Pop Pantheon

385
Music #172Music Commentary #29

The 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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Recent Reviews
  • CousinFlip
    PhD in Pop Legends!
    I absolutely adore this show and DJ Luis, and all of his great guests. These folks have so much genuine love for the music as well as hard-core knowledge of pop music and pop culture history. Thank you for a fascinating and always entertaining show! šŸ’Æ #nichelegend
  • Mileyfan3064
    UPDATED REVIEW
    I love this podcast, Louie is great and knows so much but when he has a guest on and the guest is speaking, he continually speaks over them saying ā€œyeahā€¦yeahā€¦ mhmā€¦ yesā€. That is unnecessary and makes what the guest is trying to say difficult to understand.
  • bizzysteph
    Favorite podcast!
    I recommend it to everyone! Love how serious you take pop music and Iā€™m proud to be a patron.
  • Mickeythe1
    Haha
    Louis I love you but three episodes on Charli Xcx come on youā€™re stretching it. Cause if Michael and Madonna got four is she that important to the pop pantheon hey your the curator but really??
  • J&SL
    Please
    Top ten pop stars ranked but you did not invite one woman to your panel. Please
  • :]]]!
    Great show, needs an editor
    I really appreciate this show. Itā€™s entertaining and well-researched, and the analysis is thoughtful. The show could use an editor - he often goes long, and the point repetition can get tiresome - but overall, a great show thatā€™s right up my alley.
  • sierradawn89
    The only men whose opinions Iā€™ll pay for
    Absolutely the best $5 I spend every month. I love ā€” and learn so much from ā€” this show!
  • Starily
    Louie XIV šŸ‘šŸ‘šŸ‘
    Thank you for your knowledge, fervor and love of pop music and sharing it with us. I really enjoyed the MJ series (haters gonna hate in the reviews šŸ™„) and maaaany more epis of my already favorite artists and also, some i didnt know very well in detail but learned so much! Not only related to the music specifically, but also to pop culture as a whole: past, present and their ongoing legacies. I would LOVE to attend a Gorgeous, Gorgeous! Party and dance the night away (any chance of you coming to SF in the near future?šŸ˜‰)
  • Jadallape
    Please consider
    Great show and guests if you want music and cultural history. I hope Louie considers taking a breath and letting his guests speak. I can tell heā€™s excited but the incessant monologues immediately after asking the guest a question are too much. Also, it was on the Patreon episode but his dismissal of Not Like Us and Kendrickā€™s cultural impact this summer was really off-putting.
  • abbey codiamat
    MJ episode
    Been listening for a bit and Iā€™ve been patiently waiting for the MJ series! I know itā€™s not over yet so this review is a bit premature, but so far Iā€™ve enjoyed it, especially the Off the Wall episode with the very knowledgeable Joseph Vogel. I will say, I didnā€™t love how adamant the first guest was about the allegations. She is, of course, entitled to believe them if she wishes, but she speaks of them as if they are proven fact and that just isnā€™t so. I found that irresponsible frankly. I would like to point out that there is plenty of evidence out there to the contrary if one is open minded enough and willing to do the research. I understand that these are very serious, complicated and triggering allegations that are a undeniable part of his life story but there are always 2 sides to every story and his side has legit weight and deserves to be told and upheld, especially because he is not here to defend himself. Iā€™ll continue to listen to the upcoming MJ episodes because I still found it very interesting and insightful but I wish it was more careful about what narrative itā€™s trying to tell. Great work nonetheless.
  • wizard70
    Michael Jackson
    Re Emily part 1 she believes those liars from LN I really am shocked how stupid ppl are it makes me not want to take you seriously I did enjoy part 2 with Joe Vogel who I saw at a book review in 2012 I suggest you research false accusations you will learn a lot I decided to not even finish listening to part 1 very disappointed you choose to have her on
  • Miss Thang
    Canā€™t get enough!
    Absolutely love this podcast - I always learn something and laugh out loud throughout. Iā€™m a Patreon subscriber too and love it !
  • grantgreenblue
    smart show and very entertaining
    I love this pod. DJ Louie knows his stuff. They get into details and excavate the depths of pop music. Itā€™s fascinating and accurate. loved the P!NK episode.
