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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... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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.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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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…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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You can’t talk about TLC without talking about all three. But there’s always a point to every triangle, and TLC’s is Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes.It’s her creativity, her contradictions and the way she could start fires. But there’s a bigger battle underneath it all. Poet vs rock star. Health fanatic vs alcoholic. Lover vs a warrior fixated on revenge. This is the story of how it all fits together… See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s an unusually warm December day in New York City. Mild enough to linger on the sidewalk. To make time for people. But today is different. Because the madness is coming back. On this benign day, from out of a clear American sky. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions and references to drug abuse.Sid Vicious. The name is potent, a kind of manifesto in itself. For some people, Sid Vicious is punk, its ultimate poster boy. But there nothing heroic about the tragedy of Sid Vicious, a boy whose only talent turned out to be for self-destruction. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

WARNING: This episode contains references to suicide.In The End. If you’ve heard any Linkin Park song, it’s that one. Chester Bennington sings about nothing really mattering. But if that’s how he truly felt in the end, he was wrong. Chester may be gone, but his music still speaks for him. In the end, he never stopped. And neither does his story.If you’ve been affected by any of the issues spoken about in this podcast, please go to crowdnetwork.co.uk/helplines to find a list of people you can go to for help, or call the Samaritans at 116 123 (free to all UK numbers). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s all back to front, with Eva. The radio only notices when she’s gone. You hear her and she’s not there to explain why she sings like this, what’s formed her. The love comes after the death. And that’s how the story of Eva Cassidy has to be told, the only way it makes sense. We start at the end, and we work backwards. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

WARNING: This episode contains references to suicidal thoughts and drug abuse.You know what they say about boys. They just want their father’s approval, when it comes down to it. And when you find out about Marvin Gaye – not just the records, and the voice, or the look, or the dope – that’s what you realise it’s all about. From the beginning until the end. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A lot of rock stars, you think you know them. You don’t think you know Prince. There’s so many stories, but they’re so mad, or funny, or just impossible, you’re never really sure what’s real. Because Prince is like no-one before or since. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Marc Bolan was the elfin prince of glam rock. He was bard of the British underground, spinning fairy fantasies of other worlds with made up words, an acoustic guitar and a set of bongos. This is the story of how he lived fast, but died young. And is forever fixed in the public imagination as a sexy, swaggering, glam rocking icon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is the unforgettable story of the last days of Bob Marley. When you come to the end, you think back to the beginning. You think to what made you and what you made. That’s Bob, a long way from Jamaica. Thinking: this was me. This is where I came from. This is what I saw. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

He might be the most famous man who ever lived. He changed our world forever. But when you get that big, there’s always someone who wants to exploit you. You forget who you are and why you’re doing it. Until suddenly it’s too late. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.