Stephen Thompson appears in the following:
What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend reading and listening
Friday, September 15, 2023
Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: The audiobooks Mythos and Why We Love Baseball, and the new albums Jaguar II and Blame My Ex.
Speedy Ortiz: Tiny Desk Concert
Thursday, August 31, 2023
The clever rock band delivers a performance 10 years in the making.
Bon Iver wasn't born in a vacuum — it took an 'Epoch' to form
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
DeYarmond Edison's Epoch revels in the early alchemic triumphs of Bon Iver and Megafaun members. But the box set also reminds us that no moment of creative inspiration takes place spontaneously.
Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez's new singles show the pop stars pivoting audiences
Saturday, August 26, 2023
Two new songs from two huge pop stars: we hear about new releases from former child stars Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.
Get ready for lots of toy-based movies trying to duplicate the success of 'Barbie'
Friday, August 18, 2023
The Barbie movie is on pace to be the top-grossing film this year. This means we're about to get a lot of movies trying to duplicate that success in a toy-filled cinematic future.
Post Malone: Tiny Desk Concert
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
One of the world's biggest stars performs a few of the world's biggest songs at the Tiny Desk.
What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening
Friday, August 04, 2023
Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week, X-Terminators, The Righteous Gemstones, and the new Gabriels album Angels & Queens.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return, rebooted and reinvigorated, for 'Mutant Mayhem'
Friday, August 04, 2023
With a terrific voice cast and distinctive animation, Mutant Mayhem offers a fun and kinetic reset of a long-running franchise.
With an '80s revival upon us, these classic songs deserve a comeback
Tuesday, August 01, 2023
On the heels of revivals of songs from Tracy Chapman, Kate Bush and the Indigo Girls, here are some more 1980s songs ripe for a comeback.
Actor Paul Reubens, who created Pee-wee Herman, dies at 70
Tuesday, August 01, 2023
Reubens' work included the 1985 film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and the children's show Pee-wee's Playhouse, which produced new episodes from 1986 to 1990.
What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend listening and viewing
Friday, July 28, 2023
Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Barbie, Praise Petey, and the musical legacy of Sinéad O'Connor.
What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening
Saturday, July 22, 2023
Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the movie Earth Mama, a recent episode of Vibe Check and albums from Aqua and The Japanese House.
Refresh your July 4 playlist with these surprising picks
Saturday, July 01, 2023
A playlist to help set the mood for your July 4th barbecue.
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.