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:

Interview with Holly Knight: How a Random Joke Became Pat Benatar’s "Love Is a Battlefield" Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

In 1983 at the height of MTV #1 female rocker Pat Benatar took POP radio hostage with this explosive anthem…Love is a Battlefield. Today I sit down with the famous co-writer of this classic…Holly Knight... It started out when her legendary songwriting partner, Mike Champman blurted out a weird title and then the 2 songwriters sat across from each other with a swimming pool between them and shot a paper airplane across the pool with each writing a line each time and flying it across until they finished the song… Luckily it didn’t fall in the pool! In the end, Holly felt one of the key lyrics sounded like a car commercial… the song certainly lived up to that magnitude as it became Pat Benatar’s signature hit and the video ruled MTV. The story is next.

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Interview with Paul Carrack: The Story Behind Mike + The Mechanics’ Eerie Hit "Silent Running" Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

Coming up… In 1985 legendary band Genesis took some time off when their lead singer Phil Collins was working on his solo album No Jacket Required. So the band's other prolific songwriter and guitarist Mike Rutherford started his own band… He called it Mike and the Mechanics. They recruited two different singers Paul Young and Paul Carrack and out of nowhere they had a hit album that contained 3 big hits: All I Need is a Miracle, Taken In, and today’s song Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) which went to #1. This massive hit was renamed when it was chosen to be in a 1986 movie called Choke Canyon… This song is so eerie and satisfyingly creepy it’s found new life time and again since the 80s. It’s such a freaking cool song. Years later it was banned from radio during the gulf war for truly dumb reasons. TODAY WE HAVE THE story from an interview I did with its Singer… One of the greatest singers ever and a man who’s had hits with many different bands including his own solo stuff. The Story of this Eerie Apocalyptic #1 rock hit from 1986 hit that predicted what’s happening right now is next.

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Interview with Randy Bachman: How "No Time" Borrowed a Riff and Became a 70s Classic Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

Coming up… Another helping from Two of rock and roll’s greatest storytellers. Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman wrote the biggest 60s and 70s hits when they were part of the Guess Who...They had already had a couple of hits with These Eyes and Laughing when they released a monster record in the early 70s American Woman that included two #1 hits and a top 5. They were American Woman and No Sugar Tonight and No Time. Randy Bachman wrote a dear john letter to his girlfriend and decided that it might work as a song so he put one of the most recognizable guitar licks to it that he admits he lifted from another band of the time. The story of a 70s rock standard is told by two legends next as well as a run-in with a legend when he was a kid next on Professor of Rock.

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Happy Go Lucky 70s Classic is Actually About a Crazy Stalker Who Attacked a Legend Aug 19, 2023

Show notes

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The Story Behind Fleetwood Mac’s "Gypsy": Stevie Nicks’ Nostalgic Tribute to Simpler Times Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

Today’s aspiring songwriters and lovers were so dirt poor that at times they struggled to even feed themselves. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were down and out before the joined Mick Fleetwood…Just between them, they couldn’t even afford a bed frame and slept on a mattress on the floor. as it turns out, that would be a key memory years later… after they had sold millions of records with one of the biggest bands of the 70s, Fleetwood Mac,. Penned by the enchanted songstress Stevie Nicks, today’s track is a bittersweet, nostalgic look back at the days before her meteoric rise to fame Gypsy barley missed the top 10 but epitomizes what Fleetwood Mac is all bout. The song begs the question was she better off as a struggling songwriter than a global superstar? It’s a rags to riches throwback track, that comes with some other unexpected tie ins as well… including the tragic death of a close friend and an ill-advised marriage to that friends husband that happened for all the wrong reasons. The story is coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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Interview with John Oates: How "Out of Touch" Became Hall & Oates’ Final #1 Hit Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

Coming up, an interview with one of the 80s great hitmakers. The most successful duo of the rock era, Daryl Hall and John Oates Everything they touched turned to Gold and Platinum. Here, John Oates tells the story of a number-one hit from the mid-80s that came at the crossroads of Analog and digital… Out of Touch, it was their final #1 hit after ruling the neon decade with 11 hits, and this one was one of their biggest and they almost gave it away. To put it all in perspective this song was actually a huge accident. Also on this same 1984 record, they had another hit where they spelled the chorus and if you were anything like me you were a little thrown by this… the story is next on Professor of Rock.

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How The Beatles’ "Norwegian Wood" Revolutionized Rock and Sparked Controversy Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

Coming up…A story of scorned passion…revenge, and arson. It sounds like a film noir thriller, but it was actually an innocent 2-minute song called Norwegian Wood by a little band called the Beatles! The song was based on a cheating husband (John Lennon) whose finished masterpiece managed to offend one of the most influential artists of the Rock Era and change the landscape of popular music for generations to come. It was from the greatest band ever that some critics then and now called the first boy band bashing them over their first few hits like She Loves You Ya Ya Ya… Well, this was the song that turned them into popular music’s Michaelangelos! They set the course for music and decades later everyone is still trying to match them. There’s only one band that could create such a storm of melodrama. Including Paul McCartney taking some credit and George Harrison’s latter feud with Lennon over a writing credit. Find out all the details NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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How Elton John’s "Bennie and the Jets" Became a Hit by Accident Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Up next The Electric story of one of the 70s greatest masterpieces. Bennie and the Jets by Elton John. A song that was truly a happy accident… as Elton stuttered a word in the chorus and it became the best part of the song… along with some misheard lyrics that most have been singing incorrectly for years. It was a hodge podge of Glam rock and fantasy to create a song that Elton was pissed off at the label for releasing over a single that He thought would be the big hit. As you’ll find out next it just so happens that the label and the artist were both right. The story is next.

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How The Beach Boys' "Kokomo" Became a Surprise #1 Hit Despite the Backlash Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

When Bad Songs Happen to Great Bands… Did one of the greatest bands of all time, the Beach Boys release one of the worst songs of all time in Kokomo? Today we’re telling the story of that chart-topping hit that polarized music fans. You’ve seen our #1 in Our Hearts episodes? Well, today’s episode could be the reverse of that. it’s made too many Worst Song of All-Time lists to count! How could one of the most iconic and creative bands in American pop history commit one of the 80s greatest musical sins? Well, the legendary genius Brian Wilson, Who wrote most of their material had nothing to do with it... Further, it was a big comeback #1 for a band that had been down and out since Brian, their musical leader had been MIA for years. Plus the shenanigans of Mike Love and his infamous Rock Hall of Fame speech! This one’s gonna be fun… Maybe you love the song it maybe you hate it. Let’s see NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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The Hidden Meaning Behind Prince’s "Let’s Go Crazy"—Did It Predict His Fate? Aug 12, 2023

Show notes

Coming up. It may be the most famous opening monologue from a classic song ever …a brave sermon every 80s kid knows by heart. Prince Let’s Go Crazy, the #1 smash from the Purple Rain Soundtrack that blew up 1984. Just by its first few words: Dearly Beloved we are gathered here today to get through this thing called Life! Let’s Go Crazy is a high-energy, savage synth-rock masterpiece that will have you up on your feet the moment it hits. The only thing is, it may not be the straight-up party song you think it is. In fact, if you missed the cues in the intro, you may have missed its coded message entirely. Sung by one of music’s most enigmatic and controversial superstars, the purple one, He was already a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. but this time he went beyond even that…And strangely enough, this 80s smash would prove to be prophetic as Prince was found dead in the very place he described in the song… once you hear this story it will bring a whole new meaning to the song next on Professor of Rock.

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