Live Wire with Luke Burbank – Episode Summary Episode Title: Mary Roach, Janesh Rawlin, and Amy Millan
Date: October 10, 2025
Location: Alberta Rose Theater, Portland, OR
Host: Luke Burbank
Announcer/Co-Host: Elena Passarello

Episode Overview

This episode of Live Wire with Luke Burbank mixes science, comedy, and music for a lively, eclectic night. Renowned science writer Mary Roach joins the show to discuss her new book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy, delivering plenty of eyebrow-raising and entertaining tales about prosthetics and body part replacements. Stand-up comedian Janesh Rawlin’s set riffs on culture, identity, and milk, while indie rock singer-songwriter Amy Millan performs and chats about friendship, collaboration, and her recent solo album.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Best News We’ve Heard All Week

Timestamps: 04:00–10:27

• Prosthetic Eye Made from a Tooth:
  Elena Passarello shares an inspiring medical story. Brent Chapman, a Canadian, regains sight after a unique surgery (osteo-odontokeratoprosthesis) using a canine tooth as the base for a prosthetic eye lens.
  • “[After 20 years], both the doctor and the patient made eye contact for the first time and both were just tremendously moved.” — Elena Passarello [06:38]
  • Covered at no personal expense due to Canadian health care.
• Food Rescue Hero:
  Luke shares a Pittsburgh-based food rescue app's success: “70 million pounds of food... turned into 57 million meals,” decreasing waste and emissions and spreading nationwide.
  • “That’s a borderline erotic statement to people in Portland that we got 4,000 cars off the road.” — Luke Burbank [09:17]

2. Mary Roach Interview

Timestamps: 11:19–31:20
Topic: Replaceable You – Human Prosthetics & Body Modification

• Origins of the Book:

  • Inspired by a reader who is an elective amputee, Roach explores how and why some seek amputation and prosthetics.
  • “What does it take to convince somebody to cut off your foot, if your foot has a... healthy [appearance], it just didn’t work very well?” — Mary Roach [12:57]

• Earliest Prosthetics:

  • Artificial Noses:
    Facial mutilation as punishment led to early nose prostheses — ancient surgical techniques involved cheek or forehead skin grafts, done without anesthesia.
    • “In 1500 BCE... they loosen a flap of cheek or forehead and then flop it down onto the nose…incredible they did that without anaesthetic.” — Mary Roach [13:45]
  • Tycho Brahe’s brass nose, and the 19th-century “medical Groucho Marx glasses.”

• Genetically Engineered Pigs for Organ Transplants:
  Roach visits “super clean pigsties” in China, where pigs are raised for possible human organ transplants.

  • “Hormel... wanted to come up with a miniature pig... the organs will be the right size. That’s critical for transplant.” — Mary Roach [19:38]

• Penile Implants by Finger Transplant (Georgia):
  Roach recounts her hilarious, awkward search for a surgeon in Georgia who used a patient’s finger for penile implant rigidity.

  • “You kind of want to see a photo...the penis bent up...with a ceramic water pitcher hanging from it.” — Mary Roach [23:21]

• Hair Transplant History & Experiments:

  • Donor dominance explained; Japanese physician Okuda moving hair everywhere.
  • “If you take chest or pubic hair and you put it up here...It is difficult to style.” — Mary Roach [24:31]
  • Roach’s failed experiment transferring head hair to her leg to demonstrate donor dominance.

• Body Part Slang Mini-Quiz:
  Roach tackles obscure and amusing anatomical nicknames.

  • “Luxury bones? Teeth.” — Mary Roach [27:47]
  • “Lug hole? Ears.” — Luke Burbank [28:50]
  • “Commandments? Fingernails.” — Luke Burbank [30:47]
  • “Suburbs? Your ass.” — Luke Burbank [29:58]
  • “Nipples in German translates to breast warts: ‘Brustwarzen.’” — Luke Burbank [29:24]

3. Listener Question: Body Part Upgrades

Timestamps: 32:24–34:36

Live Wire listeners answer:
“If you could replace one body part with an upgraded model, what would it be?”

