Life in Seven Songs

From her groundbreaking role playing one of the first openly gay characters on television, to her iconic appearances on David Letterman — where she repeatedly made the host speechless — actor and comedian Sandra Bernhard has always been unapologetically herself. And yet, decades into her career, she says she still discovers new layers every time she performs. Here are her songs.

1. Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) – Doris Day
2. Stop! In The Name Of Love – The Supremes
3. Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
4. People's Parties – Joni Mitchell
5. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Sylvester
6. Lose Again – Linda Ronstadt
7. Edge Of Seventeen – Stevie Nicks

Listen to Sandra Bernhard’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

Damian Woetzel got addicted to dance when he was 11 years old. While his “dirty secret” is that ballet was never that hard for him, his experience as a young boy in the world of dance wasn’t always easy.

In this episode, Damian takes us backstage on his remarkable journey from being called “twinkle toes” in high school, to becoming a principal dancer and choreographer for the New York City Ballet, to his influential second act as the president of The Juilliard School and an advocate for arts education. Here are his songs.

1. Knee Play 5 - Philip Glass
2. We are the World 1985 - USA for Africa
3. More Than This - Roxy Music
4. Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
5. Tom Traubert’s Blues - Tom Waits
6. Other Song - Caroline Shaw
7. Freedom - Jon Batiste

Listen to Damian Woetzel’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

Richard Misrach is one of the most influential photographers of his generation, known for his haunting, large-scale images of the American West. His work captures both the region’s breathtaking beauty and the profound ways humans have altered the landscape. His photographs are housed in the collections of MoMA, the Whitney, and the Getty—but for Misrach, they serve a deeper purpose: creating a historical record. Here are his songs.

1. Angel from Montgomery - Bonnie Raitt
2. Misirlou - Dick Dale & The Del Tones
3. Effendi - McCoy Tyner Trio
4. The Times They Are a-Changin’ - Bob Dylan
5. Music for 18 Musicians - Steve Reich
6. La Vie en Rose - Grace Jones
7. The Garden - Jacob Bloomfield-Misrach

Listen to Richard Misrach’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com.

See some of the art mentioned in this episode here: https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/18/richard-misrach-photographer-life-in-seven-songs/

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

Billionaire businessman and investor Mark Cuban is known for making — or crushing — entrepreneurs' dreams on the TV show Shark Tank. But in reality, he's a big softie. Here, he talks about getting his start selling trash bags as a kid, opening a bar before he was even 21, and betting on the Internet early. Here are his seven songs, including his life’s “theme” and a song that brings him to tears.

1. Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry
2. Life’s Been Good – Joe Walsh
3. September – Earth, Wind & Fire
4. Fame – DMX
5. Rapper's Delight – The Sugarhill Gang
6. Eminence Front – The Who

Listen to Mark Cuban’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

The 89-year-old behind some of the world’s most famous buildings, including Apple’s “Spaceship” headquarters in Cupertino, the Reichstag in Berlin, Wembley Stadium in London and Hearst Tower in New York, shares how growing up in a working-class family and dropping out of school at 16 led to a career transforming workplaces and breaking down class barriers. These are his songs.

1. I'll Walk Beside You — John McCormack
2. Symphony No. 7 "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude. Allegro maestoso — Ralph Vaughan Williams
3. West Side Story, Act 1: Prologue (Original Broadway Cast Recording) — Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
4. The Twist — Chubby Checker
5. Prelude & Fugue No. 12 in F Minor, BWV 857, WTC I — J.S. Bach
6. King Arthur, Z. 628, Act 3: Prelude While Cold Genius Rises - Frost Scene. "What Power Art Thou" — Henry Purcell
7. Bésame Mucho — Andrea Bocelli

Listen to Norman Foster’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].