From the streets of New York came four young men — including one born to Holocaust survivors — obsessed from their earliest days with becoming the biggest band in the world. Behind greasepaint and fire, they transformed themselves into larger-than-life characters, igniting the imaginations of millions of youths. With thunderous riffs, explosive stage shows, and relentless ambition, KISS became one of the most influential and commercially successful bands in rock history, selling over 100 million albums worldwide. In this episode you’ll learn:

· The background of the KISS member from Israel

· How a founding member overcame disfigurement and deafness as a child

· The calculated strategy behind donning the make-up

· How KISS saved itself and its record company with a bold roll of the dice

· The business model that propelled KISS to financial success

· KISS' shocking move to reinvent itself in the 1980s for a new emerging music genre

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4. Visit GaragetoStadiums.com for bonus content on KISS, including concert footage, transcripts and other interesting facts.

Guest Bio
Our guest Martin Popoff also appeared on our AC/DC episode. He *has written extensively about KISS — including his first book, KISS at 50 Years. And his most recent work KISS '76, which carries the subtitle The Greatest Year of Rock’s Most Dynamic Band.

Martin has written more record reviews than anyone in the history of music journalism across all genres. In addition, he has penned approximately 135 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock, prog, punk, and record collecting, and has contributed liner notes for releases featured on various music documentaries.

Step into the early 1960s to see how a young performer appeared out of nowhere to shape modern rock music. You'll follow him through the decades to hear Dylan's incredible influence on all music through his effect on superstars like The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and modern music in general.

1. How Bob grew up in a Jewish family in Minnesota and changed his name
2. The very strange obsession that brought him to New York in the early '60s
3. How the women in his life greatly influenced his lyric writing
4. Why audiences booing him was the mark of a key turning point in modern rock n roll
5. How a near-tragic motorcycle accident actually may have saved his life
6. About his unknown backup band becoming a superstar band on their own without Bob
7. His legacy and influence on all music that has come along since his debut

Bob Dylan is widely considered to be the inspiration for how rock music transformed itself from joyful ditties like Twist and Shout to deep and meaningful lyrics that communicated the challenges and dichotomies of life. To understand the evolution of music, it is key to understand Dylan's key role in its transformation.

Follow the Show / Receive bonus content:

1. Follow GTS on Apple or Spotify podcasts to be alerted when our next episode drops
2. Follow Garage to Stadiums (GTS) on social channels
3. Download the Official Garage to Stadiums playlists for each episode on Apple Music or Spotify
4. Visit GaragetoStadiums.com for bonus content on Bob Dylan, including concert footage, transcripts and other interesting facts.

Guest Bio
Harold Lepidus is a Dylan historian and author of Friends and Other Strangers: Bob Dylan Examined.

Three art-school students leave Rhode Island for a collapsing New York City in the mid-1970s. It was a city on the edge of bankruptcy, violence, and.....artistic rebirth. They didn’t follow a musical movement; they built an entirely new language for rock. Discover how the chaos of a city in decline ignited the downtown scene that transformed Talking Heads into one of the most innovative forces in modern music. In this episode you’ll learn:

1. How a college dropout in the band became one of rock’s most intellectual voices
2. How a struggling Manhattan club sparked New York’s punk and new wave explosion
3. The surprising influence of an English avant-garde artist on the band’s evolution
4. The creative tensions and personal fractures that both threatened and pushed the group
5. How Talking Heads invented a new “operating system” for constructing rock music

Follow the Show / Receive bonus content:

1. Follow GTS on Apple or Spotify podcasts to be alerted when our next episode drops
2. Follow Garage to Stadiums (GTS) on social channels for more music history delivered to your feed
3. Download the Official Garage to Stadiums playlists for each episode on Apple Music or Spotify
4. Visit GaragetoStadiums.com for bonus content on Talking Heads, including concert footage, transcripts and other interesting facts.

Guest Biography
Jonathan Gould, the author of books on The Beatles, soul R&B artist Otis Redding, and his current book, “Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock”, which was recently released. Jonathan joins us today from New York.