Since the World's been Turning

 Sergei Prokofiev one of the 20th century’s greatest composers. The child prodigy from rural Ukraine revolutionised Russian music with dazzling performances in St. Petersburg, performances so modern that they enthralled many and enraged others. While his talent often left him socially isolated, Prokofiev’s musical revolution soon collided with the effects of Russian’s political revolution, leaving him cut off from the world and restricting his creativity. We’re joined by concert pianist and Yale School of Music professor, Boris Berman, who helps us explore how despite his circumstances, Prokofiev was still able to change music forever.

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The next episode in the series covers the fascinating life of Gamal Abdul Nasser, revolutionary and former president of Egypt. Nasser emerged at a time when Egypt was controlled by the British and through determination and powerful leadership he led a coup that saw Egyptians control Egypts future. Infamously he would nationalize the Suez canal, sparking a huge diplomatic incident. While also acting as a leader of sorts to many countries also seeking to move past their recent colonial pasts. He was an incredible speaker,  a beloved leader and shaped the Arab world as we know it today.

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This episode tells the story of a shadowy figure in a shadowy world – Georgy Malenkov, the cunning and ruthless bureaucrat who worked his way up in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to become Stalin's presumptive successor. Little known in the West, Malenkov's ambitions and betrayals ultimately led to his untimely undoing. Professor Ronald Suny from the University of Michigan helps us understand the psyche of this complex man, one who dreamed of incredible power, very nearly succeeded, but soon ended up as one of history's minor footnotes.

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Next on the list of lyrics for ‘We didn’t start the fire’ is one of the key leaders of the 20th century a man who greatly impacted the world we live in today. Josef Stalin. There have been numerous documentaries and podcasts done on this important figure so to grapple with this expansive subject,  we have chosen to focus on Stalin’s early life and try to find and understand what made this man into the ruthless dictator he was.

 We are joined by guest Ronald Suny - who has just recently released a book Stalin: Passage to Revolution - which highlights his early life.

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Hello fans! We're doing something a little different this week. Since we have reached the chorus of Billy Joel’s song, "We Didn’t Start the Fire," having covered the first two verses of lyrics, this week's episode will focus on the song itself. What did Billy Joel mean when he sang "We didn't start the fire, it was always burning since the world's been turning"? Who are "we" and what is "the fire"? Listen in and find out!

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This episode tells the life story of the philosopher and poet, George Santayana. While not everyone today might know who Santayana was, and even fewer are likely to have read his work, almost everyone has at some point repeated some of his wisdom. 

An unassuming man, George Santayana has nonetheless inspired countless writers and caused millions to stop and think.

 This mega-star came from humble origins to be the highest paid entertainer in the world. He left quiet middle America for the bright lights of Las Vegas after having built a career playing bars and nightclubs. His iconic combination of classical music, and pop music drew huge crowds. 30 million people watched his TV show, and he earned 300,000 dollars a week playing in Las Vegas. His lawsuits were infamous, as he defended himself from allegations of homosexuality, that threatened to sink his career. These allegations were true, Liberace struggled with his sexuality his entire life, before dying of AIDS.  Joining us today to help explore the sometimes tragic life of this superstar is Bo Ayars. For over 5000 shows Bo was Musical Director for Liberace, author of One Baton, A number 2 pencil, 88 keys, and Liberace. An insider autobiography that explores the world of Liberace and music. 

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For this Since the World's been turning episode we explore another boxing great.  The only man to ever retire as the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world Rocky Marciano. He was one of the real-life boxers that inspired Slyvester Stallone's Rocky’s movies. We’re joined again by Lou Eisen, boxing expert and author of the soon to be released book, Boxing Greatests Controversies: Blunders, Bloodfeuds and Bad Decisions. Marciano’s is a story of triumph against the odds, and true grit. Its the story of how a man who came from nothing was able to win it all. 

 This week’s episode focuses on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952, or as Billy Joel put it “England’s got a new queen.” Today, it’s almost impossible to imagine the United Kingdom without the Queen. She is the country’s longest reigning monarch and has provided it with a continuous sense of identity and stability throughout almost 70 tumultuous years of change and uncertainty. Through decolonisation and war to political upheaval and the recent pandemic, the Queen has always been there. In 1952, at the young age of just 27, she took on the job that quickly made her the most famous woman in the world. This is the story of the day she took on that enormous responsibility.

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This episode is about Vaccine and in particular the one Billy Joel mentions in his song is the polio vaccine of 1954.  In our modern day the topic about vaccines has become popular again with the COVID-19 vaccines being distributed throughout the world to help save us from this deadly virus. 
 Similar to COVID, polio was also a deadly disease and at is peak in the 1940s and 1950s, polio would paralyse or kill over half a million people worldwide every year. How the vaccine was created involves a president, a lawyer, a scientist, his rival and countless unmanned volunteers and researchers. Just how terrifying this disease was, is difficult to comprehend today. Modern medicine struggled to understand the very basics of the disease, while for decades it crippled countless children. Joining us today is Associate Professor Helen Petousis-Harris. 

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