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:

Huge ’80s Songs That Didn’t Age Well: Stories Behind Autograph, Cyndi Lauper, Nena, and Rockwell Mar 09, 2026

Show notes

Coming up….we celebrate songs from one of the greatest years in music. These songs were HUGE back in the day, but decades later, sound really DATED. Just because they haven’t held up well doesn’t diminish our love for the songs, but it makes for an interesting study in music. One of the songs, Turn Up the Radio, came from a bunch of drinking buddies who were all in other bands but jammed for fun on the weekends. But it just so happened that the drummer was jogging buddies with frontman David Lee Roth of Van Halen, and he heard one of their drunken jams and loved it so much he invited them to open for his band on one of the biggest tours ever. Another one, She Bop by Cyndi Lauper, was written about self-love and faced the wrath of a bunch of politicians’ wives who named it one of the dirtiest songs ever and got it banned. Another was written by an unknown singer named Rockwell who tried to hide his true identity due to his famous father and even used a fake British accent to throw off reporters, and one song became a hit because a famous actress was on a radio show and she was trying to play her boyfriend’s band but played the wrong side of the tape where the German singer Nena blew up the phones lines and made the song that was never supposed to be released in america a smash. Let’s do it.

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The Life and Legacy of Neil Sedaka Mar 08, 2026

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We lost another great one, and for me, this one really hurt. I was honored to spend several hours with the legendary singer-songwriter and comeback kid Neil Sedaka several years ago, and we really hit it off. In fact, he sent me Christmas cards and kept in touch in the years after that. I was honored to call him a friend. Neil was definitely one of the good guys in music. He wrote so many classics: Breaking Up is Hard to Do, Calendar Girl, Bad Blood, Laughter in the Rain, and the classic Carpenters song Solitaire which may be Karen Carpenter’s greatest vocal, and even though she hated singing it, she killed it. She and Neil had a little drama when they toured together, apparently, which Karen later said she regretted. Maybe they’ve worked it out on the other side, but I digress.

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6 Shocking Rock Comebacks: Def Leppard, Frank Sinatra, Nickelback and the Biggest Career Revivals Mar 07, 2026

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Coming up, it’s never over until it’s over. On this episode, we’re featuring 6 bands and artists whose careers were buried 6 feet deep. All of them had already made it big. Fame and fortune, chart-topping hits, best-selling albums, legions of adoring fans… they had it all… well, until they didn’t. The music industry is very fickle, and even the best can fall on hard times. But today, we’re all about the survivors, the comeback kids. I’m talking about acts that came back from the dead to enjoy a second life of musical dominance. On this countdown, you’ll hear the story of Def Leppard, who were one of the biggest bands in the 80s, who just a decade later were playing in Walmart parking lots and on the State Fair circuit. Plus how Frank Sinatra, the greatest singer in history, reached the low point of his career singing with a dog on a novelty track. How could he ever come back from that? And there’s also Nickelback, the band that got so much hate after blowing up, they lost a social media popularity contest to a pickle, which beat them out with over 1.5 million fans. Get ready for some really entertaining stories. Let's get started.

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FROM THE VAULT: The Story Behind the "Footloose" Soundtrack Mar 06, 2026

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Coming up next, a star-studded event with a diverse group of legends telling the story behind one of the Biggest movie soundtracks of the 80s. Footloose. It was one of only 5 albums to hit #1 the year it came out. A record that still stands and as a soundtrack it had 6 top 40 hits Footloose by Kenny Loggins, Let’s Hear it For the Boy by Deniece Williams, Almost Paradise by Mike Reno of Loverboy and Ann Wilson of Heart who we have interviews with to tell the story. The other hits were Dancing in the Sheets by Shalamar, Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler and Heaven Helps the Man by Kenny Loggins, 3 of these songs hit the top 10 and 2 went all the way to #1. And the screenwriter, Dean Pitchford had a hand in all of them! There are so many great stories hear. There’s the top 10 duet that almost didn’t happen because one singer broke her hand. She had to sing without pain pills and first met her duet partner when they sang the first take which became the record! And then 2 of the #1 hit were pitted against each other for an Oscar. Find out who, plus an appearance by Kevin Bacon!

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The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun”..: Who Really Wrote It? Mar 05, 2026

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Coming up, another great song mystery. It’s a famous song everyone knows: House of the Rising Sun. But Nobody really knows who wrote it or what it’s specifically about. Today we have a special guest to help us solve it, The Animals Eric Burdon. It was either about a hooker or a prisoner. It’s centuries old but became a #1 hit when the lead singer of today’s Hall of Fame band covered it and may have invented a whole new genre with it. They were also the first British invasion band to wrestle #1 away from the Beatles who had dominated the top spot week after week and in the end, this singer didn’t really get paid for this song since he wasn’t listed as an arranger on the song. Also, other hilarious stories from this legend on several other classic hits from this band is next on Professor of Rock.

