Curated playlist

1969 births

Jay-ZNo major label would sign Jay-Z, so he sold burned CDs out of his car.
Wes AndersonWes Anderson has said his first ambition was to be a writer, not a director. He grew up making silent films.
Matthew McConaugheyMatthew McConaughey, the American actor, won the part that launched his career by walking up to a stranger in a hotel bar. At the time he was a film student at the University of Texas in Austin. He had gone out with his girlfriend to the…
Birdman (rapper)Birdman was born without a first name and was called "Baby" for nearly a month. He later built Cash Money Records.
Greg ZeschukGreg Zeschuk trained as a doctor before he co-founded BioWare. He started the game studio in his basement in 1995.
Jennifer AnistonJennifer Aniston, the American actress, once approached a television executive at a Los Angeles gas station and asked him for reassurance. She was depressed. Four of her television shows had failed, and she wanted someone in the business…
Javier BardemIn 1989, the Spanish actor Javier Bardem put on a Superman costume for a sketch on the comedy show El Día Por Delante. The job left him wondering whether he wanted to be an actor at all. That doubt makes sense for a man who never planned…
Mariah CareyMariah Carey handed her demo tape to a record boss at a party in December 1988. He turned his car around.
Sean CombsSean Combs founded Bad Boy Records, which launched the Notorious B.I.G. He was later sentenced to four years in prison.
Mark MillarAt four, Mark Millar drew a spider web on his face with indelible marker.
DJ QbertDJ Qbert, born Richard Quitevis, was handed a Fisher-Price turntable while still a toddler. Decades later he was a composer and a turntablist, a DJ who plays records as a musical instrument rather than simply queuing songs. Fellow DJs and…
Hitoshi SakimotoHitoshi Sakimoto was paid to write video game music at 16. He also wrote the program that played it.
Catherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta-Jones once said that with one hour of television, her life completely changed and she could not go anywhere. She is a Welsh actress, born in Swansea on the 25th of September 1969. The Zeta in her name is pronounced ZEE-tuh.…
Gwen StefaniGwen Stefani had a hit in 2005 that changed how Americans bought music. Her single “Hollaback Girl” rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the first song downloaded one million times in the United States. The woman…
Dave GrohlDave Grohl, born David Eric Grohl on the 14th of January 1969, once sat at number one on the modern rock charts for 17 of 18 consecutive weeks. The run stretched from the 26th of October 2002 to the 1st of March 2003. He managed it as a…
Rana MitterRana Mitter's book on China's war with Japan has different British and American titles.
Jack BlackJack Black is an American actor, comedian, singer and musician, and in 2025 he attached his name to the shortest song ever to reach the Billboard Hot 100. "Steve's Lava Chicken", from A Minecraft Movie, lasts just 34 seconds. It edged out…
Alexander McQueenAt Alexander McQueen's Voss show, the audience saw only themselves for over an hour. Then a glass box shattered.
Adrian GoldsworthyA historian of ancient Rome began writing novels about Wellington's army. Goldsworthy's first novel came out in 2011.
Yoshitaka MurayamaYoshitaka Murayama pitched Suikoden using a Chinese novel his boss might know.
Ice CubeIce Cube, born O'Shea Jackson, started writing raps in ninth grade because a friend challenged him in typewriting class. The friend, nicknamed Kiddo, lost the contest. The class was at George Washington Preparatory High School in Los…
Marilyn MansonMarilyn Manson is the stage name of Brian Hugh Warner, an American rock singer whose band has sold over 50 million records worldwide. Few musicians have been argued over in so many rooms. Politicians condemned his lyrics, critics fought…
Jennifer LopezJennifer Lopez wore a plunging green Versace silk chiffon dress to the Grammy Awards in February 2000, and a single outfit changed how people used the internet. The dress became the most popular search query in Google's history. That flood…
Andrew CunananAndrew Cunanan killed five people in the space of three months in 1997. Four of them had been his friends, lovers, or strangers who simply owned something he wanted. The fifth was one of the most famous fashion designers in the world. For…
Mojtaba KhameneiMojtaba Khamenei is the third supreme leader of Iran, and many of the people he rules have never heard his voice. By March 2026 he had delivered no public lectures, no Friday sermons and no political addresses. For years Iranians knew he…
Chris WeitzChris Weitz sent a studio an unrequested 40-page plan to win the job of directing The Golden Compass. He got it in 2003.
Giles MartinAs a child, Giles Martin helped hide his father's hearing loss. His father was Beatles producer George Martin.
Oliver KahnOliver Kahn won the 2002 World Cup's best player award after fumbling a goal in the final.
Christian LaettnerChristian Laettner topped an ESPN fan poll as college basketball's most hated player.
Erik PrinceErik Prince, the founder of the private military contractor Blackwater, once defended his company with a line that has followed him ever since. "No one under our care was ever killed or injured. We kept them safe, all the while we had 30…
Ryuhei KitamuraRyuhei Kitamura walked out of high school mid-lesson at seventeen. Within a week he was on a plane to Australia.
Norman ReedusDaryl Dixon on The Walking Dead began as an audition for a different role.
Clifford AndoHow did Rome keep far-off provinces loyal without armies alone? Clifford Ando points to law and shared symbols.
Gabriel BatistutaGabriel Batistuta, Argentina's top scorer, once asked a doctor to amputate his legs.
Oleg SalenkoOleg Salenko scored five goals in one World Cup match, at Stanford Stadium in the United States on the 28th of June 1994. No player before him had done it in the finals. Russia beat Cameroon 6-1 that day. Yet Salenko played only three…
Robert ProsinečkiRobert Prosinečki is the only player to score World Cup goals for two national teams.
Luc LongleyLuc Longley dislocated his shoulder body surfing in 1996-97, and Michael Jordan kept calling him to return.
David HayterDavid Hayter gave up half his paycheck so the Metal Gear Solid voice cast could return. It was for a 2004 remake.