GARAGE TO STADIUMS Music History Podcast

From the streets of New York came four young men — including one born to Holocaust survivors — obsessed from their earliest days with becoming the biggest band in the world. Behind greasepaint and fire, they transformed themselves into larger-than-life characters, igniting the imaginations of millions of youths. With thunderous riffs, explosive stage shows, and relentless ambition, KISS became one of the most influential and commercially successful bands in rock history, selling over 100 million albums worldwide. In this episode you’ll learn:· The background of the KISS member from Israel · How a founding member overcame disfigurement and deafness as a child· The calculated strategy behind donning the make-up · How KISS saved itself and its record company with a bold roll of the dice· The business model that propelled KISS to financial success · KISS' shocking move to reinvent itself in the 1980s for a new emerging music genre Follow the Show / Receive bonus content:Follow GTS on Apple or Spotify podcasts to be alerted when our next episode dropsFollow Garage to Stadiums (GTS) on social channels Download the Official Garage to Stadiums playlists for each episode on Apple Music or SpotifyVisit GaragetoStadiums.com for bonus content on KISS, including concert footage, transcripts and other interesting facts.Guest BioOur guest Martin Popoff also appeared on our AC/DC episode. He *has written extensively about KISS — including his first book, KISS at 50 Years. And his most recent work KISS '76, which carries the subtitle The Greatest Year of Rock’s Most Dynamic Band.Martin has written more record reviews than anyone in the history of music journalism across all genres. In addition, he has penned approximately 135 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock, prog, punk, and record collecting, and has contributed liner notes for releases featured on various music documentaries.

In Part 2 of The Story of The Rolling Stones, we journey through the 1970s and ’80s, to experience how The Rolling Stones navigated financial ruin, courtroom battles, and drug-fueled chaos. Their survival and evolution forged their legend—every scar a jewel in the crown they wear today. In Part 2 you'll learn:How financial problems led to one of their finest albums About their legendary debaucherous 1972 tour That the chaos of 1970s New York City played a key role in their sound evolution Why Mick and Keith's relationship almost came to an endHow one of their most famous tunes started as a reggae songThe innovation The Stones brought to the concert touring modelWant to learn more music history? Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channelsGuest BioChristopher Sanford is the author of The Rolling Stones: 60 years, he's written acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Sting and Kurt Cobain, as well as books on John F Kennedy and Roman Polanski. For more than two decades, he's written about music and film for major media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine has called him "the preeminent author in his field".

David Bowie was the ultimate chameleon of rock, constantly reinventing himself throughout his career. This episode starts with his struggles from his multiple failed attempts at stardom. Despite these challenges, Bowie’s incorporated elements of his eclectic, failed past and created a groundbreaking sound and persona, cementing him as one of the most influential and successful artists in music history. In this episode you'll learn: The early struggles of Bowie as a wedding musician and subsequent career challengesHow Bowie's older brother influenced his musical tastes and how his eventual mental illness haunted and motivated himHow his wife helped craft the eccentric stage persona that launched him to fameThe role his time abroad played in innovating a new wave sound, years before it was mainstreamHow Bowie rescued the life of an influential musician from the 1960s and co-created a new sound with himHow a famous Beatle played a role in one of Bowie’s most iconic songs How his ever-evolving characters and musical anthems inspired a generation of disillusioned youthGuest Bio - Paolo Hewitt, journalist & music commentatorAuthor and music journalist Paolo Hewitt is the author of several books on David Bowie, including Bowie: Album to Album, a retrospective of Bowie’s evolution over his career. Considered one of the foremost experts on Bowie, Paolo has not only written extensively about the artist but has also appeared as a commentator in documentaries on Bowie.Want to learn more music history? Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

Travel back to Northern California of the mid 1960s with a young teenage girl writing poems in her bedroom after enduring countless moves across the country with her family. Then on to a succession of menial jobs to support herself and her guitarist boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham to a strange twist that catapults her to becoming a mystical, fierce, powerful song writer fronting one of the top bands of the 1970s. Stevie Nicks has faced serious personal challenges, the kind that could have ended the dreams of many, yet now stands as a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with over 150 million albums sold. You'll learn:How Stevie's musician grandfather formed a musical act with a 5-year-old Stevie How Stevie and Lindsey actually met & the unlikely way they met Fleetwood MacHer unsuccessful attempt to leave Fleetwood Mac to join another famous band How one of her biggest hits was given as a gift to her How she overcame her torturous battle with various addictionsEpisode Guest Zoë Howe is a writer, broadcaster, musician and artist. She is the author of the biography Vision, Dreams & Rumours: A Portrait of Stevie Nicks. She is an acclaimed music journalist who has written books on a variety of performers. She joins us from the UK. Want to learn more music history? Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

This special episode dives into one of the most pivotal moments in rock history. With a new Bruce Springsteen biopic hitting theatres this month, we uncover the real story behind the making of an epic album — and the desperate fight to save his career. It’s 1974...after two critically acclaimed but commercially disappointing albums, Bruce Springsteen is on the brink of being dropped by Columbia Records. Cornered by doubt and haunted by his past, he pushes himself, his band, and his producers to the breaking point — all in pursuit of the sound that would define him.In this episode, you’ll learn:The backstory of his troubled childhood and how it affected him for lifeThe complicated dichotomy that is Bruce's internal conflict for his entire careerHow the songs Born to Run, Jungleland and others evolved substantially in the studioThe hidden meanings and themes of key songs on the album A surprising reveal about the album's underlying themeThe key role of a 22-year-old Born to Run studio sound engineer who would go to become a billionaireWant to learn more music history from music insider experts? Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channelsGuest Bio Today we'll explore the making of the landmark album Born to Run with Bruce insider Peter Ames Carlin, author of the recently released Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run, which has already become a New York Times bestseller. Peter was on our previous episodes on the Story of R.E.M. and Story of Bruce Springsteen. He's also written definitive biographies on Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.