Death of a Rock Star

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The Notorious B.I.G. Feb 24, 2022

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Biggie Smalls was the King of New York. But his reign doesn’t last long. Less than three years after his coronation, he’s shot dead. A very modern regicide. A hail of bullets pumped into the side of his SUV. We still don’t know who did it or why. What a waste… Or was it? The people chanting his name, as his funeral winds through Brooklyn, don’t think so. Maybe it’s better to be king for a day, however rickety the throne, than settle for a long, desperate slog...

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Bon Scott Feb 17, 2022

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In the real world, you’d be scared of Bon Scott. But in the world of rock and roll, he’s perfect. He's on a Highway to Hell and you’re ready to strap yourself in and join him. But there are things you don't know. How he’s trapped in a cycle of uppers and downers, benders and comedowns. How he wants to quit this life but everyone else is keeping him strapped in. And how he’s about to crash and burn for real...

WARNING: this episode contains references to drug abuse.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues we spoke about in this podcast or are worried about someone you love, go to crowdnetwork.co.uk/helplines to find a list of people you can go to for help.

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Dennis Wilson Feb 10, 2022

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Dennis Wilson's a Beach Boy. He’s always there, but...not there. The drummer, but not the one who drums on their biggest records. His face on the album covers, his sound left off the hits. The best-looking one, the one they think’s the Steve McQueen or James Dean of the band, but the first to die. The one who slips away, when no-one’s looking...

WARNING: this episode contains references to drug and alcohol abuse.

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Nick Drake Feb 03, 2022

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Maybe you know Nick Drake. The songs, the sound. How he wants to be famous but won’t do what it takes. How he’s never a pop star, but people love him like he’s their private hero.

But people didn’t know him when he lived. He seemed… invisible. And he should’ve faded away with the 70s, with his death. But instead, something magical happens…

WARNING: this episode contains references to drug abuse, addiction, and suicide.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues we spoke about in this podcast or are worried about someone you love, please call the Samaritans at 116 123. Someone will always be there to listen, day or night, and it’s free for all UK phone numbers. Or, go to crowdnetwork.co.uk/helplines to find a list of people you can go to for help.

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Tupac Jan 27, 2022

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Tupac Shakur. He’s a gangster and a genius. A cliched death, but a unique life. America’s grim reality and its sacred dream, all in one. Shots fired on tracks will rebound into real life. But Tupac will always live on. Not in Cuba, Haiti or a Coachella holographic. But in deep ideas, and the impact he had. You just have to look a little harder...

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Janis Joplin Jan 20, 2022

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Sweet Janis Joplin. She should never have strayed so far from the apple tree of her youth. But if she was still with us, surely she’d say: what chance did I have? All her life, Janis wrote songs that were achingly sad. She never wanted much. Just a pair of arms to hold her close. Even if it was for just one night. But she was always left chasing that bright, elusive butterfly of love...

WARNING: This episode contains references to drug abuse and addiction. If you've been affected by any of the things we mention in this show, go to crowdnetwork.co.uk/helplines to find people who can help.

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Jim Morrison Jan 13, 2022

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With Jim Morrison, everything’s always somewhere between truth and myth. You don’t know what’s real, it’s all bent together. There’s things that make you love him, make you hate him. Things that make you uncomfortable. It’s a wild ride, with Jim. And if you get out alive? You’re the lucky one…

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Kurt Cobain Jan 06, 2022

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Kurt Cobain doesn’t look like the spokesman for an angry generation. Then he starts picking at his guitar and singing. Rasping, like a chainsaw cutting down a tree. Ugly and beautiful, vulnerable and certain. But he can’t see his own appeal. He hates himself. And less than five month after his most famous gig, he’ll end up dead…

WARNING: this this episode contains references to drug abuse, addiction, and suicide.

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Buddy Holly Mar 18, 2021

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Buddy Holly came and went so fast. Inspired the Beatles, inspired the Stones. His songs soundtrack so many lives, but he was the first of the rock’n’roll legends to go down in flames. The day, as we all now know, when the music died.

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Ian Curtis Mar 11, 2021

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Some bands could be from anywhere. You can’t hear their home in the bassline, feel the streets and skies in the guitars. But Joy Division and Ian Curtis are pure Manchester - an old town, a new town, a city that tears down the past and falls into the future.

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