Best Tonight S Musical Guest Podcasts (2024)

1
Richard Sparks, librettist, writer (L.A. Opera, Not the Nine O'Clock News). 1:11:55

15m ago1:11:55

1:11:55

My guest today is the British scriptwriter and librettist for opera, Richard Sparks. In 1978 he wrote a sketch for Rowan Aktinson, the actor who later played Mr Bean, which Atkinson performed in the Secret Policeman’s Ball, a series of benefit shows organised by John Cleese to raise funds for Amnesty International. The success of the sketch led my …

1
Devo with Kenny 2:26:56

5h ago2:26:56

2:26:56

One-hit wonder? Yes. Decade-spanning mythology rooted in the ethos of societal and human genome collapse? Also yes. Fortune-tellers, DIY punk legends, new wave heroes? Yes, yes, and yes. It's DEVO week! Joining the show as the first entrant into the two-timers guest club is TMGT theme song creator and best friend of the pod Kenny! The spuds from Oh…

1
Kelsey Beachum, narrative designer (Outer Wilds). 1:21:37

9d ago1:21:37

1:21:37

My guest today is the American game writer and narrative designer Kelsey Beachum. After graduating from Michigan State University, she worked in publishing, first as editor of the Cryogenic Society of America, then in editorial operations for the satirical current affairs publication, The Onion. In 2012 stared work on a space-mystery game titled Ou…

1
Mike Drucker, comedy writer, the Tonight Show. 1:13:48

17d ago1:13:48

1:13:48

My guest today is Mike Drucker, an American comedy writer and producer. After graduating with a master’s degree in literature from New York University, he worked as a localisation editor for Nintendo, writing English language jokes for games such as Kid Icarus: Uprising. After a year working as Head Video Writer for the website IGN, he joined Late …

1
Jimi Hendrix 2:29:21

14d ago2:29:21

2:29:21

In just 4 year's time, he created the modern version of American rock music and reinvented the guitar. And broke the brains of whoever saw him do it. It's JIMI HENDRIX week! Jimi breaks through on the southern Chitlin' circuit with his first ever TV appearance backing up Buddy & Stacey on Nashville's Night Train in 1965. The Jimi Hendrix Experience…

1
Michael Sherman, director of e-sports, Riot Games. 1:14:13

18d ago1:14:13

1:14:13

My guest today is Michael Sherman, director of esports for Riot Games. While attending the University of Texas at Dallas for Computer Science, he worked as an Automotive Safety Software Engineer for Texas Instruments, inventing a wireless car-seat that would sound an alarm if a child was left in the car. In 2013 he moved into the emerging world of …

1
Correspondence Special #3: What was the best year for video games? 34:41

24d ago34:41

34:41

In this special correspondence edition, host Simon Parkin reads out listeners' correspondence, answers questions, and offers at least one clue about a forthcoming special guest. Hear Simon discuss which was the best year for video games, which video game characters would make the best stand-up comics, and what Hollywood will do for #content when th…

1
Eric Barone, creator of Stardew Valley. 1:15:06

1M ago1:15:06

1:15:06

My guest today is the American game designer and musician Eric Barone. Born in Los Angeles, he spent his childhood in the suburbs of Seattle. In 2011 he graduated from the University of Washington Tacoma with a degree in computer science, but was unable to find employment. He started developing a video game to hone his programming skills. Supported…

1
Arctic Monkeys 2:07:19

28d ago2:07:19

2:07:19

They went from snotty, Brit teen punk phenomenons to Olympic game-playing elder statesmen in six year's time. From angular pop punk to R&B blues rock to crooning ballads about casinos on the moon, it's a career arc equal parts successful and baffling. It's ARCTIC MONKEYS week! Alex Turner and co. make their American TV debut on SNL in 2006 featurin…

1
Nina Freeman, gamemaker (Cibele, Tacoma, Last Call). 1:12:51

1M ago1:12:51

1:12:51

Nina Freeman is an American independent video game writer and designer. While a student at Pace University in New York, she was drawn to the work of Frank O’Hara and other poets of the New York School, who documented their lives through witty, confessional verse. She began to explore ways in which she could employ a similar tone, not in poetry, but…

