
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.
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 755 | Founded | 20 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Performing ArtsArts | |||

Writer Melissa Febos discusses her latest book The Dry Season, wherein she explores the transformative—and at turns erotic—year she spent celibate; journalist Evan Ratliff takes us into the uncanny world of his podcast Shell Game, which examines the ... more
Podcaster Sarah Marshall (You're Wrong About) unpacks her latest series The Devil You Know, which dissects the tangled web of Satanic Panic in the 1980s and 90s... and why it still lingers today; poet Camille Dungy explores living and loving as a Bla... more
Celebrated chef J. Kenji López-Alt schools us on the food history of teriyaki, nachos, and broccoli cheddar soup; music critic Ann Powers unpacks her latest book Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell, which explores the musician's life and career, ... more
Earlonne Woods & Nigel Poor discuss how they launched their award-winning podcast Ear Hustle while Earlonne was still incarcerated — and why the stories they share inside and outside of prison are not about redemption; stand-up comedian Dylan Adler r... more
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Listening to Live Wire on my commute brings me so much joy. Luke and Elena bring the perfect balance of humor, warmth, positivity, and oddly specific geographic knowledge. I love hearing from writers about their lives and artistic process. The standup routines, musical guests, “best news,” and station location examination segments are not only entertaining, but a true comfort in these challenging times. This show is a major highlight of my week!
With new guidelines recommending a cancer warning label for alcohol and thinking about why I consume alcohol, this series is thoughtful and got me thinking about different perspectives. I also appreciate Luke’s courage and honesty in the interview with his mom and his own experience with alcohol. Worth listening to!
Love the show but some new eps would be nice. You can’t do a TAL rerun-based model with this few episodes.
So excited for this new series Damp January! Luke is the best and his perspective on this topic is so insightful.
There’s nothing that delights me more during my busy week than to be notified that Live Wire has dropped another episode. Luke and Elena are delightful and charming and their dynamic is top notch. The guests they have on are obviously chosen with great care, and even when I may not have an immediate recognition of the guest’s work, I’m soon drawn into the interview and I walk away more informed about the world around me. Best News is fun and light, and Station Location Identification is a great ... more
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #51 | |
Apple Podcasts | #56 | |
Apple Podcasts | #114 | |
Apple Podcasts | #137 | |
Apple Podcasts | #149 | |
Apple Podcasts | #241 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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Eclectic, culture-forward conversations with a mix of writers, musicians, comedians, and filmmakers. Recurring strengths include intimate author interviews, live musical performances, and thoughtful segments that blend curiosity with lighthearted banter. Guests span travel writers, poets, Indigenous and immigrant voices, and indie musicians, often explored through themes of resilience, memory, identity, and community. A distinguishing feature is the live-show energy, cross-disciplinary mix, and ongoing commitment to accessibility and human-centered storytelling, making it appealing to listeners who crave intelligent culture-talk balanced with warmth and humor.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Live Wire. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Live Wire and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Live Wire:
1. Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
2. TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live
3. Fresh Air
4. This American Life
5. The Moth
Live Wire launched 20 years ago and published 755 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Live Wire include:
1. Anne Powers
2. Earlonne Woods
3. Nigel Poor
4. William Nuitupu Giles
5. Avery Trufelman
6. Kyle Kinane
7. Rick Steves
8. Stephanie Schneiderman
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