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

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.”