1
Abubakar Salim, actor (Napoleon, House of the Dragon). 1:13:06

1M ago1:13:06

1:13:06

My guest today is the British actor Abubakar Salim. Born in Hertfordshire to a family of first-generation Kenyan immigrants, he joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of sixteen, then won a scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He made his professional stage debut in 2010 playing Osric in Prince of Denmark at t…

1
Tom Waits with Ben Hosley 2:32:10

1M ago2:32:10

2:32:10

Drunk troubador. Carnival barker. Scum bum extraordinaire. Character actor. He's lived as many lives as he sung about. It's TOM WAITS week! Joining the show as a renowned scum bum expert in his own right is Ben Hosley (Blank Check with Griffin and David)! Ben and the guys explore the wild persona and musical shifts of Tom over 38 years and 7 clips.…

1
Chet Faliszek, gamemaker (Half-Life 2 series, Left 4 Dead series, The Anacrusis). 1:22:20

2M ago1:22:20

1:22:20

My guest today is the American writer and game designer Chet Faliszek. In the nineties he and his friend Erik Wolpaw founded the website Old Man Murray. The satirical online publication poked fun at video gaming’s sacred cows and established a tone that is still prevalent across the internet today. After catching the attention of Half-Life creator …

1
MPC Game Club: Stephen's Sausage Roll (feat. Glenn Moore). 37:25

2M ago37:25

37:25

Friend of the podcast Glenn Moore joins Simon for a special bonus episode to discuss April's book-club-game, Stephen's Sausage Roll edition. This previously supporter-only episode gives a taste of the bonus monthly episode My Perfect Console supporters receive through Patreon. Throughout April 2024, Glenn and Simon, together with many of the My Per…

1
Veronica Roth, novelist (The Divergent Trilogy, When Among Crows). 1:10:00

2M ago1:10:00

1:10:00

My guest today is the American novelist and short story writer, Veronica Roth. Born in New York and raised in Illinois, she studied creative writing at Northwestern University. While a student, she wrote Divergent, a dystopian science fiction novel set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. The book sold to a publisher even before she graduated,…

1
Smashing Pumpkins with Marissa Paternoster 2:30:17

2M ago2:30:17

2:30:17

We're talking one of the most successful and volatile bands of the 1990s: hair journeys, lineup changes, #1 albums, and too many Billy Corgan quotes. It's SMASHING PUMPKINS week! Joining the show to talk about one of her favorite bands of all time is the great Marissa Paternoster (ex-Screaming Females, Noun)! Marissa lays out the ways her Pumpkins …

1
Correspondence Special #2: The best game Keita Takahashi never made. 33:20

2M ago33:20

33:20

In this special correspondence edition, host Simon Parkin reads out listeners' correspondence, answers questions, and offers at least one clue about a forthcoming special guest. Hear about the genius game that Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi never made, the latest on film director Steven Spielberg's adaptation of 'A Game of Birds and Wolves…

1
Teddy Dief, gamemaker (Hyper Light Drifter, We are OFK). 1:16:29

2M ago1:16:29

1:16:29

My guest today is the American videogame designer and writer, Teddy Dief. Born in Illinois, they graduated from Columbia University with a degree in music, computer science, and Japanese. Then while studying for an MFA in filmmaking and game design at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, they worked on Pirates of the Caribbean Online, and as a designer …

1
Keith Stuart, journalist & novelist (A Boy Made of Blocks, Love is a Curse). 1:20:18

2M ago1:20:18

1:20:18

My guest today is the English author and journalist, Keith Stuart. He grew up in a town near Stockport in Greater Manchester, then studied English and Drama at Warwick University. After graduating he joined Big Red Software, testing Game Genie codes for the Game Boy, and coming up with names for the vehicles and tracks in Big Red Racing. In 1995 he…

1
One-year Anniversary Awards Show 1:36:26

2M ago1:36:26

1:36:26

All the stars are here. It's late-night TV's biggest evening. We even made Kenny make a crooner awards show version of the theme. We're celebrating the best and worst of over 100 performances discussed. It's our One-year Anniversary Awards Show! What was the best interview we saw? Which band's fashion shined? Who gave the vocal performance of the y…

