Music biographies 'The Cars,' 'Only God Can Judge Me' balance greatness and tragedy
Podcast: NPR's Book of the DayPublished On: Fri Nov 14 2025
Description: Two new biographies focus on legendary musical acts: the rock band The Cars and rapper Tupac Shakur. First, in the late 1970s, a Boston radio DJ played The Cars’ demo tape – and the band went on to inform rock music for decades. In today’s episode, author Bill Janovitz speaks with Here & Now’s Robin Young about his new book The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told. Then, Tupac was one of the most influential rappers of all time, but his life was cut short at age 25. In today’s episode, author Jeff Pearlman tells Here & Now’s Scott Tong about his new biography of the music artist Only God Can Judge Me.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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