Shows / Professor of Rock
Professor of Rock
The ultimate rock music history podcast for fans of the greatest era of music. If you’ve ever wondered about the true stories behind your favorite songs, or wanted to hear directly from the legends who made them, Professor of Rock is your new go-to podcast. Hosted by music historian and superfan Adam Reader, this show brings the golden era of music back to life with exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and deep dives into the songs that shaped our lives. This podcast uncovers how…
Episodes
Professor of RockInterview: Thomas Dolby on Creating the 80s Synth Pop Classic “She Blinded Me with Science”
This is Episode 1 of a compelling interview with Thomas Dolby who most recall as the 80s video star on MTV with his quintessential hit, She Blinded Me With…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: They Might Be Giants on How Flood and “Birdhouse in Your Soul” Made Them Indie Rock Icons
Coming up a conversation with the hilarious duo They Might Be Giants who helped originate geek rock from with alternative vibe. Diving into their double…
- Professor of Rock
How KISS Proved a Bet Right with Their Disco Crossover Hit “I Was Made for Lovin’ You”
The most streamed song for the band Kiss is I was Made For Loving You.. this 1979 hit started as a challenge between a disco producer & legendary front man…
- Professor of Rock
How Joe Jackson’s “Stepping Out” Became 1982’s Most Overlooked Masterpiece
Joe Jackson Stepping Out was the best song of1982. That’s saying something because 82 was a massive year in music, it was the year of mega chart singles like…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Jim Peterik on How Jimi Jamison Led Survivor’s Comeback with “I Can’t Hold Back”
80s rock band Survivor was flying high in 1982. They’d just scored their first #1 hit with Eye of the Tiger spending 6 weeks at the top of the summit and were…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Rob Halford on How “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” Took Heavy Metal Mainstream
Up next a rock legend and metal god Rob Halford of Judas Priest gives the straight story behind the 80s heavy metal classic You’ve Got Another Thing Coming…
- Professor of Rock
Debunking the Urban Legend: The True Story Behind Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”
the 80s classic hit In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins has arguably the most famous urban legend behind it in rock history. Told and retold thousands of times…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Sammy Hagar on Van Halen’s “Why Can’t This Be Love” and the Contrast with David Lee Roth
Coming up…A tale of two lead singers Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. Both fronted Van Halen… Both had different philosophies. WE look at them through two…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Mike Campbell on How Tom Petty Fought His Label and Won with “Refugee”
Tom Petty risked everything to earn his freedom form a cheating record label. The Result was captured in one of his greatest 80s hits, Refugee. Tom Petty…
- Professor of Rock
How The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” Became the Most Played (and Creepiest) Song in History
The Police created the 1983 #1 Hit Every Breath You Take at a tumultuous time.. Sting was going through a painful divorce, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Martin Fry on How ABC’s “When Smokey Sings” Paid Tribute and Surpassed His Hero on the Charts
When Martin Fry of 80s New Wave band ABC was sick, music saved him. This Charismatic velvet voiced new wave frontman was going through his darkest times, when…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Dave "The Snake" Sabo on How Skid Row’s “18 and Life” Became an 80s Metal Classic
The real story of how Dave the Snake Sabo and Skid Row created the 80s metal classic 18 and Life. There are a lot of urban legends about this song and Dave…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Burton Cummings on How “American Woman” Was Improvised Into a #1 Hit
Burton Cummings of the Guess Who made up the all time 70s rock classic American Woman on the spot in the middle of a live show… while hearing Randy Bachman’s…
- Professor of Rock
How Fine Young Cannibals Ruled 1989 with The Raw & The Cooked Before Vanishing
Fine Young Cannibals blew up 1989. They seemed to come out of nowhere and were gone just as quickly. For one year they ruled the charts. #1 on the album charts…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: How a DJ’s Surprise Spin Launched The Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water” to #1
The 1970s #1 Classic Rock hit Black Water by the Doobie Brothers is has been called the rock and roll equivalent of Gone with the Wind meets Huckleberry Finn…
- Professor of Rock
How The Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry” Became a New Wave Classic and a Protest Anthem
Robert Smith and the Cure had a lot that went into their song that broke the band to the world, Boys Don’t Cry… written in the late 70s and released in the US…
- Professor of Rock
How Chris Cornell’s “Black Hole Sun” Became Soundgarden’s Biggest Hit Against His Expectations
When Soundgarden released Black Hole Sun, a surreal and sinister trip into the unknown… the song's sonic beauty resembled a psychedelic apocalypse. Authored by…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Mike Score on How A Flock of Seagulls Created the Timeless “Space Age Love Song”
The story behind the 1983 classic Space Age Lovesong by A Flock of Seagulls. Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls tells the amazing story of this perfect 80s hit…
- Professor of Rock
Revisiting the Top 10 Songs of 1985: A Flawless Chart That Defined the Decade