1
Masaya Matsuura, musician, gamemaker (PaRappa the Rapper). 1:19:20

3M ago1:19:20

1:19:20

My guest today is Masaya Matsuura, a Japanese musician and game designer widely considered to be the inventor of rhythm action video games. Born in Osaka City, music ran in the family; his father often performed with his guitar in clubs around Shinagawa Station in Tokyo. My guest was an unruly student until he discovered a love of keyboards and syn…

1
Sarah Keyworth, comedian. 1:18:11

3M ago1:18:11

1:18:11

My guest today is the English stand-up comedian Sarah Keyworth. Born in Nottingham in 1993 they studied drama at De Montfort University, where they became an active member of the university's comedy club. After graduating, my guest then worked for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, while performing on the circuit. Their first show, Dark …

1
Aerosmith with Perry Eaton 2:38:49

3M ago2:38:49

2:38:49

The podcast bad boys from Boston are talking about THE Bad Boys from Boston. It's AEROSMITH week! Joining the show with discussion questions in hand is the lead singer and guitarist of another great Boston band Beeef, Perry Eaton! Perry and the guys break down the many eras of Aerosmith and try to make sense of their complicated and epic legacy. Th…

1
John Johanas, creative director Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush). 1:26:29

3M ago1:26:29

1:26:29

My guest today is John Johanas, creative director at the Tokyo-based studio Tango Gameworks. Born on Long Island, New York, he played in a Radiohead covers band while in High School. After graduating with a degree in East Asia studies from Brandeis University, he moved to Japan to work as an English teacher. He started translating Japanese books in…

1
Siobhan Reddy, co-deputy chair, BAFTA. 1:13:34

3M ago1:13:34

1:13:34

My guest today is Siobhan Reddy, a video game executive and the co-deputy chair of BAFTA. Born in South African to Irish and Australian parents, at the age of four she moved to Campbelltown, New South Wales in Australia. There as a student she became interested in filmmaking and technology. At eighteen she moved to the UK and began working for Perf…

1
Fall Out Boy 1:59:18

3M ago1:59:18

1:59:18

They're pop-punk emo heroes turned anthemic arena radio rock mainstays. Some turned to heavy drug use, while others became tabloid fodder. And hats. Lots of hats. It's FALL OUT BOY week! The career arc is there folks, captured in some ridiculous late night performances. Fall Out Boy explodes into the mainstream with From Under the Cork Tree with a …

1701
Correspondence Special #1: Revisiting Jack Thompson. 38:25

3M ago38:25

38:25

In this special correspondence edition, host Simon Parkin explores feedback from the recent episode with Jack Thompson, reads out listeners' correspondence, answers questions, and offers at least one reveal about a forthcoming special guest... Be attitude for gains. https://plus.acast.com/s/my-perfect-console. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy…

1
Wes Fenlon, senior editor, PC Gamer. 1:22:44

4M ago1:22:44

1:22:44

My guest today is Wes Fenlon, a San Francisco-based writer and senior editor at the video game publication PC Gamer. Having graduated from The University of Georgia with a degree in journalism and magazines, my guest freelanced for The Wirecutter –– the product review website now owned by the New York Times –– and Tested.com where he reviewed and r…

1
Jack Thompson, Former lawyer, "anti-video-game activist." 1:15:32

4M ago1:15:32

1:15:32

My guest today is former lawyer who gained recognition in the late nineties and early 2000s as an "anti-video game activist", criticizing the content of violent video games and their alleged effects on children. Via a series of high-profile lawsuits, including several against Rockstar, the creator of the Grand Theft Auto series, he claimed that Mat…

1
Teenage Fanclub with Mark Neeley 2:24:01

4M ago2:24:01

2:24:01

In a year that saw Nirvana, R.E.M, and Pearl Jam put out generation-defining albums, Spin Magazine named this band's 1991 album Record of the Year. 33 years later, this cult power-pop outfit remains a weird outlier sandwiched between the eras of grunge and Britpop. It's TEENAGE FANCLUB week! Joining the show is animator, music video director, and s…

1
Abhi Swaminathan, gamemaker (Venba). 1:13:15

4M ago1:13:15

1:13:15

My guest today is a game developer and founder of Visai Games. At the age of twelve he moved to Canada from Southern India, then, hoping to enter the games industry, studied Computer Science at the University of Toronto. After graduating, my guest took a programming job at the mobile games studio, Uken Games. In his spare time he and an artist frie…

1
Val McDermid, crime writer, Booker Prize judge. 1:07:12

4M ago1:07:12

1:07:12

My guest today is a Scottish crime writer. Born into a working-class family in Fife, she studied English at St Hilda’s College Oxford, where she was the first student to be admitted from a Scottish state school. She first worked as a journalist, then a dramatist and, in 1987, published her first novel, Report for Murder. Since then, my guest has re…

1
Primus 2:07:23

4M ago2:07:23

2:07:23

The craziest bass playing you've ever seen. Atonal metal breakdowns. Songs about meth heads burying bodies. And multiple top-ten records. How? It's PRIMUS week! It's a guestless, Alex-pick episode: buckle up. Primus breaks on to the national TV scene on the Dennis Miller Show. "My Name is Mud" is a hit somehow, and Primus performs it on MTV's Haunt…

1
Patrick House, neuroscientist and writer. 1:20:49

4M ago1:20:49

1:20:49

My guest today is an American neuroscientist and writer. Born in New York, he earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford University in 2014, researching Toxoplasma gondii, the single-celled feline parasite that infects mouse brains and may––or may not––mess with their fear of cats. As well as studying ancient genetics – specifically conducting …

1
Yoshinori Kitase, director & producer (Final Fantasy series, Chrono Trigger). 1:05:27

5M ago1:05:27

1:05:27

My guest today is a Japanese video-game director, producer, and executive officer of Square-Enix. Born in 1966 in Fussa City in the suburbs of Tokyo, he studied filmmaking at Nihon University. After graduating, he was working at an animation studio when he first played Final Fantasy on the Famicom, and immediately saw the dramatic potential of the …

1
Tyler, the Creator with J'na Jefferson 2:11:48

5M ago2:11:48

2:11:48

He's gone from causing a national panic to winning Grammys and selling high-end perfumes, all while putting on some of the most innovative stage performances of the 21st century. It's TYLER, THE CREATOR week! Joining the show to school us elder millennials on our most modern artist to date is music and culture journalist J'na Jefferson (Rolling Sto…

1
Rod Fergusson, SVP Blizzard Entertainment (Gears of War, Bioshock Infinite, Diablo IV). 1:18:03

5M ago1:18:03

1:18:03

My guest today is Senior Vice-President of Blizzard Entertainment and General Manager of the Diablo video game series. After attending the University of Ottawa for Computer Science, my guest joined Microsoft as a Microsoft Consultant, before he moved to the company’s games division to work titles including Microsoft Train Simulator, then the Xbox v…

1
Helen Macdonald & Sin Blaché (Writers, H is for Hawk, Prophet). 1:18:24

5M ago1:18:24

1:18:24

My guests today are co-authors of the techno-thriller novel Prophet. Helen Macdonald is an English writer, naturalist, and an affiliated research scholar at the University of Cambridge. Their 2014 book “H is for Hawk” tells the true story of a year spent training a northern goshawk while grieving. The book won, among many other things, the Samuel J…

1
Amy Winehouse 2:21:06

5M ago2:21:06

2:21:06

Her voice: timeless. Her TV performances: iconic. We're headed across the pond and googling gobby. It's AMY WINEHOUSE week! Clips on Later...with Jools Holland and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross show Amy at her jazziest. Jools Holland's 2006 Annual Hootenanny gives her the big band treatment with Paul Weller from The Jam. Amy breaks out in her Ame…

1
Iain Lee (broadcaster, comedian, counsellor). 1:19:30

5M ago1:19:30

1:19:30

My guest today is an English broadcaster, writer, television presenter and stand-up comedian. Born in Slough, he began working as a comic in the early nineties, soon landing a gig as co-host of Channel 4’s The 11 O’clock Show, the satirical comedy programme that launched the careers of Sacha Baron Cohen and Ricky Gervais. A slew of high-profile TV …

