Professor of Rock

Coming up…a year in music that needs some tweaking. It was the best of times, but today we’ll make it even better as well as select the 10 songs that should’ve been #1, including the greatest opening 20 seconds of a song in the history of our planet. And I know I won’t get a single argument from you once you hear the song. Plus, one of the most feel-good singalong classics, Easy, a song that ever came from a singer’s notes that he wrote down at a stressful business meeting… He turned those meeting notes into an all-timer. Plus Aerosmith's Walk This Way, the most miraculous rock song ever, that FAILED the first time it was released, then it hit The top 10 when it was put out again a few years later and then 10 years after that it came out a 3rd time and saved this band’s failed career. Plus, Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed that wasn’t a hit until 7 years after it was recorded, but a live version was what made all the difference. Plus the nasty lyric from Go Your Own Way that a guitarist wrote to shame his former girlfriend that caused her serious PTSD for decades because she had to sing it every night with him and take his abuse night after night….Let’s do it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Let's run it back with this classic! Legendary producer Narada Michael Walden tells us two stories that will make you laugh with joy! One of the most successful producers ever tells us how he was in the middle of working with Aretha Franklin when a 19 year old rookie name Whitney Houston walked in with a powerhouse confidence he’d never seen and recorded the #1 80s smash How Will I Know in 1 take beginning a legendary career few have equaled.. then he retells a story of when another legend named Prince challenged him and others in a game of basketball and with 7 inch heels and a puffy shirt schooled every one on the court. It’s a can't miss on professor of rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A great cover song takes a track you thought you knew, turns it inside out, and makes you forget it ever belonged to anyone else. Today we're counting down the Top 10 greatest covers ever recorded and telling the jaw-dropping stories behind them… including one about Joe Cocker, who walked out onto the biggest stage in rock history, launched into a version of a borrowed Beatles song so primal and transcendent that he summoned a literal rainstorm in the process. And it was from the greatest band ever, who were deemed un-coverable. But even the Beatles conceded that it was better than theirs. Plus there’s the rock and roll pioneer who watched a rival Elvis steal his song while he was lying incapacitated in a hospital bed. And it became the definitive version, but his rival was actually just trying to help him. Plus a cover song that shocked us all. Johnny Cash recorded it because he knew he was about to meet his maker and captured a moment that broke our hearts and even made the original artist, Trent Reznor, admit the song no longer belonged to him…Let’s get into a great debate about the greatest cover songs ever recorded…See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Go to https://www.kachava.com/ and use code POR for 15% off your first order. Coming up… It’s time to rewrite history and give the greatest songs of 1973 their real due. These Top 10 hits missed the #1 spot on the charts, but as you’ll see, they were all actually better than the songs that did hit #1. Let’s put it right. So many classics here. Including the song that a legendary singer wrote as a parody of Bob Dylan. He basically did an impersonation of him, and it made the song an all-time classic. Plus the rock song that Paul McCartney wrote in mere minutes on the spot that was rejected by an iconic movie franchise that wanted a lounge act to replace him on the song… As well as the classic rock song that every casual rock fan knows by heart but almost nobody can remember who sings it. It’s one of the most missed trivia questions in music. There’s also Long Train Running by the Doobie Brothers, a song that came from a 10-minute jam that they sat on for 3 years until their producer forced them to put words to it, and it became a classic. And finally, there’s the classic Steely Dan hit Do It Again that confused the hell out of fans because the lead singer was so overcome by stage fright, he had the band’s backup singer tackle it in concert. Leaving fans trying to figure out who really sang it?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s been a horrible year in terms of losing legends in music, and sadly we just lost another one. The compelling singer who gifted us with several 80s classics from our youth. Pete Byrne, the singer from the new wave band Naked Eyes. Pete passed away from a stroke brought on by a brief illness. Pete was a fantastic guy who ruled the charts with the one-two punch of Always Something There to Remind Me and Promises Promises. The Music videos were absolute classics that rocked MTV during its peak. Coming up next, in one of his final full-length interviews, I have the story of both of those classics with Pete. I was fortunate to get to know him and have this deep-dive conversation about these classic tunes and his passion for music. Let’s get into it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up… In 1986, these songs didn’t crack the Top 10; some may have thought they