  • Midwest represent!
    Subscription vs Patreon episodes?
    Hi, Do you get access to Patreon episodes if you pay for subscription? I subscribed but i donā€™t have access to the October episode of ā€˜1989 Taylorā€™s versionā€™, it says itā€™s only on Patreon? But I pay more for the subscriptionā€¦šŸ¤”
  • JayLLR
    Pop perfection
    Love this podcast. Well produced, always well researched, and great guests. Makes me appreciate artists I sometimes ignored and always dive deeper into their music catalog. Highly recommended!
  • Taymazz
    So good - makes me love music even more
    I love the show. Lately Iā€™ve been recommending it to everyone. The conversations make me love music even more. I think the best episodes are with guests that make the host laugh because then we get to laugh along and learn at the same time.
  • jolenenava
    *clap hands emoji
    Could not press play on the Hilary Duff episode fast enough!
  • HollyMalone
    Pop culture critical thinking
    Love this podcast so much. As a teacher, I also love introducing my students to various episodes as we take deep dives into the various facets of culture and history.
  • Brooke102904
    BRITNEY EPISODE PLEASE!!!!!!
    I love this podcast but am hoping for a britney pop pantheon episode šŸ’–šŸ©·
  • Marycchayden
    Iā€™m obsessed
    I truly cannot get enough of this podcast. I appreciate how seriously DJ Louis, Russ and the guest take pop music. Iā€™ve learned so much about music history, and I have reevaluated music that I didnā€™t enjoy/get the first time around. I donā€™t always agree with the takes, but love to hear them. Going back and listening to older episodes, you can really tell how far the podcast has come. The quality of the discussions and guests has increased exponentially (Katy Perry could never). Itā€™s obvious how much time and effort is put in by the whole team. Itā€™s such a pleasure to listen to every week. Keep it up guys! Thank you!
  • Lola'sLand
    pop pantheon supremacy
    dj louie you will always be famous
  • Chels923
    A Queer Pop Music Fanā€™s Heaven
    Discussing the good, the bad, and the dirty of pop music history, theory, aesthetics and culture through a largely queer lens, this podcast feels like Iā€™m sitting at a coffee shop with my favorite Queer, Music lover friends. Let me clarify, you do not have to be Queer to enjoy this podcast, nor is the podcast always talking about specifically Queer things. But the perspective is really cool to me. Sometimes I wish Louie would let the guests talk more, he gets a little excited. A Gay Jimmy Fallon thing.
  • cwebb96
    Lambs Rise Up
    take a shot every time louie says lingua franca, urtext, or auteur
  • MegsAbe
    Fantastic! Entertaining, detailed & articulate!
    I stumbled upon this podcast looking for podcasts discussing George Michael. That was the first episode I heard and I was HOOKED! I love the detailed analysis, fast pace, humor, music sprinkled in, and the discussion of where the performer may have been emotionally when writing and performing. I have recommended to friends and have now started with episode #1. I have this podcast on throughout the day!
  • Sweet Talk
    Great Talkers with Raw Charisma
    What more could you want
  • JzyyBluee
    Awesome
    Very cool podcast
  • TheNewMaxMartin
    The charisma is there, but the concept needs work
    Louie is incredibly charming and you can hear in his voice how studied and respectful he is of these artists. Iā€™ve always hoped that someone would make a show like this that has such reverence for pop history old and new and truly makes an effort to pair each episode with a commentator who can speak not only to the artistsā€™ background and perspective but also that of their fans. The nods to LGBTQIA+ community that make up so much of popā€™s audience is the icing on the cake for me and is truly what makes me love this program so much. There is one issue I have with the show that comes down to its premise. Put simply, Iā€™m here for the history, not for the tiers, and I donā€™t think theyā€™re actually necessarily to truly contextualize what these artists mean to people. In the (nearly) three years since the show premiered, the Pantheon has already been tweaked multiple times to make space for unrankable artists and itā€™s also been argued in newer episodes that the legacies of some featured acts have changed in that small period of time, making the final judgements seem a bit wishy-washy to me. I think Louieā€™s love for pop history IS quite serious, however I would change it to a podcast talking about legacies of pop stars more broadly as opposed to putting them in a tier based on whoā€™s more important. A pantheon doesnā€™t need to have tiers! All of that aside, this podcast rules. Louie I really appreciate the work you and your guests put into researching these artists and I also love that you walk us through each one like a trusted friend. Thank you for making content for us every week and Iā€™m looking forward to the next episode! šŸ’–
  • Anoynomous2005
    Always a great time.
