Pop Pantheon
203 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 444 ratingsThe podcast where DJ Louie XIV and guests completely overanalyze all your favorite pop stars, then rank them in the official Pop Pantheon.
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Episodes
What Pantheon Rankings Have I Gotten Wrong?: Kesha, ABBA, Miley, Your Calls & More!
January 26, 2023 08:01 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBFor this week's B-Side, we're reassessing all the Pop Pantheon rankings of the last year, including debates on Kesha, Miley, ABBA, Belinda Carlisle, Spice Girls and More. We're also taking listener Pantheon disputes via your phone calls. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!! Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store! Listen to our Original Pantheon Ranking Reassessment from April 2021 Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram Follow DJ Louie ...
MADONNA: PART 4 (with Pot Psychology's Rich Juzwiak) [Originally Published on 4/21/2021]
January 23, 2023 08:01 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBAs a special bonus to wrap up our new Madonna series, we're re-publishing an episode, the fourth ever of Pop Pantheon (!!), from April 21, 2021 wherein DJ Louie and Jezebel's Rich Juzwiak attempt to parse about Madonna's commercial and artistic decline beginning with 2008's Pharrell and Timbaland-produced Hard Candy, 2012's limp return to dance music, MDNA, 2016's sprawling, trend-hopping Rebel Heart and 2019's generally baffling Madame X. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Pa...
MADONNA: PART 3 (with Annie Zaleski)
January 19, 2023 08:01 - 1 hour - 108 MBAuthor and journalist Annie Zaleski returns to Pop Pantheon for part three of our Madonna series, covering the period in which Madonna fully solidified her status as one of the most important cultural figures of the modern era. DJ Louie and Annie discuss Madonna’s critically-adored, career-reimagining smash Ray of Light (1998), which saw her celebrate the epiphany of motherhood, her return to capital-f "Fun" on 2000's Music, and 2003's stilted American Life. Finally, they tackle her...
MADONNA: PART 2 (with The Clive Davis Institute's Jason King)
January 12, 2023 08:01 - 1 hour - 110 MBFor part two of our Madonna series, Clive Davis Institute chair Jason King returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss the imperial period of the Queen of Pop's career with DJ Louie. They discuss the capstone on Madonna's decade-defining run of records in the 1980s, 1989's Like a Prayer, her explosion into the 1990s with “Vogue,” 1992’s lightning rod Erotica and a singular record in Madonna’s discography, 1994's Bedtime Stories. Plus highlights from her cultural peak, like the genre-creating...
New Music Speed Round: Meghan Trainor, Paramore, Lana Del Rey & More (Patreon Preview)
January 09, 2023 08:01 - 6 minutes - 5.96 MBIf you like this and want to hear more of this episode, plus tons of other bonus content as well as gain access to our Discord channel, the guest list at Gorgeous Gorgeous and so many other perks, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access!
MADONNA: PART 1 (with Inside The Groove's Edward Russell)
January 05, 2023 08:01 - 1 hour - 102 MBFor the first of our new three-part series on the Queen of Pop, Madonna, host of the podcast Inside the Groove Edward Russell joins DJ Louie to discuss Madge’s early years as an upstart pop-provocateur-turned-auteur. Louie and Edward begin with her early life and how her mother’s death from breast cancer, her strained relationship with her father and the family’s devout catholicism informed her path and future work before moving to the mythology of how she ended up in New York City,...
Taylor Swift's Reputation (with Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos) (Patreon's Version)
December 29, 2022 08:01 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBMerry Christmas and Happy New Year! As a little Xmas treat, we're posting this episode which was originally published on our Patreon, Pop Pantheon: All Access, a deep-dive with Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos into Taylor Swift's misunderstood 2017 album Reputation. Largely derided upon its release in 2017, Reputation is an album that's worthy of a re-appraisal, especially given its connections to Taylor's current blockbuster success with Midnights. As a special bonus for our Patro...
