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Stephen Thompson

@idislikestephen.bsky.social

NPR Music writer, yakker; Pop Culture Happy Hour and New Music Friday host; long-ago A.V. Club editor and Onion copy editor; snack-eater; dad. https://www.npr.org/people/5244882/stephen-thompson

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Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 5d ago

Edgerrin Cooper's torn Achilles' is a total gut-punch. But Kristian Welch is a rootable guy from my teeny-tiny hometown (Iola, Wis., population 1,236), so this is about the best news I could have hoped for, once it was clear that Cooper is out for the season.

Packers send Edgerrin Cooper to IR, call up Kristian Welch

Cooper’s move is obvious, and Welch’s return to the active roster simply fills the vacancy like-for-like.

acmepackingcompany.com

Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 7d ago

[Carrie Underwood steps up to the mic to kick off Sunday Night Football] 🎵 "A red-hot matchup in the NFC Mike and Chris are two guys on TV Car'lina Panthers are one of the teams You know what, this is dumb, never mind" 🎵

Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 3w ago

The Green Bay Packers last won a meaningful football game on Dec. 7, 2025, when Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" was just seven weeks old. I don't care if it took a fourth-quarter comeback and overtime to beat the freaking New York Jets; I needed this! GO PACK GOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Titanic's Gloria Stuart, who helpfully reminds us that "It's been 84 years..."
Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 3w ago

A look at the current trending topics on Bluesky includes "Eastern Michigan upsets Wisconsin," referencing a game in which EMU scored first... and went on to get absolutely slaughtered, 54-10. Starting to think whatever automated system Bluesky is using isn't... the greatest? Also GO BADGERS WOOOOO

Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · last mo.

Getting into tennis has been fun, but rooting for Frances Tiafoe most of all has not been *awesome* for my deeply ingrained anxiety. Still, WE STAN OUR DAMP STRESSFUL KING, may he one day breeze effortlessly through a match that takes fewer than four agonizing hours

Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · last mo.

Hi, I'm Stephen Thompson, a writer and podcast host near Washington, D.C. Heading into the (perfect) bridge of "Thinkin' Bout You," Frank Ocean drops the words "Yes of course" in rapid succession -- a little conversational throat-clearing before a moment that caves my freaking chest in every time.

John Moe@johnmoe.bsky.social · last mo.

Hi, I'm John Moe, a writer and podcast maker in Saint Paul. I am married with three mostly grown kids and two nice dogs. I like in "Misunderstood" when Tweedy throws in extra syllables on "Take the guitar player for a ride". Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment you like?

Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · last mo.

When I worked for The Onion, practically everyone who visited the office would ask how they could submit headlines. This one stoner delivery guy was so persistent, we finally told him he could submit 10 headlines on spec and we'd take a look. First one on his list was "Shit and poop are Stinky!!!"

Jon Bois@jonbois.bsky.social · last mo.

if i wrote for the onion i'd write a headline that was like "Breaking News: The president is an orange!" and then you'd click it and the article would be like "An orange-haired no-good crook, that is!" that might seem a little mean-spirited but the way i see it, i'd get a click and you'd get a laugh

Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · last mo.

Sure, Project 2025 provides a blueprint for Trump's second term. But the Lake Ontario stuff is a fresh reminder that we should ALSO read the Wikipedia page of Saparmurat Niyazov, former dictator of Turkmenistan. The "Decrees and laws" section is wild, but doesn't include the ROTATING GOLDEN STATUE

Saparmurat Niyazov, former dictator of Turkmenistan. Please, no one tell the current president about the rotating $12 million golden statue.
Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 2mo ago

This was the menu of options Facebook gave me for why I wished to block all ads for an "AI Companion" that, among other issues, looked unnervingly like a 14-year-old girl. Wild that there was no option for "This ad made me want to delete Facebook, burn my laptop, and drown myself in the toilet"

A menu of available options Facebook provides for why you wish to hide and/or block an ad. The options -- "Too personal," "Already purchased," "Sensitive topic," "Repetitive," "Incorrect language," "Knows too much," and "Irrelevant" -- had nothing to do with the fact that the ad in question is nonchalantly catering to pedophiles.
Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 2mo ago

It's been a rough weekend, as we had to say goodbye to our sweet, kind, cantankerous old-lady baby this morning. Milou was a vital hub of warmth and affection: crasher of Zoom calls, tormentor of crickets, winner of hearts. I will, no exaggeration, be grateful for her until the day I die.

A beautiful grey-and-white tabby luxuriates in a sunbeam.A beautiful grey-and-white tabby poses for her headshot.A beautiful grey-and-white tabby, seen gazing imperiously from the top of her cat tower.A beautiful grey-and-white tabby curls up in a sweet ball for a snooze. Milou was the best.
Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 3mo ago

All right, people, time to brag! Name a skill you acquired at a previous job that you never, or almost never, get to use anymore. Me, I can bag the hell out of your groceries and cut five words from this otherwise-terrific Onion headline to make it a tiny bit funnier. (That's all I got, though.)

An Onion headline that ought to read "Man Hit By Sprinkler Acting Like He'll Never Be Dry Again" but instead reads "Man Angry He Got Hit By Sprinkler Acting Like He's Never Going To Be Dry Again." (You could cut six words by changing "Be Dry Again" to "Dry Off," but that's a judgment call.)
Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 3mo ago

My two cents on the biggest news of the day… Minions & Monsters is set in 1927, but contains a subplot involving suffragettes, even though the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920 -- when women in California, where the movie is set, had had the vote for nearly a decade. I AM TREMBLING WITH RAGE

The three nerds from The Simpsons' "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" -- specifically the scene with the line, "I hope somebody got fired for that blunder."
Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 3mo ago

In honor of MUNA's wonderful performance of Go West's 1990 hit "King of Wishful Thinking," it's a great time to revisit this rundown of ’80s songs due for revival -- and current (circa 2023) artists who'd be perfect to tackle them. I stand by every word, but not thinking of MUNA was an oversight!

With an '80s revival upon us, these classic songs deserve a comeback

Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill," Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" and Indigo Girls' "Closer To Fine" have experienced massive comebacks. Which '80s songs should be next?

npr.org

Linda Holmes@lindaholmes.bsky.social · 4mo ago

There is a viral Instagram post claiming the Knicks have turned down the invitation to visit the White House, sourced to nothing, apparently just a photo with some text written on it. It’s been reposted 10,000 times. Can’t find any indication it’s true. We have got to stop doing this.

Stephen Thompson@idislikestephen.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Every January on Pop Culture Happy Hour, we make predictions for the new year, and I'm *so mad* I didn't think to predict that YouTubers would overshadow the latest Star Wars movie at the summer box office while we all pored over press statements from Vanilla Ice and the living half of Milli Vanilli