Mighty Real Edition

What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Slate

News, Daily News, News Commentary, Politics

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As What Next celebrates Juneteenth, please enjoy this episode ⁠from our colleagues at Hit Parade⁠. What Next will be back in your feed on Monday. Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom. What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully out of the closet. For decades, queer acts topped the charts while cloaking their true identities and paving the way for today’s more openly queer stars. For Pride Month, join Chris Molanphy as he traces the hidden history of queer hitmakers on the charts—including those that managed to be both out and No. 1, right up through our modern age of Lil Nas X and Chappell Roan. It’s a celebration of these artists’ quest to feel… mighty real. Want more Hit Parade? Join Slate Plus to unlock monthly early-access episodes, bonus episodes of “The Bridge,” and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Visit slate.com/hitparadeplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Forgot your wallet? No problem.
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0:31.1	Some people think investing is a test of endurance. But when you invest £100,000 or more with HSBC UK, you have access to our network of advisors,
0:41.3	who will make it feel less like a marathon you haven't trained for, and more like a 5K that's just your speed.
0:46.1	Because investing isn't a struggle when we're here to help.
0:48.6	Search HSBC Financial Advice.
0:50.7	HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity.
0:54.0	Capital at risk, HSBC UK current account
0:55.8	holders only £100,000 investments or savings required for the advice service, eligibility and
0:59.6	fees apply. Hey everyone, today is June 10th. That means our team is taking a little bit of time
1:06.8	off. So, there's no new episode of the show today. Instead, we're bringing you a show from
1:12.4	our friends over at Hit Parade, another Slate podcast that tells the stories behind the chart-topping
1:17.4	songs you know and love, or love to hate. Because it's Pride Month, we are sharing their
1:23.6	episode about queer hitmakers, people who have dominated the charts in recent decades,
1:28.8	whether they could be public about their sexuality or not. I will be back with more news next week.
1:35.6	Lizzie O'Leary and the TBD team have got you covered for tomorrow. For now, here's Hit Parade.
1:41.5	Hey there, Hit Parade listeners.
1:47.9	What you're about to hear is part one of this episode.
	...

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