KATY PERRY: PART 2 (with Variety's Daniel D'Addario)
December 22, 2022 08:01 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBChief Television Critic at Variety Daniel D’Addario is back with DJ Louie for part two of our series on Purposeful Popstress Katy Perry! Louie and Dan kick off this installment by talking about the long tail of Teenage Dream and how Katy's highly-publicized divorce from comedian Russell Brand informed both the deluxe edition's hit singles as well as the setting into which she delivered her much-anticipated fourth album, 2013's Prism. They then parse about Prism's disjointed mix of D...
KATY PERRY: PART 1 (with Variety's Daniel D'Addario)
December 15, 2022 08:01 - 1 hour - 90.1 MBChief Television Critic at Variety Daniel D’Addario joins DJ Louie for a long-awaited and sprawling two-parter about Rick Caruso’s favorite pop star, Katy Perry! In Part 1, Louie and Dan begin with Katy’s cloistered early life as the daughter of two Pentacostal ministers who was denied access to most popular culture, her teenaged forays into Christian rock, eventual pivot to secular music and myriad false starts as a pop star, including dalliances with Alanis Morrisette producer Gle...
Imperial Phases: What Are They, Who's Had One and Do They Still Exist? (with Tom Ewing)
December 08, 2022 08:01 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBThe concept of an "Imperial Phase"- a short-lived period of a pop star's career where artistic revelation meets commercial saturation and everything they touch turns to gold- comes up quite a bit on Pop Pantheon. Originally coined by Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, the term gained purchase in our pop music discourse thanks to Tom Ewing's taxonomy of the phrase in his classic 2010 Pitchfork piece, "Imperial". For this week's B-side, Tom joins DJ Louie to discuss Imperial Phases past,...
The Best (and Worst) Pop Music of 2022 (with NPR's Hazel Cills)
December 01, 2022 08:01 - 1 hour - 84.3 MBEditor at NPR Music Hazel Cills joins DJ Louie for a thorough rundown of pop music in the year 2022. They talk Beyoncé, Rosalia, Taylor, Muna, Drake, Charli, Kendrick, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Lizzo, shifting musical trends (welcome back, dance music!), wonky rollouts, more Beyoncé (of course), list their favorite and least favorite pop albums and songs of the year, and more. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!! Buy Tickets to S...
AMY WINEHOUSE (with Sasha Frere-Jones)
November 23, 2022 08:01 - 1 hour - 95.3 MBMusician and Writer Sasha Frere-Jones joins DJ Louie to discuss the tragically short career and life of the great British soul singer, Amy Winehouse. Louie and Sasha begin by discussing how an early death, perhaps before a pop star has even reached their peak, affects their legacy before diving into Amy’s story, how she grew up on the music of jazz greats like Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughn and ‘90s American hip hop superstars like Nas and Lauryn Hill and the ways that marriage f...
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me and the State of the Pop Doc (with New York Magazine's Rachel Handler)
November 17, 2022 08:01 - 1 hour - 70.3 MBNew York Magazine's Rachel Handler joins DJ Louie to discuss both Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, the recently-released doc about the pop star on Apple TV+, and the broader state of the pop star documentary. Rachel had the opportunity to sit down with Selena and director Alek Keshishian to talk about the film, so Louie and Rachel first get into what Selena was like as interview before diving into My Mind & Me, what it tells us about Selena, and how it fits into the broader of narrative ...
BELINDA CARLISLE, DEBBIE GIBSON, TIFFANY & TAYLOR DAYNE: Forgotten Ladies of the 1980s (with Stereogum's Tom Breihan)
November 10, 2022 08:01 - 1 hour - 99.7 MBWe’re shaking things up a bit this week! The ‘80s were formative for our ideas of modern pop stardom but it’s not just Madonna, Prince, Michael, Janet, George and the gang that deserve credit for shaping that legacy. So in this episode, Senior Editor at Stereogum Tom Breihan joins me to break down the careers and legacies of four more erstwhile women who hit high highs during this decade, with smash singles and multi platinum albums, then fell off the charts just as the decade tur...
