In this podcast EXTRA, comedian and writer Demi Adejuyigbe serenades us from the live stage with his own holiday song, "Rock n' Roll Santa Claus."

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello discuss the ways in which we are too hard on ourselves; writer and podcaster Nora McInerny (Terrible, Thanks for Asking) explains why she is the saddest happy person she knows; music entrepreneur Nabil Ayers chats about his memoir My Life in the Sunshine and his estranged relationship with his biological father, funk/soul musician Roy Ayers; and singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham gives a show-stopping performance of her song "All I've Ever Known” from her Grammy-nominated album Revealer.

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello remember some beloved comic strip characters; comedian Jamie Loftus unpacks her newest podcast Aack Cast, which takes a deep dive into how the Cathy comic still pertains to feminist struggles today; writer and publisher Jelani Memory (A Kids Book About Racism) discusses how he launched a book series for parents and kids to tackle heavy topics; and soul-funk artist Tolliver performs his single "Say What!"

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello reveal the unexpected expertise of our listeners; novelist John Darnielle, frontman of The Mountain Goats, reflects on America's obsession with true crime and becoming a writer in his own right; and rapper and podcaster Dessa discusses falling out of love for a behavioral science experiment, before performing "Jumprope" from her album Chime. 

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello celebrate teachers and the impact their words have had on us; award-winning author George Saunders unpacks his writing process and how creating confusion for himself often leads to interesting literary worlds; and singer-songwriter Samantha Crain discusses the importance of making music in her Choctaw language, before performing "Joey" from her album A Small Death.

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share some "personal Mt. Everests" from our listeners; writer and mountaineer Silvia Vasquez-Lavado discusses how she became the first openly gay woman to climb “The Seven Summits” while overcoming addiction and childhood trauma; comedian Curtis Cook explains why you shouldn't wear a suit to Red Lobster; and Patterson Hood, frontman of Drive-By Truckers, unpacks his decades-long collaboration with bandmates, then performs "Shake and Pine" from their album Welcome 2 Club XIII.

Luke and Elena discuss disturbing Times Square billboards, kittens in a fighter jet, and cuddling turkeys.

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello set out to solve some mysteries; Washington Post reporter Casey Parks unpacks her new book Diary of a Misfit, wherein she reckons with her own sexuality, her Southern identity, and her complicated relationship with her mother; and singer-songwriter Thunderstorm Artis explains how his music went from The Voice to Grey's Anatomy, before performing his single "Stronger."

Luke and Elena discuss a (now debunked) dazzling detail about Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton's rock 'n' roll aspirations, and how a man provided the city of Philadelphia some much-needed solace... via a rotisserie chicken-eating marathon. 

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello remember the things we were better at as children; celebrated poet Kaveh Akbar explains how learning Farsi as his first language shaped his poetic sense of the English language; writer Danielle Henderson (Feminist Ryan Gosling) unpacks her memoir The Ugly Cry and how her iconoclastic grandmother helped forge her own fiercely independent path; and indie rock group Deep Sea Diver performs "Impossible Weight," the title track off their newest album.