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:

Remembering Billy Steinberg: The Songwriters Hall of Famer Behind 5 #1 ’80s Hits Feb 27, 2026

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We've had a tough couple of weeks in the music world, with the recent passing of an incredible 80s songwriter, Billy Steinberg. He penned five number one 80s songs for some of the era's biggest female artists, making him a true legend in songwriting. Dive into this episode of the music podcast to remember his famous songs and the impact of 80s music. Songwriters Hall of Famer Billy Steinberg, wrote 5 Number one hits in the 80s for some of the greatest female singers of the era, including Alone By Heart, True Colors for Cyndi Lauper, So Emotional for Whitney Houston, Eternal Flame for The Bangles, and like a Virgin for Madonna…Plus other big Hits for Divinyls, the Pretenders, and Linda Ronstadt. He was hit making machine and one of the good guys of music. I was so grateful I got a chance to interview him and get to know him and we’ve exchanged messages over and remained in touch over the years since that interview. Up next, an interview with Billy about his big hits, including a great story of meeting and writing a song for his hero Roy Orbison, and his interactions with other great singers who interpreted his songs, including his infamous exchange with Madonna. God Bless him, may he rest in peace…His songs will live forever… here’s the interview.

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FROM THE VAULT: How Pink Floyd Proved Roger Waters Wrong with Two #1 Hits After He Quit Feb 25, 2026

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It was one of the biggest breakups in rock history. After creating a catalog of desert island albums, Pink Floyd was torn apart by bitter feuding, behind-the-scenes schemes, and as one band member described it, “borderline megalomania.” Sadly, the inability of its two principal members Roger Waters and David Gilmour to put their differences aside made it impossible to continue. Roger Waters said that Pink Floyd was all him and tried to dissolve the band to go solo… David Gilmour and Nick Mason kept the outfit going while Waters scoffed that they couldn’t survive without him.. they answered with the 1987 record a Momentary Lapse of Reason that returned them to #1 on the rock charts with Learning to Fly and On the Turning Away. The story of the battle of Pink Floyd.

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The Best Cartoon Theme Songs of the ’60s and ’70s Feb 24, 2026

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We did the 80s, but after thousands of requests for the 60s and 70s… we are counting down the top cartoon themes of those decades… And there are some spectacular stories to tell here. Like how The Flintstones started out as a prime time show with the main animated characters selling cigarettes during the commercials and even smoking them!. Then there is the famous voice actor who fell into a coma after a head-on collision… But then his doctors began talking to him as if he were a cartoon character. And he came back to life! Find out which character brought him back from death’s door. Then there’s Super Friends, the cartoon that was not allowed to animate any violence. They weren’t even allowed to throw a punch. So they had to find very creative ways to bring the villains to justice. Then there’s the Archies song Sugar Sugar that was the biggest Hit song of the year. Topping the Beatles and the stones but the singer Ron Dante behind it had to keep his identity a secret for decades…. Let’s Count ‘em down!

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Songs That Sound Totally 80s… But Hide Dark & Shocking Stories Feb 23, 2026

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Here we are… more than twenty-six years into the 21st century, and you can really feel how much has changed since the start of the 2000s. Pop culture has evolved in big ways. When you rewatch a movie or TV show from one of your favorite decades, the outfits and the way people spoke have that distinctive sound & look that perfectly reflect that era. Songs can be like that. Songs from that favorite period can sound dated, like the year they were released, not timeless in a production sense, yet they take us right back to those precious moments in our lives that are memories we treasure. It used to be a slight when one would say that a song sounds dated but now it’s a compliment because they captured a snapshot in time including Wang Chung's Everybody Have Fun Tonight that had a chorus that was improvised as a joke but that joke became a major catchphrase of the 80s, plus the happy go lucky Novelty song by Timbuk 3 that had a more sinister meaning… this one hit wonder band was offered millions by advertisers to license it, but they wanted to stay true to its message so they turned it down, plus Rock Me Amadeus that was the first All German sung song to hit #1 on the charts. Let’s do it.

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Rock’s Most Ridiculous Hits Vol. 2: Fountains of Wayne, Chuck Berry, Nada Surf & Primus Feb 22, 2026

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So today we’re coming back to a show that we did a little while back that you all absolutely loved. It was one of our most popular episodes of 2025… the funniest “non-parody” songs of the Rock Era. Well, we’re back for round two, and these tracks don’t pull any punches. And some of these are really ridiculous. Included in the ranks is one rock’s most famous “teen crush" anthems, Stacy's Mom, a Mrs. Robinson for the 90s, but while everyone thought it was inspired by a crush on his friend's mom, it was actually a crush on his friends Grandma! There’s also the country-fried tune by Primus that’s title is a double entendre about a beaver, and it really pissed off a Hollywood actress, Winona Ryder, who thought it was about her. Find out how it ended. Plus, we’ve got the rock track Popular by Nada Surf with a hard-hitting chorus whose lyrics plagiarized a 1964 etiquette manual about how to become a popular teenage girl, as well as Chuck Berry's My Ding-a-Ling, the dirty joke that was hidden inside of a Nursery rhyme that offended every parent in America when it hit #1… This episode’s got laughs, it’s got weirdness, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun. Let’s get started.