Can the Super Bowl Put Rihanna in Tier 1?? (Preview)
November 07, 2022 08:01 - 5 minutes - 5.44 MBThis is a preview of one of the bonus episodes out right now on our new Patreon, Pop Pantheon: All Access! If you like this and want to hear more of this episode as well as others including a look-back at Taylor Swift's Reputation with Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos, AND to receive at least one new bonus episode per month and a slew of other perks, subscribe at Patreon.com/poppantheon!
The Joys & Terrors of Stan Culture (with The New York Times' Joe Coscarelli)
November 03, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 61.3 MBPop Music Reporter for The New York Times, Joe Coscarelli, returns to the podcast to dig into the origins, agony and ecstasy of internet stan culture. DJ Louie and Joe discuss how classic fandoms morphed into internet stan armies, the difference between being a "fan" in the old sense of the word and a modern "stan", who often wraps their entire identity around a pop star, how these armies are weaponized by the star they worship and serve as powerful promotional arms and also, more w...
Announcement!
November 01, 2022 07:01 - 10 minutes - 9.25 MBPlease welcome to the stage: Pop Pantheon All Access!! Simply can't get enough of Pop Pantheon? Well, great news! I am so excited to announce the launch of our new Patreon channel, Pop Pantheon All Access (click here to join)! This is the spot for even more of the trenchant, in-depth, fun-loving pop music analysis you expect from Pop Pantheon but with a few fun twists, as well as a great community of fellow pop obsessives. There are two tiers (duh) in PPAA: 1. Icon Tier: for $5...
Taylor Swift's Midnights (with The Ringer's Rob Harvilla)
October 26, 2022 03:43 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBHost of the Podcast 60 Songs That Explain the '90s, The Ringer's Rob Harvilla, is back with DJ Louie to break down Taylor Swift's 10th studio album, Midnights, which dropped this past Friday. Louie and Rob set up Taylor's career and discography heading into this record before breaking down the lyrical motifs, recurrent themes and production choices on the album, what's working and not working for each of them, whether this record marks the end of one phase, the beginning of a new on...
SPICE GIRLS (with Owen Myers)
October 20, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 101 MBMusic journalist Owen Myers is back with DJ Louie to discuss the career and legend of British super girl group, Spice Girls. First, Louie and Owen talk through the history of girl groups and how various waves helped form the foundation for the Spice Girls’ ethos, before getting into the band’s journey from prefab answer to the UK boy band wave of the era to self-possessed girl-gang in control of their own destiny. Louie and Owen then discuss what made the Spice Girls and their explo...
GEORGE MICHAEL (with Jezebel's Rich Juzwiak)
October 13, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 107 MBSenior Writer for Jezebel Rich Juzwiak joins DJ Louie once again to discuss the formidable work and legacy of the iconic George Michael. Louie and Rich discuss George’s early life, his chance middle-school meeting with Andrew Ridgely which lead to the formation of his breakthrough musical endeavor- the duo Wham!- the group’s two albums, 1983’s Fantastic and 1984’s blockbuster Make It Big, and how both Wham!’s well-executed appropriation of canonically Black musical aesthetics and it...
Listener Mailbag! Britney, Bowie, Flops, Divas and More!!
October 06, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 72.1 MBIt's listener mailbag time! DJ Louie and Russ are here to tackle questions from across the Pop Pantheon extended universe. Who is the greatest British pop star of all time? Is Nicki BACK?! Are "Flop Eras" actually good?! Can DJs be Pop Stars??!! How does dying young affect your Pop Pantheon ranking?!!! How can Janet reach Tier 1??!! And so much more. See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous in DTLA on 10/22! Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat! Take the Pop Pantheon Listener ...
