Professor of Rock

There are only a few dozen songs that came on the radio and rearranged our brains; they smacked us upside the head and changed the way we looked at the world. Today, we have the two principals from Living Colour behind one such song: Cult of Personality. It exploded onto MTV and Radio in the late 80s with an epic riff and a revolutionary message that had us seeing double. Corey Glover and Vernon Reid behind this force of nature song tell the story of Cult of Personality, a song that became a thinking man’s hard rock… At first, MTV wouldn’t play it until the biggest star in the world, who loved their music, threatened MTV, if they didn’t put this classic song in heavy rotation, he would hold back his new #1 Video. They gave in, and the rest is history. Coming up, a song that had so many famous soundbites in it, the band had no clue if they could get it released. Find out how they did it 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.

On This Day in Rock History, 1981, music changed forever with the launch of MTV, and the very first video to air was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. It became an anthem of the new era, but here’s the twist: it wasn’t an '80s song at all. Written, recorded, released, and even charted in the late '70s, the track peaked modestly at #40 in the U.S., yet it became one of the most iconic songs of the MTV generation.In this vault episode, the Professor of Rock talks with Buggles co-founder Geoff Downes, who, with Trevor Horn, created a track that sparked a music revolution—despite its modest chart success.Hear the real story behind “Video Killed the Radio Star,” how it came to define a decade it technically didn’t belong to, and what it was like to be the first face of MTV.Coming up 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.

I love stories like this… I've got one half of the underrated duo England Dan and John Ford Coley, that maybe the kings of the line, "Oh, that’s who sings that song…I’ve always loved it but never knew who sang it." Get This... today’s guests opened for Led Zeppelin as unsigned rookies, and they were so great that the newspaper that reviewed the show said they bettered the golden gods of rock! And not too long after, they put together one of the most successful runs of hits of the late 70s. From 1976 to 1978, they had 6 big hits, including 4 songs that all hit the top 10 and are classics of the time... including their first 2 songs Id’e Really Love to See You Tonight and Nights Are Forever that were in the charts at the same time. In fact, their first hit was so good that a young executive from the next office tore through the wall to beg them to sign with his label. They had 6 hits over a 2.5-year period and then just vanished. Today, I have the surviving member of this duo, John Ford Coley, to tell the story.Brought to you by American FinancingCall American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. 866-890-4844 or visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/professorofrock  NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.orgSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special episode of Behind The Song, Janda Lane is joined by Adam Reader for an emotional conversation about the passing of one of rock’s most iconic and influential figures: Ozzy Osbourne.Recorded just after his death on July 22, 2025, this bonus installment invites you to look back on Ozzy’s towering impact... from the dark, game-changing riffs of Black Sabbath to his wild, unforgettable solo run. Janda and The Professor dig into what made Ozzy a once-in-a-generation artist: his voice, his persona, his chaos, and his charm.Whether you grew up blasting Paranoid or discovered Ozzy through The Osbournes, this episode pays tribute to the music, the madness, and the magic that made him a legend.Long live the Prince of Darkness.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, we’re breaking down a year that might be the best ever for the lost art of the ALBUM: 1979. It was truly a year of classics. Including a record by The Clash, a band that was so damn broke, they ate nothing but food from a can. And then a great song, Train in Vain, came to them at the last second when the album was already being printed... so it didn’t even appear on the track list. It was a hidden track at the end of the album, and most fans didn’t even know it was there-It became their Biggest hit. Then there was the legendary Fleetwood Mac who were coming off a record that sold 40 million, and then their guitarist made a goal to do everything not to repeat it..It ended up being the most expensive record of its time and only sold 1 million copies. Plus there’s the Supertramp album cover that may have predicted the destruction of 9-11 if you put it in front of a mirror, also the AC/DC album where a hard rock band skipped the evil back masking and told fans right up front what it was, the highway to hell, and it drove parent crazy it’s the Top 10 Albums of 1979, 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.

On this day in 1966, Cream (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker) made their explosive live debut at The Twisted Wheel in Manchester. Just three years later, they'd help invent heavy metal and influence generations of rock bands.In this Vault episode of Professor of Rock, Adam dives into the haunting 1968 classic “White Room.” More than just a psychedelic anthem, it was born from poet Pete Brown’s battle with addiction and a desperate moment of clarity inside a flophouse that became his makeshift rehab. His raw poem about that apartment was transformed by Cream into a rock milestone—one that stunned even Brown when it became a hit.Hear the story behind the song that was years ahead of its time, and the band that burned out in a blaze of brilliance.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, it’s the story of 10 classic songs from a tsunami year in music. Tsunami as in a year where 1 song wiped out the status quo on radio and MTV… With Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, but there were plenty of other great songs from that monumental year, including one that came from a story the songwriter read in a newspaper about a drunk guy who shot up his girlfriend’s car. The #1 song came from the simple response this man gave to a judge at his sentencing, and it was so heart-wrenching it’s not only unlistenable but the singer behind it sobbed through the vocal… talking about Bonnie Raitt with I Can’t Make You Love Me. There's the hit that the frontman James Hetfield of the legendary heavy metal band Metallica decided to actually sing instead of scream, which is what he normally did. In fact, his singing was so beautiful on the record, he was afraid it would make his fans hurl. Then there was the song that came from one line from a letter that Bono of U2 sent to the Dalia lama when he rejected an offer to play at his festival. And finally, a song so strange its singer sang it many different ways…with a mouthful of marbles, burping it, and also singing it underwater. Weird Al’s parody of Nirvana plus Ozzy Osbourne’s most poignant song... It’s a stellar countdown with iconic guests next on Professor of RocSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next, I have to admit, I was pretty intimidated to interview today’s guest, John McCrea of Cake. This witty singer is wicked smart. Cake's song The Distance was an instant favorite with an opening line that grabs you by the ears and never lets go, and also contains a word that has never been used like this in a rock song. I think it’s got to be the best opening line of the last 30 years easy… It’s a song that was extremely peculiar, and I mean that as a compliment, because it’s truly the coolest hit of its time. I’ve always wondered what the story behind it was, and I wasn’t disappointed when John used a hilarious analogy to explain it. This is one you gotta see, 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.

What does a comedy legend do after he’s conquered the 80s with some of the funniest take downs of classic songs with food and hospitals, and then skewered the 90s by slamming its biggest icon with a song so hilarious it made the serious artist laugh at himself? Well, he only got better. Today, we have more from the prince of parody, the sultan of satire, and the master of mockery, Weird Al Yankovic... including the time his parody White and Nerdy actually passed up the song he made fun of in the charts and online… It helped the artist behind it win a Grammy. Then there was the #1 hit Gangsta's Paradise that Coolio gave permission to be mocked but then after the parody Amish Paradise was a hit, he FLIPPED OUT & started a media firestorm. And finally, The Saga Begins, the song that spoofed one of the most respected rock songs ever, American Pie by Don McLean… It was so funny, Don said the parody had bettered his classic… WHAT? We’re covering some comedy gold today. So grab your accordion and throw on a loud Hawaiian shirt. It’s about to get real. We’re counting down Weird Al’s greatest parodies of the last 30 years 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 one of those rare classic songs, Purple Haze, that has a multitude of stories and legends behind it. First of all, it’s the mother of all misheard lyrics… One that Jimi Hendrix himself started doing in his live shows as a joke. Then there was the first draft of this thing, which was an epic 1000 words that Jimi pared down for radio… then Hendrix risked being electrocuted to create it, and then there was the origin of the song… Some say Purple Haze came from a lucid dream. Others say it was from a waitress stalker who kidnapped a customer.We’re not sure because Jimi Hendrix passed away before we got the exact truth. And then to top it all off, there was the sensitive icon behind it. Jimi hated his own voice, especially on this song, but he was such a revelation that the Stones and the Beatles were at his first gig… Let’s get into a true classic 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.