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Fleetwood Mac’s Most Turbulent Era Mar 04, 2026

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Today, we're diving into one of the most turbulent, passionate, and creatively explosive sagas in rock history. This British-American supergroup, Fleetwood Mac, turned their personal disasters into platinum records. But somehow, through all the substance abuse and betrayal, they channeled their misery into one of the most epic rock careers ever. For this episode, we’ve got the story of two songs that were written by ex-lovers to be sonic weapons: Go Your Own Way and Dreams, each calling out the other in front of millions until the end of time. And the crazy thing is, they had to perform these songs together night after night, smiling for the cameras while secretly seething. Then there’s the story of the deeply personal song Sara that clocked in at 15 minutes with 16 verses. It told the entire story of the band, but there was no way it was ever getting onto the album or the radio. So the songwriter Stevie Nicks kept chopping down until it barely resembled what it was supposed to be. And yet, it is still an all-time classic.

It’s the Evolution of Fleetwood Mac told through their greatest songs and stories that have never been told till today… Let’s do it.

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FROM THE VAULT: 5 Forgotten 70s Hits to Rediscover Mar 03, 2026

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In this edition of 70s Hidden Gems, we dangerously hover over some gory pulp fiction with Bloodrock’s freaky D.O.A, We drift down the sea of heartbreak with Ian Gomm’s Hold On….and come together for a union of humanity with Livingston Taylor “I Will Be In Love With You" (James Taylor’s brother) and Lindisfarne with Run For Home and Robert Palmer’s Every Kind of People.

This is A showcase of 5 diverse 70s Hidden Gems that you’re going to love to re discover , including commentary from artists up, NEXT on Professor of Rock

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The Greatest ’70s Classics That Weren’t Hits — Carole King, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones & More Mar 02, 2026

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Coming up, some of the greatest songs of the 70s have one thing in common. Even though they are classics and you hear all the time on classic rock radio, they were never hits. Some struggled and did not make the Top 40 on the Billboard chart, and some were not even released as singles. We'll share the story of legendary singer Carole King who had 24 hits before the age of 20, but when she went solo, naysayers said her voice was too weak to make an impact… she answered with the best-selling solo album of the decade. Then there was the song Rock and Roll that Led Zeppelin was struggling to record, so they just started jamming on the spot, and by accident, that jam became the greatest encore song in rock history. Plus, the song Can’t You Hear Me Knocking that the Rolling Stones played as a warm-up, but the warm-up was so great that, unbeknownst to them, the tape was rolling, and it became one of the greatest songs of the time. Plus, John Lennon's How Do You Sleep, a track that energized a feud between the most prolific writing duo of all time, and a teenage fiddle player who snuck into one of the most famous sessions in rock history and played a part randomly that would go down in history. Let’s do this.

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FROM THE VAULT: The Dark Side of the Moon — Pink Floyd’s Masterpiece Turns Another Year Mar 01, 2026

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On March 1st, 1973, Pink Floyd released The Dark Side of the Moon — an album that redefined what rock music could be.

In this episode, we revisit the making of this landmark record with legendary engineer Alan Parsons, who shares firsthand stories from inside Abbey Road Studios. From the heartbeat that opens the album to classics like “Time,” “Money,” and “The Great Gig in the Sky,” discover how bold experimentation and visionary production helped create one of the most influential albums of all time.

On its anniversary, we celebrate the masterpiece that changed music forever.

Only on Professor of Rock.

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6 Songs That Became Pop Culture Punchlines Feb 28, 2026

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Oh man, this one is going to be something else. Today we're counting down 6 songs that became pop culture punchlines… These tracks that got mocked, misunderstood, and in some cases, flat-out destroyed. I’m talking about one musical legend, Isaac Hayes, whose biggest song, the Theme from Shaft, was parodied in pop culture more times than you can count, including by the Cookie Monster. But if that wasn’t enough, he also completely rewrote that song so he could collaborate with Mr. Potato Head to sell French Fries. Then there’s was the hard rock frontman Jani Lane, who was excited to release his band Warrant's sophomore album that would show his more serious side and poetic lyrics, but the head of the label wanted a hit song so this Jani wrote Cherry Pie, the dumbest song he could think of, on a pizza box in 15 minutes as a big joke. The only problem is the CEO loved it, and it became a massive hit. It got so bad that Jani went on record saying he’d rather be dead than be known for that song. On top of that, we’ve got Rod Stewart disco disasters, some seriously cringeworthy musical performances by Corey Feldman, and the 13-year-old Rebecca Black, who wrote the viral song Friday that was universally cited as the worst thing to ever happen to music. Let's go.

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