    Love the podcast. I am familiar with a lot of the artists featured, but it has been a real pleasure to dive deep in to these pop legendsā€™ discographies. Well researched and so fun!
  • BDT823
    Mary J. Blige
    Loveeeeee the podcast! So insightful and well researched. After listening to Mariahā€™s 3 parts and hearing all the Mary J. references, Iā€™d love to hear an episode featuring her. Iā€™m such a huge fan I want to see where sheā€™d rank. šŸ˜Š
  • yltdevotee
    Running on fumes
    I loved this podcast for several years but lately itā€™s been the same takes from Louie over and over. They just did a 2023 best of recap and it was basically the same thing as the half year recap. We never need to hear how pop stars like Billie or SZA donā€™t look like Janet Jackson again. Someone (Russ) needs to help mix this podcast up. Also agree with critiques about how Louie asks run on questions with very little room for guests to thoughtfully answer.
  • Tmpsje
    Best pop music podcast.
    Appreciate the host and guests that bring so much knowledge about the history of the artists and their music! Keep going, because Iā€™m going to keep listening!ā­ļøā­ļøā­ļøā­ļøā­ļø
  • OB199813
    Loving Thus Podcast!
    I saw Troy McEady post on Instagram about his guest spot on this show, so of course I listened as Iā€™ll follow him anywhere. Glad I did because Iā€™ve been binging episodes for the past few days. I think this was such a great idea for a Podcast and DJ Louie does an amazing job. It sound so professional. Canā€™t wait to listen to this every week!
  • DBrewer75
    Great Podcast
    Overall this is an excellent podcast and a fun topic to cover. My only critique is the host has a tendency to rapid fire 20 questions in a run on sentence and the guests never really get to answer them before itā€™s off to another set of questions.
  • AshleeSimpson
    Iconic
    This podcast is a masterpiece in the vein of Blackout and Autobiography. Highlight of my weeks!
  • daryloncymbalta
    pop perfection šŸ’„
    i found out about this podcast from Joe Coscarelli on Popcast Deluxe and iā€™ve been hooked ever since! Louie and his guests are a wealth of knowledge about the people they talk about and itā€™s truly been a joy to listen and learn about artists i didnā€™t know much about previously. i think the artistā€™s synopsis at the beginning is one of my favorite parts of the show, they are so well written and well edited with the music. the Lorde one made me tear up and i just KNOW whenever thereā€™s an episode on Taylor Swift i will absolutely be sobbing. speaking of Taylor, i know everyone wants an episode on her so i wonā€™t pile on šŸ˜‰, but i would also love an episode on Halsey and Doja Cat. Halsey in particular is someone iā€™m a huge fan of and have been since Badlands, and i truly have no idea how people outside of their fandom perceive them. are they like a Bebe Rexha/Zara Larsson type pop star, or maybe more like Lana/Lorde? i would love some insight into this. and Doja is such an interesting person both in music and her online presence, so i know an episode on her would be nothing short of entertaining. keep up the good work Louie, iā€™m so glad i found this podcast!!
  • Reviewer 1111111111-
    Worthwhile but with reservationsā€¦
    ā€¦rock wonks like myself love to listen to these historic dives because 1) the window is closing on those who remember these groups and 2) we want to find gotchas. In fairness the podcaster here is doing shows that span decades. So he should be complimented for his knowledge. But a couple of facts to consider: - everything should be considered in the context of the time. Every action of a woman was not based on some political consideration. Women in the 40sā€”Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald left bands when their careers evolved. - the Marvelettes had a career beyond the tunes played, and did great stuff when Smokey started writing for them (donā€™t recall that covered). -though race clearly played a role in Motown strategies, their slogan was ā€œthe sound of young americaā€ and it truly was- blaring out of everyoneā€™s radios. Couple specifics: in Tonightā€™s the night, the lyric ā€œsaid youā€™re gonna make me..ā€ is a sly reference to slang at the time. To make a girl was to have sex w her. So after that line, Shirley pauses for a split second. Wonkie fact: the Velvelettes hit played at the end was not the original recording And keep up your good work!!!
