Stephen Thompson appears in the following:
The Swell Season, 'The Answer Is Yes'
Monday, June 26, 2023
Once an Oscar winner, the duo of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová returns with a sentimental celebration of lives lived in gratitude, without regret.
MUNA: Tiny Desk Concert
Friday, June 23, 2023
At the Tiny Desk, the pop trio preached the importance of joyful revolution.
Three songs for the perfect summer road trip playlist
Monday, June 19, 2023
Pop Culture Happy Hour host Stephen Thompson and NPR Music contributor Marissa Lorusso suggest three songs to make your summer road trip playlist perfect.
Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' is the country song we didn't know we had
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
In Luke Combs' unexpected cover of the Tracy Chapman classic, NPR's Stephen Thompson found hope for a world with fewer boundaries and binaries and roped-in genres.
What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing
Friday, June 02, 2023
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Clone High, the "Thursday Murder Club" mystery series, Mel Mitchell on TikTok, and more.
Foo Fighters' 'But Here We Are' is heavy, in every sense of the word
Friday, June 02, 2023
These songs ache with loss, even as they explode in full-bore rock mayhem, and that loss extends beyond the deaths of loved ones.
NIKI: Tiny Desk Concert
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
The Indonesian artist Nicole Zefanya brings a tiny toy piano and sleek songs to this Tiny Desk debut.
What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening
Friday, May 26, 2023
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: You're the Worst, 60 Songs that Explain the '90s, and Little Moon wins the Tiny Desk.
'SNL' just wrapped its 48th season: It's time to cruelly rank its musical guests
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
From Kendrick Lamar and Megan Thee Stallion to Coldplay, here they are: the magnificent, the flawed-but-forceful, the forgettable and the truly, epically misbegotten.
On 'Gag Order,' Kesha gets intensely personal
Monday, May 22, 2023
Listening to Kesha's new album, Gag Order, you can't help but think about all she's been through in the past 10 years.
What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing
Friday, May 12, 2023
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Jury Duty, The Other Two, Every Frame a Painting and Rutherford Falls.
NPR's Stephen Thompson's top Weird Al songs, 40 years after the parody genius' debut
Thursday, May 11, 2023
Weird Al Yankovic has made a name for himself with spot-on song parodies. 40 years into his career, a look at some of his best tunes reveals the expertise and creativity it takes to do what he does.
What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing
Friday, May 05, 2023
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Fake Doctors, Real Friends, Bupkis, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal and Weird Al Yankovic.
40 Songs From 40 Years Of 'Weird Al' Yankovic
Wednesday, May 03, 2023
"Weird Al" Yankovic's self-titled debut came out 40 years ago, on May 3, 1983. So our resident super-fan listened to all of his songs and ranked the 40 best.
What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend listening and viewing
Friday, April 21, 2023
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: No Borders, Just Flavors! series, You Must Remember This podcast, and Fenne Lily's new album.
Top picks from a bountiful week of new music
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Host Elissa Nadworny speaks with NPR music journalist Stephen Thompson about new albums from Feist and Black Thought.
What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing
Friday, April 07, 2023
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Murder Mystery 2, If the Shoe Fits, and more.
We made ChatGPT write a song for us
Sunday, April 02, 2023
We keep hearing that Artificial Intelligence is a threat to the creative arts. So we put ChatGPT to the test to see if it can write a decent song.
What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing
Friday, March 31, 2023
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Studio Ghibli Fest, Succession, and more.
A Grammys correction
Sunday, March 26, 2023
The difference between song and record of the year at the Grammys can be confusing. So confusing, that we messed it up on a story on npr.org, and had to issue a correction.