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 Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder’s Duet on Hunger Strike Made 90s Rock History Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

When Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood dies tragically in 1990, Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell was devastated. He was trying to work through his emotions and knew that music would be the only cathartic way to do it. As he wrote some very heavy songs had knew they wouldn’t work for his band so he connected with the remaining Mother Love Bone band members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament as well as new guitarist Mike McCready to create Temple of the Dog and the song Hunger Strike a veritable 90s masterwork. When he struggled to get exactly what he wanted on the song Hunger Strike, Eddie Vedder stepped up to the mic and the two made history.

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Martin Page on Writing Hits for Others Before His Own House of Stone and Light Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Up next an interview with one of the greatest songwriters of the 80s and 90s. Martin Page co-wrote 2 #1 hits in a row… These Dreams for Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson’s Heart and We Built This City for Starship. Then he wrote King of Wishful Thinking for Go West For the Pretty Woman soundtrack and then he kept a #1 for himself as 10 plus years after he started writing for everyone else he had a #1 solo hit with the House of Stone and Light. He tells all those stories next on Revelations.

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Steve Perry’s Oh Sherrie – The Solo Hit That Shook Journey Fans Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

Steve Perry took a break from legendary band Journey and created his first solo album Street Talk, Up next we go deep into his top 3 1984 hit Oh Sherrie. Written about his real life girlfriend, Sherrie Swafford. The song was such a smash, fans wondered if the Voice Steve Perry would ever go back to his band. In a new episode of Solo Venture, we honor this classic 1984 hit...

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Rick Springfield on the Mystery Behind Jessie’s Girl and Its 80s Legacy Mar 18, 2022

Show notes

If you’re a Child of the 80s this song was like a rite of passage. A quintessential 80s classic Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield went to #1 the day MTV launched with a music video perfect for the channel. General Hospital Heartthrob Rick Springfield tells us the inspiration behind the song and album working class dog and how he had to shatter 24 mirrors to get it right.

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How Cheap Trick’s Surrender and Live at Budokan Made Them Legends Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

What if our PARENTS were ACTUALLY as weirdly COOL as we think we are? 70s classic Surrender by Cheap Trick is about that very thing. It was conceived when guitarist Rick Nielsen found out his parents were members of the KISS army when he was 14, with an electric vocal by leading man Robin Zander the story of how Cheap Trick made it big in japan first and how their live album Live at Budokan changed everything is up next.

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How Huey Lewis and the News Crashed the Charts with Sports in 1984 Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

I say it all of the time. 1984 was the greatest year in music history. It was so fiercely competitive, Only 5 albums went to the #1 spot, the least amount in history. Michael Jackson Thriller, Prince Purple Rain and Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA battled it out for chart supremacy and Huey Lewis and the News, the ferocious blue collar bar bad from San Francisco was one of those 5. Huey tells us how he created to top 10 hits from the album including Heart and Soul and the Heart of Rock and Roll and how he found out that the Heart of Rock and Roll can actually be in Halifax Canada!

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Counting Down the Top 5 Songs by Bread – How I Became a Fan Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

Have you every hated a band or artist and then something happened that transformed you into a major fan? I used to hate the band Bread. the soft rock, beautiful voice of the 70s. David Gates wrote so many classics like Diary, Baby I’m a Want You, Everything I Own, Guitar Man, If, Sweet Surrender, Aubrey and so many more. Here I count down the top 5 song by bread and tell you why I now love this amazing band.

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Revisiting the Top 10 Songs from This Week in 1985 – Who Stands the Test of Time? Mar 05, 2022

Show notes

Up next we’re going to go go behind the top 10 songs of this same week from the year 1985 then we’ll recalibrate them based on their all time performance. Who will be the new #1? Wham! Reo Speedwagon, Foreigner, Van Halen, Bill Ocean or Phil Collins? Find out next on the Hit song Redux.

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How Quiet Riot’s Cum On Feel the Noize Became an Accidental 80s Metal Anthem Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

Coming up, the story of Quiet Riot and their classic 80s hard rock hit Cum On Feel the Noize which was of cover of the UK hit by Slade. Singer Kevin Dubrow and drummer Frankie Banali HATED the song and tried to sabotage it, but instead it became a top 5 hit and pushed their 1983 album Metal Health to #1 on the charts in one of the most competitive years in music history. they put hard Rock and Heavy metal on the charts. It’s a hard rocking quid pro quo story chock-full of sabotage and intrigue.

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The New Wave Legacy of Sire Records – Hits That Defined a Generation Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

Celebrating the legendary record label Sire Records that represented: Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Erasure, Talking Heads, Ramones, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen and many more. We also interview The Ocean Blue frontman David Schelzel about the Sire records hit single Ballerina out of Control.

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