Stephen Thompson
Encyclopedia
Stephen Thompson is an online music producer for NPR
and editor of several music-related columns for NPR.org, including Song Of The Day and Shadow Classics. He is a regular on the NPR podcast
Pop Culture Happy Hour and also serves as an occasional guest music commentator for Morning Edition
.
The son of editor Don and Maggie Thompson
, Thompson is a 1994 graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, where he helped found student-run radio station WSUM
. He joined The Onion
as an entertainment writer in November 1992. In the summer of 1993, he founded and became editor of the paper’s entertainment section, which was dubbed The Onion A.V. Club in 1995. By the time Thompson left The Onion in December 2004, the section had spawned its own website and book, The Tenacity Of The Cockroach: Conversations With Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders, which he edited. In addition, Thompson served as copy editor for The Onion’s comedy section and first six humor books, from 1999's #1 New York Times best-seller Our Dumb Century through 2004's The Onion Ad Nauseam, Vol. 15.
When Lady Gaga allegedly refused to allow "Weird Al" Yankovic to parody her single "Born This Way," Thompson broke the news that it was Gaga's manager who had denied the request without her knowledge. Once brought to her attention, Lady Gaga approved Yankovic's parody.
As a freelance entertainment and humor writer, Thompson has been published in Paste
magazine, The Washington Post
, The Guardian
, and McSweeney’s. In 1999, he also co-founded The Onion’s softball team, the haplessness of which he chronicled in loving but often grisly detail at www.teamonion.com. Thompson lives in Silver Spring, Maryland
, with his two children.
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and editor of several music-related columns for NPR.org, including Song Of The Day and Shadow Classics. He is a regular on the NPR podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
Pop Culture Happy Hour and also serves as an occasional guest music commentator for Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
.
The son of editor Don and Maggie Thompson
Maggie Thompson
Margaret "Maggie" Thompson , is the editor of Comics Buyer's Guide, a monthly comic book industry news magazine...
, Thompson is a 1994 graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, where he helped found student-run radio station WSUM
WSUM
WSUM is a student radio station in Madison, Wisconsin, affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The station schedule consists of a wide range of music and talk programming serving the campus and Madison community.-History:...
. He joined The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
as an entertainment writer in November 1992. In the summer of 1993, he founded and became editor of the paper’s entertainment section, which was dubbed The Onion A.V. Club in 1995. By the time Thompson left The Onion in December 2004, the section had spawned its own website and book, The Tenacity Of The Cockroach: Conversations With Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders, which he edited. In addition, Thompson served as copy editor for The Onion’s comedy section and first six humor books, from 1999's #1 New York Times best-seller Our Dumb Century through 2004's The Onion Ad Nauseam, Vol. 15.
When Lady Gaga allegedly refused to allow "Weird Al" Yankovic to parody her single "Born This Way," Thompson broke the news that it was Gaga's manager who had denied the request without her knowledge. Once brought to her attention, Lady Gaga approved Yankovic's parody.
As a freelance entertainment and humor writer, Thompson has been published in Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
magazine, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, and McSweeney’s. In 1999, he also co-founded The Onion’s softball team, the haplessness of which he chronicled in loving but often grisly detail at www.teamonion.com. Thompson lives in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, with his two children.