Famous and Gravy

Wondery
  • 4.5 (169)
  • TV & FILM
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY
Famous and Gravy

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We explore the lives of notable people who’ve just died—celebrities, icons, cultural figures—and asks what their stories can teach us about ourselves. It’s part obituary podcast, part biography, and part existential detective work. Think you know everything about some of modern history’s most recognizable figures? We’re Amit and Michael, two pop culture enthusiasts who upend your assumptions about the iconic and the famous. Because that’s where you find the “gravy” – the rich, flavorful sauce that brings out the best parts of the dish that is life. Each episode we’ll put the lives of recently deceased celebrities under the microscope to consider the not-so-obvious ways these icons of culture left their impact and imprint on modern history. It’s a hilarious and fresh perspective on the celebrities you thought you knew. Listen to episodes of Famous & Gravy early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/famous-and-gravy/ now.

  1. Magical Thinker (Joan Didion)

    APR 23 • WONDERY+ EARLY ACCESS

    Magical Thinker (Joan Didion)

    This person died 2021, age 87. As a teenager, she typed out chapters from Hemingway novels to see how they worked. Her attraction to trouble spots, disintegrating personalities and incipient chaos came naturally. She came to prominence with a series of incisive, searching feature articles in Life magazine and The Saturday Evening Post that explored the fraying edges of postwar American life. In two early groundbreaking essay collections, she turned her cool, apprehensive gaze on the hippies of Haight-Ashbury, on eccentrics and searchers like Howard Hughes, on the film industry in the post-studio era, and on the death-tinged music of the Doors. Today’s dead celebrity is Joan Didion. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 96 Ranch Dresser (Paul Newman) and Episode 52 Electric Vanities (Tom Wolfe). Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host Alice Florence Orr. LINKS: Transcript of this episode Podcast Review website Joan Didion 1992 Interview Joan Didion 1971 Interview Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website

    1 hr
  2. Soul Queen (Aretha Franklin)

    APR 9

    Soul Queen (Aretha Franklin)

    This person died 2018, age 76. She had a child two months before her 13th birthday. She started teaching herself to play the piano before she was 10, picking up songs from the radio.In 1969, she dropped her husband as manager and eventually filed restraining orders against him. She also went through a period of heavy drinking before getting sober in the 1970s. Rolling Stone magazine put her at the top of its 2010 greatest singers of all time. Her music defined a modern female archetype: sensual and strong, long-suffering but ultimately indomitable, loving but not to be taken for granted. Today’s dead celebrity is Aretha Franklin. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 90 Big Adventurer (Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee Herman) and Episode 31 The Greatest (Muhammad Ali) Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host Matt Anderson. LINKS: Transcript of this episode Aretha Franklin, great gowns Aretha Franklin Snickers commercial Aretha Franklin stands in for Pavarotti Aretha Franklin Obama Inauguration  Matt Anderson on LinkedIn Imagination Factory, Matt Anderson’s organization Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 4m
  3. Divine Neighbor (Fred Rogers)

    MAR 26

    Divine Neighbor (Fred Rogers)

    This person died 2003 age 74.He was an ordained Presbyterian minister. He once volunteered at a state prison in Pittsburgh and helped set up a playroom for children visiting their parents. Eddie Murphy parodied him on "Saturday Night Live." One of his sweaters hangs in the Smithsonian Institution. He composed his own songs for his show and began each episode in a set made to look like a comfortable living room, singing "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” Today’s dead celebrity is Fred Rogers. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like 90 Big Adventurer (Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee Herman) and Episode 40 Eve’s Dropper (Dick Clark). Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. LINKS: Transcript of this episode Fred Rogers 1969 testimony before Congress Fred Rogers 1997 Lifetime Achievement award at the Emmys Fred Rogers talks about meeting Eddie Murphy on David Letterman SCTV Battle of the PBS Stars: Julia Child vs. Fred Rogers  Ministry of Pop Culture Substack Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1 hr
  4. Crikey Inner Child (Steve Irwin)

    MAR 12

    Crikey Inner Child (Steve Irwin)

    This person died in 2006, age 44. He was an ebullient staple of American talk shows. His American-born wife was his business partner and on-screen co-star. His fame engendered books, action figures and interactive games. For a time, tube-watching pub crawlers played a drinking game, hoisting a glass every time he said, “Crikey!” or, “Isn’t she a beauty?” His television show,  “The Crocodile Hunter,” was seen in more than 100 countries on cable television. Today’s dead celebrity is Steve Irwin. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 67 Golden Rose (Betty White) and Episode 17 Modest Moonwalker (Neil Armstrong).  Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host John Watts.  LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Steve Irwin South Park impersonation of Steve Irwin Steve Irwin tackles Florida Gator mascot on ESPN Compilation of Steve Irwin being attacked by wildlife Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 1m
  5. Pleasure Activist (Julia Child)

    FEB 26

    Pleasure Activist (Julia Child)