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The Satanic Panic of the ’70s: Why ELO’s “Fire on High” Was Accused of Evil Backmasking Feb 21, 2026

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Coming up. Let’s dive into the bizarre and sensational era of the Satanic Panic, a time when songs were accused of harboring "evil" hidden messages, and bands faced relentless scrutiny as alleged corruptors of society. While heavy metal bands were the primary targets, even the likes of today’s squeaky clean band ELO, the Electric Light Orchestra, found themselves entangled in the fanatical crusade. Today we break down the hidden messages in ELO’s music including the doubled sided hit Sweet Talkin’ Woman and Fire On High.. We unravel the stories behind these cryptic songs, their secret messages, and the mysterious woman who cast her spell on an unsuspecting rock star named Jeff Lynne and how Fire On High might must be the most bizarre and creepy B side of the entire 70s…. NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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FROM THE VAULT: The Darkness on Queen’s Influence and the Story Behind I Believe in a Thing Called Love Feb 19, 2026

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Let's reach into the vault for this classic from 2021. The brothers Hawkins from the Darkness tell the story behind their evolution in music including getting inspired by Queen as well as the story behind their Rock smash I Believe in a Thing Called Love one of the last great hard rock classic. A truly hilarious take from Justin and Dan Hawkins.

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The Best Songs of 1987 That Weren’t Hits Feb 18, 2026

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It Only HIT #105...But 40 Years Later It's CLEARLY the BEST SONG of 1987! | Professor of Rock

Coming up, we are covering one of the years that’s consistently called one of the 4 or 5 best years in rock history. In fact, it was so good there were dozens of incredible songs that missed the charts that were far better than any of the biggest hits of the last 15 years! It was a year full of major label gambles, such as one ballsy decision that nearly ruined one of the most anticipated albums of the Rock Era, Def Leppard's Hysteria. When the label released a disastrous lead off single Women that tanked the record and took a miracle to course correct. But decades later, that song is better than you remember. Then there’s one of the catchiest songs of the decade Lips Like Sugar that the lead singer Ian McCulloch felt was below average at best, but it took the underground band to American radio. And an infamous rock song Rocket Queen by Guns N Roses that included the real, unedited sounds of a sexual act that took place right in the middle of the recording session, and it was nearly banned from being put in stores… and last but not least, the biggest waste of a hit song in history, The Replacements CAn't Hardly Wait. It’s a song that was so catchy and cool, it’s actually a tragedy it wasn’t a hit… Let’s do it.

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Top 10 Love Songs You Shouldn’t Be Ashamed to Love – Billy Joel, Peter Gabriel, Journey & More Feb 17, 2026

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The Love songs we love to hate and hate to love... Music at it's best...Including Billy Joel, Peter Gabriel, Journey, and some guilty pleasures like Nickelback, Bryan Adams and Color Me Bad. it’s an episode that may raise a few eyebrows. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m counting down the Top 10 love songs you shouldn’t be ashamed to love, or maybe we should say it’s a countdown of the songs we hate to love… I’m not going to be too cool for school for this one. You can call them guilty pleasures or whatever you want, but the stories behind these songs are great, including the story behind one of the most iconic music scenes in 80s cinema. It almost never happened because lead actor John Cusack was furious that he might come off looking like a wuss. And he was so annoyed doing the scene, the director thought they wouldn’t be able to use any of the takes. But the pissed-off look in his eyes actually made the scene pop culture gold. Then there’s the group Color Me Badd that released a massive bilingual hit I Adore Mi Amore, despite the fact that not a single member actually spoke Spanish. So they were coached phonetically, word by word in the studio on how to sing the song. Then they had to frantically learn the language on tour so they wouldn't be exposed as frauds. And we’ve got the power ballad Far away from the most hated band in the world, Nickelback, that's actually... a lot better than you remember … Forget the internet mob, these songs are worth it... Let’s go.

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Remembering Three Doors Down’s Frontman Brad Arnold: Part 2 Feb 17, 2026

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Coming up next a special tribute to a rockstar we lost recently in an interview I did with him that I’ve never shared on here. Brad Arnold of Three Doors Down passed away on February 7th 2026, after battling stage 4 cancer that had spread to his lungs for nearly a year. He was 47. He battled this horrible disease with Optimism to the very end. His last message to fans was on Christmas when he shared a photo with his wife and dog kneeling down in front of a small tree. He said, “Merry Christmas, everybody. “I can’t tell you how thankful I am to be here!” I was grateful to get to know him when I interviewed him several years ago… I’ve shared a part of that interview about their Number one rock hit kryptonite but I’ve never shared the rest of the interview. and I gotta warn you… This one will hit you in the heart. What he says throughout the interview is deeply poignant and life-affirming. He was a man of faith, and he was one of the kindest, most genuine people I’ve ever met in this industry. And I was devastated when I heard he’d passed.

Cancer sucks. It also just took James Vanderbeek… Today, Brad tells the story of 3 Doors Down’s other big hits Here Without You and Love Me When I’m Gone and Loser and the songs take on a different meaning now. I have to admit, I really didn’t like 3 door down when they came out. I misjudged them, feeling their music was just ok, but then again, I didn’t really give it much attention until I met the band and Brad. After that, I was a fan. Because the band is just a bunch of good guys, and for the haters out there who went into the comments this week and said nasty things about Brad because of who he voted for, can you please show some compassion? A man has passed away…Somebody's husband, somebody’s brother, somebody's son… Let’s pay our respects. So here is the interview… Rest in peace, Brad.

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