CYNDI LAUPER (with The Ringer's Rob Harvilla)
Senior Staff Writer for The Ringer Rob Harvilla joins DJ Louie for a deep dive into foundational early MTV-era icon, Cyndi Lauper. \xa0First, Louie and Rob parse what made the early 1980s such a crystallizing moment for The Pop Star as we know it today and particularly the role MTV played in taking pop stardom 360\xb0, making it a visual endeavor as much as a musical one. They then breakdown Cyndi\u2019s rough-and-tumble upbringing in Queens and how it established her distinct star persona and voice, her stint as a cover band front-woman honing her skills as a canny interpreter of other people\u2019s songs, and her first breakout attempt as the lead singer of erstwhile new wave band, Blue Angel. Next, they consider her seminal solo debut album, 1983\u2019s She\u2019s So Unusual, how she remade cover songs in her own image, the towering success of her first single \u201cGirls Just Wanna Have Fun\u201d which both solidified her place in the pop canon but potentially became an albatross around her neck, as well as the versatility she displayed on her second hit, quintessential \u201880s power-ballad \u201cTime After Time\u201d\u2019. \xa0Next, Rob and Louie examine Cyndi's successful sophomore album, 1986\u2019s True Colors, how it cemented both her more overt activist bent and her status as an LGBTQIA+ icon, Cyndi\u2019s third record, 1989\u2019s A Night To Remember, which she\u2019s since referred to as \u201cA Night To Forget\u201d, how she struggled to regain her commercial footing through the \u201890s and \u201800s despite releasing some of her best music and finally, her surprising late-career renaissance as the Tony-Award winning composer of the hit Broadway musical, Kinky Boots. Finally, Louie and Rob place Cyndi Lauper in the official Pop Pantheon.\nSend questions about this episode, the pantheon, pop stars in general or whatever else is on your mind to PopPantheonPod@gmail.com!\nJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord Tonight (1/20) at 8PM ET / 5PM PT!\nCheck Out Louie's Cyndi Lauper Essentials Playlist\nFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram\nFollow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter\nFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram\nFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter\nFollow Rob Harvilla on Twitter