1
Gary Whitta, screenwriter (The Book of Eli, Star Wars: Rogue One). 1:20:44

6M ago1:20:44

1:20:44

My guest today is a British author and screenwriter for film and video games. Born in London, he began his career as a writer for the games magazine Commodore User, then joined the team that founded PC Gamer, of which he later became editor-in-chief. In 2010, my guest found success in Hollywood as the writer of The Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic n…

1
Beastie Boys with Sean O'Neal 2:17:53

6M ago2:17:53

2:17:53

So what-cha want? An episode on the prolific decades-spanning run of Ad Rock, Mike D, and MCA? No problem. It's BEASTIE BOYS week! Joining the show to break down the iconic rhymes, beats, and general coolness of the B-Boys is Texas Monthly writer and former AV Club Editor in Chief Sean O'Neal! The guys discuss the group's teenage punk roots and wat…

1
Best of 2023 (Part 2). 1:11:32

6M ago1:11:32

1:11:32

Another selection of some of our favourite clips from My Perfect Console's amazing line-up of guests from 2023. Cast in Order of Appearance Henk Rogers Dylan Cuthbert Charles Cecil Jörg Tittel Ellie Gibson Danny Pudi Joseph Mackertich Josh Wardle Dan Vecchitto Tarn Adams Kelsey Lewin Stella Wisdom Tetsuya Mizuguchi Nolan Bushnell Thanks for listeni…

1
Best of 2023 (Part 1). 58:29

7M ago58:29

58:29

It's been a thrilling first year for My Perfect Console. Here are some of our favourite clips from 2023. Cast in Order of Appearance Dara Ó Briain Heather Ann Campbell Pierre Novelli Ashly Burch Jennifer Hale Dominic Armato Phil Wang Jason Schreier Lucas Pope Meghan Jayanth Peter Molyneux Ronan Farrow Naomi Alderman Mike Rose Susan Calman Josh Sche…

1
Grab Bag: New Year's Eve Performances 2:01:02

7M ago2:01:02

2:01:02

It's a night of celebration and watching musicians and celebrities awkwardly count down numbers together. We're ringing in 2024 with our second-ever GRAB BAG episode on New Year's Eve performances! The guys watch Tina Turner preview her huge comeback moment on Johnny Carson. Vanilla Ice gratuitously humps the floor of the Ritz Carlton and counts do…

3251
Console of the Year Award (2023) 29:12

7M ago29:12

29:12

A special episode announcing the winner of the My Perfect Console of the Year (2023) Tournament. It's time. Fifty-two consoles have now been whittled down to two final machines. It's an all-North American final, as the U.S.A.'s Heather Anne-Campbell takes on Canada's Phil Fish. Both machines are spectacular, potential best-sellers: Heather Anne-Cam…

1
Nolan Bushnell, co-founder Atari. 1:13:44

7M ago1:13:44

1:13:44

My guest today is an American scientist, entrepreneur, and a founding father of the video game industry. Born in 1943, he grew up in Utah, in a Mormon family, before leaving to study engineering and business at Utah State University. While a student he played Spacewar!, one of the earliest digital games designed for the PDP-1 computer. After gradua…

1
Green Day with Ryan Agate 2:11:38

7M ago2:11:38

2:11:38

From Gilman to the Grammys, they are arguably the biggest American punk band of all time. It's GREEN DAY week! Joining the show is long-time and legendary (as proclaimed by us) Boston music venue booker Ryan Agate AKA Ryan the Terrible! The guys and Ryan talk about their shared music scene experience and a practice space pigeon before going deep on…

1
Josh Scherr, narrative director (co-writer Uncharted 4, The Last of Us Part II). 1:21:46

7M ago1:21:46

1:21:46

My guest today is an American writer and narrative designer for video games. After graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA in Animation, he worked as an animator in Hollywood, contributing to an early version of Shrek at DreamWorks, Dinosaur at Disney, and to the music video Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 2001…

1
Iain Stirling, comedian, voice of Love Island. 1:13:06

8M ago1:13:06

1:13:06

My guest today is a Scottish comedian, writer, television presenter, narrator, and Twitch streamer. It was during his final year studying law at the University of Edinburgh, the city in which he grew up, that my guest first tried stand-up comedy. At the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that year he reached the final of the Chortle Student Comedian of the …

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