Anthony Bourdain: Junk, Romance, and a Lust for Life (REWIND)

Anthony Bourdain had a lust for life. He went all in on adventure, indulgence, food, romance – including the romance of a heroin addiction that he chased through the restaurant kitchens and grimy rock clubs of 1980s Manhattan. For years he was a struggling cook and writer, but his first book, publi…

Bonus Episode: Punk Albums By Artists Who Weren’t Punk, and Rolling Stone Rage Baits All Punk Rockers Everywhere, and Weezer is coming to Disgraceland

Sonic Youth and the new Rolling Stone Magazine list of 100 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time has us asking about what the definition of punk rock even is—plus a preview of our upcoming Weezer episode—and your voicemails, texts, DMs and more. Check out our huge archive of hundreds of stories on arti…

Christina Grimmie: A YouTube Star, an Obsessed Fan, and a Murder in Orlando

Viral YouTube star Christina Grimmie built her career one click, one song, and one fan at a time. Her breakout run on the NBC singing competition show The Voice was watched by millions. But one obsessed fan watched her a little too closely. Listen to find out how viral fame, fan access, and one man…

Ariana Grande: Terror on Tour, Tragedy in Manchester, and Learning to Sing Again (REWIND)

On May 22, 2017, a terrorist detonated a bomb outside Ariana Grande’s performance at Manchester Arena. The blast killed 22 people. It injured over a thousand more. The attack remains one of the most heartbreaking events in music history. Parents were terrified. Younger fans suddenly feared going to…

Bonus Episode: Shocking Details in D4vd’s Evidence Brief Surrounding the Murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez

The newly revealed evidence from prosecutors detailing the alleged murder of a 14 year old by rising hip hop star D4vd are as shocking as they are dumb. You will not believe what this musician is being accused of. Plus your thoughts on the Mount Rushmore of guitar players, Sean Diddy Combs, and the…

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Fiery Blues and Fateful Choices

By the time he was 27 years old, Stevie Ray Vaughan was the hottest guitar player in Texas.  But outside of the Lone Star State, he was practically unknown, with no real audience and no record deal.  But all that would change when Stevie Ray Vaughan reached a crossroads and was presented with a fat…

Sean “Diddy” Combs (Pt. 2): The Explicit Story Behind the Indictments

How does a music mogul satiate himself when he’s rich, famous, and can have whatever he wants? When he compares himself to gangster-pimp-king-hustlers from the past? When he’s one of the most powerful men in the music industry? The details behind the Cassie Ventura, Lil’ Rod Jones, and federal indi…

Sean “Diddy” Combs (Pt. 1): A Nightclub Shooting, a Fatal Stampede, and the Cost of Doing Business

Sean “Diddy” Combs is a music producer and rapper, but he is a businessman first. And as every businessman knows, you gotta pay the cost to be the boss. You’ve gotta bet big to win big. You have to have drive, determination, and swag. Three things that Diddy possesses and which helped Diddy navigat…

Bonus Episode: Top 5 Most Surprising Musician True Crimes

The “smart” folks over at The New York Times aren’t the only ones with a list this week. We use the (mostly solid) Times list of Thirty Greatest Living American Songwriters as a jumping off point into a discussion of our Top 5 Most Surprising Musician True Crimes. Warning: You will learn things. Pl…

Ian Watkins from Lostprophets: A Nu Metal Monster in the So-Called “Monster Mansion”

The story about Ian Watkins of Lostprophets might be the most disturbing I’ve come across in all my music history research. It involves the abuse of children and a monstrous abuse of power and fame. It also takes place in, among other places, an aptly named prison called “The Monster Mansion”, and …