We’re counting down the Top 10 songs of this very same week from the year 1985. This time around we’ve got some of the biggest hits from the 80s duking it out…
- Professor of Rock
Celebrating Olivia Newton-John: The Beloved Icon Who Defined the 70s & 80s
Olivia Newton John was one of a kind. A beloved icon of the 70s and 80s, she felt like a member of our family. She will always be a key part of our childhood…
- Professor of Rock
How Weird Al Yankovic’s “Fat” Saved His Career and Became an MTV Sensation
Riding high on satire…Weird Al Yankovic seemed unstoppable in the mid 80s after Eat It! and Like A Surgeon. but when his fourth record, Polka Party essentially…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: How Aretha Franklin & George Michael Created the Iconic #1 Duet “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”
The story of the #1 Eighties (80s) Duet between Aretha Franklin and George Michael...one of the powerhouse duets of all time or was it a match that was too…
- Professor of Rock
How Pink Floyd’s Time and The Great Gig in the Sky Keep Dark Side of the Moon Timeless
Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon...Imagine if you will an album so legendary.. So in Demand that there were factories working around the clock to…
- Professor of Rock
How Led Zeppelin’s “D’yer Mak’er” Confused Fans and Became Their Most Mispronounced Hit
How Led Zeppelin followed one of the biggest selling albums of all time, the 70s classic, Led Zeppelin IV with a bold venture that utterly confused their core…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Jack Tempchin on Writing Glenn Frey’s “The One You Love” and Their Post-Eagles Hits
Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Jack Tempchin, who wrote several Eagles classics including Peaceful Easy Feeling and Already Gone tells the story of writing…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Otis Williams on How “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” Pushed David Ruffin to Perfection
The compelling story of Ain’t Too Proud to Beg by the Temptations...An up and coming writer producer named Norman Whitfield got the Temptations to record his…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Mickey Thomas & Narada Michael Walden on How “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” Became a #1 Hit
Up next the story of one of the biggest #1 soundtrack hits of the 80s.Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship for the 80s cult classic movie Mannequin starring…
- Professor of Rock
How Red Hot Chili Peppers’ One Hot Minute Became the Forgotten Album in Their History
It has been called a flop, a letdown, and a failed album... Pretty much erased from the pages of music history, Red Hot Chili Pepper’s 6th studio album, the…
- Professor of Rock
How Bloodrock’s “D.O.A.” Became One of the Most Banned and Disturbing Hits of the 70s
In 1971, considered the greatest year in music history by many, with Led Zeppelin, the Who and Joni Mitchell all releasing monumental albums, a band from Fort…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Ann Wilson on How Heart’s “Alone” Revived Their Career with the Greatest Scream of the 80s
After major success in the 70s, the band Heart hit a wall in the early 80s and went years without a hit. They were struggling so much that lead singer Ann…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: How Vanilla Fudge Transformed “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” into the Definitive Rock Version
Coming up, the story of a rare hit song that went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 two different times. You Keep Me Hanging On went to to #1 for the…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Cy Curnin on The Fixx’s “Saved By Zero” and the Controversy Over Its Famous Ad Use
The Fixx Came at the right moment in the early 80s and captured those times so eloquently in their new wave radio hits but strangely enough their songs seems…
- Professor of Rock
How Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” Cemented Lemmy as a Rock Icon Like No Other
"Coming up…the story of metal rock icon, Lemmy Kilmister who toiled behind the scenes as a roadie for the great Jimi Hendrix, and was fired from a band after…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: How Violent Femmes’ Debut Album Became an Underground 80s Classic Without Any Promotion
Coming up next an interview with 80s underground band Violent Femmes.. They somehow sold 1 million copies of their self titled Violent Femmes debut album with…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: How Glass Tiger Ruled 1986 with The Thin Red Line Before Disappearing
The story of the one album wonder: Glass Tiger The Thin Red Line that had 3 top 40 hits. In the past we’ve talked about those rare hit songs that have been…
- Professor of Rock
How Rupert Holmes Outsmarted the Music Industry After “Escape” and “Answering Machine”
Up next another edition of our series Bottled Lightening One Album Wonders… Where an LP had multiple hit songs and then the artist Never had another hit…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Mike Lindup on Crafting Level 42’s Timeless 80s Hit “Something About You”
What is your favorite song of all time. It’s a question that gets asked a lot… Well in one of my all time pinch me moments I got to interview the cowriter and…
- Professor of Rock
How Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” Became a #1 Hit Decades Later Thanks to Stranger Things
It’s manipulative, it’s menacing, and it’s a masterpiece. the Metallica 80s song Master of Puppets is a grim parable about the abuse of power and the cost of…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Otis Williams on The Temptations’ Elegant #1 Hit “Just My Imagination”
