Music

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 timeless tracks were made, the creative breakthroughs, the near-breakups, and the powerful moments that defined music history. Each episode is a masterclass in rock culture and nostalgia—whether it’s a chart-topping ‘80s anthem, a one-hit wonder with a wild backstory, or a candid conversation with the legends themselves. Hear the Stories. Relive the Music. Only on Professor of Rock.

Latest Episodes:

How ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky Became the Happiest Song of All Time  Sep 26, 2023

Show notes

In 1977 legend Jeff Lynne of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) was trying to write songs for a new record but the weather was so dark around him he went into a funk.. Down and depressed he battled writer’s block and couldn’t write for weeks… He drowned his sorrows at the pub but one morning the sun came out and it shook him from his gloom and inspired him to write 13 songs in a little over a week including a classic hit Mr. Blue Sky. The song was about a make-believe superhero, inspired by a silly TV show he loved as a child. It was recorded with percussion played on a fire extinguisher and was so powerful and singable, later astronauts would use it as an alarm in space and it would be voted the happiest song ever! Get the story next on Professor of Rock.

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Freddie Mercury Wrote Killer Queen to Prove Classy People Can Be Flawed Too Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

It’s a song that is guaranteed to REARRANGE your mind. Just ask the legendary artist who wrote it. Freddie Mercury of Queen. Before this track, neither he nor his band QUEEN had much to show for their efforts. Two albums in, and almost no one knew who they were outside the UK. Actually, they tried touring across America to get their name out there. But their guitarist, Brian May had to be hospitalized… twice. Completely pulling the rug out from under them. They needed a hit so their Freddie popped one off quickly which would start a habit of writing at the spur of the moment from scribbling down lyrics, with nothing to do on a Saturday night to writing a complete song in the bathtub. It would alter the sound of the band and make them legends… Killer Queen from their album Sheer Heart Attack made them rock legends... Find out how this band found their signature sound and conquered America next on Professor of Rock.

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How Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” Became the Sound of the 80s Sep 23, 2023

Show notes

It’s one of the most essential tracks of the 80s, a song that perfectly captures the neon decade in all its glory and infamy. Everybody want to rule the world by Tears for Fears. The thing is... it almost never happened. Written by a band that was virtually unknown in the US at the time, this track changed everything… it went to #1 and is still arguably the definitive track of the 80s… But the truth is, the singer-songwriter who wrote it didn’t even like it. And didn’t want it on the album. He called it lightweight and said it didn’t fit with the rest of the songs. With just one slot open, it came down to this one and two other tracks. Find out what changed his mind. Plus, discover which two songs inspired the process of writing it. The story behind this one will make you hear it in a whole new way.… It’s coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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How Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” Revolutionized Rock with Its Iconic Opening Note Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

Today’s song only needed its opening note to spark a revolution on rock radio. It’s sinister, it’s mind-altering, it’s empowering. One growling intro note is all it takes to open the portal to an otherworldly soundscape, masterfully crafted by one of the most colossal forces in rock history. This Rock band broke the world in two with this 1981 gateway anthem that turned all of us into believers and even though it’s one of the biggest songs in rock history technically, it wasn’t a hit and the band hated it until it got mixed.. it was inspired by a literary classic that every generation has read, and even though it was a tall order to name the track after this novel, it’s that rare case where the song is better than the book and the movie. Find out next! NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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How Chrissie Hynde Turned Tragedy into Triumph with “Back on the Chain Gang” Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

Coming up… New Wave and Rock icon Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders faced the unpleasant task of having to fire one of the co-founders of her band…Then two days later, she faced the death of another co-founder that she cherished as “her right hand,” James Honeyman-Scott, and struggled with a volatile relationship with her ex-lover, Ray Davies of the Kinks. All of this happened while she was three months pregnant. It was a period of deep sadness and conflicting emotion, but Chrissie is a resilient warrior... and she rose from the anguish with a thought-provoking smash, the top 5 80s smash Back on the Chain Gang that became her band’s highest charting hit in America. A story of passion & pain for a Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame band is next…..on Professor of Rock.

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The Creation of Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These” Amid Chaos and Conflict Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

They spent roughly a million dollars making an album that should have been the biggest of its time. However, after the better part of a year, this band, Foo Fighters threw it all away… They completely scrapped the record. No one in the band liked the finished tracks, which Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins dubbed them the “Million Dollar Demos.” Even worse, all four band members were all at each others’ throats. In-fighting was on the verge of fist-fighting. Three albums into their career, they were done. Or so it seemed. With their frontman touring with another band, but somehow they found their mojo and recorded 14 new songs in a matter of days… Including today’s iconic ‘never say die” hit single, Times Like These...This song turned everything around for this band as they stared down the crossroads. It’s a story of near disaster and unexpected miracles…and how the song has a whole new meaning now… the story is NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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How Van Halen’s “Panama” Responded to Critics and Became a Hard Rock Classic Sep 19, 2023

Show notes

Coming up… It may just be the greatest Hard Rock song ever. With music by the foremost guitar hero of Generation X, the late Eddie Van Halen, and lyrics by rock’s ultimate frontman Diamond Dave… David Lee Roth. He wrote the words in response to a reporter's editorial that he only sang about "women, partying, and fast cars.” Diamond Dave took exception to the reporter implying that he was a stereotypical, vacuous rocker. After pondering on the critique, he realized he’d never actually written a song about “fast cars,” and he did so with piss and vinegar… the result was Panama from their multimillion-selling hard rock masterpiece, 1984. Not even a broken nose could stop him from singing after an accident live on stage...and to think this song barely missed the top 10… Today we're giving it the #1 spot… The story is next on Professor of rock

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How Alphaville’s “Forever Young” Became an Eternal 80s Anthem Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

Three strikes and you’re out. Isn’t that usually how it goes? Well, not for today’s band… Alphaville who despite repeatedly failing to break into the Hot 100 with the same single…the 80s classic Forever Young, still turned the 1984 single into a massive pop culture phenomenon. Played on underground radio here in America, a lot of people here just didn’t catch on to it until long after its release… Maybe that had something to do with Alphaville refusing to tour in the US for more than a decade. Even so, time was on their side. Because radio hit or not, this Forever Young was destined to be an eternal track… Perfectly capturing the dramatic longing and angst that we all feel when we’re young, this song drips with nostalgia and they released it half a dozen times… Would it ever be a hit? Find out NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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How Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” Became a Haunting Masterpiece and a Point of Contention Sep 16, 2023

Show notes

All eyes were on this legendary band after they released their megalithic fourth album Led Zeppelin IV. Championed by many as the greatest rock record ever written… Everyone was clamoring for a sequel. But they wouldn’t get it. Instead, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham took a sharp left turn into unexplored territory… kicking out a bold collection of songs that tapped into a diverse selection of genres: House of the Holy. The rock press eviscerated them for it. But time would prove that they knew what they were doing. An essential entry into the compendium of rock, House of the Holy also boasts today’s featured song, No Quarter. And I’m telling you, we’re zeroing in on a haunting masterpiece. Written by the band’s most underrated member. This foreboding track is a work of sheer genius and will engulf your soul. It was also part of a cut-throat moment when two of the members reunited, leaving him out while naming their project after his song! Find out next on Professor of Rock.

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How Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” Built a Billion-Dollar Empire Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Coming up…. Jimmy Buffett became the wealthiest artist of the rock era because of his clever songs that he turned into crafty entrepreneurial maneuvers. But there was a time when he was given free drinks as compensation for entertaining barflies, and didn’t own a collared shirt or a pair of jeans with no holes. His career was in such bad shape, he contemplated committing suicide in a hotel room. The game changer was when he came to his producer Norbert Putnam with an idea for a song that described a typical day, entwining the mundane, the frustrating, and the comical. Margaritaville! The producer told him it was a “terrible idea” for a song, but he went ahead…and recorded it anyway. Margaritaville became an iconic sing-a-long classic, but even more, it became a state of mind and the foundation of a multi-million dollar enterprise. Let’s put our ‘FINS UP,’ and get on board. A good time will be had by all in our tribute to legend Jimmy Buffett… NEXT…on Professor of Rock."

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