Rewind to the early 1990s, when a high school dropout from Aberdeen, Washington, turned his angst into anthems. This is the story of Nirvana—a band that took Seattle-based grunge from garage floors to global stages - with a rebellious yet melodic sound that resonated with a generation. In this episode, we uncover:

• How Kurt Cobain felt like a fish out of water in his small-town upbringing
• The two legendary bands that inspired Nirvana’s signature sound
• A hidden clue about Kurt in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video you likely missed...
• A previous surprising clue about Kurt in their first-ever demo single
• Bassist Krist Novoselic’s unheralded backstage role in the band's success
• How Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl became Nirvana’s seventh—and final—drummer
• Who the hit song About a Girl was really written for....

About our Guest
Michael Azerrad is the author of The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, an extensively illuminated version of his classic 1993 Nirvana biography Come as You Are, named as one of the 50 greatest rock books ever written by the UK's prestigious music magazine Q. Michael was also a former contributing editor for Rolling Stone, and he wrote the famous Rolling Stone cover story on Nirvana from 1992 in which Kurt wears a homemade T-shirt that says "Corporate Magazines Still Suck".

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Tom Petty has one of the most popular and recognizable song catalogs and a legion of fans of all ages. Hear how Tom climbed his way to the top despite a difficult childhood, a series of heartbreaking music failures, and even a lawsuit that ended up changing the entire music industry forever. In this episode:

• How Tom overcame a difficult home life in Florida
• How Tom participated in events as a teenager with Lynryd Skynryd and The Allman Brothers Band
• The details behind the groundbreaking Petty lawsuit that changed the music industry forever
• Why Tom was chosen by Bob Dylan & George Harrison into a supergroup
• How Tom's relationship with Stevie Nicks turned into a successful music formula
• The interesting second career as a cartoon voice on a popular show
• The details behind Tom's battle with a heroin addiction

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Guest Bio - Warren Zanes

Warren is the author of Petty: The Biography, a New York Times bestseller. He is also an Oscar-winning and Grammy-nominated producer of music documentaries. Earlier in his career, Warren was a member of the Del Fuegos rock band, recording three albums with Warner Brothers. The band served as an opening act for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on a few tours.

After his time in music, Warren earned a PhD in Visual and Cultural Studies and now teaches at NYU. He has also served as Vice President of Education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was a producer on the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, which explores the lives of backup singers. His book on Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album is the basis for an upcoming biopic starring Jeremy Allen White, where Warren also serves as a producer.

A top 5% of podcasts in the world, Garage to Stadiums is a podcast for true music fans — the ones who want more than just headlines and hype. This show is for listeners who care about the full story behind the artists: their childhoods, musical influences, early gigs, personal battles, journey to stadium-level fame and the drama in between.

Why are we different? In each episode host Dave Anthony features guests who know their stuff and bring real insights from their time with the performers — from respected rock journalists to documentary filmmakers.

If you want smarter music commentary and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else, subscribe now and get your backstage pass to music history.

Witness the rise of Pink Floyd from 1960s psychedelic early architects to experimenting with grand, cinematic soundscapes, deeply philosophical themes and live shows that felt more like journeys to the human mind than concerts. Prepare for an absolute roller coaster ride from the London Underground clubs to global domination, heartbreaking losses and dramatic fireworks from within. You'll learn:

1) How university students who could barely play instruments became a global phenomenon
2) How an early tragedy involving their primary song writer nearly derailed the band
3) The staggering evolution of sound this band executed
4) The interpersonal drama that produced incredible albums and significant tension
5) The final battles that ended up in litigation

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Guest Bio
Pink Floyd is one of the most successful acts of all time, selling over 250 million albums, and here to tell their story is our returning guest Mark Blake, acclaimed rock journalist and author of books on Queen, Fleetwood Mac and his latest book, Pink Floyd Shine On: The Definitive Oral History has just been released. Welcome to garage. Welcome back to garage. To stadiums. Mark

Experience one of music's big bang moments when 19-year-old Mick Jagger, carrying a handful of RnB albums, ran into Keith Richards on a train platform. Together, they would overcome tragedy, addictions, death and mayhem of all sorts to make it to the top and stay there. This isn't just the tale of a band, it's the saga of survival, reinvention and rebellion, and at its core, it's the story of two kids from Dartford, Mick and Keith, who led The Stones to became undisputed icons of rock and roll. In Part 1 you'll learn.

1. How fate intervened to bring all of The Stones together as a band
2. Who really founded The Stones and the strange origins of the band name
3. The role that two women played in influencing their music
4. About one of the first famous deaths in rock
5. The financial mayhem they faced & the role of a mysterious Prince
6. Some of the factors that drove their dark songs like Gimme Shelter & Sympathy for the Devil

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Guest Bio
Christopher Sanford is the author of The Rolling Stones: 60 years, he's written acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Sting and Kurt Cobain, as well as books on John F Kennedy and Roman Polanski. For more than two decades, he's written about music and film for major media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine has called him "the preeminent author in his field".

In Part 2 of The Story of The Rolling Stones, we journey through the 1970s and ’80s, to experience how The Rolling Stones navigated financial ruin, courtroom battles, and drug-fueled chaos. Their survival and evolution forged their legend—every scar a jewel in the crown they wear today. In Part 2 you'll learn:

1. How financial problems led to one of their finest albums
2. About their legendary debaucherous 1972 tour
3. That the chaos of 1970s New York City played a key role in their sound evolution
4. Why Mick and Keith's relationship almost came to an end
5. How one of their most famous tunes started as a reggae song
6. The innovation The Stones brought to the concert touring model

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Guest Bio
Christopher Sanford is the author of The Rolling Stones: 60 years, he's written acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Sting and Kurt Cobain, as well as books on John F Kennedy and Roman Polanski. For more than two decades, he's written about music and film for major media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine has called him "the preeminent author in his field".

Incredibly, U2 began as a band of barely-formed teenagers—two 14-year-olds and two 15-year-olds—at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland. Just 4 years later, they were signed to a major label, and not long after that, they were reshaping rock on a global scale with music driven by faith, politics, and social unrest. U2 would go on to sell more than 175 million albums, never standing still—shifting from raw post-punk urgency to towering arena anthems to daring electronic reinvention. This is a band that survived by constantly changing. In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The bizarre early incident that nearly ended U2 before it truly began
• The heartbreaking childhood tragedies that shaped two of its members
• The unlikely spiritual and political roots behind their lyrical mission
• The global live performance the band openly hated—yet became legendary
• The intense internal struggles over where their music should go next
• How a frontman with barely a high school education became a global humanitarian voice

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Guest Bio:
Bradley Morgan, author of U2: Until the End of the World. Bradley also has a book U2's Joshua Tree: Planting Roots in Mythic America about their breakthrough album, 1987's The Joshua Tree, a release that put them at the top of international album charts,

David Bowie was the ultimate chameleon of rock, constantly reinventing himself throughout his career. This episode starts with his struggles from his multiple failed attempts at stardom. Despite these challenges, Bowie’s incorporated elements of his eclectic, failed past and created a groundbreaking sound and persona, cementing him as one of the most influential and successful artists in music history. In this episode you'll learn:

• The early struggles of Bowie as a wedding musician and subsequent career challenges
• How Bowie's older brother influenced his musical tastes and how his eventual mental illness haunted and motivated him
• How his wife helped craft the eccentric stage persona that launched him to fame
• The role his time abroad played in innovating a new wave sound, years before it was mainstream
• How Bowie rescued the life of an influential musician from the 1960s and co-created a new sound with him
• How a famous Beatle played a role in one of Bowie’s most iconic songs
• How his ever-evolving characters and musical anthems inspired a generation of disillusioned youth

Guest Bio - Paolo Hewitt, journalist & music commentator
Author and music journalist Paolo Hewitt is the author of several books on David Bowie, including Bowie: Album to Album, a retrospective of Bowie’s evolution over his career. Considered one of the foremost experts on Bowie, Paolo has not only written extensively about the artist but has also appeared as a commentator in documentaries on Bowie.

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