Coming up the story of one of the most elegant and breathtaking #1 hit of the 70s: Just My Imagination (running Away From Me) from the last remaining member of…
- Professor of Rock
How Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” Became the Most Likable Song Ever
The amazing story of the first all indigenous band Redbone and their ultra catchy 70s smash Come and Get Your Love. The band was compelled by a burning desire…
- Professor of Rock
Interview: Peter Frampton on How Frampton Comes Alive! Turned Procrastination into a Historic Success
Up next an exclusive interview with 70s Legend Peter Frampton the singer write guitarist who had failed as a solo artists for years. He procrastinated and only…
- Professor of Rock
How Robert Palmer Dreamed Up “Addicted to Love” and Turned It into an 80s #1 Hit
Coming up, it’s the story behind one of the most recognizable music videos of the 80s… THE 1986 #1 hit Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer the suave, dressed for…
- Professor of Rock
How Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” Became an Accidental 90s Anthem—Despite Rivers Cuomo Hating It
Buddy Holly by Weezer..This nerd rock 90s blast from the past came out of the blue and took the world by storm. No one was expecting it, but everyone started…
- Professor of Rock
Neil Finn on Writing “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and How It Became an 80s Classic
In 1984 a fledgling band called Split ENZ that included two brothers Tim and Neil Finn broke up, coming up short of the path to success they set. just a year…
- Professor of Rock
Def Leppard on Creating “Photograph” and How It Launched Them to Rock Superstardom
The amazing story behind Def Leppard and their breakthrough hit Photograph from their 1983 smash 10 million selling album Pyromania. Joe Elliott and company…
- Professor of Rock
Steve Stevens on Crafting the Signature Sound of “Rebel Yell” and the Wild Story Behind the Hit
Next one of the Gen X's greatest guitar heroes, Steve Stevens breaks down a bonafide 80s classic. Rebel Yell by Billy Idol. First of all the song title came…
- Professor of Rock
The Story Behind “Summer Breeze” and the Soft Rock Legacy of Seals & Crofts
We just lost a soft rock icon. Jim Seals was half of one of the most successful duos of the 70s- Seal and Crofts and the author of an enrapturing Yacht Rock…
- Professor of Rock
Ranking the Top 10 Songs from 1982 – A Look Back at an Iconic Year in Music
Coming up, we’re going to go behind the Top 10 songs of this very same week from the year 1982. You know we’ve done a lot of these Redux episodes on this…
- Professor of Rock
The Story Behind "Good Vibrations" – How Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys Stunned the Beatles
Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys was America's Original Rock band and we celebrate their 60 the anniversary as we UNBOX the Beach Boys Sound of Summer 6 LP set…
- Professor of Rock
The Story Behind "Once in a Lifetime" – How Talking Heads Made Us Question Reality
Up next the story of One of the strangest, most compelling songs in the history of the 20th century. It’s the kind of 80s New Wave hit that makes you rethink…
- Professor of Rock
The 70s Rock Anthem That Became the Most Requested Song of All Time!
'It began as an innocent remark precipitated from a lover’s quarrel, that progressed into an anthem for freedom. The legacy of Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd the…
- Professor of Rock
The 70s Rock Anthem That Started as a Joke…Then Made Them Legends!
Thanks to Bespoke Post for sponsoring this video! Head to https://bespokepost.com/rock20 and use code ROCK20 to learn more and get 20% off your first box Learn…
- Professor of Rock
How a Grunge Anthem Resurrected This 80s Comedy Rock Legend!
It was a dark, dark time back in the summer of 1989. Or at least it was for today’s featured artist. After conquering the 80s with his own unique brand of…
- Professor of Rock
The One-Hit Wonder That Charted Twice in the 80s—And Everyone Misunderstands It!
Up next we celebrate Benny Mardones who passed away 2 years ago. Considered by the industry to be a one hit wonder. His one hit, called Into the Night was much…
- Professor of Rock
How 38 Special Turned an Old Saying Into a #1 Classic Rock Anthem
38 Special’s 80s Classic Rock Hit Hold On Loosely came from a great story: it’s one of the most recognizable riffs in music history with a memorable chorus…
- Professor of Rock
The 80s Synth-Pop Queen America Forgot: Alison Moyet’s Best Songs
Despite massive success in her native United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe, Alison Moyet is far from a household name in America. She’s had 9 Top-30…
- Professor of Rock
The Untold Truth of AC/DC’s ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ & The Back in Black Legacy
In 1980, AC DC lead singer Bon Scott died under tragic and mysterious circumstances... missing his band’s big break Back in Black by a matter of months. His…
- Professor of Rock
The 10 Greatest #2 Hits of the 80s: Legendary Songs That Just Missed #1
The coveted #1 HIT! It’s the top of the summit that every artist desires, whether they admit it or not. I”m not saying they are all writing for #1 But every…
- Professor of Rock
The Story Behind Guns N’ Roses’ Surprising 80s Hit: How "Patience" Defied Expectations
Gun N’ Roses had just come off a massive album that shook the world called Appetite for Destruction with a batch of controversial heavy rock songs that had…
- Professor of Rock
Elton John’s “Madman Across the Water”: The Slow-Rising 70s Classic That Became a Masterpiece
Today we celebrate Elton John's "Madman Across The Water" 50th Anniversary Reissue, the brilliant rock n’ roll psychosis of a slow-rising classic…It took…