Stephen Thompson : NPR

Stephen Thompson Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.

Stories By

Stephen Thompson

Friday September 28, 2018

New Music Friday For Sept. 28: Seven Albums You Should Hear Now

Cher's ABBA tribute album, "Dancing Queen," is on our list of essential albums out on Sept. 28. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday For Sept. 28: Seven Albums You Should Hear Now

September 28, 2018 • Cher tackling ABBA, Nile Rodgers & Chic returning for the first time in 26 years, Loretta Lynn surveying her career and other essential new releases this week.

New Music Friday For Sept. 28: Seven Albums You Should Hear Now

Listen · 25:12 25:12

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/651887773/652293946" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Pop Culture Happy Hour's 2018 Fall Movie Preview

(From left) Kiki Layne and Stephan James in If Beale Street Could Talk, Ryan Gosling in First Man, Amanda Stenberg in The Hate U Give, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born Tatum Mangus/Annapurna Pictures, Universal Pictures and Dreamworks Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, and Neal Preston/Warner Bros. hide caption

toggle caption

Tatum Mangus/Annapurna Pictures, Universal Pictures and Dreamworks Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, and Neal Preston/Warner Bros.

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour's 2018 Fall Movie Preview

September 28, 2018 • We're excited for a whole bunch of new movies this fall. Today, we dive into our 2018 Fall Movie Preview and talk about as many of them as we can — from the big studio flicks to the festival favorites and everything in between.

Pop Culture Happy Hour's 2018 Fall Movie Preview

Listen · 34:03 34:03

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/652287901/652352576" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday September 27, 2018

Tunde Olaniran's new album, Stranger, comes out Oct. 5. Steven Piper/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Steven Piper/Courtesy of the artist

Review

First Listen

Don't Be A 'Stranger' To Tunde Olaniran

September 27, 2018 • The singer's bighearted sound and style revolve around spirited statements of affirmation, a sprawling artistic palette and the pursuit of boldness in every sense of the word.

Tuesday September 25, 2018

New Music

Weezer Made A Video For Its 'Africa' Cover, And Of Course It Stars 'Weird Al' Yankovic

September 25, 2018 • If you've ever wanted to see the Internet fold itself up into a burrito and consume itself hungrily over the course of four minutes, you've come to the right place.

Friday September 21, 2018

Maya Rudolph And Fred Armisen Are In Love 'Forever'

Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen have some problems to work out in Forever. Colleen Hayes/Amazon hide caption

toggle caption

Colleen Hayes/Amazon

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Maya Rudolph And Fred Armisen Are In Love 'Forever'

September 21, 2018 • Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen star in the new Amazon series Forever. The two of them play a middle-aged married couple named Oscar and June, who are in a bit of a rut. Along the way, they find themselves in an unexpected situation that challenges their thinking about the permanence of marriage. Today, we dive into this very curious relationship comedy. Guest: Aisha Harris

Maya Rudolph And Fred Armisen Are In Love 'Forever'

Listen · 27:26 27:26

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/650040297/650131108" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Tuesday September 18, 2018

Pop Culture Happy Hour Wraps Up The 2018 Emmys

Barry's Bill Hader accepts the outstanding lead actor in a comedy series Emmy award. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour Wraps Up The 2018 Emmys

September 18, 2018 • We're here to fill you in on everything you need to know about the 2018 Emmys. On a night we were constantly reminded how diverse this year's nominations were — the winners were mostly white. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Game of Thrones won the top awards. Guest: NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans.

Pop Culture Happy Hour Wraps Up The 2018 Emmys

Listen · 21:38 21:38

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/647822651/649060891" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday September 13, 2018

Hanson, With An Orchestra? Hanson, With An Orchestra!

Zac Hanson of Hanson. With an orchestra! YouTube hide caption

toggle caption

YouTube

All Songs TV

Hanson, With An Orchestra? Hanson, With An Orchestra!

September 13, 2018 • On String Theory, out Nov. 9, the band revisits its catalog and performs new songs with the aid of a 46-piece symphony orchestra. Watch Hanson perform "Siren Call."

