
Stephen Thompson
Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)
In 1993, Thompson founded The Onion's entertainment section, The A.V. Club, which he edited until December 2004. In the years since, he has provided music-themed commentaries for NPR programs such as Weekend Edition, All Things Considered and Morning Edition, on which he earned the distinction of becoming the first member of the NPR Music staff ever to sing on an NPR newsmagazine. (Later, the magic of AutoTune transformed him from a 12th-rate David Archuleta into a fourth-rate Cher.) Thompson's entertainment writing has also run in Paste magazine, The Washington Post and The London Guardian.
During his tenure at The Onion, Thompson edited the 2002 book The Tenacity Of The Cockroach: Conversations With Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders (Crown) and copy-edited six best-selling comedy books. While there, he also coached The Onion's softball team to a sizzling 21-42 record, and was once outscored 72-0 in a span of 10 innings. Later in life, Thompson redeemed himself by teaming up with the small gaggle of fleet-footed twentysomethings who won the 2008 NPR Relay Race, a triumph he documents in a hard-hitting essay for the book This Is NPR: The First Forty Years (Chronicle).
A 1994 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Thompson now lives in Silver Spring, Md., with his girlfriend, his daughter, their three cats and a room full of vintage arcade machines. (He also has a large adult son who has headed off to college but still calls once in a while.) Thompson's hobbies include watching reality television without shame, eating Pringles until his hand has involuntarily twisted itself into a gnarled claw, using the size of his Twitter following to assess his self-worth, touting the immutable moral superiority of the Green Bay Packers (who returned the favor by making a 22-minute documentary about his life) and maintaining a fierce rivalry with all Midwestern states other than Wisconsin.
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From a possible Olivia Rodrigo sweep to the probability of someone mentioning "The Slap," here's what to expect at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards this Sunday.
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NBC begins the American Song Contest with representatives from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and five territories. Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson are the hosts for the new show.
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What new music is coming out this year that is worth checking out? A preview of two albums that just might make it on to 2022's best of list.
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In the bittersweet "Devastating," husband-and-wife duo Johnnyswim reflects on the joys and hardships that go into a lifetime romantic partnership.
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Billie Eilish released five singles in the long run-up to Happier Than Ever, but saved its best song for the album's drop date.
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Brandi Carlile describes her forthcoming album, In These Silent Days out Oct. 1, as "drama mixed with joy." The first single sets the tone.
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Each week, the guests and hosts on Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. Today it's The White Lotus, KennyHoopla's song "Estella," Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' first album and more.
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"Fat Chance" reveals a surprise partway through, emerging as an anthem about overcoming long odds, doing "a complete 180" and climbing out of the ruins, stronger than ever.
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They Might Be Giants' John Linnell — a lifelong favorite of nerds the world over — has a new song in Latin that will get lodged in your brain for days.
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The song nods to pandemic life ("Let's get back to normal") while speaking to the larger idea that our homes and communities offer us shelter from the punishing din of modern life.