7318: The Doors — The Tragic Rebellion That Burned Out at Twenty-Seven | pplpod
The Doors combined Jim Morrison's poetry and self-destruction with Ray Manzarek's organ, Robby Krieger's guitar, and John Densmore's jazz drumming to produce music that sounded like a Dionysian ritual...
17 Jun 21min
7317: Rita Hayworth — The Tragic Invention of Hollywood's Love Goddess | pplpod
Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Cansino. The studio changed her name, dyed her hair, raised her hairline with electrolysis, and manufactured a persona so completely that the woman inside disappeared....
17 Jun 20min
7316: Auguste Rodin — The Sculptor Accused of Casting from Living Bodies | pplpod
Auguste Rodin sculpted The Age of Bronze with such anatomical precision that critics accused him of cheating — casting the figure directly from a living model. The accusation was false, but it capture...
17 Jun 24min
7315: Giotto di Bondone — The Medieval Painter Who Gave Art a Human Face | pplpod
Giotto di Bondone painted human figures with emotions so recognizable that people wept in front of them — something no painter in medieval Europe had achieved. Before Giotto, painted figures were flat...
17 Jun 22min
7314: Fred Astaire — The Perfectionist Who Made the Impossible Look Effortless | pplpod
Fred Astaire's first screen test produced the verdict: "Can't act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little." He spent the next forty years proving that wrong with a perfectionism so relentless that he would...
17 Jun 22min
7313: Elton John — The Human Survival Story Behind the Costumes and the Hits | pplpod
Elton John survived a suicide attempt, cocaine addiction, bulimia, and a childhood so emotionally barren that he spent decades trying to fill the void with excess. The costumes, the tantrums, and the ...
17 Jun 22min
7312: Rick Wright — The Fired Pink Floyd Keyboardist Who Outearned the Whole Band | pplpod
Rick Wright was fired from Pink Floyd by Roger Waters during the recording of The Wall, then rehired as a salaried session musician for the subsequent tour. Because he was the only member not sharing ...
17 Jun 23min
7311: Stevie Wonder — The Blind Prodigy Who Hijacked the Motown Machine | pplpod
Stevie Wonder signed with Motown at eleven, scored his first hit at thirteen, and spent the next decade watching the label control his money, his songs, and his schedule. When he turned twenty-one, he...
17 Jun 20min