  • Yep... she did it again
    AURORA
    THIS PODCAST FEEDS MY GAY SOULšŸ©· Please do an episode on Norwegian singer Aurora, & Dula PeepšŸ©·
  • Glee Junkie
    Comprehensive Pop Analysis
    One of my favorite recent finds in podcasts! Iā€™ve been binging the older episodes and subscribed to the Patreon for the album deep dives, highly recommended! Only critique is the glaring blind spot of not covering any of the Slayyyter rollout/coming album, cā€™mon Louie get it together!
  • podcast fan bby
    true pop perfection
    honestly an amazing podcast. While I always learn something new and often come away with new songs, my favorite aspect is DJ Louieā€™s enthusiasm for each conversation. Each guest is perfection, especially when they bring something personal to the episode. I wanna say a special shout out to the Duran Duran episode. It was pretty obvious that DJ Louie was out of his comfort zone, but he clearly made an effort to really understand the band and their work. (And yes, as a lifelong fan of New Wave, Duran Duran epitomizes sleaze lol) Now when are we getting that Marina and the Diamonds episode yā€™all promised??
  • Kealalii
    Bruno Mars
    Please do an episode about Bruno Mars. I know some people have issues with some of his music. It is fair to criticize him, but there is no doubt (I would love to listen an episode about No Doubt) he is a very talented musician. He is from Hawaii, which was a great foundation for him becoming such a successful musician. Thank you and I love the podcast.
  • EmmieCampbell
    Totally different and I love it
    I am not at all involved in the music industry and I donā€™t even know how I stumbled on this podcast and I am obsessed. I immediately signed up for the Patreon. There are so many amazing throwbacks and the analysis makes me develop an even greater appreciation for my favorite (and not so favorite) singers. Download this bestie!
  • Jessicarew
    Great
    Do an episode on second albums/comeback albums! Very relevant with Olivia Rodrigo right now
  • Simone O. Elias
    Incredible and so entertaining while also teaching about pop culture
    This is one of the best podcasts Iā€™ve ever come across and thatā€™s saying a lot as a podcaster as well as pop fan. The way the episodes are structured is so entertaining and I learn sooo much about pop stars and history. Plus Louisā€™s opinions are funny and the guests are perfectly curated. Great job! I look forward to it every week.
  • jconrad622
    Immediately obsessed
    And oddly attracted to the hosts voice and the way he says ā€œgirliesā€. Bring GORGEOUS GORGEOUS to chicago!
  • Yougottabegayrwoman
    My new OBSESSION!
    I just discovered this podcast and I am obsessed. It is a fun and incredibly smart look into many Pop Stars ā­ļø I have enjoyed hearing about my favorite Girls and it has helped me understand girls like Billie Illish??? The latest episode of Little Richard brought me to tears. I canā€™t recommend this Podcast enough.
  • Paul Richie
    If you love Who? Weekly
    Or just pop music then this is the perfect podcast for you
  • LesEd626
    Perfect podcast for pop obsessives
    I discovered this podcast while on maternity leaves, and as a lifelong, pop, obsessive, I canā€™t speak highly enough about it. It is well researched, well, edited, funny, and I canā€™t wait for the next episode to come out keep up the great work!
  • bizzyesteph
    Obsessedā€” this is perfect !!!!
    Has quickly risen to be one of my favorite podcasts. The show is so well researched, I think itā€™s perfectly written while also being spur of the moment and has incredible guests with insightful contributions. I recommend it to so many of my friends and I am always stoked to listen. Love love love
  • Lamine428
    Omg My New Pop Music Podcast
    I found this podcast like 2 month ago looking for a beyonce deep dive. And like kismet this podcast showed up. Love all the in depth convos about pop music/music industry, so much in fact that I decided Iā€™m going to sign up for the patreon (thanks to all the patreon teaser ep). Keep up the great work!
  • audrey707
    So much fun!
    Love this podcast so much, Louie does an awesome job of looking in-depth at pop careers and putting them in the context and conversation with the genre and culture trends of the time. So informing and FUN!
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