Play That Rock n‘ Roll

This is Play That Rock n' Roll's countdown of the Top Ten *POLITICAL* Songs from Bruce Springsteen! To do this, we are joined by the host of "Set Lusting Bruce: A Bruce Springsteen Fan Podcast", Jesse Jackson! In this conversation, we talk about our favorite songs Bruce Springsteen that feature lyrics about social/political issues. We cover songs that were written about Hurricane Katrina, police violence, Three Mile Island, immigration, the Vietnam War, the Great Recession, and other politically themed topics. Our Links: https://linktr.ee/playthatpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus episode, I am joined by podcaster Jesse Jackson to celebrate his tenth anniversary of hosting Set Lusting Bruce: A Bruce Springsteen Fan Podcast (and myself hitting 100 episodes), and then talk about some of the big news for Bruce Springsteen in 2025. Set Lusting Bruce: https://www.facebook.com/SetLustingBruce/ https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/setlustingbruce https://www.patreon.com/setlustingbruce Our Links: https://linktr.ee/playthatpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Play That Rock n' Roll's interview with STU COOK, legendary bassist of Creedence Clearwater Revival! Stu visited the show to promote an album he recorded (called "JACKDAWG") along with John McFee and Keith Knudson from The Doobie Brothers. In this conversation, we talk about how JACKDAWG got started, their songwriting process, why the album took so long to get a proper release, and how they came up with the name. Stu also tells the stories behind a few of the tracks, and shares his memories of drummer Keith Knudson. We also discuss two major aspects of Stu’s career. The first being his production work on Roky Erickson’s 1980 album “The Evil One”. And then we close the interview with Stu reflecting on his time playing in Creedence Clearwater Revisited, which is how I saw him in concert. Get "JACKDAWG" here: http://www.liberationhall.com/index.php?id_product=387&controller=product Our Links: https://linktr.ee/playthatpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Play That Rock n' Roll's interview with Gary Graff, editor of "501 ESSENTIAL ALBUMS OF THE '80s: The Music Fan's Definitive Guide"! In this conversation, we talk about some of the major musical trends of the ‘80s and how Gary felt about them in his early days as a music journalist. And since we had both recently seen Devo on their current tour, Gary shares his review of that show. From there, we dive in on some Classic Rock selections that he wrote the reviews for, specifically albums from Genesis, Steve Winwood, Toto, Night Ranger, Alice Cooper, among others. We also discuss why so many ‘60s artists had comebacks in the ‘80s, and of course I had to ask him about what Bob Seger was up to in that era. Gary on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GaryGraffonMusic Gary on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/graffonmusic.bsky.social Gary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realgraffonmusic Our Links: https://linktr.ee/playthatpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the final part of Play That Rock n' Roll's coverage of ROCKNPOD 2025, and this episode features three guest interviews. The first is with singer/songwriter ROBERT FLEISCHMAN. The second is with JEANNE BASONE aka "Hollywood" from GLOW. And the third is with A&R man TOM ZUTAUT. In the first conversation, Robert Fleischman talks about his new solo album "Emotional Atlas", and how he channel his emotional pain into a beautiful piece of art. He also discusses the importance of artistic independence, and reflects on his time with Journey. In the second conversation, Jeanne "Hollywood" Basone talks about what's included in her new book, "HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD", and how she put it together. In our last conversation, former A&R man Tom Zutaut talks about how he got started in the music business when he was still in high school, what it was like to work alongside David Geffen at Geffen Records, and his opinion on the infamous lawsuit Geffen filed against Neil Young when he was there. Robert Fleischman links: https://www.robertfleischman.com/ https://www.instagram.com/fleischmanrobert.art.music/ Jeanne Basone links: https://jeannebasone.com/ https://www.instagram.com/officialglowhollywood/ Tom Zutaut links: https://www.youtube.com/@CanYouGetMeIn Our Links: https://linktr.ee/playthatpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Play That Rock n' Roll's special FULL TEAM COVERAGE of the announcement stating that WARREN ZEVON is a 2025 inductee for the ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME! This roundtable discussion features Chad Kushins (author of NOTHING'S BAD LUCK: The Lives of Warren Zevon), former radio host Anita Gevinson (who wrote about her relationship with Warren in her book, YOU TURN ME ON, I'M A RADIO), and photographer George Gruel (who wrote about his time as Warren's best friend and road manager in his book LAWYERS, GUNS, & PHOTOS). In this episode, we celebrate the news of Warren being inducted and discuss WHY he is deserving of this honor. Chad gives some backstory about why it took so long for Warren to be inducted, while Anita and George tell some hysterical stories about him. Anita also shares her memories of singer/songwriter (and Warren's friend) Jill Sobule, who tragically passed away recently. Finally, we built an "entry point" playlist of Warren Zevon songs for those who are new to his catalog or perhaps are only familiar with "Werewolves of London". Warren Zevon "Starter Pack" Spotify playlist Get NOTHING'S BAD LUCK Get YOU TURN ME ON, I'M A RADIO Get LAWYERS, GUNS, & PHOTOS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Play That Rock n' Roll's interview with author C.M. Kushins about his book "BEAST: John Bonham and The Rise of Led Zeppelin". In this conversation, we talk about why he wanted to write about John Bonham, how Chad navigated the myths and legends that surround Led Zeppelin, and what sets this book apart from all the other biographies about this band. We also discuss the new documentary “Becoming Led Zeppelin” and Chad shares his thoughts about what Zeppelin might have done if Bonham had not tragically passed away when he did. Also, Chad has a new book that will be released later this year called “COOLER THAN COOL: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard”. We talk a bit about this one as well. Learn more at https://www.harperacademic.com/book/9780063306868/cooler-than-cool/ Our Links: https://linktr.ee/playthatpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Play That Rock n' Roll" proudly presents the second part of a special mini-series that details the incredible life and career of songwriter Jimmy Buffett. We are joined by my friend Chris to explore Buffett's full studio catalog, track by track. In this episode, we cover a soundtrack he recorded for a largely-forgotten comedy film, the introduction of the Coral Reefer Band, and a hot streak of hit records that made up the most successful period of his catalog, which included his career-defining hit song "Margaritaville". We also settle, once and for all, the debate over what goes on a proper Cheeseburger in Paradise. We are also joined by Stephanie Myers from the Songfacts Podcast, as she visits the pod to share some thoughts on her favorite album of Jimmy's, which was released during this era. Our Links: https://linktr.ee/playthatpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices