Who was Hugh Hefner? Liberator of sexuality, bizarre playboy or something more sinister? In this season, journalist and author Amy Rose Spiegel looks at his complex story through the eyes of the women who knew him best, delving into Hefner’s rise to power and investigating the dark side of the brand. What can the story of Hugh Hefner and the rise and fall of Playboy tell us about sex and power, then and now?

A Somethin' Else production.
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Introducing Power: Hugh Hefner

Steve Kough lived many lives. He was an NFL journeyman, a male model, and one of the most well-connected smugglers in 1980’s Miami, the “Drug Capital of the World." 

Kough collected many souvenirs from his adventures, but his most treasured bounty – a beautiful ceramic, crafted by Pablo Picasso and gifted to Ernest Hemingway at the author’s Cuban home, the Finca Vigia... or so the story goes. 
Lost during the Cuban Revolution, the artwork resurfaced when Kough took it as a payment for drug run financed by the notorious Pablo Escobar. 

Kough passed away in 2018, passing the piece down to his son, Stevie, a skateboarding hippie growing weed in California. 
Stevie feels he needs to complete his father’s mission – of selling this piece and telling Steve’s cinematic life story.  

So, is the Picasso authentic—or a fraud? Was Steve Kough a big talker or a real deal smuggler? Does any of that matter or is this a story of aspiration, legacy, and difficult love? Tune in on Monday’s starting on October 18th to find out! 

This is a Somethin' Else production in association with Vespucci.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

True crime

For years, Helge Achenbach has been among the world’s most successful art dealers. But with one treacherous move, he lands in prison. In Season 6 of Chameleon: Gallery of Lies, host Bijan Stephen sets out on the international trail of the most famous criminal you’ve never heard of. With unprecedented access to an ex-con, Bijan attempts to solve the riddle of who Helge really is—and who he might become.



Subscribe now to unlock all shows on The Binge and you’ll be the first to access Chameleon: Gallery of Lies as soon as it drops on September 1st.



A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment Production.



Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.
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Portrait of a Con Artist: Unraveling the Art World's Greatest Deception

We wanted to share a show which we think you’ll want to listen to. Power: Don King.



In a sport famed for money and excess, what does it take to get to the top...and stay there?



Rising from a life of hardship and crime, Don King became the most successful boxing promoter the sport has ever seen—and the first Black man to do so. He is his own American Dream. His flamboyant appearance and commanding personality made him a star in and out of the ring, as did his promotion of greats like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and even America’s musical dynasty, the Jacksons. But his less than honest exploits? They made him legendary.



Listen and follow now wherever you get your podcasts.



Power is a Somethin’ Else production with Sony Music Entertainment
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Introducing Power: Don King

Carlos Lehder isn’t a celebrity like Escobar, but the truth is that, without Lehder, Escobar would never have become a wildly famous drug kingpin. 



Lehder, the German-Colombian, drug-trafficking genius was responsible for bringing 85% of the cocaine from Colombia into the United States in the 1970’s and 80’s by way of the Bahamian island Norman’s Cay. 

Ron Chepesiuk, journalist and author of Crazy Charlie, discusses Lehder’s rise and fall - and all the craziness in between. 



This is a Somethin' Else production in association with Vespucci. 


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The Kingpin

Ernest Hemingway was embraced by many Cubans as Papa, the everyday man who lived in the iconic seaside estate, Finca Vigia.  He wrote some of his most masterful novels in Havana, Cuba - and lived quite the life there, too. 

But Cuba is rarely highlighted or even remembered in Hemingway's biography. Fidel Castro saw the importance of Hemingway as a writer and political tool.  



In this installment, Norberto Fuentes, the legendary Cuban journalist and author in exile, discusses Hemingway’s life and legacy in Cuba. 



This is a Somethin' Else production in association with Vespucci. 


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The Writer

We speak to Antony Penrose, the son of artists Lee Miller and Roland Penrose. He and his parents spent summers in the South of France with Pablo Picasso, one of the most recognized artists of the 20th century. Picasso was warm with Antony and other children, but the famous artist showed a very different side to adults, especially to his lover Françoise Gilot. 



This is a Somethin' Else production in association with Vespucci. 


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Introducing Power: Hugh Hefner

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