Jesse Thorn
Encyclopedia
Jesse Thorn is an American
public radio show host/creator. He is the host and producer of the radio show and podcast
The Sound of Young America
, which is distributed by Public Radio International
to 25 public terrestrial radio stations in 13 states and is also broadcast weekly on XM Radio's "XM Public Radio
" channel. He also hosts the podcasts Judge John Hodgman and Jordan, Jesse, Go! and the television program The Grid, which formerly aired on IFC.
, where he attended the School of the Arts. He attended University of California, Santa Cruz
where he co-founded The Sound of Young America and worked for the campus radio station KZSC
. The Sound of Young America began as a college radio
variety show
featuring Thorn and two other co-hosts, Jordan Morris and Gene O'Neill.
, TIME Magazine, and Salon.com
, with Salon.com describing Thorn's interviewing style as combining "the civility and preparedness of [Terry] Gross
leavened with the good humor of [Conan] O'Brien
."
A few months later, Thorn received a call from the director of programming at PRI, who had heard one of the podcasts and expressed interest in distributing the show. In 2006 WNYC-FM, a public radio station in New York City
, picked up the show, and PRI decided to distribute it. As of September 2008 the show was carried on 18 public radio stations, in addition to the podcast.
In addition, Thorn and Jordan Morris host another podcast, "Jordan, Jesse GO!" Thorn has also produced several other podcasts for MaximumFun.org, including Coyle & Sharpe
: The Imposters and The Kasper Hauser Podcast. He is also a part of sketch comedy group Prank The Dean, along with Morris, Lauren Pasternak and Jim Real.
Over time, The Sound of Young America became more focused on interviews. Thorn has interviewed many notable personalities on his show such as Nick Hornby
and Nellie McKay
. Thorn also interviewed Stephen Colbert
as a part of iTunes
's Meet the Author series. Thorn has become notably identified with a philosophy he calls "New Sincerity
." A USA Weekend
article cited the "New Sincerity" segment of the show as a listeners' favorite, and quoted Thorn's explanation of the concept as "a rejection of irony." Thorn has promoted "New Sincerity" on his program, in his blog, and in interviews,
and was named as a popularizer of "new sincerity" in a scholarly work discussing the similar novaia iskrennost' concept in Russian post-Soviet aesthetic theory.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
public radio show host/creator. He is the host and producer of the radio show and podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
The Sound of Young America
The Sound of Young America
The Sound of Young America is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California and distributed by Public Radio International...
, which is distributed by Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
to 25 public terrestrial radio stations in 13 states and is also broadcast weekly on XM Radio's "XM Public Radio
XM Public Radio
XM Public Radio is a 24/7 Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel dedicated to public radio programming. Broadcasting in stereo, XM Public Radio is one of two talk channels on the XM platform which broadcasts 2-channel audio—the other being the ViRUS...
" channel. He also hosts the podcasts Judge John Hodgman and Jordan, Jesse, Go! and the television program The Grid, which formerly aired on IFC.
Early life
Thorn grew up in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where he attended the School of the Arts. He attended University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
where he co-founded The Sound of Young America and worked for the campus radio station KZSC
KZSC
KZSC is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California. It is a non-commercial college radio station that serves as a training ground for UCSC students interested in broadcasting, as well as an outlet for many members of...
. The Sound of Young America began as a college radio
Campus radio
Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...
variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
featuring Thorn and two other co-hosts, Jordan Morris and Gene O'Neill.
Career
Near the end of 2004 Thorn began to make the show available as a podcast. Thorn and the show were mentioned in The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, TIME Magazine, and Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, with Salon.com describing Thorn's interviewing style as combining "the civility and preparedness of [Terry] Gross
Terry Gross
Terry Gross is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview format radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed throughout the United States by National Public Radio....
leavened with the good humor of [Conan] O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
."
A few months later, Thorn received a call from the director of programming at PRI, who had heard one of the podcasts and expressed interest in distributing the show. In 2006 WNYC-FM, a public radio station in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, picked up the show, and PRI decided to distribute it. As of September 2008 the show was carried on 18 public radio stations, in addition to the podcast.
In addition, Thorn and Jordan Morris host another podcast, "Jordan, Jesse GO!" Thorn has also produced several other podcasts for MaximumFun.org, including Coyle & Sharpe
Mal Sharpe
Malcolm Sharpe is an American television and radio personality with roots in San Francisco, California.In the early 1960s, Sharpe teamed with Jim Coyle to create a series of comic on-the-street interviews for San Francisco radio station KGO. Armed with a tape recorder, Coyle and Sharpe confronted...
: The Imposters and The Kasper Hauser Podcast. He is also a part of sketch comedy group Prank The Dean, along with Morris, Lauren Pasternak and Jim Real.
Over time, The Sound of Young America became more focused on interviews. Thorn has interviewed many notable personalities on his show such as Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
and Nellie McKay
Nellie McKay
Nellie McKay , is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and former stand-up comedienne, noted for her critically acclaimed albums, and for her Broadway debut in The Threepenny Opera , for which she won a Theatre World Award...
. Thorn also interviewed Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
as a part of iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
's Meet the Author series. Thorn has become notably identified with a philosophy he calls "New Sincerity
New Sincerity
New sincerity is a term that has been used in music, aesthetics, film criticism, poetry, literary criticism and philosophy, generally to describe art or concepts that run against prevailing modes of postmodernist irony or cynicism.-New sincerity in music:...
." A USA Weekend
USA Weekend
USA Weekend is a national publication distributed through more than 800+ newspapers in the United States. It reaches 47 million readers in 22.6 million households every weekend. Awarded for its journalism and design, USA WEEKEND focuses on social issues, entertainment, health, food and travel....
article cited the "New Sincerity" segment of the show as a listeners' favorite, and quoted Thorn's explanation of the concept as "a rejection of irony." Thorn has promoted "New Sincerity" on his program, in his blog, and in interviews,
and was named as a popularizer of "new sincerity" in a scholarly work discussing the similar novaia iskrennost' concept in Russian post-Soviet aesthetic theory.
External links
- A podcast interview with Jesse Thorn
- Carson Cistulli interviews Jesse Thorn
- A podcast interview with Jesse Thorn about his Put This On project
- An interview with Thorn
- Maximumfun.org - website for The Sound of Young America and related projects
- Website for Thorn's sketch comedy group, Prank The Dean
- Website for Jordan, Jesse, Go!
- WNYC's website for The Sound of Young America