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When people have been married as long as Minnesota crop art icon Jill Moe and Sleeping with Celebrities host John Moe have been, they understand and accept that a loving couple need not share all interests. A topic that fascinates one spouse may completely bore and put to sleep spouse number two. Such are the Moes with John’s abiding interest in the consequence-free world of fantasy football and Jill’s years-long involvement in making art out of native Minnesota plants. Truth be told, John finds crop art at least a little interesting but Jill routinely flees the room and/or dozes off when John starts in on which running back to start on his imaginary football squad. The two also share a wonderfully cruel way to respond to respond to someone telling a dull story at the dinner table. It involves a napkin repurposed as a blanket and you can learn it yourself in order to amuse and possibly infuriate your dining companions. 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: [email protected]. 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 Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Stephen Thompson is one of the co-hosts of NPR’s delightful Pop Culture Happy Hour, along with former Sleeping with Celebrities guests Linda Holmes and Glen Weldon and future guest Aisha Harris. Aside from being a culturally smarty, he’s one of the founders of the Tiny Desk Concerts, which has played host to some of the biggest names in music playing in a very small corner of an office floor of cubicles. Stephen fills us in on what’s back there now, what has always been there from the start, and what used to be there but got eaten by rats during covid, forcing some policy adjustments. He also tells us whether important historical artifacts would do well as Tiny Desk tchotchkes (the Dead Sea Scrolls would require some creative layout). And he explains once and for all whether these are tiny concerts held at a desk or concerts held at a tiny desk. He says all the guests are super nice, except for Dua Lipa and Post Malone, who were really incredibly extra special nice. 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: [email protected]. 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 Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

In talking about Susan Orlean, many people give her well-deserved credit as being the author of acclaimed best-sellers like The Orchid Thief, Rin Tin Tin, and The Library Book. They don’t mention perhaps her most impressive accomplishment of all: she knows how to get animals to like her. All kinds. Zebras are a bit tricky because, as Susan explains, they are the a*****e of the animal kingdom. Susan explains how you can be an animal pal too and she offers John Moe advice on winning over his recalcitrant foster rescue dog Kenny Rogers. 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: [email protected]. 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   Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

The life of a touring musician can involve a considerable amount of down time. There’s travel, checking into the hotel, sound check, the show, and some schmoozing, but that leaves many hours in the day for maddeningly difficult hobbies. Hamilton Leithauser of the Walkmen and an acclaimed solo career has poured a lot of time into learning chess and, while not on the road, building his own boards. He goes into great detail on both pursuits in order to lull you to sleeptime. Hamilton also fills us in on how various musicians and philosophers would do as chess competitors but if you want to hear his appraisal of Andrew Bird and Sartre versus the hardcore speed chess guys in Washington Square. 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: [email protected]. 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. Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Like, so much. As in, he knows the name of Peter Cetera’s brother. He remembers most of the set list from a concert BY Chicago IN Chicago in 1981. Jimmy, of course, is the host of Never Not Funny, an absolutely essential comedy podcast now celebrating its 20th anniversary, which is about 19 years, eleven months, and three weeks longer than most podcasts make it. Now, Chicago, the band, is not known for a lot of pyrotechnics, onstage stunts and debauchery, or members whose names you remember if you’re someone other than Jimmy Pardo. So there’s nothing that’s going to get you fired up. It will be like a Saturday in the park. It will be hard to say I’m sorry for putting this episode out because we’re not. If you leave the episode now, well, that’s fine too. 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: [email protected]. 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. Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Wil Wheaton knows a thing or twelve about deeply loving a television series. He is part of the Star Trek universe after all, as Wesley Crusher, first appearing on Start Trek: The Next Generation, reappearing in various Trek iterations ever since, and that’s a show that has its passionate fans. Same with The Big Bang Theory, where Wil played a kind of alternate universe version of himself. For Wil, there is a special strong appreciation for The Prisoner, the 1960s British series created by and starring Patrick McGoohan as a former(?) spy trapped in a mysterious community where everyone has a number instead of a name and people want answers he doesn’t have. Wil walks us through the various enumerated characters, including the rotating position of Number Two, and even explains what kind of Number Two Patrick Stewart would play. Jonathan Frakes could never be Number Two, of course. Because he’s Number One. 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: [email protected]. 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. Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

