Professor of Rock

Coming up, how a guitar-playing welder & his fishing buddy, gave a lyrical makeover to a cheesy instrumental and transformed it into one of the coolest songs of the '60s - then in a totally different band with the same members ... the singer gave it a rock renovation turning the saxophone solo into guitar classic that lit up classic rock radio with a southern fried twist. I’m talking about Spooky by Classics IV the #3 hit from 1968 and then it was restyled by Atlanta Rhythm Section (ARS) in 1979 and then it became a Halloween standard. The story is next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up an interview with a hilarious singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop who is revered for his lyricism and style… on a song that became his biggest solo hit: “It Might Be You.” But he didn’t write it, even though he was one of the most prolific writers of his time. But the blockbuster movie Tootsie that made the song its theme wanted Stephen for his amazing voice… He actually got a mention in the opening credits as SUNG BY… “It Might Be You” went to #1 and was nominated for an Oscar, which ironically lost to a song from a film directed by a guy who would hire him to write the theme for his next movie. But this time he had someone else sing it and it got him nominated for an Oscar again…this time as the writer. Then years later it became the go-to karaoke track for people in the Philippines… it actually became one of the most popular songs ever in that country! The story from Stephen Bishop is next on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee 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 one of the most instantly recognizable songs and iconic music videos of the rock era: No Rain by Blind Melon. It instantly blew up radio and MTV. And though this bright and quirky tune will have you singing along from the start... it was hiding a secret sadness. No Rain is much more bitter than sweet. In its time it became so over-hyped that lead singer Shannon Hoon hated singing it. And its success became one in a series of events that led him down a path of personal destruction. So, is this song just a caricature of Blind Melon, a band who had more to say? Or is it one of the most beloved hits of its time? I’ll let you decide... NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.