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 Midnight Oil’s "Beds Are Burning" Became a Powerful Protest Anthem May 31, 2023

Show notes

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!!”

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Interview with Colin Hay: How Men at Work Took Over the Charts Then Disappeared May 30, 2023

Show notes

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.

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How "Der Kommissar" Became a Hit Twice—and Broke Up After the Fire Before They Knew It May 29, 2023

Show notes

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.

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How Rush’s "New World Man" Was Written Last-Minute and Became Their Biggest Hit May 27, 2023

Show notes

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.

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Why Prince Took a Risk on 'When Doves Cry' – No Bass, No Problem! May 26, 2023

Show notes

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

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Paul Carrack: The Man With the Golden Voice – How Long and His Legendary Career May 25, 2023

Show notes

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.

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How Living Colour’s 'Cult of Personality' Changed Rock – Inside the Fierce 1988 Hit May 24, 2023

Show notes

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!

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Pink Floyd’s 'Wish You Were Here': From Prog Rock to Country Classic May 23, 2023

Show notes

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.

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The Moody Blues’ 'Your Wildest Dreams': A Comeback Hit Born from a Disaster May 22, 2023

Show notes

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.

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Dire Straits’ 'Money for Nothing': How an Angry Rant Became an Iconic 80s Hit May 20, 2023

Show notes

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.

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