Professor of Rock

Up next an interview with a principal band member and cowriter of one of the most recognizable and popular songs of the 80s. except for the fact that it was actually written, recorded, released and peaked on the charts in the 70s! Video Killed The Radio Star by the Buggles was actually a 70s song But because it was part of one of the most revolutionary moments in music history when it was the first song played on MTV it’s known as one of quintessential songs of the 80s. and yet it was barely even a hit. registering at #40… The story of a barely one hit wonder that changed everything is up from the band Geoff Downes who was in the band with producer Trevor Horn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next, one of the greatest living guitarists Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme tells us the story of his band’s hit that he believed in so much that he almost quit the band in protest. The label didn’t want to release More Than Words as a single because there was nothing on radio like it at the time. It was the time of big explosive power ballads and his song was more like a Beatles song… but he knew and singer Gary Cherone knew it was something special so he fought for it… He was right as it became one of the biggest songs ever. #1 hit. Plus he talks about the band’s new record and singles Rise which has the guitar solo of the century the interview is next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Led Zeppelin touched down with their debut album, it shook the entire world. And a short while later, they were shaking American concert-goers as well, as they toured non-stop to support this groundbreaking LP. They were so hot their label demanded they make another record, Led Zeppelin II just months after their debut dropped and they made them keep touring unrelentlessly… So they had to write and record the record in chaos and recorded it in 13 different studios across the world… Out of this record came a masterful feel good classic that was inspired by a legendary fantasy novel. Lord of the Rings… the track called RAMBLE ON was a scorcher with Robert Plant’s fierce vocals, Jimmy Page raging the guitar John Bonham playing percussion on something… In fact we try to solve that mystery of what Bonzo is using to play the catchy percussion and find out why this band said no to Woodstock and how they toppled the Beatles as the 70s arrived. Next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, an interview with the two principles from hard rock arena band Night Ranger. the band ruled 80s rock radio and here Professor of Rock interviews lead singer Jack Blades and drummer/singer Kelly Keagy as they shared the story behind one of the catchiest, raise your fist in the air, sing it to the top of your lungs rockers of 1984… the #1 classic Sister Christian. I don’t know if it’s illegal to turn the station when this song comes on the radio, but it should be. It all came from a misheard lyric. Drummer wrote it about his sister Christy and lead singer Jacke Blades misheard the lyric and begged him to change it to the lyric he misheard Sister Christian… Then the session was so rough the band had to play it over 100 times and drummer Kelly Keagy was so pissed he chucked the drumsticks at the producer. Well, this drummer actually ended up singing the song even though Jack Blades was the regular lead singer and it ended up being their biggest hit. The back story of what brought the character to life in this classic… it’s based on a real person. Next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it’s 80s power pop at its best. The Cars and their 5th studio album Heartbeat City it sold 5 million and churned out 5 big hits.. But it didn’t come easy for this lead song from the album. In fact, it was a lifetime in the making… Or at least that’s how it felt to it’s band. Used to kicking out albums on the fly, their first four albums were a breeze to record. However, their fifth? That was a different story. Teaming up with meticulous producer and master of sonic sorcery, Mutt Lange, Heartbeat City took over a year to complete. And it took a devastating toll on the Rik Ocasek and Benjamin Orr and the band. Maybe even breaking them up for good. Tempers flared. Plane tickets were bought… and this seminal 80s record was in danger of not getting done. So was it all worth it? Well, if you’ve heard the album and today’s song, You Might Think you know that it was. In fact, it’s cutting edge music video is one of the 80s best and it beat out the biggest selling music video of all time Michael Jackson Thriller ! Get the story next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The game of life is like…a game of poker. And who would’ve known that some of the best advice for life would be found inside a song about playing poker The Gambler by all-time legend Kenny Rogers! … A SONG everyone knows by heart and a song that changed the fortune of a computer operator working a graveyard shift in up-and-coming songwriter Don Schlitz, and elevated a middle-aged singer into superstardom. You see everyone said Kenny Rogers was over the hill and on his way down… Instead, The Gambler made him even more of a sensation. Up next the making of a storybook song that grabbed an indelible piece of pop culture … 70s classic The Gambler has transcended time, genre, and generation. This video also includes an interview with the legendary singer, the late Kenny Rogers. the story is next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s rock band Survivor was on top of the world in 1982 with one of the biggest #1 hits ever in Eye of the Tiger... They were Poised to break out big time. But then their next album fizzled with no hits and then their singer Dave Bickler blew out his voice, in 1984 they would forge one of the biggest comebacks of the decade with a new singer Jimi Jamison who was tailor-made for their sound. They Hit #1 twice including today’s massive song The Search Is Over. they’d have another massive hit in 1986 in the Burning Heart from Rocky IV and then a top ten in 1987 but then they’d vanish from the charts never to be seen again…Next founding member and key songwriter Jim Peterik who used to be in the group tells the story of their 1985 #1 and we try to solve the mystery of why this band disappeared... