

    To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

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    • 25 min
    Jack Antonoff on being careful and Ada Limón's space poem (Wild Card+)

    Jack Antonoff on being careful and Ada Limón's space poem (Wild Card+)

    Jack Antonoff says he's trying to be more careful with his jokes and Ada Limón discusses a poem she wrote that will be sent to space on NASA's Europa Clipper. To access this bonus episode, listen to Wild Card sponsor-free, and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard.

    Ada Limón doesn't want all the answers

    Ada Limón doesn't want all the answers

    As U.S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón has focused her attention on the natural world, most recently editing a collection of nature poems, titled You Are Here. But Limón's ability to see what others often overlook goes beyond nature. Limón talks with Rachel about learning to forgive yourself, the smell of her grandparents' dueling fudge recipes and a premonition she once had.

    To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy

    • 30 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
225 Ratings

225 Ratings

Steev Why ,

Ideal.

This is what I wanted most interviews to be, yet I had no idea until now. This is those late night conversations in the dorms or the time right before you propose or when your therapist’s next appointment cancels last minute and you get a bonus session.

The production is simple and beautiful ,and Rachel Martin adds more than simply being a neutral presence. I want to have an archive of ten years of episodes to wade through.

Please publish these cards and sell them. I would buy several sets.

SoFreshSoCLE ,

The podcast I’ve been looking for!

I’ve listened to many podcasts, and this hits the perfect note for me. It is engaging while also thoughtful. Rachel Martin is a joy with her warmth and intellect. She brings out introspective responses from guests, who we may only know previously from more superficial, anecdote-driven interviews. But the biggest draw for me is that I leave each episode with a sense of connection - to the interviewee, to Martin, and to our shared human condition. I am so grateful to find this podcast!

Mshields76 ,

Easily my favorite podcast right now

In just a month, this podcast has sailed to the top of my personal chart for podcast listening. The questions and conversation are smart and exactly the scale of human life. More of this, please. (I actually love this podcast so much that I’m leaving a review, which i don’t think I’ve ever done before.) ❤️🙌🏼

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