Big Lives
24 clip(s) in playlist
From Hit Parade: The Harrisong Edition
On Big Lives, we're interested not just in the story of the icons we cover, but also on the impact they have on the world around them. And when it comes to George Harrison, his legacy has continued to evolve. So we're sharing an episode today from Hit Parade, Slate's podcast about pop-chart history…
39:24
How Madonna Started a Culture War
Why is Madonna one of the most controversial pop stars of all time? Before cancel culture and social media outrage, Madonna was already at the centre of America's biggest culture wars. Hosts Kai and Emmanuel sit down with writer and Scamfluencers host Scaachi Koul to explore Madonna's most defining…
1:04:34
James Baldwin: Love, Identity and the Truth Behind an American Icon
Who was the real James Baldwin, beyond the famous speeches and viral quotes? Hosts Kai and Emmanuel are joined by biographer Nicholas Boggs to explore the life and legacy of one of America's greatest writers. From his friendships and romances to his fiercest political battles and literary triumphs,…
1:06:14
From You’re Dead To Me: Iliad and The Odyssey
The new Odyssey movie was just released, with a star-studded cast including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattison. If you’re a fan of fantastical myths and legends, heroes behaving badly, ancient Greek culture and want to know more about Homer’s epic poems that have in…
1:00:00
How Tina Turner Built Rock 'n' Roll (And Got Left Out of It)
We trace Tina Turner's journey from the cotton fields of Nutbush, Tennessee to global superstardom. We dig into the abuse that nearly ended her career, her extraordinary reinvention, and the overlooked influence she and other Black women had on a genre that too often erased them. This is the real s…
57:16
Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation, The Fugees and Her Enduring Legacy
Lauryn Hill is a generational voice, a cultural lightning rod, and one of music’s biggest what-ifs. This time, we're joined by NPR’s Code Switch host B.A. Parker to unpack the meteoric rise of the Fugees frontwoman, Lauryn Hill, and the intense pressures that pushed one of hip-hop and R&B's brighte…
1:05:18Clean
The Beckhams: From World Cup Villain to Billionaire Power Couple
David and Victoria Beckham weren't always the untouchable power couple we know today. In 1998, David was public enemy number one after a red card cost England the World Cup. So how did the Beckhams go from national villains to a global billion-dollar brand? We break down the Beckham playbook: how …
1:06:06
From Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise
Sharing Malcolm Gladwell’s latest project, featuring our very own Kai Wright: a podcast called Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise. Imagine a time when the United States was split in two. And then had to put itself back together. It was a time of chaos and sometimes violence as millions of p…
49:49
Sinéad O’Connor: The Story Behind the Icon and the Outrage
Sinéad O’Connor had one of the most unforgettable voices in music history and one of the most misunderstood lives. Kai and Emmanuel go beyond the "angry pop star" label and headlines to tell the real story of Sinéad O'Connor: the artist, the activist, and the icon who was right long before the worl…
48:34
Jesse Jackson and the Making of Modern Black Politics
This Juneteenth, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s seismic rulings on voting rights, Emmanuel and Kai talk about the legacy of one man: Jesse Jackson. We trace his journey from teenage activist to Martin Luther King Jr.’s inner circle to building a political movement that reshaped America. Along t…
1:30:46