BTS (with Tamar Herman)
September 29, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 89.4 MBSenior Culture Reporter for the South China Morning Post and author of the book BTS: Blood Sweat and Tears, Tamar Herman, joins DJ Louie for a deep-dive on K-Pop phenom boyband BTS. First, Louie and Tamar lay out some of the contours and history of the K-Pop scene and music industry before diving into BTS’ story, how they were initially put together in 2010 by producer Bang Si-Hyuk as a socially-conscious rap outfit on their “Skool Trilogy” in 2013 and 2014, and Bang’s vision for a ...
Lady Gaga's Chromatica Ball (with Steven Avalos, Omri Rolan & Lala Thompson)
September 22, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBFor this week's B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by his bffs Steven, Omri and Lala to debrief their night at the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium stop of Lady Gaga's epic, years-in-the-making Chromatica Ball World Tour. They talk all aspects of the show- from the stage to the setlist to the fashion to Gaga's presence, dancing and voice- how it stacks up against past LG tours, where they'd rank Chomatica against her previous records, what it felt like to finally hear "Rain on Me" amongst 52,000 ...
DONNA SUMMER (with Black Girl Songbook's Danyel Smith)
September 15, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 98.1 MBAuthor of Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop and host of The Ringer podcast Black Girl Songbook, Danyel Smith, joins DJ Louie to explore the work, impact and legacy of the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer. Louie and Danyel begin with Donna’s early life as the eccentric Black girl in her Boston community during the 1950s and ‘60s, her move to Germany in 1968 to star in the musical Hair which eventually led to a star-crossed meeting with producers Giorgio Morodor ...
Disco: Past & Present (with The Clive Davis Institute's Jason King)
September 08, 2022 07:01 - 57 minutes - 53 MBFor this week’s B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by Chair of the The Clive Institute of Recorded Music, Jason King, to talk the history, culture, ethos and aesthetics of disco music. Louie and Jason lay out the elements of a disco song, what the word meant as a cultural movement, its roots as a queer black artform and unique platform for black women’s voices, what made the “disco diva”, the genre’s trajectory through the 1970s as a fast burning phenomenon that crashed just as quickly by t...
MERCH ALERT!
September 07, 2022 17:53 - 58 seconds - 1010 KBWe did it! We finally made merch! Please welcome to the stage: The Pop Pantheon "Niche Legend" Dad Hat! Be the Carly Rae Jepsen you want to see in the world by purchasing this gorgeous black and hot pink baseball cap! It reads "Niche Legend" on the front and "Pop Pantheon" on the back. This hat is a celebration of both our favorite Niche Legend pop girlies AND, most importantly, the Niche Legend in all of us!! Enjoy <3
USHER (with Rawiya Kameir)
September 01, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 98.4 MBMusic writer and Assistant Professor at Syracuse University, Rawiya Kameir, is back on the show to discuss the career and confessions of the great Usher. DJ Louie and Rawiya break down Usher’s musical origins singing in the church, the failed boy band he fronted in the early ‘90s, Nu Beginnings, and how his deal with the storied LaFace Records and subsequent “flavor camp” with Sean “Puff Daddy’ Combs set the stage for his self-titled debut record in 1994. They then dive into his bre...
MTV VMAs: Past, Present & Our Favorite Moments (with Dunzo's Troy McEady)
August 25, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBThe MTV Video Music Awards will air this Sunday, August 28 2022, from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ but does anybody care? For this week’s Pop Pantheon B-Side, Dunzo’s Troy McEady is back to discuss the history of the once-must-watch award show with DJ Louie, what made them the most raucous and exciting live event around at their peak, how grabbing a VMA headline could change a pop star’s career forever and what’s gone wrong with the show in recent years. Then, Louie and Troy ...
