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Mel Brooks Says It's His Job To 'Make Terrible Things Entertaining'

Mel Brooks' office is lined with awards — he's in the elite EGOT club, having won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. Danny Hajek/NPR hide caption

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Games & Humor

Mel Brooks Says It's His Job To 'Make Terrible Things Entertaining'

Brooks, 91, has made a career of poking fun at topics that normally wouldn't make you laugh. "The comedy writer is like the conscience of the king," Brooks says. "He's got to tell him the truth."

Mel Brooks Says It's His Job To 'Make Terrible Things Entertaining'

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Ben Harper And Charlie Musselwhite On World Cafe

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World Cafe

Ben Harper And Charlie Musselwhite On World Cafe

XPN

The Grammy-winning duo is back to talk about finding common ground and perform songs from their new record No Mercy In This Land.

Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite On World Cafe

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Meet Naia Izumi, The 2018 Tiny Desk Contest Winner

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All Songs Considered

Meet Naia Izumi, The 2018 Tiny Desk Contest Winner

The fourth annual Tiny Desk Contest winner has been revealed. Get to know the Georgia-hailing guitarist who won over the hearts of our judges this year.

Meet Naia Izumi, The 2018 Tiny Desk Contest Winner

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Hop Along On World Cafe

Hop Along performing at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Ashley Gellman/WXPN hide caption

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World Cafe

Hop Along On World Cafe

XPN

The Philadelphia group delivers a live performance that gives you that bubbling feeling of a band about to break.

Hop Along On World Cafe

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How Rhiannon Giddens Reconstructs Black Pain With The Banjo

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How Rhiannon Giddens Reconstructs Black Pain With The Banjo

The renowned folk songwriter stops by NPR's Washington D.C. headquarters to play two songs from her latest album and discuss the historical African-American roots of her music and of her instrument.

How Rhiannon Giddens Reconstructs Black Pain With The Banjo

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Tiny Desk Concerts At 10: How One Miserable Show Led To A Magical Concert Series

A decade ago, Laura Gibson kicked off the Tiny Desk concert series. Will Marsh/NPR hide caption

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All Songs Considered

Tiny Desk Concerts At 10: How One Miserable Show Led To A Magical Concert Series

How Laura Gibson's "terrible-feeling" concert experience led to the birth of the Tiny Desk concert series 10 years ago.

Tiny Desk Concerts At 10: How One Miserable Show Led To A Magical Concert Series

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Juliana Hatfield Sings The Hits Of 'Old Friend' Olivia Newton-John

Juliana Hatfield's puts her own spin Olivia Newton-John's 80s-era hits. David Doobinin/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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David Doobinin/Courtesy of the artist

Juliana Hatfield Sings The Hits Of 'Old Friend' Olivia Newton-John

Though she's known for her contributions to '90s indie rock, Hatfield goes back to one of her earliest musical inspirations for her new album of Olivia Newton-John covers.

Juliana Hatfield Sings The Hits Of 'Old Friend' Olivia Newton-John

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Bearing Musical Witness To John B. McLemore, The Late Protagonist Of 'S-Town'

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Bearing Musical Witness To John B. McLemore, The Late Protagonist Of 'S-Town'

Before his death in 2015, the subject of the hit podcast made music inspired by painter and ambient musician Tor Lundvall. Now, Lundvall is paying tribute to McLemore in return.

Bearing Musical Witness To John B. McLemore, The Late Protagonist Of 'S-Town'

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Shall We Dance: Balanchine Sets Tchaikovsky In Motion

Ballerinas of the New York City Ballet perform Serenade by George Balanchine at the Mariinsky theatre in St.Petersburg, July 30, 2003. AFP/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Deceptive Cadence

Shall We Dance: Balanchine Sets Tchaikovsky In Motion

Conductor Marin Alsop muses on the power of ballet and her memories of watching choreographer George Balanchine bring the music of Tchaikovsky to life with the New York City Ballet.

Shall We Dance: Balanchine Sets Tchaikovsky In Motion

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World Cafe Nashville: Brothers Osborne

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World Cafe

World Cafe Nashville: Brothers Osborne

XPN

John Osborne's guitar runs through every track like a duet partner with T.J.'s ever more sophisticated vocalizing. Hear a live session from Nashville's Sound Stage Studios.

