
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 | 758 | Founded | 20 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Performing ArtsArts | |||

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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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 | #34 | |
Apple Podcasts | #195 | |
Apple Podcasts | #45 | |
Apple Podcasts | #55 | |
Apple Podcasts | #181 | |
Apple Podcasts | #209 |
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. This American Life
4. Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone
5. Bullseye with Jesse Thorn
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.
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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.