MILEY CYRUS (with Shaad D'Souza)
August 18, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 97.1 MBMusic critic Shaad D’Souza joins DJ Louie to talk about one of modern pop’s most captivating, divisive and perplexing figures, Miley Cyrus. Louie and Shaad open with a break down of Miley’s emergence on the smash Disney show, Hannah Montana, how the character’s own double life as a pop star and a “normal girl” mirrored Miley’s own, and the chaste image and anodyne pop-rock empowerment anthems on which Miley-as-Hannah made her name and, later in career, had to torch. They next dive i...
Billboard's Hot 100: Hits, History and Kinks (with Hit Parade's Chris Molanphy)
August 11, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 67.6 MBEvery episode of Pop Pantheon contains at least some mention of the Billboard's iconic singles chart, the Hot 100. So for this week's B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by chart analyst, cultural critic and host of Slate's podcast Hit Parade to talk the 60 year history of the chart, the way its metrics have evolved over time, what role having hits on the Hot 100 plays in a pop star's mythology and legacy, whether or not we can compare current hits like this week's #1 "Break My Soul" to past...
BEYONCÉ'S RENAISSANCE (with The New Yorker's Doreen St. Félix)
August 04, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 59.6 MBBeyoncé’s seventh studio album and her first in over six years, Renaissance, is finally upon us! For the fourth and final episode of our series on Queen B, DJ Louie is joined by The New Yorker’s Doreen St. Félix to discuss the new record. Louie and Doreen share gut-check reactions, break down Renaissance's themes of bacchanalia and sexual freak-dom and how they register through Beyoncé’s signature meticulousness, its lush, dynamic sonic palette which runs the gamut from house to d...
BEYONCÉ PART 3: AMERICAN ICON (with Yale University's Dr. Daphne A. Brooks)
July 28, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 101 MBPart 3/4! Beyoncé’s latest solo album, Renaissance, drops on July 29th so to get everyone prepared, Pop Pantheon will be releasing a series of four episodes on the work and legacy of Queen Bey, each with a different guest! In our third installment, DJ Louie is joined by author of Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound, Yale University’s Dr. Daphne A. Brooks, to discuss the latest decade of Beyoncé’s solo career. Louie and Dr. Brooks begin with...
BEYONCÉ PART 2: SOLO SUPERSTAR (with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd)
July 21, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 109 MBPart 2/4! Beyoncé’s latest solo album, Renaissance, drops on July 29th so to get everyone prepared, Pop Pantheon will be releasing a series of four episodes on the work and legacy of Queen Bey, each with a different guest! In our second installment, DJ Louie is joined by author and journalist Julianne Escobedo Shepherd to discuss the first decade of Beyoncé’s solo career. Louie and Julianne begin with Beyoncé’s first steps outside of Destiny’s Child, including her film appearances...
BEYONCÉ PART 1: DESTINY'S CHILD (with Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos)
July 14, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 102 MBPart 1/4! In the first of four episodes in our new series covering the work and career of pop titan Beyoncé, DJ Louie is joined by Senior Writer at Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos, to discuss the group that started it all: Destiny’s Child. Louie and Brittany begin with a broad history of black R&B girl groups, specifically the ‘90s wave of which DC was a part, and the ever-evolving way black women have presented themselves in the pop space. They then discuss Beyoncé’s early life, h...
Song of the Summer: History, Favs and Predictions (with Billboard's Jason Lipshutz)
July 07, 2022 07:01 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MBIn this week's B-Side episode, Executive Director of Music at Billboard Jason Lipshutz joins DJ Louie to discuss the Song of the Summer! Louie and Jason dig into the history of the concept and Billboard's SOTS Chart, discuss the most recent winners and what makes for the ideal Song of the Summer, whether having a SOTS can meaningfully change the trajectory of pop star's career, and then each name their favorite Songs of the Summer of all time. Tickets to see Louie DJ Pop Music at ...
