George Michael: Beyond the Scandal, Beyond the Icon | From Big Lives
Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond
Pushkin Industries
4.5 • 4.3K Ratings
🗓️ 31 March 2026
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
There are a few artists we wish could've come on Broken Record, people who were sometimes misunderstood or hassled by the press and would have had the opportunity to be heard. One such artist is George Michael. Since that's unfortunately not a possibility, we're doing the next best thing—sharing a preview of a new podcast, Big Lives, and a special episode about George Michael. Every week on Big Lives, hosts Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi dig into the BBC archive to explore the story behind the icons who shape our culture—trailblazers like David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Muhammed Ali, and Tina Turner—and better understand how each legend set the stage for our contemporary cultural landscape.
George Michael was more than scandal headlines and tabloid punchlines. He was one of the defining pop artists of his generation. Kai and Emmanuel trace his transformation—teen heart‑throb, closeted superstar, grieving partner, activist, and ultimately a gay icon who reclaimed the narrative with wit, rage, and dazzling talent. If you like what you hear, find more episodes of Big Lives wherever you get podcasts.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.5 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:04.5 | Hey, are you a super fan of Taylor Swift, Jelly Roll, or Morgan Wallen? |
| 0:08.3 | Are you that song nerd who likes to dive into every little lyric of every little song and figure out what everything means? |
| 0:14.4 | Do you want to take that a bit further, though? |
| 0:16.4 | Because I have a podcast called Songwriter Soup, and it dives into the journey of a songwriter |
| 0:20.9 | and how those people help craft the soundtrack of your life. |
| 0:24.5 | I'm Laura Veltz, and I'm bringing all of my friends together to discuss our funny little job |
| 0:28.9 | writing for all of your favorite artists. |
| 0:31.3 | Listen to Songwriter Soup wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:40.6 | Pushkin. |
| 0:43.4 | There's a handful of artists I really wish could have come on broken record. |
| 0:46.9 | Artists who I think were sometimes misunderstood or at least hassled by the press |
| 0:50.6 | and would have loved the opportunity to really be heard. |
| 0:54.0 | Artists like Prince, Aretha, Tom Petty, and someone who have come to admire a lot in a decade |
| 0:58.3 | or so since his passing, George Michael. |
| 1:01.4 | But I guess since we can't have him on the show, the least I could do, as a second best of sorts, |
| 1:06.2 | is to bring you an episode of the new podcast Big Lives from the BBC and Pushkin. |
| 1:10.6 | Hosts Kai Wright and Emmanuel Jotzi dig into the decades-old BBC archives to find rare |
| 1:15.2 | interviews and footage that could shed new light on powerful, important cultural figures, |
| 1:19.5 | like Richard Pryor, L.O. Cool J, Tina Turner. And in this episode, George Michael. |
| 1:25.1 | If you like what you hear, find more episodes of Big Lives wherever you get podcasts. |
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