Bonus: Bullseye's 'Put You On' with Tonya Mosley

Jesse Thorn (0:00)

Hey, Bullseye listeners, here's a quick question. Have you heard of our new show, Put You On? Every month, yours truly and a very special guest, get on the microphone to answer your questions and share with you some of our favorite recommendations.

We put you on to new movies, albums, ways to cook or clean, dress, read. It is a ton of fun. It is like a little bit of a more freewheeling version of Bullseye with some really cool people. All you have to do to listen to it is support Bullseye directly by going to maximumfun.org/joinbullseye, maximumfun.org/joinbullseye and you will be a member of Maximum Fun in a matter of literally like 90 seconds. I wanted to give you a taste of our most recent episode with a genuine public radio legend, Tonya Mosley, the co-host of Fresh Air.

And we do more than just recommend stuff to you. So this is a little bit of Tonya talking about meeting an actual hero. So let's listen.

SPEAKER_2 (1:14)

We have a question from Tasha who asks, was there a time you were genuinely starstruck interviewing someone?

Tonya Mosley (1:22)

Okay. So I'm going to answer this two ways. First, I'm going to just tell a story that I'm always so geek to tell because look, it just happened, okay? So this is not somebody that I interviewed, but so I was invited to this party. I don't know Oprah, of course. I don't know her. I just was invited to this thing. And I was very excited because you already know what Oprah probably means to me and to the rest of the world. So I want to tell you.

So I arrived there and one of her people brought me to her and she was talking to someone. And she saw me through the corner of her eye and she grabbed my hand and held it tight while she continued this conversation with this other person.

Jesse Thorn (2:07)

And then when she was, she took you to her bedroom.

Tonya Mosley (2:12)

Wait. So then after she's done talking to that person, she turns around and she grabs my face and she just says, and then she whispers in my ear and says over and over, You are so good. You are so good, Tonya. You are so good.

Jesse Thorn (2:29)

Because until that part, it sounded like what happens after like a Whitesnake concert.

Tonya Mosley (2:34)

Right, right.

Jesse Thorn (2:35)

Right. Like a roadie comes and gets you.

Tonya Mosley (2:41)

I mean, needless to say, I was pretty speechless and I kept having to say to myself in the moment, think of something really important to say.

But then I just thought, I just have to surrender to this moment here. And so I think I remember a little bit about what I said. I just said, thank you. And you probably, I don't have to say what you mean to me. You know. And she said, I do know. I know.

So she continued after that. We took some photos and then she held my hand while she continued to talk to other people. And I will tell you, Jesse, that I was so ridiculous that I didn't know what to do, really. Like I don't think I said anything intelligent that whole time or memorable that whole time, okay? But okay, no, no. I do want to do want to tell you one person that I interviewed. I don't typically get starstruck. What I am fascinated by, though, I like having in-person interviews because I really like to see, I get to see the person, the persona versus the real person when they come in often. And then before we start rolling, you kind of get, that's a little bit more information. But one person I was really, I don't know if I call it starstruck, but they just had such aura as the kids would say. It was like it just took over the room, is Walton Goggins.

Jesse Thorn (4:05)

We love Goggins. You know we love Goggins.

Tonya Mosley (4:09)

Look, that man, in the whole hour and a half, he just, he never broke eye contact. That was, that was, that was intense too. But so much charisma, yes.

Jesse Thorn (4:20)

So much Riz, such an excellent brand of vodka.

Tonya Mosley (4:23)

Oh yeah.

Jesse Thorn (4:26)

I say, people ask me this question actually a lot.

And, you know, I pretty much pick who comes on our show. I mean, like I don't get to pick anyone I want ever, cause plenty of people won't come on our show.

Tonya Mosley (4:41)

But the people you have, that's who you want, yeah.