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up… the story of the greatest supergroup ever assembled. And there’s not a close second. the thing is they only recorded one song and they are only together for one night. USA for Africa with the #1 charity single We Are the World. One night where legends of all time like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Steve Perry of Journey, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie and so many more came together. I have exclusive interviews with 4 legendary members and they share some of the coolest stories you’ll ever hear. Man oh man buckle up for some pure unadulterated joy and nostalgia next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s the story of an 80s mega-hit song that topped the charts in at least 25 countries. But it almost never happened. While a young Rick Astley was looking for his big break, he got picked up by one of the UK’s premiere production teams. Stock Aitken and Waterman (SAW)... Only instead of letting him record an album, they had him doing chores around the studio… assigning him to make tea for the crew. When they finally gave him a chance, they hated his future hit a song called Never Gonna Give You Up and refused to release it. It was only by chance it started to get airplay. But when it did, it stormed the charts and nobody even knew who this mystery man was. After he blew up and had 7 hits , he decided to quit music and he pretty much vanished from the public eye. Decades later this iconic track was resurrected and became the mother of all pop culture tracks, the Rick Roll. Never Gonna Give You up even after hitting #1 in the 1988 It trounced its former glory in the 80s. The story’s… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, the classic 80s duo OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) tell the unbelievable story of hitting an impossible deadline. They had to write and record a song for the iconic 80s movie Pretty in Pink in just one night. The Director, John Hughes already had a song from them but watched the pivotal ending scene at the prom where they would place the song but he needed something more. The 80s synth pop duo wrote a classic If You Leave... It would become one of the most memorable moments in film history, one that generations after would try to mimic. Their song would be the basis for every high schooler’s dream moment from that point on. But the song would also become a bit of a curse for the band. They would be deemed by many as one hit wonders even thought they had several more hits and were one of the premier bands of the era… Next the duo details the deadline of fury of how they pulled off one of most magical song of the decade in 1 night… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it’s the story of the 80s rock band Big Country whose sound was a unique mixture of modern rock and unique Scottish folk elements … After catching a break touring with Alice Cooper, they had bottles of urine thrown at them, but they held on and persevered and their debut album The Crossing would go on to sell over 2 million copies and produced one of the most timeless singles of the 80s… In a Big Country named after the band… Only before it became a huge hit, their lead singer, Stuart Adamson who wrote the song, didn’t think it was any good. It took some serious convincing from his producer Steve Lillywhite and an overhaul of the song to change his mind. But after that, it became their biggest hit in the United States. And also the only hit that most Americans remember. But was this band really a one-hit wonder? Or is there more to their story? Find out… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I love stories like our next one. I had the chance to interview one of the nicest guys in music. He’s the equivalent of that children’s story the little engine who could. Technically he only had one hit… It was one of those rare songs where the song’s title is never said in the song…Romeo’s Tune by Steve Forbert… Forbert was a small-town guy who went to new york and made it in music. Truth is Romeo’s tune came out at the wrong time when his type of music was out of style. But the song broke through on the charts and hit #11 and the mystery girl that this song is about has never been revealed. See if he’ll tell who it’s about next on Professor of Rock. The greatest underdog story of 1979 come full circle today with Steve's recollection of this one hit wonder that dominated 70s radio plus info about his latest record! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up…. When punk rock band Blondie recorded a disco song they alienated their punk followers who accused them of selling out. Deborah Harry and Chris Stein loved disco but their fans didn’t. On the flip side, the disco faithful treated them like outsiders who were merely pandering for commercial success. But here’s the thing… It’s one of the coolest songs of its time… In the middle of this identity crisis, that same disco song Heart of Glass, surprisingly, became a huge international hit, and catapulted the band to superstardom… and the iconic title of the song came from the band trying to figure out how to replace a lyric that was a swear word for fear of getting censored on radio. You won’t believe this story next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, an interview with a true 80s icon, Huey Lewis and the News on one of the biggest songs of the 80s. The Power of Love from the 1985 blockbuster Back to the Future. He was in the midst of a huge album in Sports that had 4 big hits Heart and Soul, The Heart of Rock and Roll, I Want a New Drug and This is It. Then he got invited to sit down with the biggest director in film history, Steven Spielberg, who wanted Huey to write a song for his new movie because as he explained… the main character Marty McFly would be a fan of his band… Huey had never written for film before and was hesitant… He told Robert Zemeckis and Spielberg he didn’t want to write a song with the same name as the movie. The director said fine just send me the next thing you write… He did just that and it became a #1 smash… Only problem is the filmmakers didn’t capitalize on it and they missed a window to have a big soundtrack album…up next is the story of how this singer gave 10% of the song’s royalties to an old friend for coming up with the title of the song. Only problem is the title was the same as 2 other hits at the time. also how he had a cameo in the movie… See if you remember next…. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The making of one of the biggest rock albums of the 80s was full of drama, comedy, secret messages, and young lust. Def Leppard Pyromania... It started out with Def Leppard having to fire their longtime guitarist Pete Willis who was so drunk he couldn’t play the songs. They brought in a hot shot rookie named Phil Collen who became the missing piece that helped make this band one of the biggest of the rock era and the only rock band outside of Led Zeppelin to have 2 straight 10 times platinum records and this was the start. Joe Elliott was revved up and ready to go with iconic hits like Rock of Ages, Photograph, and Foolin... Up next, the story of a rock song that came from an old hymn book and the origins of the iconic gibberish that everyone has tried to translate for years but came from the band not wanting to say the same old thing. The story of a record that sold over 10 million copies but was cursed to be #2 never reaching the #1 spot… Next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it’s a song that can only be described as ‘epic.’ In a Gadda Davida by Iron Butterfly, originally radio-friendly in length,later grew to monster proportions, swallowing up an entire side of an album. All thanks to a prolonged jam session that wouldn’t stop. The engineer liked what he heard and kept the tape rolling… and when it was done, Iron Butterfly had made history. Plus its gibberish title In a Gadda Da Vida had listeners wondering what in the world the song was about. Turns out, the singer was so sloshed when he first sang it, his bandmates thought he was singing something else entirely. But they liked it, so they kept it. Later on they would also have a chance to perform this legendary track at Woodstock… but after they pissed off the Performance Coordinator they found themselves stranded at the airport. Could they get there in time? An epic tale NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next, an interview with 80s icon Terri Nunn from New Wave band Berlin about her band’s biggest song. It was a #1 hit… It was a central song from Top Gun one of the biggest movies of the decade. It was even nominated for an Oscar! Thing is, as we’ll find out... some of the band members didn’t want any part of the song because they didn’t write it. First of all, Berlin wasn’t even the first choice. Legendary Producer Georgio Moroder had the Motels as the first band in position, but then when he turned to Berlin, the band’s principals had a major disagreement about doing someone else’s song... then when it became popular it divided their fanbase. Then when you thought there couldn’t possibly be any more drama…When it was nominated for an Oscar the band didn’t even get to perform it… Find out why they chose someone else next in this exclusive interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up…a down & out songwriter named Mentor Williams and a down & out singer named Dobie Gray after the TV show came together to collaborate on a song that nobody wanted. “Drift Away" The writer was living in his brother Paul Williams's shadow who was one of the most famous songwriters ever having written numerous hits for the Carpenters, Three Dog Night, and Rainbow Connection for Kermit the Frog. and the singer Dobie Gray was well-traveled with a few minor hits but was looking for the big one to set his career in stone… Even though they had no juice in the record business, they landed a pitiful recording budget- went to Nashville, and created a million-selling single beloved by generation after generation. We break down the 70s rock classic Drift Away and “get lost in the Rock n’ Roll” next on Professor of Rock….. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ok, you’re not going to believe this story… Coming up.. a song.. a record that changed everything… Spinning Wheel by Blood Sweat and Tears. It dominated the charts because it was so fresh…so impactful It didn’t sound like anything on the radio at the time. With the amazing pipes of David Clayton Thomas. Up next the band’s co-founder Bobby Columby tells the story of this song that was a crossover hit on 3 major charts and that’s just one part of it. This band suddenly became one of the biggest in the world. They were up for record of the year, and they become the only band to have 3 straight #2 hits… their album hit #1 it sold millions and they were banned from touring in America at their peak because the US government wouldn't give singer David Clayton Thomas a green card… So they allegedly blackmailed the band that they would give them a green card if the band would tour behind The Iron Curtain. Hear the unbelievable story next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey teacher, leave them kids alone! Today we’re telling the story of the classic 80s track Don’t Stand So Close To Me by the Police. The controversial song is about a classroom instructor who crossed the line with one of his students. And since Sting was a teacher before joining this band, a lot of fans wondered if it was really about him. Was he speaking from a real experience? Besides that, this song holds another claim to fame as well. It is notorious for trying to pass off one of the worst rhymes in a pop song ever. Even band mates Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland admitted it was terrible. But despite all the drama surrounding it, this song was just they needed at the time. Not only did it become one of their most popular tracks, it opened the way for them to become global rock stars. and part of it would come back around a few years later to help create another massive hit. Money For Nothing from Dire Straits So get ready, we’ve got some controversy coming up on this one… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So I was looking through some old interview footage and I found this cool zoom session I did with two of the greatest drummers from hard rock and Metal. The Appice brothers Carmine and Vinnie Appice. They both played for two of the greatest rock singers ever… Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio. They have some great stories including an inside story about an 80s rock masterpiece Dio’s Holy Diver that has been severely misunderstood due to the embellishment of 80s satanic panic… including an experiment that this drummer and the iconic singer he played with did to prove that the media and the naysayers were lying about hidden messages in songs. Great interviews coming up next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up… Two of rock and roll’s greatest storytellers Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings formerly of the 70s band the Guess Who share the hilarious story of writing a #1 double sided hit… American Woman and No Sugar tonight. The two hits came from different experiences … One came when the Randy Bachman, who was not from the United States visited Haight Ashbury for the 1st time… He witnessed a tough guy get cut down to size by his lady… She cussed him out in front of onlookers and said a phrase that this guitarist had never heard but he turned it into a #1 hit. The other song came to the band on the spot when they were playing a show. Randy Bachman was vamping on a something and Burton Cummings spit out random lyrics and luckily a bootlegger was recording it because it became massive. The double interview with these legends is next on Professor of Rock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the mid 80s Australian band Midnight Oil was one of the hottest box office draws on their continent, poised to sell out arenas around the country…But instead of accepting the lucrative payouts, they chose to tour the MOST remote areas of the region- for a pittance of what they could’ve made. In these places, singe Peter Garrett and his band witnessed the harsh conditions and poor health that ran amok within the communities they toured in. For decades the people were mistreated by the government, Outraged by what they saw, the band created a song that conveyed their fury and beseeched the public to join them in a crusade to fight… Beds are Burning because one of the defining protest anthems of 1987 from their 80s masterpiece Diesel and Dust... The story behind their biggest American hit of the is that actually brought about real change is NEXT…. on Professor of Rock!!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, an interview with a true 80s icon. Colin Hay of Men at Work. This band was as big as anyone in 1982 and 1983. They actually pulled off something that not even the Beatles did… when their debut record, Business As Usual spent 15 weeks at #1 and they had 2 #1 hits Down Under and Who Can It Be Now and 4 top tens…they won a Grammy for best new artist and were on the cover of Rolling Stone… But By the mid-80s the band had disappeared.. and they NEVER had another hit. Up next we get the story behind these hits in an exclusive interview with Colin Hay and find out what the hell happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it’s the story of the 1983 Hit Der Kommissar that had two very different lives. First released by a German-speaking 80s star, named Falco, the song went Top 5 in at least 10 different countries. But It crashed and burned in America… Although Falco would have his revenge with a different hit called Rock Me Amadeus a few years later….But then an American ‘prog-rock band gone new wave pop called After the Fire’ got their hands on this song. They translated most of it into English except for a few mysterious lines and released it as a single that same year. And it Crashed and Burned Again!… Deeply in debt, burned out, and at odds with their record company, they decided to break up the band. Then out of nowhere, this track made a run for the top of the US charts just two months later. Was the song’s sudden success enough to get the band back together? Also, what did the mysterious chorus mean when translated into English? Find out next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was a last-minute song written at record speed. When rock’s greatest trio Rush finished their 9th studio album Signals, they realized they still had 3 minutes and 57 seconds of space left. No big deal right? Well, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart wanted to give their fans the most bang for their buck. So they decided to squeeze one more song onto the record. Only they didn’t write many songs under four minutes. So they gave themselves the ultimate challenge… two days to see if they could do it and dubbed it “Project 3:57.” Well, the song they cranked out called New World Man became their highest charting track of all time. It was unbelievable. I mean these guys practically pulled this song out of thin air. Just an afterthought and it rocketed up the charts. Find out how they beat the clock and improvised their way to their biggest hit… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1983 into 1984 every artist and band on the planet was massively outdone by one massive blockbuster. The Biggest selling album of all time. Michael Jackson’s Thriller…. The Police, Pink Floyd, Hall and Oates, Styx Foreigner, YES, David Bowie… All had to be second bananas and then some of the biggest albums of that times never got to #1 because of it. I’m talking Van Halen 1984, Def Leppard Pyromania, and Duran Duran Rio to name a few. That’s when a rising superstar named Prince Rogers Nelson who was part Jimi Hendrix, part Little Richard stepped to up the mic and unleashed a batch of songs that would one up Michael Jackson… He would dominate the charts with 24 weeks at #1 with Purple Rain but he’d also do something even Jackson couldn’t do.. Dominate movie theaters. He took a risk with a first time director and a song that had no bass called When Doves Cry… The story is next on professor of rock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up an interview with one of my favorite singer’s ever…He’s one of only a few artists in rock history who’s had a hit with three different bands and as a solo artist. Paul Carrack sang the 80s hit Tempted for Squeeze, Silent Running and #1 hit the Living Years for Mike + the Mechanics, the solo hit 1987’s Don’t Shed A Tear and today’s 70s classic How Long by Ace. He tells the story of this 70s rock and soul classic that even Yacht Rock has claimed. They Call him the man with the Golden Voice and here he explains how this song that everyone assumes is about adultery is actually about something else entirely and how he wrote it on a bus ticket…. Next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, an interview with the singer and guitarist from a hard rock band that exploded onto Radio and MTV in the 80s with a song that changed everything. Cult of Personality by Living Colour. Written by Singer Corey Glover and guitarist Vernon Reid. The opening riff blew minds and speakers… This band challenged the party all the time pop-metal bands of the moment giving us a dose of reality that set the stage for thinking man's rock and metal. and as we’ll hear in the exclusive interview that follows, They got their big break because the biggest star on the planet who loved their music told MTV if they didn’t put ‘em in heavy rotation he wouldn’t give them his new #1 hit video. The story Cult of Personality from the 1988 album Vivid by Living Colour is next! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Pink Floyd’s leader Syd Barrett descended into madness due to a break from reality and using drugs. The band was concerned that losing their frontman could be the end of their career so Roger Waters stepped up and took over songwriting duties. Then they pulled off the massive album Dark Side of the Moon with the help of a brilliant young engineer named Alan Parsons who decided not to do their follow-up. Was it luck or could they create a compelling follow-up themselves? today’s song is the result. Wish You Were Here from the 70s classic of the same name was partly written about their lost frontman. It was also one of the only songs that the two principal songwriters of this legendary group Roger Waters and David Gilmour truly collaborated on. Waters would call it a simple little country song… What? Prog Rock's Elite band gone country? it may be the greatest acoustic riff ever recorded and it contained screw-ups like David Gilmour coughing and wheezing because he was quitting smoking… This song and its album also prove that even though this legendary band has written some of the greatest songs ever a greatest hits album would be a disaster find out why next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, it’s a band that started off strong in the 60s continued to dominate in the 70s with great songs like Night In White Satin...then Went away for a bit only to make a huge comeback in the 80s with an entirely new sound The Moody Blues… and in the process released one of their most successful songs ever. Your Wildest Dreams…a #1 AC hit from 1986 and #9 on the Hot 100... It’s a nostalgic track that will have you wondering whatever happened to the one that got away… And in fact, it had the songwriter Rock icon Justin Hayward wondering the exact same thing. It was an old Girlfriend he couldn’t forget. So believe it or not, decades later Justin tried to track her down. But was that a good idea? Find out what happened… if this shot in the dark turned into a happy ending or an all-out train wreck. No matter what though he got a #1 hit out of it. The story of the band, this comeback song, and this songwriter’s leap of faith is coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One day Dire Straits Frontman Mark Knopfler was shopping in a retail store and he happened to eavesdrop on two meathead workers ranting about Rockstars and how easy they have it. It was such an interesting conversation that he borrowed a piece of paper and wrote down what they said verbatim. He turned it into one of the biggest hits ever. Yet this frontman got lambasted by critics for using their exact conversation… It was controversial for sure but it was also meant to be satire…Later the song was banned… Earlier