We all know Tom Bergeron from various television games and competitions he has hosted over many decades. He was at the helm for Hollywood Squares, emceed Dancing With the Stars, and showed us a great many of America’s Funniest Home Videos (which, oh yes, absolutely was a competition). And he’s still busy with contests today, this time as an expert in the game app Angry Birds Friends, which he plays a lot, leading the titular birds in their ongoing efforts to defeat the green pigs for... some reason. Tom walks us through the various birds, vectors, and strategies he employs to accomplish his iPad-based goals. He also tells us about Finding Happy, a documentary about the rescue and rehabilitation of a sparrow who was, never, in fact, angry at all. You’ll fall asleep just like Tom’s visiting niece did during the interview overhearing him from the next room. 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: [email protected]. 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. Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

The National Football League, with all its attendant huddles and wide receiving and roughings of the passer, is about to begin a new season. And although the touchdowns will make the highlight reels, we here at the show are big fans of the little moments when things don’t work out so well. We like when the punter comes out. So we’re bringing back an episode from a recent Super Bowl with veteran punter Chris Kluwe. How much goes into punting? Turns out A LOT. Chris, who is a published author and game designer as well, guides us through each minute step of the punting process (and there are maybe, conservatively, a zillion steps) in enough detail to easily zonk you out to sleep. It’s NFL football but without any of the violence or thrills that might conspire you to keep you awake. Get your copy of Chris Kluwe's novel Otaku wherever books are sold. Check out Twilight of the Gods, the tabletop RPG game co-designed by Chris Kluwe, at www.boardgamegeek.com, or the game store of your choice. Google "Chris Kluwe" for all his other many many creative endeavors. Chris is wild. 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: [email protected]. 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. Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

This episode originally ran July 19, 2023 *** The actor, writer, comedian, and bon vivant Michael Ian Black is an enthusiast of the word game Scrabble and, in particular, the very short two-letter words that can make all the difference in a competitive game. Sure, lots of players want to use long words of seven or even more letters but a well-placed QI or a sly ZA can rack up more points than one might have ever thought possible, and Michael shares, in a lulling monotone, many more two-letterers that the uncareful player might have never considered. We also talk about the historic Scrabble match where F*****T was played to much controversy and point scoring. You’re Not Doing It Right – Michael Ian Black 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: [email protected]. 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 Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Zhubin Parang, who has been with The Daily Show since the first time around with Jon Stewart, fully recognizes that among the many characters in the musical Les Misérables, only Javert really has an actual character arc. Only he goes somewhere over the course of the story. The rest kind of hold their ground, face grim adversity, and sing sing sing. That’s all good with Zhubin, he loves the crap out of Les Mis and has seen it many times and, in order to put you to sleep, Zhubin is hear to tell you EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN LES MIS. I mean, that ought to do it, right? Les Mis without the singing or the acting or the sets and costumes? Just... plot points? We’re dreaming a dream of you dreaming, Sleepyheads. Get your copy of Lindsay Champion's The Show Must Go On (Cast vs. Crew) wherever books 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: [email protected]. 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 Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

The title of hilarious comedian Francisco Ramos’s new standup special, Still Learning, is not about his constant absorption of new information about episodes of the classic sitcom Seinfeld but it could apply. The special’s title refers to learning about marriage. Francisco is now divorced. But his relationship with Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer is still going strong. Francisco walks us through his favorite episodes of the show, describing every plot point and character detail as you drift off to a sleep that’s about nothing. We even play a game of In The Cart Or On The Shelf to cast a Seinfeld reboot. Will a very special actress who appeared in 101 of the show’s 180 episodes make the cut? Do you know this woman’s name? It’s Ruth Cohen. She was the cashier at the diner. I didn’t want you to stay up wondering. Watch Francisco Ramos's new standup special, Still Learning, 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: [email protected]. 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 Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

