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Artwork for Live Wire

Live Wire with Luke Burbank

PRX
Comedy
Music
Grief
Mental Health
Alcohol
Parenting
Poetry
Portland Book Festival
Black History Month
I Was a Teenage Slasher
Sobriety
Acne
Stand-Up Comedy
Sloane Crosley
Portland, Oregon
Pop Culture
Church Of Scientology
Paul F. Tompkins
Horror Genre
Bianca Bosker

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.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes758Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Performing ArtsArts

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Artwork for Live Wire

Latest Episodes

Podcaster Aubrey Gordon dives deep into topics tackled on her hit show Maintenance Phase, including the monopolization of weight-loss medications; multi-disciplinary artist Jean Grae explains why she's banning gum chewing and beatboxing at her funera... more

In this "Independence Day Special" podcaster and writer Jamie Loftus takes us on a roadtrip across America to understand the cultural and historical significance of the hot dog; writer Daisy Hernández unpacks her latest book Citizenship: Notes on an ... more

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka tells us about Craigslist comedy, her trend-setting haircut, and how she never left America after visiting Disneyland as a child; writer Jack Balderrama Morley dives deep into the architecture of reality TV in his new book Dr... more

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

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Recent Guests

Atsuko Okatsuka
Comedian and actress known for Father and The Big Bowl Tour
Self
Episode: Atsuko Okatsuka, Jack Balderrama Morley, and Tyler Ballgame
Jack Balderrama Morley
Managing editor at Dwell, author of Dream Facades
Dwell Magazine
Episode: Atsuko Okatsuka, Jack Balderrama Morley, and Tyler Ballgame
Tyler Ballgame
Musician, debut album For The First Time, Again
Rough Trade Records
Episode: Atsuko Okatsuka, Jack Balderrama Morley, and Tyler Ballgame
Melissa Febos
Writer and author of The Dry Season
Author, The Dry Season
Episode: Melissa Febos, Evan Ratliff, and Tropa Magica (REBROADCAST)
Evan Ratliff
Journalist and author, co-founder of The Atavist, creator of Shell Game
The Atavist; Shell Game
Episode: Melissa Febos, Evan Ratliff, and Tropa Magica (REBROADCAST)
Tropa Magica
Musical guests performing live
Band
Episode: Melissa Febos, Evan Ratliff, and Tropa Magica (REBROADCAST)
Camille Dungy
Poet and author of America, A Love Story
Poet/Author
Episode: Sarah Marshall, Camille Dungy, and Kassa Overall
Kassa Overall
Jazz drummer, rapper, and producer from Seattle; album Cream
Artist
Episode: Sarah Marshall, Camille Dungy, and Kassa Overall
Kenji López-Alt
Chef, food scientist, author of The Food Lab; co-host of The Recipe
Kenji López-Alt / The Food Lab / The Recipe
Episode: J. Kenji López-Alt, Ann Powers, and Khatumu (REBROADCAST)

Hosts

Luke Burbank
Host of Live Wire; principal interviewer with a collaborative, humorous style
Elena Passarello
Announcer/Co-host; brings embodiment and voice to live performances and interviews

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 356 ratings
  • Love

    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!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    randomuno
    United Statesa year ago
  • Damp January

    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!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Upstate Midwesterner
    United Statesa year ago
  • So good!

    Love the show but some new eps would be nice. You can’t do a TAL rerun-based model with this few episodes.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Raincloud06
    United States2 years ago
  • Love Luke!

    So excited for this new series Damp January! Luke is the best and his perspective on this topic is so insightful.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    D7s4
    United States2 years ago
  • Best Weekly Podcast Around

    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

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sakura Mama NYC
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some critics want more new episodes and fewer reruns.
Listeners praise the balance of interviews, music, and humor.
Fans note the show's warmth and curiosity as standout qualities.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Atsuko Okatsuka, Jack Balderrama Morley, and Tyler Ballgame
Q: What drew you to focus on reality TV architecture in your book?
I realized reality TV creates visual connections between homes and uses architecture as a storytelling device, making the homes themselves characters in the shows.
J. Kenji López-Alt, Ann Powers, and Khatumu (REBROADCAST)
Q: Why did you dedicate an entire episode to broccoli cheese soup?
Kenji explains that both hosts have broccoli cheese soup recipes that differ vastly, and the topic serves to explore how personal culinary histories and cultural norms shape even seemingly simple comfort foods.
Earlonne Woods & Nigel Poor, Dylan Adler, and Margo Cilker
Q: How did Ear Hustle come to be produced inside San Quentin?
Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods developed it from a need to tell authentic prison stories, starting with a two-minute trailer and evolving into a full production with incarcerated producers.
Gabe Henry, William Nuʻutupu Giles, and Sir Woman (REBROADCAST)
Q: Can you tell us about some of the well-known people who tried to fix English spelling over the years?
The guest outlines figures like Benjamin Franklin and Noah Webster, describing their proposals and the mixed reception they faced, including Franklin's phonetically driven alphabet and Webster's American English simplifications.
Gabe Henry, William Nuʻutupu Giles, and Sir Woman (REBROADCAST)
Q: What was your sort of, like, I don't know, grammar nerd status before you started on this book? Were you always someone who was tracking that kind of stuff?
Gabe Henry describes being a self-professed grammar nerd and later a more accepting writer, suggesting that researching the book softened his strictness about language.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Live Wire

What is Live Wire about and what kind of topics does it cover?

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.

Where can I find podcast stats for Live Wire?

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.

How many listeners does Live Wire get?

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What are the audience demographics for Live Wire?

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How many subscribers and views does Live Wire have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Live Wire has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Live Wire?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Live Wire:

1. Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
2. TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live
3. This American Life
4. Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone
5. Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

How many episodes of Live Wire are there?

Live Wire launched 20 years ago and published 758 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Live Wire?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Live Wire?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Live Wire from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Live Wire?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Live Wire. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Live Wire?

Recent guests on Live Wire include:

1. Atsuko Okatsuka
2. Jack Balderrama Morley
3. Tyler Ballgame
4. Melissa Febos
5. Evan Ratliff
6. Tropa Magica
7. Camille Dungy
8. Kassa Overall

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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