The Bridge: They Must Be Our Lucky Stars
Pop Pantheon’s DJ Louie XIV ranks pop royalty—and weighs in on imperial phases.
[This edition of my Hit Parade—“The Bridge” bonus series is available to Slate Plus subscribers only. A link to the episode show page is below. To sign up for Plus—and tell Slate that Hit Parade sent you!—visit slate.com/hitparadeplus.]
In this Slate Plus bonus episode, Hit Parade’s Chris Molanphy welcomes DJ Louie XIV, host of the Pop Pantheon podcast, for a deep dive into imperial phases and the elite status that accompanies them. Louie breaks down the multi-tier system he uses to rank pop stars from Mariah Carey to Beyoncé. (Only one of them had a major imperial phase!) And Chris and Louie explore Madonna’s imperial reign in the 1980s, as well as her equally regal post-peak evolution.
Then: Chris tests a Slate Plus listener’s music knowledge, gives him a chance to turn the tables with a question of his own—and previews the next episode of Hit Parade. Slate Plus members can sign up for a chance to be our trivia contestant on a future episode here.
Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.