Spectrum

NPR’s Bob Boilen Has Shaped a Whole New Generation of Music Lovers


Listen Later

National Public Radio’s Bob Boilen has shaped the way an entire generation consumes music. During his 20 plus year career at NPR, Boilen has served as creator and host of the online series “All Songs Considered” and created the increasingly celebrated “Tiny Desk Series.” Earlier, he was producer and director for the afternoon news show “All Things Considered.” Sound is important to Boilen. He grew up in a noisy Brooklyn neighborhood and he recalls falling in love with the sound of a baseball card tucked in the spokes of his bicycle as a child. Throughout his young adulthood, he worked at record stores, which acquainted him with a diversity of musical knowledge that would carry him throughout his professional career. After growing disillusioned with the nature of the recording business, Boilen sold his car and bought a synthesizer, subsequently becoming one of the first musicians to extensively utilize sound sampling in the late 1970’s. His band, “Tiny Desk Unit”, continues to release at least one record per year. Last year, Boilen released a book, “Your Song Changed My Life,” It examines the intimate power of pop songs through the perspectives of musicians such as Pokey LaFarge, Jeff Tweedy, Colin Meloy and many others. Spectrum’s Arts and Culture reporter Emily Votaw spoke with Boilen about his lifelong fascination with the nature of sound; the many ways he enjoys live musical performances, and his deep-set belief that there isn’t such a thing as a “bad song.”
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

SpectrumBy WOUB Public Media

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

32 ratings


More shows like Spectrum

View all
Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

398 Listeners

Death, Sex & Money by Slate Podcasts

Death, Sex & Money

7,738 Listeners

Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air by The Ringer

Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

3,622 Listeners

9 to 5ish with theSkimm by theSkimm

9 to 5ish with theSkimm

1,872 Listeners

Still Spinning: On Dance and the Creative Process by The Joyce Theater

Still Spinning: On Dance and the Creative Process

27 Listeners

Glitter & Doom by BRIC RADIO

Glitter & Doom

28 Listeners

City Arts & Lectures by City Arts & Lectures

City Arts & Lectures

389 Listeners

The Commonweal Podcast by Commonweal Magazine

The Commonweal Podcast

122 Listeners

Womanica by Wonder Media Network

Womanica

869 Listeners

The Run-Through with Vogue by Vogue

The Run-Through with Vogue

705 Listeners

You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton by iHeartPodcasts

You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton

8,830 Listeners

Club Random with Bill Maher by Bill Maher

Club Random with Bill Maher

4,432 Listeners

Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson

Letters from an American

5,766 Listeners