• “A nose with a city mode filter that blocks out mystery smells on public transit.” — Sid [32:54]
• “A ‘don't overthink this’ button right on the side of the head.” — Rachel [33:30]
• “Upgrade my appendix so it finally does something useful. Maybe a wifi hotspot.” — Greg [34:14]

4. Janesh Rawlin Stand-Up Comedy Set

Timestamps: 35:19–44:14

• Culture & Identity:
  • On moving from India to Texas/Ohio: “I got exposure to white culture...I learned how much you guys love haunted houses.”
  • On interviewing for tech jobs, honesty: “They asked, ‘What’s your greatest weakness?’ I look them dead in the eye. ‘Yo, I’m ticklish as hell.’” [03:35, 36:23]
• Milk Controversy:
  • “I grew up in the south and the Midwest. I view milk the way Republicans view gender: God made two – whole and chocolate. The rest is a liberal agenda.” [36:54]
• Ozempic joke, Drag culture, and Founding Fathers:
  • “As far as I can tell, America was built by drag queens… These were some baddies.” [37:54]
• On ESL, language, and being a “real Texan.”
  • “Ended up learning more Spanish than English, but I still had an Indian accent. I was like ‘Hola, como estas, Juan?’” [43:53]

5. Amy Millan Interview & Performance

Timestamps: 46:29–53:53

• On Collaboration & Friendship in Music:
  • “Everything that I’ve done has to do with friendship…I met [bandmates] as teenagers...we just wanted to hang out and travel the world together.” — Amy Millan [46:51]
• Solo Writing vs. Collaboration:
  • “I started writing alone in university...this record is a full collaboration.” [47:41]
• On Aging, Perimenopause, and Language:
  • Wrote about “perimenopause,” finds humor and honesty in singing about aging: “It’s hot right now...like literally, as a pun.” [49:11]
  • Decides to only say her age in Spanish: “Cinquenta sounds way better than 50.” [49:29]
• On Degrassi Junior High:
  • “I don’t remember what I had for breakfast, but I can remember that monologue from when I was 13.” [50:39]
• Music Performance:
  • Performs “Don Valley,” about childhood in Toronto and “that feeling when you’re 12 and you’re like, what is happening? And why are grown ups so weird?” [51:11]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mary Roach:
  • “There's long been a demand for artificial noses because nasal mutilation has been a punishment... and there was a demand for rebuilding noses.” [13:45]
  • On the Georgian penile implant: “So the finger was used for rigidity...it’s apparently very strong because there was a slide that showed the penis bent up with a ceramic water pitcher hanging from it.” [23:21]
• Luke Burbank:
  • “That’s a borderline erotic statement to people in Portland that we got 4,000 cars off the road.” [09:17]
  • “What a party trick, if you could have pulled that off.” (referring to Mary’s leg hair transplant experiment) [26:23]
• Janesh Rawlin:
  • “I view milk the way Republicans view gender: God made two – whole and chocolate.” [36:54]
  • “As far as I can tell, America was built by drag queens...” [37:54]
• Amy Millan:
  • “I only say my age in Spanish now. Ever since I turned corenta.” [49:29]
  • “Everything that I’ve done has to do with friendship.” [46:51]

Musical Performance

• Amy Millan: Performs “Don Valley,” a nostalgic reflection on growing up in Toronto and the strangeness of adulthood.

Episode Structure

• Opening and introductions
• Uplifting "Best News We've Heard All Week" segment
• In-depth Mary Roach interview (prosthetics, body part slang)
• Listener answers (body part upgrades)
• Stand-up set by Janesh Rawlin (identity, culture, humor)
• Interview and performance by Amy Millan (music, aging, nostalgia)

For Listeners:
This episode is a delightful mix of fascinating science, clever comedy, and heartfelt music. Whether you’re interested in medical oddities, laughing about milk politics, or vibing with indie rock, it’s got something for everyone.