JFK Jr.: The Man Behind The Myth, Ep. 1: A Midsummer Night's Bad Dream

John F. Kennedy, Jr. was an Adonis-turned-Icarus, a man who wore great expectations lightly and was always searching.

What exactly #JFKJr was searching for, he wasn't exactly sure just yet.

Still in his mid-30s, John had plenty of time to figure it out.

Despite intense pressure from the Democratic party to throw his hat into elected politics, and constant questions from reporters about when he might start a family with his new bride Carolyn Bessette-#Kennedy, John seemed quite content for the time being just keeping his nose to the grindstone in the New York City offices of his magazine, "George."

But beneath his ever-cool exterior, John Kennedy was feeling the walls starting to close in during the final months of his life. Powerful New York politicos were pushing him to run for the Senate seat soon to be vacated by Sen. Daniel Moynihan; while at the same time "George" was floundering financially. “It’s my name in the editor in chief position,” John said. “And if the magazine works or doesn’t work, people will say, it’s John Kennedy’s magazine.”

As the only son of President Kennedy, who now carried the heavy dreams of a disillusioned Generation X upon his shoulders, failure was not an option for JFK Jr.

His private life was in turmoil, too. During the early summer of 1999, John's best friend Anthony Radziwell was dying of cancer. John and Carolyn fought frequently, were in marriage counseling, and under 24/7/365 surveillance by the unforgiving paparazzi's watchful zoom lenses.

At the controls of his private plane -- a newly-purchased Piper Saratoga -- was the only place he felt truly free. Taking to the skies for weekend getaways, like his cousin Rory Kennedy's wedding on July 16, 1999, was John's only temporary respite from Manhattan Madness.

John had even managed to convince his reluctant wife Carolyn to accompany him home to Hyannisport that weekend (after a good deal of prodding from her sister Lauren), perhaps hoping that a family wedding might rekindle some of that old spark between them.

And that's where my new podcast series "JFK Jr.: The Man Behind The Myth" begins, with EPISODE ONE: "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S BAD DREAM."

Full playlist of all episodes here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlfxTmjwtxC00rw0G40QKhr8&si=MFNQCKgaCqEJBWya