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:

25 or 6 to 4: How Peter Cetera Sang a Smash Hit With His Jaw Wired Shut Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

Coming up, the story of Chicago’s 70s classic “25 or 6 to 4” a song with a killer guitar riff by Terry Kath, a high-octane vocal by Peter Cetera, and a meaning from the songwriter Robert Lamm that was so rife with controversy it was banned in one of the world’s biggest cities, Singapore. But what is “25 or 6 to 4” really about? There are many theories. But one thing is for sure, it’s a song that continues to get passed on from generation to generation and its back story is one of the most interesting tales of the 70s… Peter Cetera had to record the vocal through clenched teeth because his jaw was wired shut and the songwriter Robert Lamm has changed his story about writing it so many times. So what really happened in a bungalow in the Hollywood Hills that inspired one of rock’s greatest tracks? We’ll take you there… NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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The Wild Stories Behind Weird Al’s Most Famous Parody Rejections Mar 16, 2024

Show notes

So today we’re at it again. You asked for it and now we’re delivering the goods. We’re telling the stories of even more artists who rejected Weird Al Yankovic…the king of musical comedy’s parody requests. Including one musician who was a fan but just couldn’t say yes. Another who decades later still regrets saying “no.” And the story of how one artist single-handedly sabotaged the sales of one of Al’s albums. Call it karma or sweet revenge, but somehow Al always seems to get a little payback in the end… in the nicest way possible. After all, Weird Al is a pretty nice guy. So stick around for 5 Weird Al rejections that will have you questioning the sanity of these artists… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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The Sound of Silence: How a Remix Without Permission Made Music History Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

Coming up…. the story of the breakout smash The Sound of Silence by one of the most prolific duos of the Rock Era, Simon and Garfunkel. When The Sound of Silence was first made, it was placed on an album that was floundering. The duo was so distraught by the poor sales of their debut record, that they split up, and resigned to go down a completely new career path. The historic greatness of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel may have never been realized if it hadn’t been for a crafty A&R man who devised a plan to revitalize The Sound of Silence… by remixing and re-releasing it. But he did not reveal his plan to the two artists that he signed to a record deal. Simon and Garfunkel were livid when they heard the song, but they got over it when it went to #1. Later it would be remade by the band DISTURBED! The story of the twist and turns of a true classic, a song 60s years ahead of its time is NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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Bob Seger’s Live Anthem Turn the Page: Born from Conflict, Revived by Metallica Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

Coming up…..The legendary Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band would play a brutal run of 265 live shows in a horrendous year on the road. And it would all blow up in a would-be brawl between rednecks and hippies at a truck stop spawned by an act of bigotry… Bob Seger was smack dab in the middle of it but turned the experience into one of the most distinctive and heart-stopping vocals in history in the definitive song on the subject of life on the road: Turn the Page. It’s a 70s classic that didn’t take off until Seger released a live version. Then Metallica would cover it in the 90s and blow it up all over again. Get ready for an amazing story…next on Professor of Rock.

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The Untold Tale of "I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am" Straight from Peter Noone Mar 13, 2024

Show notes

Coming up… an interview with an icon of early rock and roll, Peter Noone. Peter was only 15 years old when he became the singer behind Herman’s Hermits who would go on to garner 18 hits, including 11 that hit the top 10 and several that went to #1. In fact, before Peter had his 18th birthday he and Herman’s Hermits finished ahead of the Beatles on the Billboard year-end survey of top groups. It was on the strength of two big hits that kept his band in the top ten for 6 months! Including today’s song “I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am” which was actually from the year 1910… It caught on because it was so easy to sing and so easy to remember…It’s because the band repeated the same verse three times because they only knew the one verse even though the song had numerous verses…it made “I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am” one of the most famous novelty songs ever… The story is coming up straight from the icon next on Professor of Rock.

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Debbie Harry Wrote This #1 Hit in 10 Minutes While Watching Wrestling Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

Coming up. Rockstar couple Debbie Harry and Chris Stein from Blondie were sitting on the couch watching Pro Wrestling and in the midst of the action they wrote today’s featured song Rapture in about 10 minutes… It was a silly song about a man from Mars eating cars and people. It actually had very rapid-fire lyrics... even so, Debbie recorded it in just one take. They planned to call the song Coca-Cola, but Coke had some issues with that and there’s the lyric that everyone swore was the singer dropping a crude F-bomb, but the lyrics sheet listed it as finger-popping… Even so, Rapture became the first song of its genre to hit #1. Up next, the amazing story of Blondie and their 80s classic Rapture, the first rap song to hit #1…and it was by a new wave group! Next on Professor of Rock.

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The Cranberries Almost Got Dropped by Their Label Until “Linger” Changed Everything Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

It started with an audition… a strange girl named Dolores O’Riordan in a pink tracksuit walked in to try out to be a singer for an indie band that was going nowhere… The Cranberries. She was surrounded by a bunch of guys who laughed at her mockingly. However, this Dolores had a secret weapon… one of the most powerful and recognizable voices of a generation A few minutes later these jokers were picking their jaws up off the floor. She could really sing…. but could she write? This band sent Dolores home with the music to a song they’d written. They wanted to see what this rookie could do. Only thing is… Dolores had never actually written a song before. She came back with a song called Linger. It was filled with infatuation, deception, betrayal, blind devotion… and a tranquility in the delivery that would put them at the top of the charts. Only thing is Linger bombed when it was released. And The Cranberries were afraid their label was gonna drop ‘em, but what happened next would change the fortunes of this band forever…. the story is NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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“Love Will Tear Us Apart”: Joy Division’s Anthem of Heartbreak, Hate, and Tragedy Mar 09, 2024

Show notes

Coming up, it’s the story of fallen frontman Ian Curtis and Joy Division, a band widely considered one of the most important of their era. Ian was tortured soul, but also a musical mastermind who knew his way around dark and poignant lyricism. And his manic stage presence was no less intriguing… as it featured a berserk dance style that left audiences wondering if he was possessed. Ian Curtis’s story, though profoundly fascinating, came to a tragic end too soon. However, his all-too-short career was capped off with an eternal standard of a song: Love Will Tear Us Apart. It’s maybe the most counterintuitive love song ever written. More a Hate Song than a Love Song… Depends on who you ask…Bernard Sumner or Peter Hooky...The subtext of this track is filled with the harrowing happenings of his life: persistent depression, life-threatening seizures, a fragmented marriage, and when viewed posthumously… death. With the help of one of his surviving bandmates Peter Hook, we’re going to unravel the mystery behind one the most tortured songs of all time… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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“Heroes” by David Bowie: The Iconic Anthem That Defied the Charts Mar 08, 2024

Show notes

The wondrous story of an all-time classic song from the 70s that everyone knows by heart. But the crazy thing is…it was never actually a hit… It’s Heroes by David Bowie. Our story starts in West Berlin in 1977. Two anonymous lovers met in secrecy in front of the Berlin Wall. Above them, armed soldiers in a guard tower scour the scene. What was their secret? Well, legendary artist David Bowie witnessed this and wrote Heroes about this secret… a secret he would keep for decades... in the process of recording his legendary vocal Bowie used a microphone trick that we’ll talk about that conveyed the emotion and magic. Bowie would also say that Heroes was a bitch to sing. He always had to plan out his setlist just right to get the vocal right. The result is a song for the ages NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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How a Translation Error Turned “Venus” Into a #1 Smash—Twice! Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

Here’s one for ya… Today’s song Venus by Shocking Blue was written in a different language… When it was translated to English, guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen wrote down the opening line incorrectly… However, the singer who recorded it, Mariska Veres spoke only Dutch so she sang the lyric wrong. The typo changed how the word was sung… which became very confusing since the word that was sung hadn’t been used since the 1500s. But nobody caught it until after it was released…It wouldn’t matter… Venus hit #1… In fact, it hit #1 twice… in two different decades…the 70s and the 80s by 2 different bands, Shocking Blue and Bananarama, and would become the only song title in history to hit #1 3 different times… Up next, the incredible back story of this irresistible smash Venus and the skinny behind both #1 hit versions that have dazzled multiple generations of music fans including the hilarious mispronounced lyric! Next on Professor of Rock.

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