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 'Mama, I’m Coming Home' Helped Ozzy Osbourne Rebuild His Life and Career Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

For years rock legend Ozzy Osbourne had been fighting a losing battle against alcoholism and substance abuse. He was always a controversial figure in rock, but in the late 80s, his personal demons took over. In a drunken act, he would forever regret, Ozzy went completely off the rails and almost killed his wife. The next thing he knew, he was waking up in a jail cell charged with attempted murder. How can anyone come back from something like that? Well, today we’re telling the unbelievable story of how he did. And how it all relates to Mama I'm Coming Home, a hit song he wrote for his wife that launched an impossible comeback. The story is next on Professor of Rock.

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How Sting Used a Unique Word in 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' and Made History Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

Coming up next an interview with one of the greatest, most legendary singer-songwriters of the rock era... Sting! We discuss a few of his biggest hits ever and he’s had a lot of them with both The Police and his solo career. We separate fact from fiction on some of the stories that have circulated about them... including one of the first songs he wrote about a girl he was in love with, but didn’t know he existed... the song would take many years to finally get a release and it went to the top of the charts and then many years after that Sting actually married the song’s muse! We also get the story of the massive hit Wrapped Around Your Finger, a song that used several words that have never been used before or after in a hit song... Plus If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, the song he wrote as an antidote to his earlier #1 hit Every Breath You Take. It’s a great interview and it’s next on Professor of Rock.

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Paul McCartney vs. John Lennon: The War of Words After The Beatles’ Breakup Oct 21, 2024

Show notes

Coming up, we’re telling the tale of a misunderstood sibling rivalry between Paul McCartney and John Lennon. We’re talking two legendary singer-songwriters who were the driving engines behind one of Music’s most legendary bands The Beatles… until it all fell apart. And yeah, it was one hell of a fallout. And that’s where we’re going with today’s episode, the aftermath and all its wreckage. As Paul and John went solo, a war of words ensued through their music… songwriting skirmishes and potshots launched via lyrics. Including some low blows. But was it really as bad as it seemed? The answer may surprise you. Today, it’s an all-out, free-for-all, “tell us how you really feel” songwriting slugfest and a multi-song episode that proves that the pen is mightier than the sword… Would there be a happy ending? Find out NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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How Dan Hartman’s 'I Can Dream About You' Became an Accidental 80s Classic Oct 19, 2024

Show notes

Coming up, an underrated treasure of the 70s and 80s, Dan Hartman, who wrote and performed one of the most ear-candied, hook-laden classics of 1984: I Can Dream About You. This song might be the best-kept secret of that year. It’s the one song that takes me right back to the 80s more than about any song from the decade, a true sonic time machine. And interestingly Dan Hartman actually wrote it for one of the biggest acts of the decade, Daryl Hall and John Oates. But they had to turn it down because it missed the deadline for their new album. So Dan basically impersonated this group and recorded it the way he thought they would. And I tell you, I Can Dream About You was so spot on to that to this day many people mistake it for Hall and Oates. It ended up being the main song for a film that flopped in its theatrical run but has become a cult classic. Stay tuned for the story of a classic on Professor of Rock.

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The Rise and Fall of Zebra: The Band Once Compared to Led Zeppelin Oct 19, 2024

Show notes

Coming up, it’s the story of a band that just might be the greatest rock group you’ve never heard of… Often compared to Led Zeppelin, and sometimes Triumph, this band called Zebra had a unique blend of rock influences that set them apart and gave them their own unmistakable edge. For nearly a decade, Zebra battled to make their mark, and when they finally broke through, it seemed like luck was on their side. With a debut album that sold 600K with rock hits like Who’s Behind the Door and Tell me What you want. Everyone thought they’d be the next great rock band. But as the plot thickened… a sudden turn of misfortune changed everything for this band, and their ascension was cut short. A slow rise to fame followed by a swift fall from greatness—is coming up next on Professor of Rock.

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How a Dirty Magazine Helped The J. Geils Band Find Their Biggest Hit 'Centerfold' Oct 18, 2024

Show notes

The J. Geils band paid their dues for over a decade on the road. They released 9 albums and not one was a hit, 11 singles with not one MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH… By the early 80s this hard-working, well-respected band was overdue for a breakout. Then all of the sudden in 1982 they were the toast of the charts with one of the biggest hits of the year: Centerfold. But the song wasn’t without controversy. Centerfold spent six weeks at the high-water mark and it was about a dirty magazine... yet it was so catchy everyone was singing it. Hell, I even got kicked out of Church for singing it. Then the band had a second straight smash hit Freeze Frame before completely disappearing from radio! Up next the story of the mysterious The J. Geils Band and their risque hit... and what the heck happened to them next on Professor of Rock.

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The New Radicals: One Hit, One Album, and a Sudden Departure from the Spotlight Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

Coming up…we uncover the story of the New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" a 1998 hit that took shots at healthcare giants, the banking industry, and corporate oppression. A PROVERBIAL middle finger aimed at the man… Maybe the last great mainstream song to do so. The song even railed against the artificiality of celebrity, with the singer threatening to kick the butt of some of the hottest musical stars of the time. The frontman of this group Gregg Alexander despised the flashy, superficial side of pop stardom. After just one hit song and one successful album, he walked away, disbanding the group because he couldn’t fake it anymore… he headed to London to rediscover his passion. It’s the story of an artist who captured bottled lightning, only to become disillusioned by the very success he worked so hard for... NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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Jim Morrison Called 'Hello, I Love You' a Dumb Joke…The Label Made It a #1 Smash Oct 16, 2024

Show notes

The Doors were coming off a year that included their breakthrough to the masses with one of the most iconic songs of the rock era, Light My Fire hit #1 and it didn’t sound like anything or anyone. Then they had another strange song that was a major hit from their second album that killed the sophomore jinx... People Are Strange. When they released their third album in 2 years Jim Morrison wanted one thing and the record label wanted another. The label pressured the band to release another hit single. Well, it just so happened that they had been sitting on a no-doubt-about-it hit song for years: Hello, I Love You. But they thought it was a sellout and felt the lyrics were too shallow. But with the pressure on they put it out. And just like the band thought… it became a #1 hit. Up next one of the last living members of the band Robby Krieger, tells the story as well as the fact that the band tried to recruit Paul McCartney to be their lead singer when the Beatles broke up. The stories are next on Professor of Rock.

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The Secret Meaning Behind Modern English’s 'I Melt With You': Love in the Face of Nuclear Destruction Oct 15, 2024

Show notes

We've been singing this 1983 classic all our lives and come to find out it's about a couple hooking up during nuclear war? I Melt With You by Modern English was written by all of band members...Robbie Grey Gary McDowell Richard Brown Michael Conroy Stephen Walker and produced by Hugh Jones and actually only hit #78 when it was first released but it became an MTV New Wave Classic and re charted in the 90s when the song became a smash all over again. Singer Robbie Grey tells the incredible story of this classic in an exclusive interview. One of the greatest one hit wonders ever!

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How Danny Elfman Created an 80s Classic in a Haunted Room—But Never Had a Top 40 Hit Oct 15, 2024

Show notes

Coming up next, one a scary story for ya. Our story revolves around singer-composer Danny Elfman who stayed in a haunted room where 7 people were murdered. He was told he might see their ghosts, and by the morning he had the idea for a song that would become one of the most recognizable songs of the 80s. But the thing is even though this composer has written dozens of the most recognizable songs in both radio and film, he never had a top 40 hit. In fact you could make the argument that his group Oingo Boingo the greatest band in history never to have an actual hit. Up next, the true story of the haunted room that spawned his biggest claim to fame and its aftermath.

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