a happy accident in the studio created the iconic guitar sound that’s become a part of our culture and then the band had an idea to get Sting to sing on the song. He happened to be in town windsurfing and was able to record an iconic line I Want My MTV that would make it very simple to market especially on MTV. Later Weird Al Yankovic would parody it with Knopfler playing the guitar. It would be the defining track on Dire Straits 1985 masterpiece blockbuster Brothers In Arms. The story is next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next Rock’s most notorious bad boy Axl Rose had been working on a piano song for about 8 years… It was actually the only song he knew how to play on the piano and he wanted his band Guns N’ Roses to record it. But as guitarist Slash would point out...they weren’t a Ballad Band.. they wanted to rock. It would be called November Rain. They tried recording this epic that had more in common with classical music than rock… at one point it was 25 minutes long. In the end, Slash added 3 bold solos, then they added a choir that included a future rock frontman by the name of Shannon Hoon who was in Blind Melon. And together they created the most expensive video ever with a leading lady the singer had hand-picked from a magazine cover…Stephanie Seymour. He would ask her to marry him before it was over. Up next, the unbelievable story of one of the biggest songs ever... November Rain from Use Your Illusion on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s quite possibly the most vulnerable song about a broken relationship of the Rock Era. The late Gordon Lightfoot wrote an absolutely gut-wrenching ballad where a man, who was once a hero, calls himself out as the culprit for a failed marriage, and pleads with his wife not for forgiveness, but for empathy. It’s the story of the 70s classic If You Could Read My Mind. Years later Gordon’s daughter pled with him to change the lyrics to this heart-wrenching ballad. We also tell the story of Gordon’s rise to fame and pay our respects to the singer/ songwriter who was on Bob Dylan’s Favorites. An institution. Mr. Gordon Lightfoot. ...NEXT…on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Okay, so this one’s an episode I’ve been needing to do for a long time. And I’ll be upfront with you. It’s a topic that really gets under my skin, so I’ll try to be positive. Today we’re counting down my all-time, Top 5 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snubs… bands and artists who are well overdue for the so-called honor, but routinely get passed over year after year. There is a long list of rock hall snubs…From Iron Maiden to The Guess Who from Pixies to Motorhead from New York Dolls to the Smiths from Joy Division/New Order to Slayer from Styx to Foreigner to Jethro Tull and Thin Lizzy, Motley Crue, Toto the list goes on and on. We’re also going to try to figure out why the Rock Hall routinely refuses to induct actual rock artists into their ranks. They’re called the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but they seem to have a bias against rock and Roll? I’m not going to be pulling any punches here. I just want to give some love to some classic rock icons that I think we all admire and I want to hear yours too… It’s all coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A flare gun fired by an idiot attending a concert led to the burning of a casino and a towering fire in the sky. The rock band Deep Purple happened to be in attendance and was supposed to record their new record Machine Head there the next day…they saw the whole thing. A few days later the band’s bassist Roger Glover had a nightmare about the fire and a legendary song title came to him Smoke on the Water…. sometime later a riff just as iconic came to guitarist Ritchie Blackmore that he borrowed from a famous classical piece… It would be a chore to record. They were shut down by the Police for playing too loud. Then they had to move to an abandoned hotel to record…It was a disaster. Once they recorded this legendary song. they didn’t think much of it. Ian Gillen sang the hell out of it. One day Deep Purple played it live and got a massive reaction. They decided to release it as the last single off the album and it became their biggest hit. The riveting story of the disaster in Montreux NEXT on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s song was a comeback #1 hit for a legendary band named the Doobie Brothers who lost their iconic singer, Tom Johnston to Sickness. What A Fool Believes was written in a cool way… It was actually a collaboration between 2 legends Michel McDonald and Kenny Loggins. There were both aware of one another and wanted to write together. So a meeting was set… Kenny Loggins pulled up to Michael McDonald's house he could hear that the smooth voiced yacht rocker was at the piano trying to work out a song part he was stuck on… It was “What a Fool Believes” As Kenny made his way to the door the rest of the song came to him and he immediately said I know how the rest of the song should go and he sad this right before he shook hands and met him for the first time and they nailed the song in just a short time. up next we have interviews with both legends and get the real story of the definitive Yacht rock song ever! It went to #1 in 1979 one of the only non disco song to do so and won a grammy for song of the year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So here’s one for you. How many songs do you know that were cut from a ground-breaking album, turned into a B-side several times, and then placed on a movie soundtrack as an afterthought… only to then rocket up the charts to become a #1 single? Doesn’t happen very often, right? Well, the Red Hot Chili Peppers did just that with their 90s rock classic Soul to