As the slightly unhinged, or maybe more than slightly, mayor of Las Vegas, Jo Pezzimenti on HBO’s Hacks, Lauren Weedman leaves a hilarious and unforgettable impression, so much so that she’s a nominee for Best Supporting Actress at the upcoming Emmy Awards. Audiences might also know her as Melissa’s sister, Kristin Marie Schemmenti on Abbott Elementary. Frankly, we don’t know what’s up with those character names rhyming but it’s a little unsettling. Lauren has also been seen in the series Looking, Hung, and the New Girl. Also, and this has nothing to do with television, she sometimes picks up lots of heavy rocks in her home state of Indiana and carries them all way back home to Santa Monica where she paints them and gives them of gifts to friends. She’s no geologist, rocks are just rocks, and she collects and distributes them. She’s going to tell you all about this. Lauren also happens to be a long-ago friend of our host John Moe from back in the 1990’s Seattle theater scene when many important bands were making it big and Lauren and John weren’t in any of those bands. You know what does have bands? That’s right. Rocks. 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: [email protected]. 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 Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Jamel Johnson is a DC native and has been following the Wizards his whole life. He’s seen the rise and fall of Gilbert Arenas, the arrival and departure of John Wall, and everything from Gheorge Muresan to Muggsy Bogues, all without an NBA title in Jamel’s lifetime. Mid-Range is both the title of his new comedy album and the name of type of jump shot he hopes the team can nail as it heads into a new season with number one overall pick, AJ Dybantsa. Look, sports can be exciting and excitement doesn’t lend itself well to falling asleep. But again, we’re talking about the Washington Wizards, so you should be fine. Will you go on to have dreams of Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld? Well, look, we can’t be responsible for that. Listen to Jamel Johnson's latest stand-up album, Mid-Range, on YouTube or 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: [email protected]. 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 Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Maximum Fun, the network upon which you hear our program, was founded by one Jesse Thorn, who continues to host an improbable number of podcasts on the network. Three, in fact: Bullseye (an interview program with cultural figures, also on NPR), Jordan, Jesse, Go! (where he horses around with Jordan Morris), and Judge John Hodgman (where he is the bailiff to the titular judge. But Jesse’s interests expand yet further, all the way to men’s apparel, how it has evolved, and what you should, in fact, wear. Maybe a grey or blue suit is a better all-purpose option than black. Maybe a vintage t-shirt is okay once in a while. We even examine and judge by-gone fashions, including the dog-eared collar, which you can see in this episode’s tile and which will haunt our collective dreams forever. Maybe you’ll be asleep before you hear about that collar. We hope so. Visit the Put This On Store at www.PutThisOnStore.com. Visit their Instagram @put.this.on. 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: [email protected]. 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 Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

The universe is full of all sorts of alien creatures, we just know it. Problem is, they’re far away and, like us, possibly too stupid to invent really cool spaceships in order to visit. That’s why the book Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials was written and illustrated, earning a devoted following that includes Elliott Kalan. The book is a massive compendium of all sorts of aliens culled from sci-fi. Elliott is a former head writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Mystery Science 3000 and one of the hosts of Max Fun’s podcast The Flop House. Join Elliott as he enumerates many of his favorite aliens and offers analysis from his toddler son as to which aliens are mean, which ones are nice, and which aliens are so nice that he went to their birthday parties held in treehouses. You may fall asleep even before learning that some aliens are just green smears. Order your copy of Elliott Kalan's book, Joke Farming: How to Write Comedy and Other Nonsense, wherever books 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: [email protected]. 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 Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping