Professor of Rock

Up next is our final countdown of our top song of each year countdown…We’ve covered every year from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and we have one left. Can you guess the final year? It was a monumental year, including Janis Joplin, a nervous legend who vomited every take she did while recording a song that out did any male rocker of the time…also the last great song, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay from Otis Redding who died in a plane crash just after releasing his signature tune, as well as a psychedelic classic Pictures of Matchstick Men that wouldn’t have happened if the lead singer liked his mother in law... even a little bit. Then there’s the famous song by The Beatles, Hey Jude, with a secret cuss word that I got in big trouble for even mentioning on my radio show, for fear of getting FINED by the Big boys. As well as the creepiest song of all time, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, sung by the weirdest pop star of all time, Tiny Tim. It’s the countdown of the Top 11 Songs of 1968…NEXT 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.

FROM THE VAULT: On this day in 2004, The Beastie Boys' album "To The 5 Boroughs" debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. To celebrate, we’ve got the story of those three mischievous New Yorkers who disavowed one of their biggest songs… Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA otherwise known as the Beastie Boys hated (You Gotta Fight) for Your Right (to Party). This breakthrough track became a legendary music video on MTV but for all the wrong reasons. A rebellious party anthem they wrote to make fun of party anthems in general but in the end, it painted the trio as immature frat boys. But the thing is, it was all a big joke… a throwaway track. Their producer however loved it and pushed for its release. After that things got out of hand real quick with the song blowing up on radio and MTV. And yeah, these guys were no angels… but when fans demanded they live up to the song’s raucous lyrics, they turned their backs on the track… and License To Ill in general. It almost broke up the band. Still, fans couldn’t get enough of it. And even today it is one of their most popular songs. It’s an all-out brawl for this band’s identity and a fight you’re not gonna want to miss… NEXT on the 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.

When Led Zeppelin released their debut album, it literally made the entire world shake. Nobody had ever heard a band like this… They took over America, touring nonstop in support of their earth-shattering LP. Their Label begged them to get one album #2 ASAP… Their sophomore record came out just months after their debut. Unheard of in music at that time… But in the hurried pace to get that second album out, the label kept them on the road…they were so slammed they had to record it in 13 different studios all over the world. Out of this second record came a masterful feel-good classic, Ramble On, that was inspired by a classic novel. Ramble On was an instant classic with a scorched earth vocal and blazing guitar and percussion…played on.. well, Nobody is exactly sure what the drummer was playing… We’ll try to solve that today… Ramble On is one of the band's most beloved, but they NEVER actually played it LIVE until they did a one-off concert after they broke up almost 40 years later, and it was the one time! They were so big, they said no to Woodstock. It’s a great one next 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.

Alright, we’ve done it three times before, and every time it was a Gas. I’m talking about the greatest television themes countdown. We’ve done the 60s, the 70s, and the 80s. So you know, we gotta dial up the 90s. And this is my favorite yet… You know all these themes by heart. We’ve got the Friends Theme I'll Be There For You that was recorded over a weekend & was only 40 seconds long so a DJ looped it a few times, making it a full song, and it hit #1 on 3 charts and made them 1-hit wonder Mega millionaires. Then there’s Seinfeld's anti-theme song that was made up of a bunch of weird mouth sounds and slap bass, and the songwriter had to play a unique version for every single episode. The show was such a hit that he had to do 200 different versions of the same song. Then there was the classic Law and Order theme that came from the footsteps of 500 monks on a hardwood floor, and the rockstar Danny Elfman who’s made tens of millions for singing three notes of The Simpsons Theme, and the eerie X-Files theme that came from a frustrated composer slamming his elbow on the keyboard. These are some of the stories you'll hear next on the 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.

Coming up next, a very interesting interview that was a little off at first but got better as we went along. It’s about Soul Asylum's Runaway Train, a song that started out as one thing and ended up making a powerful change worldwide. It came out of crippling depression and it took years to finish. Initially, the lyrics were too similar to another #1 Hit from another time, but after pushing through some horrendous trials, one day a metaphor hit singer-songwriter Dave Pirner like a bolt of lightning. An old memory of playing with a toy train, and he wrote Runaway Train we know, in a few minutes. Then the song’s video would have even more impact, helping solve crimes and saving lives. A song that came from Dave's lowest times changed the world in a way he could never have imagined. Get the story next 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.

Up next, an interview with Gary Numan about several songs that shook radio in different parts of the world. The first one, Are Friends Electric, was a hit in the UK and it came from an out of tune instrument that was written as a science fiction story about the future one that seemed far fetched in the late 70s but one that is a reality now about android hookers… and back then it sold a million copies then the second song Cars was a hit right in middle of soft rockers like Christopher Cross, and Olivia Newton John and this song could’ve have been more different. It was strange and epic, and it came from an incident of highway anger. Gary Numan cut someone off in traffic and almost got pummeled because of it. It became his only hit in America, even though he had many other brilliant hits. He got so sick of it, he resented it. He began to detest it, and then, years later, another legend made him realize he was being a huge baby, and he was grateful for it. A great interview with a legend is next.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

FROM THE VAULT: The Bee Gees or the brothers Gibb. Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb have sold more than 220 million records over their storied career. In this Bee Gees documentary we celebrate their astonishing run as the most prolific group of the 70s and list their top 5 songs from Lonely Days to Stayin’ Alive, from Jive Talking to How Deep Is Your Love. These are the stories behind their incredible music.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sometimes, taking a bold leap or making a risky move can seem like career suicide—until it isn’t. Coming up, we’ll reveal six incredible stories of artists who faced doubt, backlash, or skepticism, only to turn those moments into their greatest triumphs... including an up and coming singer, Anthony Kiedis, who had written a deeply personal song, Under the Bridge, that he hoped to release as a single. But his label execs wanted to see how it would do in concert. Then night he performed it in front of them he missed is cues and screwed up royalty. What happened next was beyond inspiration and convinced his label to put the song out, and it became his biggest hit… Then there was Kenny Loggins, who got a chance to record on the biggest movie soundtrack of the year, but he fell off a stage and broke several ribs. Kenny had to take pain meds and, in the process, sang the soundtrack songs in the wrong key and was fired from the project. But the firing allowed him to write his biggest hit, Footloose, which became a pop culture phenomenon. Our Countdown of the Top 6 Career Killers that became triumphs is NEXT, 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.

Coming up, a year that was so great we had to reformat our countdown to 12 songs, truly compelling masterworks here... including the song All the Young Dudes by David Bowie, which he knew was a can’t miss smash. But he gave it to his favorite band, Mott the Hoople, who needed a hit or they were done. The song saved their career and became an all-time classic. Then there was the rookie Justin Hayward, who sent the legend Eric Burdon his demo tape, and it was rejected. But then, years later, Eric ended up covering the artist he scorned... As well as the Seals & Crofts feel good classic Summer Breeze with a melody played by a toy the singer found in the studio, that made it sound different than anything on radio… Then there were The Hollies, who were known for crafting pretty pop hits, who decided to rock out, the lead singer did his best John Fogerty impression, and the song Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress became a smash. But then he got sued by the man he mimicked and had to pay him half the royalties. It’s the countdown of the Top 12 Songs of 1972, NEXT 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.

Today, we have a very special episode of Professor of Rock, and I’m going to get right into it. We lost a true musical Genius recently. But Ya know.. I’ve been thinking a lot about it. And GENIUS simply doesn't cover it. For Brian Wilson, there should be a higher word or title for him that could never be bestowed up on anyone else in music history... Only him. In my opinion, He composed the highest vibrations in popular music-period. He was a light in a sometimes very Dismal world, and his music will continue to cut through the darkest times. I’ve mentioned this before, but when I started doing interviews, I made a list of 15 legends I wanted to have a deep conversation with before I left this earth, and at the top of that list was Brian Wilson.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.