DURAN DURAN (with Annie Zaleski)
June 30, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 91.1 MBJournalist and author of the 33 ⅓ book Duran Duran’s Rio, Annie Zaleski, joins DJ Louie for a deep-dive into ‘80s British pop-rock band and seminal music video-pioneers, Duran Duran. First, Louie and Annie parse the various music scenes-- glam rock, new wave, “The New Romantics”-- from which Duran Duran emerged before discussing the band’s formation in Birmingham in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, their deal with storied label EMI, and what factors lead their 1981 self-titled debut, a...
Bey-Side: Beyoncé's "Break My Soul"
June 22, 2022 00:56 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBIn an emergency B-Side (Bey-Side??), DJ Louie, along with Pop Pantheon producer Russ, break down everything about Beyoncé's latest single, the '90s house-nodding club anthem "Break My Soul", which dropped last night. Louie and Russ lay out where Beyoncé's commercial and artistic trajectory stands leading into this new era, from which genres, songs and artists "Break My Soul" draws, whether or not it's any good, pontificate on whether Bey can score a radio hit in the third decade o...
Bey-Side: Beyoncé's "Break My Soul" and Renaissance Predictions
June 22, 2022 00:56 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBIn an emergency B-Side (Bey-Side??), DJ Louie, along with Pop Pantheon producer Russ, break down everything about Beyoncé's latest single, the '90s house-nodding club anthem "Break My Soul", which dropped last night. Louie and Russ lay out where Beyoncé's commercial and artistic trajectory stands leading into this new era, from which genres, songs and artists "Break My Soul" draws, whether or not it's any good, pontificate on whether Bey can score a radio hit in the third decade o...
Father's Day Special (with my dad)
June 17, 2022 07:01 - 55 minutes - 51 MBMy dad, Tim, is not only the biggest Pop Pantheon fan who loves to share his many opinions on all the episodes, but is also a music fanatic and entertainment attorney who specializes in music. As such, I had the privilege of growing up in a household where the two of us bonded over our mutual love of pop and often got to experience it together. His passion for it all was (obviously) formative to my own identity, career and life. For this bonus episode of Pop Pantheon, in honor of ...
KELLY CLARKSON (with Legends Only's Bradley Stern)
June 16, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 97.7 MBThis week, DJ Louie is joined by music journalist and co-host of the podcast Legends Only, Bradley Stern, to discuss the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson! First, Louie and Bradley discuss Kelly’s legendary run on Idol, from being deemed “forgettable” by Simon Cowell to winning the show and America’s hearts in a landslide victory, her display of down-home affability and incredible versatility on the show, equally adept at Motown as she was at rock, show-tunes and pop ballads, h...
Bloghouse (with Lina Abascal)
June 09, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 66.7 MBBloghouse has come up a number of times in episodes of Pop Pantheon, from Robyn to Kesha to Scissor Sisters. So for this Week’s B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by Lina Abascal, author of the book Never Be Alone Again: How Bloghouse United the Internet and the Dancefloor, to discuss the late aughts micro-movement and how it influenced mainstream pop. Louie and Lina dig into what exactly bloghouse was, how the internet, innovations in music software and dance music trends came together to ...
SCISSOR SISTERS (with Fluxblog's Matthew Perpetua)
June 02, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 95.6 MBHappy Pride! To celebrate Pride Month, Fluxblog's Matthew Perpetua joins DJ Louie to talk one of the most iconic gay pop acts of the century, Scissor Sisters. Louie and Matthew talk the history of queer men in mainstream pop, Scissor Sisters' formation in the downtown NYC electroclash scene of the late '90s and early '00s, their fluke first hit, a BeeGees-esque cover of "Comfortably Numb", how their 2004 self-titled debut album played like a expertly made, fun-loving tour through ga...
Best Pop Music of 2022 So Far (with Who? Weekly's Lindsey Weber)
May 26, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 81.6 MBWe’re halfway through 2022 so for this week’s Pop Pantheon B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by Who? Weekly's Lindsey Weber to talk all their favorite pop songs and albums of the year so far, any trends they're spotting (short songs, short albums, and where are the main girlies??!!) and finally, Louie and Lindsey go through 15 buzzy new bottom tier Whos and decide whether they have a shot at top tier Themdom. LA Niche Legends! Grab tix for DJ Louie's Queer Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous: Pr...
