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:

John Denver’s Rise and Fall: The Story Behind “Rocky Mountain High” Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

He didn’t have movie star looks like Burt Reynolds or the rock n’ roll flamboyance of Elton John. Instead, he wore granny glasses and sported a dutch boy haircut. The great John Denver… In spite of his “golly gosh darn” image, he became a bonafide star performing songs that America could relate to. Especially today’s 70s classic Rocky Mountian High… the song made him a 70s legend. It’s a song that everyone loves even if some won’t admit it… It was actually banned during its heyday because radio programmers thought it was about Smoking Dope. The story of a song about nature that is somehow more beautiful than nature...NEXT on Professor of Rock.”

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Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry”: The Eagles Breakup and His Scathing Media Critique Feb 23, 2023

Show notes

By 1979, tensions were running high within the ranks of America’s most iconic band the Eagles… Don Henley, Glenn Fry, and co had released 6 albums over the course of 7 years, toured relentlessly, and been to hell and back again. It all came to a head at a concert one night when a simple disagreement almost ended in an all-out brawl. As the 70s gave way to the 80s, the Eagles broke up. Solo records came and went but Don Henley struck with several that defined the 80s. He wrote a scathing indictment against the media with Dirty Laundry after they had pried into his personal life. The story of a song that still resonates today and how Hell froze over and the Eagles got back together.

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Interview: Patty Smyth & Sammy Hagar on Van Halen’s Search for a New Singer Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

They were coming off a diamond-selling album. A hard rock band at the peak of their career with a singer-guitar duo that was second to none. Van Halen with David Lee Roth up front and the greatest guitarist of his generation Eddie Van Halen. 1984 was a massive record. She had just hit the top of the charts with a rock-pop song that had many excited about her future… Scandal with Patty Smyth hit the top 10 with the Warrior… Van Halen lost their singer and Eddie Van Halen ended up crossing paths with Patty Smyth and offered her what may’ve been the most coveted role in all of music….an interview with both Patty Smyth and Sammy Hagar about what might’ve been. A female fronted Van Halen in the Van Halen multiverse… and a few others who were offered the job including Daryl Hall and Steve Perry? Find out next.

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Aerosmith’s “Janie’s Got a Gun”: The Song That Almost Got Censored Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

As a father of 3 daughters this was the most difficult song that Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, one of America’s great rock bands ever had to write… It actually took him 9 months to finish, then a record exec made him censor his own song fearing it wouldn’t get played on pop radio because of 1 word that wasn’t even a swear word… Would he change it? It would be the biggest hit on an 80s hard rock masterpiece. Pump an album that had a pretty good chance of being the first hard rock record to have 3 #1 hits from one album… would it happen … THE ROAD WOULD BE TOUGH… Janie’s Got A Gun got banned and had to compete with a smash hit starring a cartoon cat... find out if this …provocative and haunting song pulled it off next on Professor of Rock.

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The Untold Story of “Total Eclipse of the Heart”: Bonnie Tyler, Jim Steinman, and the Meat Loaf Feud Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

Today’s song… what can I say? There’s just nothing else like it. I mean it’s dark, it’s moody, it’s theatrical rock. Listening to it takes you on a heart-pounding sonic journey deep into the shadows and then back into the light. Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler written and produced by the great Jim Steinman is epic in size and scope. The 1983 #1 hit is punctuated by a raspy, larger-than-life vocal performance from Bonnie Tyler who lost her voice some years before and had take throat surgery not knowing if she’d ever sing again.. she also had a huge hit that typecast her as a soft country rock balladeer… then she got a chance at singing a 7-minute song about Vampire love that would go onto become one of the biggest #1 hits ever…but it pissed Jim Steinman’s other constant collaborator Meatloaf off who felt the song was his for the taking… It’s a compelling story of a song that still moves the needle coming up next.

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How KISS’s “Beth” Became an Accidental #1 Hit After DJs Flipped the Single Feb 18, 2023

Show notes

The snobs and the critics thumbed their noses at KISS as a party rock band with high theatrics and no technique. Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss were ready to prove them wrong, I mean they are the band that really taught us how to rock… up next a song that took them to another level. Detroit Rock City was first written as a party anthem. then the singer decided to change it up and write about a real-life tragedy. They felt they had something special, so they put it out… Then It Totally Bombed.. with radio stations picking up the B SIDE Ballad Beth instead…but redemption would come…even if it took decades. It’s a great comeback... NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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Interview: Eddie Money on “Two Tickets to Paradise” and the Love Story Behind It Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

Coming up, a rare interview with one of the funniest rockers ever. Mr. Eddie Money… Sadly, he passed away a few years back. The Money Man tells the story of his signature hit the 70s rock classic, Two Tickets To Paradise... He was a poor kid from the other side of the tracks dating a rich girl. Her parents didn’t want her seeing him He wanted to take her somewhere special but didn’t have the money so he wrote her a song… It became a rock classic but did it save their relationship? Find out next.

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Why Pat Benatar Refuses to Sing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” Anymore Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

Pat Benatar has something of an adversarial relationship with one of her biggest songs… the Top Ten 10 hit “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” It broke her career wide open. There’s a few reasons for this, but ultimately, even though she made it famous, it wasn’t her song to begin with. That distinction goes to a struggling songwriter who wrote it after punching pillows in a new age therapy session. Yeah, you can’t make this stuff up. Even though Pat doesn’t care for it, there’s no doubt that generations of fans haven’t been able to get enough of it. It’s an 80s classic rock radio staple for sure, oozing confidence and bravado, putting Pat Benatar forward as the 80s premier female rocker that would be followed by plenty of great hits like Love Is a Battlefield and We Belong.

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Interview: Jason Mraz on How “I’m Yours” Became an Unexpected Global Hit Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Coming up, an interview with one of the nicest guys in the business about his biggest hit. Jason Mraz on his smash hit I’m Yours…It started as a demo he put up on his website.. he considered it nothing more than a b side. A few years later he was playing a concert in Sweden and he needed a song to extend his set, he played this b side, and all 10k people there were singing every word. He was shocked. So he decided to record it properly. He put it out and it became one of the biggest songs ever...spending a year and a half on the charts.

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How “Dr. Feelgood” Finally Took Mötley Crüe to #1 After Years of Chaos Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

AFTER years of partying like rock stars. IT FINALLY caught up with the members of Motley Crue. It began with a fatal car crash involving singer Vince Neil and then the band’s primary songwriter and bassist Nikki Sixx nearly died on the floor of a hotel bathroom, in fact, a few hours later he busted out of his hospital room and bummed a ride home from 2 fans who were having a candlelight vigil after they heard he’d died on the radio. After these near-death experiences into the late 80s this glam rock act finally got clean and sober. From this mild experience, they made a historic record called Dr. Feelgood led by the powerful title track that became the band’s only gold single that came from dancing with death. Let the viewer beware…We are about to enter the dark side of Hollywood NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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