Metric's 'Art Of Doubt' Charges Into The Joys That Remain

Metric's new album, Art of Doubt, comes out Sept. 21. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of the artist

Review

First Listen

Metric's 'Art Of Doubt' Charges Into The Joys That Remain

September 13, 2018 • On its seventh album, the Canadian band returns to the spiky, effusive pleasures of guitar-driven rock and roll.

Wednesday September 12, 2018

Tom Waits Sings 'Bella Ciao' For Marc Ribot As An Act Of 'Resistance'

A still from Marc Ribot's "Bella Ciao" video. YouTube hide caption

toggle caption

YouTube

New Music

Tom Waits Sings 'Bella Ciao' For Marc Ribot As An Act Of 'Resistance'

September 12, 2018 • Ribot's new collection, Songs of Resistance 1948-2018, is a collection of protest music with special guests — including Tom Waits, who makes his first recorded appearance in two years.

On The Eve Of A New Documentary, Joan Jett Gets A 'Fresh Start'

Joan Jett has just released a new single called "Fresh Start." Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of the artist

New Music

On The Eve Of A New Documentary, Joan Jett Gets A 'Fresh Start'

September 12, 2018 • "Fresh Start" sets epically crunching guitar riffs against a larger message about learning from your mistakes, starting over and seizing the opportunities in front of you.

Friday September 7, 2018

Need A Boost? Here's Some Pop Culture Serotonin

Ariana Grande, one of this year's most celebrated pop stars, performs at the 2018 iHeartRadio Wango Tango. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Need A Boost? Here's Some Pop Culture Serotonin

September 7, 2018 • Not every day can be Friday, not every bit of weather can be sunny and not every plate can have cookies on it. That's why we love our pop culture serotonin — the stuff we watch, read and listen to that boosts our mood and makes us feel better. Today, we share some of our favorites.

Need A Boost? Here's Some Pop Culture Serotonin

Listen · 32:15 32:15

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/645280085/645364616" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday September 6, 2018

BTS And Nicki Minaj Blow Up The Internet With 'Idol'

BTS's new album is Love Yourself: Answer. YouTube hide caption

toggle caption

YouTube

All Songs TV

BTS And Nicki Minaj Blow Up The Internet With 'Idol'

September 6, 2018 • The Korean boy band and the hip-hop star already have a continent-straddling hit on their hands. Now, their colorful new video portends a viral dance craze.

Low's 'Double Negative' Is Another Subtle Reinvention

Low's Double Negative comes out Sept. 14. Paul Husband/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Paul Husband/Courtesy of the artist

Review

First Listen

Low's 'Double Negative' Is Another Subtle Reinvention

September 6, 2018 • The static-scarred loops that open Double Negative portend another subtle reinvention: This is the sound of beauty as it's distorted to the point of disintegration.

Friday August 31, 2018

Pop Culture Happy Hour's Fall TV Preview

Emma Stone stars in Maniac, one of the fall's most anticipated TV releases. Michele K. Short/Netflix hide caption

toggle caption

Michele K. Short/Netflix

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour's Fall TV Preview

August 31, 2018 • It's almost the end of the summer, which means it's time for Pop Culture Happy Hour's fall TV preview. We're telling you what new shows we're excited about, and which ones we think are built to last. Guest: NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans.

Pop Culture Happy Hour's Fall TV Preview

Listen · 32:49 32:49

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/643338413/643406670" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday August 30, 2018

St. Paul & The Broken Bones' 'Young Sick Camellia' Got The Funk

St. Paul & The Broken Bones' new album, Young Sick Camellia, comes out Sept. 7. McNair Evans/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

McNair Evans/Courtesy of the artist

Review

First Listen

St. Paul & The Broken Bones' 'Young Sick Camellia' Got The Funk

August 30, 2018 • The Alabama band keeps getting weirder, more inventive and, in danceable ringers like "Apollo," more committed than ever to the pleasures of sprightly, joyous funk.