were also rans, but over time, they became bigger than songs that did, and some even bigger than the songs that made it to #1, including David Lee Roth, one of the most dynamic frontmen of the Rock Era, released a song about an American symbol of liberty, but there is a bizarre connection with a book that is titled… The Satanic Bible. Plus Tarzan Boy, a song that was sung by a singer who was NOT the person singing in their heavily played music video... and fans are still confused today. Who really sang the hit? You’ll find out. Plus the broadcast from an illegal satellite dish that inspired a song called Russians that many argue Stopped Nuclear War with 1 question. Plus the bitter Van Halen feud between Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen about the legacy of the band. Sammy says Alex is erasing his legacy of 4 #1 albums and a dozen massive hits, while Alex recently called Sammy an idiot. We cover the song they recorded together that can’t be denied. We’re counting down the Top 10 In-Betweeners of ’86, songs that peaked between #11 & #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. But they're just as good as the song that hit #1.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 1950s gave us the birth of rock and roll — and with it a collection of song stories so bizarre and completely unhinged that they sound made up. Behind the poodle skirts and the sock hops was a decade of scandals, accidents, and twists that will shock you. Today we're counting down the Weirdest and Wickedest songs the 50s ever produced. First… the sweet, childlike duet Tonight You Belong to Me that was recorded as a family keepsake somehow became one of the most chilling songs on the internet thanks to a dark urban legend about girls forced to sing it by a lunatic. It racked up millions of views on social media… even though the real story behind the record is stranger than any ghost story. Then… a female rock pioneer Wanda Jackson recorded a sensually charged song laced with references to nuclear devastation that American radio banned outright and many felt it was truly offensive to one particular country… only to watch it become one of the biggest hits ever in that exact country! And finally… the song Purple People Eater that its writer dismissed as the worst thing ever written was rescued from obscurity by a group of record label employees who couldn’t stop playing it in the lunchroom. Plus the story of Rock Around the Clock by BIll Haley and his Comets....Let’s go.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, a grand year in music where once again a bunch of legendary Top 10 hits that missed the #1 spot on the charts were actually better than the songs that did. Today we’re rewriting history by putting them where they belong… at #1. We’ll spotlight a classic from an Elton John who got so upset about the cadence a song was written in that he recorded it with an EXAGGERATED AMERICAN ACCENT, and it made the song a classic. Plus the song Longfellow Serenade that stole its idea from a 19th century poem to seduce an older woman, and it ended up becoming a classic. Plus, the cocky college student from Steely Dan who hit on his professor’s pregnant wife and actually got her number, but instead of having an affair, he turned it into his biggest hit on the charts. And the Lynyrd Skynyrd rock icon who ominously predicted his demise, proclaiming that he wouldn’t make it to age 30. His prediction came true when he tragically passed away less than 3 months before his 30th birthday. Then there’s the mysterious man Tony Burrows, who recorded vocals for 5 different bands and strangely enough, each of those songs became a one hit wonder. But we start with the bold teenager Chaka Khan who told the biggest music Icon of his time that the song he gave to her rookie band to record was Trash and he needed to give them something BETTER… See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You won’t believe this epsidoes. A Rock concert that was so loud and unruly it caused an earthquake from the Foo Fighters? An unfinished 80s instrumental song that sold half a billion copies from an imaginary band who scammed half the world, and a an icon that had a hit song for 7 straight decades Coming up, it’s a countdown that centers on Guinness World Records but for music. And for this episode we’re bringing you six larger than life stories. Including rock band who destroyed the most guitars on a single tour…It’s over 140 by the band Muse. and a band who played 8 concerts in 8 different cities throughout 3 different states in just 24 hours but we start out with the rock band that I mentioned previously who caused an actually earthquake with their insane rock show. can you guess the band? Let’s do it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You’re gonna love today's episode. Today We’re taking a trip back to the 80s for more of the best that television has to offer. It’s our latest edition of 80s TV Theme Songs. On previous shows have covered primetime juggernauts like Cheers, Family Ties, Knight Rider, The A-Team, and a bunch of others. That episode had some great stories, like how The A-Team ripped off Cream’s epic rock classic Sunshine of Your Love, but CREAM LOVED IT, and how the Cheers theme started off in a musical. But we’ve got a whole new line-up of classic 80s themes… including Unsolved Mysteries that scarred a generation of kids