World Cafe Nashville: Brothers Osborne

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'I'm Gonna Listen To Myself Again': Ashley Monroe On Singing Through Pain

Monroe isn't shy about her accomplishments on Sparrow; the singer admits to blasting the album in her car. Hannah Burton/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Hannah Burton/Courtesy of the artist

'I'm Gonna Listen To Myself Again': Ashley Monroe On Singing Through Pain

The country singer and her producer Dave Cobb discuss working through trauma and pairing classic country influences with larger-than-life orchestration to create Sparrow.

'I'm Gonna Listen To Myself Again': Ashley Monroe On Singing Through Pain

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A Tiny Desk Contestant Finds His Voice While Fighting ALS

Bernie Dalton (right) and Essence Goldman (center) signing copies of Bernie And The Believer's album Connection Courtesy of Essence Goldman hide caption

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Courtesy of Essence Goldman

All Songs Considered

A Tiny Desk Contestant Finds His Voice While Fighting ALS

Bernie Dalton had a dream to make music, but when he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, he was even more determined.

'He Wants To Be Remembered': Tiny Desk Contestant Finds His Voice While Fighting ALS

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Erika Wennerstrom On World Cafe

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World Cafe

Erika Wennerstrom On World Cafe

XPN

The Heartless Bastards front woman details her experience on a trip through the Amazon and how it informed the art she made on her latest solo album, Sweet Unknown.

Erika Wennerstrom On World Cafe

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How The Pulitzer Jury Opened Its Doors To Hip-Hop

Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for music this week, becoming the first non-classical or jazz artist to do so. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Clara Lionel Foundation hide caption

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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Clara Lionel Foundation

The Record

How The Pulitzer Jury Opened Its Doors To Hip-Hop

The Pulitzer Prize for Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. represents a shifting tide in rap's cultural status. But a juror who helped select the prize says it means as much for an institution like the Pulitzers.

Guest DJ: Lord Huron On The Songs That Shaped The Cinematic 'Vide Noir'

Lord Huron's Vide Noir comes out April 20 via Whispering Pines/Republic Records. Pamela Littky/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

Guest DJ: Lord Huron On The Songs That Shaped The Cinematic 'Vide Noir'

The band Lord Huron is known for its cinematic story songs. Ben Schneider, creator of the project, talks about some of the music by other artists that informed the tales on his latest album.

Guest DJ: Lord Huron On The Songs That Shaped The Cinematic 'Vide Noir'

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Superorganism On World Cafe

Superorganism inside the World Cafe Performance Studio Galea McGregor/WXPN hide caption

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World Cafe

Superorganism On World Cafe

XPN

The eight-piece group deliver fantastic gems of indie pop that are never too clever for their own good.

Superorganism On World Cafe

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Squirrel Nut Zippers On World Cafe

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World Cafe

Squirrel Nut Zippers On World Cafe

XPN

The band just released Beasts of Burgundy, its first new album of original material in 18 years. If you don't like funk, now would be the time to move on to another session.

Squirrel Nut Zippers On World Cafe

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Field Report On World Cafe

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World Cafe

Field Report On World Cafe

XPN

Frontman Chris Porterfield shares stories and performs songs from Field Report's new album, Summertime Songs.

Field Report On World Cafe

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As Cuba Changes, Orquesta Akokán Revives The Golden Age Of Mambo

The members of Orquesta Akokán hail from both Cuba and the U.S., assembled by vocalist and composer José "Pepito" Gómez. They recorded their debut album live to tape in just three days. Adrien H. Tillmann/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Adrien H. Tillmann/Courtesy of the artist

As Cuba Changes, Orquesta Akokán Revives The Golden Age Of Mambo

Producer Jacob Plasse and vocalist José "Pepito" Gómez share how they recorded the band's debut in Havana's legendary Areito Studios and what their team-up symbolizes for Cuban-American relations.

As Cuba Changes, Orquesta Akokán Revives The Golden Age Of Mambo

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