Can music inspire mania?

All In The Mind

ABC listen

Life Sciences, Health & Fitness, Science

4.4 • 785 Ratings

🗓️ 15 June 2024

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Long before Bieber fever and Swifties, there was Lisztomania.

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer who inspired such intense fandom and frenzy that it was dubbed mania.

So, was it true mania? What caused fans to respond to him so passionately?

And what can Lisztomania reveal about the way we talk about female obsession?

If you're looking for something to listen to next, check out our episode; Hook me baby one more time: the psychology of pop music.

Transcript

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0:00.0	ABC Listen, podcasts, radio, news, music and more.
0:09.0	In a busy concert hall, a crowd is whooping and cheering.
0:13.2	There's a palpable buzz in the air.
0:15.2	People are chomping at the bit, trying to catch a glimpse, or even a glove, from the performer on stage.
0:21.1	I'm not talking about Harry Stiles or The Beatles or even Taylor Swift.
0:25.1	I'm talking about one of the hottest musicians of the mid-1800s, Franz List.
0:34.6	A ferocious, passionate player who carried the audience with him and almost beyond the music.
0:42.4	It's a very handsome, very striking young man.
0:45.8	Of course, had this marvellous head of hair.
0:47.7	His signature was to toss it back and sweep it back over his forehead.
0:51.4	John Paul George and Ringo and Beatles all rolled into one.
0:56.7	The fervor and adoration around him was even given a name at the time, Listermania.
1:02.3	I'm Sana Khadar, and today, on All In The Mind,
1:05.6	resident Listery Farras Adraki has gone deep into Listermania.
1:15.3	Thank you. Adrachie has gone deep into Listermania. Hey, Farras.
1:17.1	I have to admit something.
1:18.5	What?
1:18.8	I've only ever heard of Listermania from the song by the band Phoenix.
1:22.8	It was a hit of like, you know, the mid-2000s indie sleaze era.
1:26.2	I didn't actually know it was a thing in the
1:27.9	name of a phenomenon. It's such a catchy song and it's been stuck in my head. Yes. This whole
1:33.8	time I've been researching Franz Liszt. Yeah, right. Also, we're really dating ourselves as aging
	...

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