Episode notes
pplpod Episode 14 traces the short, blazing run of Gram Parsons—the heir who walked away from comfort to fuse country soul with rock swagger. We follow his early sparks with the International Submarine Band, the Sweetheart of the Rodeo pivot with The Byrds, and the founding of The Flying Burrito Brothers, where rhinestone dreams met honky-tonk heartbreak. We unpack the blueprint he called “Cosmic American Music”: Bakersfield twang, gospel ache, R&B feel, and LA canyon cool. Then it’s the Emmylou Harris partnership, GP and Grievous Angel, and the desert mythmaking that followed. Influence, excess, legacy—how Parsons lit the path for alt-country, Americana, and every singer chasing truth in three chords.