Pop Pantheon

Listen to Pop Pantheon's Elton John Essentials Playlist

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ELTON JOHN: PART 2 (with Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield) Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield returns to Pop Pantheon for the second and final part in our Elton John series. Rob and Louie pick up on Elton’s career after his initial run of hits in the 1970s at the tail end of his imperial phase. They then discuss his prolific career from 1975’s autobiographical Captain Fantastic to his poorly received disco record in 79, Victim of Love, and his comeback via 1983's Too Low for Zero. Next, they tackle later era Elton, from his Disney hits to his work on Broadway, 1997's re-recording of "Candle in the Wind" and his collabs with pop ingénues like Dua Lipa. Finally, they rank Elton John in The Official Pop Pantheon.

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Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC Pride on June 27 at Sultan Room

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Listen to Pop Pantheon's Elton John Essentials Playlist

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ELTON JOHN: PART 1 (with Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield) Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield makes his Pop Pantheon debut for our special two-part Pride series on one of the most iconic queer figures in pop history, Elton John. Louie and Rob dig into Elton’s musical roots, his band Bluesology and his early work with lyricist and creative partner Bernie Taupin. From there, they discuss his 1970 breakthrough with “Your Song” and his seminal run of mid-1970s “classic period” albums and hits, including records like 1971’s Tumbleweed Connection, 1972’s Honky Château, 1973’s Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player and Elton’s audacious double-album blockbuster Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973).

Tune in next week for part two, covering the many peaks and valleys of Elton’s post-imperial run career, his legacy as a queer pop star and his ranking in the Official Pop Pantheon.

Gorgeous Gorgeous LA Pride on June 20 at Los Globos

Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC Pride on June 27 at Sultan Room

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Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

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It's Addison Rae's World. We're Just Living in It (Patreon Preview) Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Tik Tok Influencer turned gay pop fan cause célèbre Addison Rae dropped her debut album, Addison, last Friday following a series of surprisingly great singles. Does the record meet the hype? How does Addison translate in album form? And how unlikely is it for this former social media star to suddenly emerge as the vanguard pop diva du jour? Louie and Russ discuss it all.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

BUY TICKETS TO MAIN POP GIRLS: PRIDE ON JUNE 7 AT PARKSIDE LOUNGE!

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The Best Pop of 2025 You Might Have Missed (with Rolling Stone's Larisha Paul) Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

Rolling Stone staff writer Larisha Paul returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss the best pop songs you might have missed so far in 2025. Larisha and Russ talk about what it takes to break through in today's over-saturated pop market and what's happening on the outskirts of the mainstream pop world, then they each share some of their favorite bubbling under and over-looked songs from the first half of 2025.

Listen to a playlist of Russ + Larisha's selections

Gorgeous Gorgeous LA Pride on June 20 at Los Globos

Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC Pride on June 27 at Sultan Room

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Read Larisha's column on why every song sounds like an audition for The Voice now

Follow Larisha on Twitter, Instagram + TikTok

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Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

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Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour, Taylor Swift's Masters & Miley Cyrus' Something Beautiful (Patreon Preview) Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ get together to talk Louie's night at Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter show in New Jersey, Taylor Swift buying back her masters and how it impacts the legacy of the re-recording project, and Miley Cyrus' latest opus, Something Beautiful, which dropped on Friday. Plus, Louie tries Selena Gomez's Oreos live on air!

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Listen to Louie and Bradley's Favorite Pop Songs of 2025 So Far

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The Best Pop of 2025 So Far (with Legends Only's Bradley Stern) May 29, 2025

Show notes

Host of the Legends Only podcast Bradley Stern returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss the best pop songs of 2025 so far. First, Louie and Bradley discuss the broader trends— or perhaps the broader lack of trends— happening in pop music so far this year, before each sharing their list of favorites from the first half of 2025.

BUY TICKETS TO MAIN POP GIRLS: PRIDE ON JUNE 7 AT PARKSIDE LOUNGE!

Gorgeous Gorgeous LA Pride on June 20 at Los Globos

Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC Pride on June 27 at Sultan Room

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

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Hot 100 Dumpster Dive (Patreon Preview) May 26, 2025

Show notes

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ dive deep into the trenches of the Hot 100 to figure out what the hell is going on with mainstream pop music these days, parsing the songs of alleged popular artists such as "Alex Warren," "BigXThaPlug," "Myles Smith," "Benson Boone," and so many more.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

BUY TICKETS TO MAIN POP GIRLS: PRIDE ON JUNE 7 AT PARKSIDE LOUNGE!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listener Mailbag: Grammy Album of the Year Frontrunners, Gaga Copying Taylor(?!), & More! May 22, 2025

Show notes

Louie and Russ answer listener questions about the current 2026 Grammy Album of the Year Frontrunners, why Chappell Roan's "The Giver" underperformed, Max Martin's trajectory as a collaborator, whether Gaga directly ripped Taylor off on "How Bad Do U Want Me," and more!

Gorgeous Gorgeous LA Pride on June 20 at Los Globos

Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC Pride on June 27 at Sultan Room

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More