SHANIA TWAIN (with Kate Dries)
May 19, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 94.1 MBExecutive Editor of Dwell, Kate Dries, joins DJ Louie to talk the Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain. First, Kate lays out some of the scant historical examples of country icons who have managed to crossover into mainstream pop stardom like Dolly Parton and explains a bit about why Nashville has been a hermetically-sealed ecosystem, resistant to change, outsiders and country artists who have ambitions beyond its traditional scope. Next, Louie and Kate discuss Shania's upbringing in ...
MTV's Total Request Live (with Dunzo's Troy McEady)
May 12, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 70.7 MBIn this week's B-Side episode, host of the podcasts Dunzo and Beyond The Blinds, Troy McEady, joins DJ Louie to discuss Millennial pop cultural touchstone, MTV's Total Request Live. Inspired by a Zoomer in the Pop Pantheon Discord who, following last month's Christina Aguilera episode, revealed they didn't know what TRL was, Louie and Troy attempt to explain the show's history and format, how its' interactive vibe served as the turn-of-the-century pop fan's precursor to social media...
BILLIE EILISH (with Molly Lambert)
May 05, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 89.7 MBWriter and host of the new podcast Heidi World: The Heidi Fleiss Story, Molly Lambert, joins DJ Louie to break down the spectacular emergence of Gen Z's most paradigm-shifting star, Billie Eilish. First, Molly, who profiled Billie last year for the cover of Elle, shares insights into what it was like spending time with her, how she's relating to her newfound megastardom, as well as her fans on social media and out in the world, and why she doesn't consider herself a "pop star" at al...
One Year of Pop Pantheon: Reassessing All the Rankings
April 28, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBIn this week's B-Side episode, DJ Louie reflects on a year of Pop Pantheon, shares how the podcast got started and offers a refresher on all of the tiers, how they work and if they've changed or been refined as the show has progressed. He then goes through all of the 31 artists ranked so far, decides if he still agrees with his ranking or if any artist's standing in the Pop Pantheon has shifted since the episodes originally aired. Join the Pop Pantheon Discord! Follow DJ Louie XI...
ABBA (with Carl Magnus Palm)
April 21, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 98.2 MBABBA Scholar and author of 8 (!!!!) books on ABBA, Carl Magnus Palm, joins DJ Louie for an epic deep dive into the Swedish pop legends. First, Louie and Carl discuss the history of pop and "schlager" in Sweden and how the country's musical traditions helped form ABBA's music before tracing the pre-ABBA careers of the four members, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, through the 1960s and how the group came together in the early 1970s, both as ba...
Charli XCX's Crash (with Owen Myers)
April 14, 2022 07:01 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBFreelance Music Journalist for the New York Times, Pitchfork, The Guardian and more, Owen Myers, joins DJ Louie to tackle Charli XCX's recently released 5th studio album, Crash, which Owen recently reviewed for Pitchfork. Louie and Owen discuss Charli's assertion of this album cycle as her "main pop girlie era" and whether that's really come to fruition, how Charli shrewdly draws on '80s titans like Janet Jackson, Cameo, New Order and Eurythmics as well as novelty '90s dance songs l...
CHRISTINA AGUILERA (with Evan Ross Katz)
April 07, 2022 07:01 - 1 hour - 90.5 MBWriter and podcaster Evan Ross Katz joins DJ Louie for a wide-ranging discussion about TRL-icon-turned-pop-iconoclast, Christina Aguilera. First, Louie and Evan discuss the teen pop boom of the late '90s and early '00s, how it presented young stars as both wholesome and over-sexualized, and the factory-style, scientifically-perfect-if-personality-less music that defined the era. They then cover Christina's emergence on The Mickey Mouse Club as the "little girl with the big voice", h...