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So ... I'm Going To Be On 'The Simpsons'

Bob Boilen as himself on <em>The Simpsons.</em>
Courtesy of The Simpsons
Bob Boilen as himself on The Simpsons.

It's been a good year.

I'm about to have my first book published. I'm making an album with my band Danger Painters. I have a great job, a music show I love and a concert series at my desk. I directed All Things Considered for 18 years. I feel like I'm becoming a pretty decent photographer. I'm a proud father with a cool son. But with all that I've done, the one thing that seems to drop jaws the moment I mention it is that I was cast as a minor character on The Simpsons. I play myself, sort of — the host of a radio show in Springfield called "Mountain Trax." Natalie Maines also does a voice in the episode. I've told you all I'm going to tell you. The episode airs Sunday night, as The Simpsons has done since time began.

Here's a clip:

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In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.
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