Sleeping with Celebrities

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Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hütz Walks You Through the Downstroke Part of Playing Guitar Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

It is foolish to try to describe the music of the Gogol Bordello and its charismatic frontman Eugene Hütz so we’ll just list the genres Wikipedia uses: Punk rock, folk punk, Latin rock, polka, folk rock, dub, Romani, and Gypsy punk. Wikipedia also uses the adjective “theatrical” and we won’t argue with that. Within the veteran hit band’s whirling storm of musical virtuosity, there are guitars. In playing those guitars, there are strokes, and within those strokes, there are downstrokes and that’s where our conversation with Eugene is centered. In contrast to his stage presence, which would definitely wake you up, Eugene calmly explains the essential nature of the downstroke and also expounds on punk in general, Madonna’s drumming career, and the oft-forgotten tremolo. You’ll want to start a punk band. Tomorrow, though, after a good sleep.

Pre-save and pre-order Gogol Bordello's new album, We Mean It, Man!, on the streaming service of your choice.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

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John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

A Discussion of Bigfoot with Todd Stashwick That Gets a Bit Too Exciting But Then Calms Down Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

Actor Todd Stashwick’s IMDb page is miles long, with appearances in Laws & Orders OG and SVU, Angel, Buffy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Riches, Phineas and Ferb, and Star Trek: Picard and the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series VisionQuest. He’s also a Bigfoot enthusiast. Not a big foot enthusiast, a fan of the cryptozoological creature also known as Sasquatch. Alert followers of host John Moe know that he shares this interest as well, and deeply. John and Todd compare notes on what is actually a soothing activity: poring over YouTube videos, reading first person accounts, and speculating on whether the “Bigfoot as transdimensional traveler” angle is possible or just a little too far. At various points in this interview, John gets a bit too excited about Bigfoot and, remembering what our show is, producer Gabe Mara calms him down.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

Instagram @sleepwcelebs

Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs

TikTok @SleepWithCelebs

John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Jordan Carlos Lives in New York City and Drives an Actual Car Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

There are many transportation options in New York. It’s not all subways and taxi cabs that cut in front of you and make you yell about how you’re walking here like in that movie. There are also regular old cars, like the one comedian and writer Jordan Carlos has for getting around that city. He tells us in detail what that’s like, what the sky tram to Roosevelt Island is like, and how complicated things can get with local transportation bureaucracy if you accidentally drop your phone on a railroad track. Jordan is the author of Choreplay: The Marriage-Saving Magic of Getting Your Head Out of Your Ass, which comes out next month, and he also shares with us the power of changing the toilet paper roll in making your relationship a successful one.

Pre-order your copy of Choreplay: The Marriage-Saving Magic of Getting Your Head Out of Your Ass by Jordan Carlos at the bookstore, online or brick and mortar, of your choice.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

Instagram @sleepwcelebs

Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs

TikTok @SleepWithCelebs

John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Rachael Yamagata On The Importance of Backyard Vigilance Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Rachael Yamagata is an accomplished musician and singer who has recorded several acclaimed albums, including Starlit Alchemy just a few months ago, and performed and recorded with the likes of Rhett Miller, Jason Mraz, and Bright Eyes. When she’s not making beautiful music, she’s watching her back yard like a hawk. Like a hawk that takes on several ambitious backyard projects. Relax in Rachel’s sonic virtual yard and drift off while she tells you about the persistent squirrels, whether you can ever have enough gravel, why you actually can’t ever have enough gravel, and why it’s so important to call Cobra Kai to deal with snakes. No, not the morally ambiguous Karate Kid dojo, just this guy Kai who happens to be really good with snakes. The critters are all taken care of. Shh. Sleep time.

Listen to Rachael's latest album, Starlit Alchemy, on the streaming service of your choice. Find out more about Rachael by visiting her website, www.RachaelYamagata.com.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

Instagram @sleepwcelebs

Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs

TikTok @SleepWithCelebs

John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Photo Credit: Eric Daniels @ericwdanielss

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Akilah Hughes Guides You To Just Barely Interesting Things on Social Media Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

Instagram can be a minefield of powerful influencers making you feel terrible about not having millions of dollars and a glamorous lifestyle, or, OR, it could be filled with odd things like banjo players plucking away in National Parks. Writer, comedian, filmmaker, and podcaster Akilah Hughes has published a memoir, Obviously: Stories From my Timeline, written for Steven Soderbergh’s Command Z television series, and hosted shows on the Crooked Media network. Most importantly for us, she knows how to manipulate social media to get to the good stuff, the weird stuff, and the good weird stuff. No Mr. Beast here but plenty to put you to sleep right away and arm you with new sleep tools tomorrow. Akilah and John Moe also talk about Bigfoot and the alleged interdimensionality of Bigfoot, because if you get John talking long enough he’s bound to come around to Bigfoot. He cannot help it.

Listen to Akilah's new podcast, How Is This Better?, from Courier Newsroom on their website or on the podcatcher of your choice.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

Instagram @sleepwcelebs

Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs

TikTok @SleepWithCelebs

John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

150th Episode: More All-Star Guests Who Excelled at Understanding the Assignment Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

We love all of our guests on this podcast and are delighted that they helped amuse you to sleep. There are some among those guests who seem to have an extra-special ability to get what we’re asking for, to grasp the mission, to understand the assignment. They speak in extra hushed tones, they choose astoundingly benign subject matter, they delight and bring forth some nice laughs, they drone, they lull, and they conk you right the heck out. On this, our 150th episode, we bring you some all-stars of that craft. Demi Adejuyigbe talks film photography, Paget Brewster shares bone broth secrets, Chris Kluwe breaks down NFL punting in more steps than you thought possible, Lulu Miller offers thoughts on dolphins and other animals, Hanif Abdurraqib walks you through his band shirt collection, and Janet Varney communes with nocturnal critters. You’re in good hands here. Night night.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

Instagram @sleepwcelebs

Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs

TikTok @SleepWithCelebs

John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Hanging Out at Airports with Roxane Gay (RERUN) Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

This episode originally ran April 23, 2025.

***

Roxane Gay is one of the greatest writers in the world today. Everyone knows this. We’re so thrilled that she agreed to be on our show. Roxane is the author of books like Bad Feminist and Hunger, writes for the New York Times, is a respected social critic and noted professor. All this means that she travels a lot and she joins us, using a very soothing voice, to share her opinions on air travel. Hear about her favorite airports, such as Indianapolis, and her least favorite airports, like JFK in New York. We even get some book recommendations from Roxane since we had her on the line and she is Roxane Gay, after all. You’ll drift off to sleep dreaming of travel without ever waiting in a TSA line.

Learn more about Roxane Gay and her excellent work by visiting her website, www.RoxaneGay.com.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

Instagram @sleepwcelebs

Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs

TikTok @SleepWithCelebs

John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Jon Lovett Will Not Reveal How All of America Could Collapse Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

You might know Jon Lovett as the host of the podcast Lovett or Leave It or as one of the hosts of the influential Pod Save America show. On those shows, Jon and others talk about big events in politics and try to make sense of it all. Which is hard. But it turns out that America itself, the very Constitution of this nation, may have a fatal flaw it in it, a loophole that could be activated and instantly make it a totalitarian country (or, depending on how you see things, even more so). It’s a loophole, Jon Lovett tells us, first brought up by Kurt Gödel, last name pronounced like the ladies’ undergarment. He was an influential mathematician and logician from Eastern Europe who found the loophole while studying for his citizenship test. He passed but, crucially, never revealed the loophole even though his pal Albert Einstein wanted him to. And then Gödel died in 1978, secret still safe. So you’ll be able to sleep safe.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

Instagram @sleepwcelebs

Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs

TikTok @SleepWithCelebs

John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Jodie Sweetin’s Full House of Legos Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

We understand that for many people, Jodie Sweetin is forever linked to Stephanie Tanner, the character she played for eight years on Full House and four more years on Fuller House. But we doubt Stephanie was nearly as much into Lego building sets as the real Jodie is. In fact, we seriously doubt anyone is as much into Legos as Jodie. She joins us to talk about some of her favorite sets that she’s put together and how the little interlocking bricks play a major role in establishing peace of mind. Jodie loves nothing better than to get a big kit to put together, turn on a grisly true crime podcast, and then meticulously follow the directions of assembly. Not exactly transcendental mediation but certainly meditative. She shares with us how her daughters have always had toys of their own and are not to play with Mom’s bricks. You’ll doze off to Jodie’s familiar voice extol the virtues of precise assembly.

Vote for Jodie's Full House Lego set by going to Jodie's Linktree linkt.ree/jodiesweetin and following the Lego link.

Get tickets to Jodie's comedy pageant Smokeshow with Sweetin at SF Sketchfest 2026 by going to www.SFSketchfest2026.sched.com. Go in person on January 24th, 2026 at the BATS Improv Theatre at 9:30 pm PST.

Order your copy of the audiobook recording of Jodie's memoir, unSweetined, wherever audiobooks are sold.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

Instagram @sleepwcelebs

Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs

TikTok @SleepWithCelebs

John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Bridger Winegar Needs a New iPhone and Will Consider ALL Options Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

Actor and writer Bridger Winegar has appeared in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and as the host of his own delightful podcast I Said No Gifts, where his guests insist on bringing gifts, despite the title and he acts upset but really loves it. Bridger has had his iPhone for a long time, it gets used a lot, and, frankly, it’s pretty worn out. So he needs a new one. But rather than simply buy the latest edition, Bridger is going to take a more considered approach, verbally examining and evaluating ALL iPhone models that have ever come out, dating back to the original 2007 model. As you doze off, you’ll hear Bridger carefully consider all his choices and examine each feature of every phone. It’s kind of like being stuck at the cell phone store but you’re listening to someone really funny and kind and clever and also you’re in bed and can go ahead and fall asleep.

Listen to Bridger Winegar's excellent program, I Said No Gifts!, wherever fine pods are cast.

Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you’d like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber?

Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.

Follow the Show on:

Instagram @sleepwcelebs

Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs

TikTok @SleepWithCelebs

John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe

John’s acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join | Maximum Fun

If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

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