Squeeze. Actually, Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith, the Red Hot Chili Peppers had it all ready to go as a part of a double album which was to be BloodSugarSexMagik, but their label demanded they cut the record in half. And since they’d already written another song like it the #1 hit Under the Bridge, they just dropped it. But as it turns out this song resonated with a lot of people who felt like outcasts. I guess everybody loves an underdog. Get ready, it’s the incredible story of the #1 Alternative Rock hit that never should have happened. And it’s coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Legend Carole King wrote or co-wrote over 2 dozen hits for other people before she got a chance to record her own record... With husband Gerry Goffin.... Goffin King was the songwriting team of the 60s. In the 70s when she wanted to go solo the only problem is SHE HATED the sound of her own voice. She was criticized by some in the industry about it saying it was hoarse and too thin. One night legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor put her on the spot and pushed her to record a song she’d written for a famous group… She Killed it. This opened the door for a solo Record that would rival any artist or band in the 70s… Carole King's Tapestry with major hits like I Feel the Earth Move, So Far Away, It’s Too Late and You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman all were hits and made it a 70s vinyl classic. Carole King became a singer songwriter for the ages and the first woman to spend so many weeks at #1 on the billboard charts. She also had 24 hit before she was 20. The story is next on professor of rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up the hard rock and glam metal bands that ruled MTV and the concert circuit in the 80s are well documented from Motley Crue to Def Leppard to Bon Jovi and Whitesnake but one band that was just as big in that moment but don't get the credit they deserve is Ratt. Today we have an interview with the lead singer Stephen Pearcy. Many forget Ratt and their 80s hard rock album Out of the Cellar sold 5 million copies and contained a true classic from the era the glam metal masterpiece: Round and Round. The 1984 rocker still rules today from Cobra Kai to Stranger Things!. Next, the singer tells us how the song came about and how he and the guitarist threw live rodents at 80s model Tawney Kitaen for an album cover shoot during that time, and how they got legendary comedian Milton Berle to dress up like a woman for free in their iconic music video for Round and round and how a Geico commercial just sent the band back into the charts again in 2022!. Next on Professor of Rock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it’s the story of two musicians who achieved global success both as songwriters and band members. They also happened to be romantically involved. You can credit them with two #1 Hot 100 hits for one of the biggest stars in the industry, How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and another massive hit for themselves Waiting for a Star to Fall, a feel-good 80s staple, has become a sleeper classic. It’s catchy, it’s upbeat, and guaranteed to elevate your mood… Only, behind the scenes, this track has a much different story. While working on the song and their album, this couple couldn’t even look each other in the eyes. Their relationship was completely falling apart. Making for a bitter contrast to one of the most energetic 80s hit you’ll ever hear. So… would their crumbling relationship ruin everything they had worked for? Or would the stars once again align for them as the decade faded? the answer is next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next legendary rock singer Dennis DeYoung formerly of the band STYX tells the story of 70s classic Lady, the first quote-unquote power ballad The song was the breakout single for this future stadium band and it’s all because of a trusty DJ. The song had failed and stiffed on the charts because it’s tempo started slow and then revved up and so it really didn’t fit any format. But then a Chicago DJ heard it randomly on a jukebox in a pizza place and started playing it religiously and LADY caught fire and became the most requested song on this huge station it took a little while but within a year the song hit the top 10 and birthed an oft-copied style in rock the power ballad. The story is coming up on Professor of Rock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Neil Diamond was a shy kid who got mixed up with a rough crowd, and came dangerously close to being shot in the left eye during a street fight. He quit the gang after that and had to choose between a guitar and a sword… You see he was a master at fencing, winning nationals and earning a scholarship to NYU… Then he dropped out of college to pursue his real dream of being a singer/ songwriter- living below the poverty level for years. making it on 35 cents a day. But he persevered… one day he saw a picture of a girl. It was on the cover of a magazine and a song title came into his head.He tucked it away… One night he was writing a song he knew would be big but he needed a 3 syllable girl’s name and he remembered the magazine. the 60s and 70s classic Sweet Caroline was born! and he wrote it in minutes… it became a singalong classic. the 3 syllable girl’s name would become one of the most popular baby names of the next few decades and fans would add their own lyrics to the song including good times never seemed so Good… so good…so good. so good and bum bum bum making it one of the greatest participation songs ever. The story is coming up next! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So what happens when you give rock’s greatest frontmen ever, a relationship ultimatum? As in “It’s either me or your music. What’s it going to be?” Well, this actually happened with a girl that Rock God Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin was deeply in love with. Okay, to be fair, this happened before Plant joined Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham of rock’s heaviest band Led Zeppelin In fact, Plant was still scraping by reaching for his big break. but he picked music. Still, it was a heartbreaking standoff that he would never forget. a decade later with five Legendary albums to his name, he wrote a song about this girl and what might have been called Ten Years Gone and it became a classic landing on one of the most triumphant double albums in rock history: Physical Graffiti The epic story is NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Face punches, stolen demo tapes, a controversial sound, and well, a Drummer arrested for stealing a car on his way to the video shoot? All of this happened to the Cult when recoding their 80s hard rock classic She Sells Sanctuary… It’s the preeminent song from Singer Ian Asturbry and Guitarist Billy Duffy...an all-out rocker that launched the band into the international spotlight. Only the thing is, most of us in the US weren’t paying much attention at the time. This song was also so out of step with this band’s musical roots, that it enraged former fans and inspired some serious fist-to-face violence… Get the story of how today’s band fought back and established themselves as an iconic act for the ages so Iconic that both New Wave kids and Metal heads loved them… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up.. an interview with Yacht Rocker Robbie Dupree what wrote one of the all time 80s classics… Steal Away is as popular today as it was when it peaked near the top of the charts in 1980 and amazingly it almost didn’t get recorded. Robbie moved out to LA and paid his dues for years but nothing came of it. He submitted demos including "Steal Away" to every label he could and they rejected him outright. So he moved back and took a job loading carpet into trucks to make ends meet figuring it was over. Then the craziest thing happened… Find out from Robbie and how the song has had a major resurgence from Jimmy Fallon to Better Call Saul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next guitarist Dave “the Snake” Sabo from late 80s premier hard rock groups Skid Row tells the story of the anthem that started it all. “Youth Gone Wild” Snake Sabo was actually good friends with the biggest selling rock frontman of the late 80s, John Bon Jovi and was actually in Bon Jovi early on but it didn’t work out so John Bon Jovi helped his friend to get a record deal and then had the rookie and his band Skid Row open for him on his stadium tour. Within a few weeks of playing this song the student surpassed the teacher as the opening band Skid Row was getting a bigger ovation than the head liner! The interview and story is coming up next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up it’s a fiver countdown starring one of rock’s mightiest bands ever Van Halen with a fun Sammy Hagar interview to go along with it. Van Halen was so great they had 2 distinct eras the David Lee Roth era and the Sammy Hagar one.. and though fans fight about which was better they were both powerful in their own way because both included the greatest ever… Eddie Van Halen. and both are covered here as we look at their best-hidden gems including a song that Eddie Van Halen was so excited about writing he called and woke Sammy Hagar up at 4 in the morning and coaxed him to write it half asleep over the phone… Some funny stories coming up next on Professor of Rock including great tracks like Mean Streets, 5150, and Little Guitars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, we’re getting into the entertaining story behind an up-tempo 80s track that landed in the Guinness Book of World Records… You Spin Round (Like a Record) by 80s dance-pop group Dead or Alive Written by colorful, larger-than-life frontman Pete Burns… Before Pete got his big break, he spent his time terrorizing patrons at an independent record store. There as a sales clerk, he gained a reputation for ripping on customers if they bought music he didn’t like… Even throwing their purchases back in their face. But later on, after he finished throwing records at customers, he threw down a record of his own… DOA's signature song You Spin Me Round that launched his band to prominence, and became a go-to track on dance floors and in karaoke bars around the world in 1985 from their album YOUTHQUAKE…They ruled one chart so perfectly they had 7 top 10 hits over just a couple of years but the second the 80s ended they disappeared and their iconic singer would be the victim of a disastrous surgery…the story is coming up next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s featured song is an undeniable masterpiece. Not only has it been hailed not only as Queen's greatest track, but also as one of the foremost rock songs ever written. Two words: Bohemian Rhapsody! Technically, it is three of the best songs ever written… since it is made of three distinct sections… Rock, ballad, and opera. Yes opera. And it all flows together seamlessly. So naturally, the record label hated it. No way in hell were they releasing this monstrosity as a single. So the song’s composer Freddie Mercury leaked it to a local radio station. And the response was of course overwhelming. Calls poured in and listeners stormed record shops looking for a copy. The label ate crow. Brian May loved it. It rocked the 70s and then it rocked the 90s when the comedy film Wayne’s World used it. It went to the top 5 yet again! The story of the greatest song in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.