Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR.

It's Bullseye, I'm Jesse Thorn.

So just recently I agreed to do an inspirational talk at the middle school I went to.

Early Great Middle School in a lot of ways, but to be perfectly clear I did not graduate

from the middle school.

Did you even know that it was possible to not graduate from middle school?

I didn't, but then again I didn't.

Anyway, it was good to hear that our guest, the writer Margaret Atwood, was also a late

bloomer.

In the thironear of high school I had a teacher called Miss Florence Medley.

And when they went back to do a documentary on me some years ago, they asked Miss Florence

Medley what I was like in her class.

She was an English teacher.

And usually somebody in that position would say, oh I can tell immediately that brilliance

shown from every poor, but she told the truth.

She said she showed no particular ability in my class.

I know it's loved her for that because I did not show no particular ability in her

class.

It's Bullseye.

Coming up, I'll sit down with the comedian Matt Bronner.

He and I will talk about stand-up comedy, self-reflection, and the importance of taking risks.

When people ask me what advice you give a young person, it's just like, try stuff that

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