    This person died 2004, age 91. Her father was a wealthy farm consultant and investor; her mother was a housewife with a cook and maid. She attended Smith College, and she had some vague idea of being a novelist or a basketball star. After World War II broke out, she signed up for intelligence work with the Office of Strategic Services, hoping to become a spy. A self-confessed ham, she became a darling of audiences and comedians almost from the moment she made her debut on WGBH in Boston in 1963. She was a towering figure on the culinary front for more than 40 years. Most Americans knew her as the imperturbable host of the long-running PBS television series "The French Chef." Today’s dead celebrity is Julia Child.   If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 81 Dimpled Ambassador (Shirley Temple) and Episode 20 Notorious Dissenter (Ruth Bader Ginsburg).  Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host Michelle Dahlenburg.  LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Julia Child Dan Aykroyd impersonation of Julia Child on SNL Julia Child, chaos muppet Cassoulet recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1 hr
  6. Time Pilgrim (Kurt Vonnegut)

    FEB 12

    Time Pilgrim (Kurt Vonnegut)

    This person died 2007 age 84. He studied for a master’s degree in anthropology at the University of Chicago, writing a thesis on “The Fluctuations Between Good and Evil in Simple Tales.” Like Mark Twain, he used humor to tackle the basic questions of human existence. With a blend of science fiction, philosophy and jokes, he wrote about the banalities of consumer culture, and the destruction of the environment. With his curly hair askew, deep pouches under his eyes and rumpled clothes, he often looked like an out-of-work philosophy professor. The defining moment of his life was the firebombing of Dresden, Germany, by Allied forces in 1945, an event he witnessed firsthand as a young prisoner of war. His experience in Dresden was the basis of his book “Slaughterhouse-Five.” Today’s dead celebrity is Kurt Vonnegut. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 92 Acerbic Comedian (George Carlin) and Episode 80 Super Funkhouser (Bob Einstein).  Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host Wiley Hodges.  LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut’s Shape of Stories lecture Vonnegut in Back To School with Rodney Dangerfield 1975 Profile of Vonnegut Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 1m
  7. Ranch Dresser (Paul Newman)

    JAN 29

    Ranch Dresser (Paul Newman)

    This person died in 2008 at age 83. In the early 1950s he was accepted as a student at the Actors Studio in New York, where he took lessons alongside James Dean, Geraldine Page, and Marlon Brando. In midlife, racing cars became his obsession. He acted in more than 65 movies over more than 50 years, drawing on a physical grace, unassuming intelligence and good humor that made it all seem effortless. In 1982, as a lark, he decided to sell a salad dressing he had created for friends, and the brand expanded to include popcorn, spaghetti sauce, pretzels, and wine. Today’s dead celebrity is Paul Newman. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 93 “American Royalty” (Elizabeth Taylor)and Episode 65 “Father of the Bride” (William Goldman). Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host Michael Warburton.  LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Paul Newman Support Michael Warburton on Ko-fi Three interviews with Paul Newman Paul Newman talks politics with Dick Cavett 10 year anniversary of Newman’s Own Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1 hr
  8. Total Consciousness (Harold Ramis)

    JAN 15

    Total Consciousness (Harold Ramis)

    This person died in 2014 at age 69. In the late 1960s he was hired as jokes editor at Playboy magazine, and he also joined Second City’s touring company. After he had taken a job with SCTV, the Toronto sketch comedy show, SNL approached him to be a writer. His breakthrough came in 1978 when he co-wrote “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” and he made his directorial debut with the country club comedy “Caddyshack” (1980). He went on to write “Ghostbusters” (1984) and “Ghostbusters II” (1989), playing the super-intellectual Dr. Egon Spengler. He also wrote and directed “Groundhog Day”, which several critics called his masterpiece. Today’s dead celebrity is Harold Ramis. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 85 “More Respect” (Rodney Dangerfield) and Episode 54 “Secret Chord” (Leonard Cohen). Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola. LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Harold Ramis “The Joyful Comedy of Harold Ramis” New Yorker article Harold Ramis Day proclaimed on Feb. 2 in Chicago Harold Ramis and Seth Rogen in “Knocked Up” Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    58 min
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About

We explore the lives of notable people who’ve just died—celebrities, icons, cultural figures—and asks what their stories can teach us about ourselves. It’s part obituary podcast, part biography, and part existential detective work. Think you know everything about some of modern history’s most recognizable figures? We’re Amit and Michael, two pop culture enthusiasts who upend your assumptions about the iconic and the famous. Because that’s where you find the “gravy” – the rich, flavorful sauce that brings out the best parts of the dish that is life. Each episode we’ll put the lives of recently deceased celebrities under the microscope to consider the not-so-obvious ways these icons of culture left their impact and imprint on modern history. It’s a hilarious and fresh perspective on the celebrities you thought you knew. Listen to episodes of Famous & Gravy early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/famous-and-gravy/ now.

Information

  • Channel
    Wondery
  • Creator
    Wondery | 14th Street Studios | Dead celebrity biographies from a different point of view
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    103
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Famous & Gravy
  • Show Website
    Famous and Gravy
  • Provider
    Wondery, Inc.

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