and had parents writing and calling, begging the show to change the song because it was so disturbing. Plus, there’s the famous TV actor Alan Thicke, who almost nobody knows was a secret TV THEME song master. When nobody was looking, he wrote 40 TV songs, including 3 of the biggest ever, and he even sang one. Plus the hit TV song for Moonlighting that a respected artist got talked into leaving off his new album because his producer thought it wasn’t on point with the other tracks… He lost out on over a million in sales! But we kick off the episode with a TV show that would never get made today because of its so-called politically incorrect premise, it starred a rookie actor named Tom Hanks, who would become the biggest box office draw of the late 80s and 90s, and it used one of the biggest hits of the late 70s as its TV theme until the rights got too expensive, and so they commissioned a SHODDY CHEESEBALL COVER of it that many misunderstood as the real deal… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGqJqWwyvnoSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I’ve got a great one today. We’re counting down the Catchiest songs of a legendary decade. These songs were all hits, but they are the kinds of hits that you’re pumped when they get stuck in your head… they’re that good. The 60s produced some of the most irresistible, perfectly constructed rock songs ever recorded, and they have even better stories. One of these classics went to the top of the charts, and as it got radio play, fans misheard a key lyric in it… at first it frustrated the legend who wrote it, but in the end he started singing the misheard lyric that way in concert as a joke between him and his fans. Plus the most Mysterious band in history: ? and the Mysterians. Some say they came from Mars; some say the singer is thousands of years old. Seriously, nobody is sure what is true about this band’s enigmatic singer and his biggest hit. In fact, I got in trouble with the singer over a show I did on them years ago… Will we ever know who they really are? Plus the rookie band The Monkees that was in competition with the Beatles, and then their main songwriter misheard The Beatles' new song on the radio and made a song out of it that ended up dethroning their greatest rival on the charts. And finally, Steam, a group of musicians who were so embarrassed by a throwaway B-side that they recorded, because they made a joke out of the recording session and were so over the top and silly that they slapped a fake band name on the song… and then watched in horror as the label made it the A-side and it went on to sell 6 million copies. And that’s where our countdown starts...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we’re going back to the strange year that separated two decades… where music really had no identity… Hair Metal was waning, and Grunge was still undiscovered, but today we entering an alternate universe where music history has been changed. As we count down the 10 songs that made the top ten but missed #1 but today they get their due… including Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence that a band member stole from its writer and snuck behind his back to CREATE a whole new musical backbone BEHIND IT. SPEEDING IT UP adding a new beat to it AND MAKING IT SOAR. The writer was LIVID, but itmade the song perfect and gave the band their biggest hit. Plus, Phil Collins, the biggest hitmaker of the 80s, was hired to write a song for a movie, but then the producers rejected it... so he kept it for himself, and he had sweet revenge when it was a bigger hit than the movie. Plus, Free Fallin', a song by the iconic singer Tom Petty making up funny lyrics to make his legendary producer laugh. The lyrics got dumber and dumber, but his joke song became his biggest hit and an all-time classic. And then there’s the only album in music history with 7 top 5 hits. And Skid Row, the hard rock band who fought like hell to keep a corny power ballad off their blistering debut... but their singer hit one of the most insane high notes in history and they were forced to put it out, and that story is where our countdown starts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/POR and use code POR and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup!You’ve heard the Doublecross stories of rock and roll in the past, like the evil manager who stole everything from the band Badfinger, leaving them penniless, and led to two of the members taking their own lives, and how David Bowie fired his whole band mid-concert. Well, I’ve got 5 more backstabbing, relentless double-cross stories, including the Murry Wilson worst father in music history. He went behind his son Brian and his band’s back and sold their 200-song catalog that included 30 of the biggest hits in rock history for pennies on the dollar... compared to their half-a-billion-dollar value. Plus, Queensryche, who fired their lead singer’s wife as manager, which caused an in-concert meltdown where the singer spit on his bandmates and then beat ‘em up after that… the grudge match led to 2 different iterations of the band touring under the same name. But that’s nothing because one of the biggest bands ever, Fleetwood Mac, had a greedy manager who put a fake version of the band out on tour hoping that fans wouldn’t notice. That’ where our countdown starts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.