Before there was a Bey Hive or Bieber Fever, there was “Lisztomania” — the intense fandom directed toward mid-1800s Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, who was both dashing and a talented musician. People were fascinated with everything Liszt did, from where he went to who he was spending his time with. In many ways, the desire to know these things has not gone away. Our appetite for celebrity gossip is still insatiable, which isn’t surprising, considering it’s a combination of our two favorite things: fame and bad news.
