Professor of Rock

Coming up one of the best songs of the 80s came to Tony Lewis and John Spinks of the Outfield when they were hanging out in their flat. The second they wrote down the first sentence or opening line of the song they knew they had a smash hit. The song came effortlessly in less than 20 mins from that point forward and they were exactly right… Your Love ruled radio in the summer of 1986.. A couple of working class buddies were soon hanging out at the top of the charts with Madonna, Whitney Houston and ZZ Top with their song becoming one of the all time cheating songs ever but was the girl named Josie from the song a real person? We’ll Find out next as the late singer Tony Lewis, in one of his last interviews tells us the definitive story of an 80 rock classic. 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….this artist had dabbled in a lot of different styles to great effect but then he rolled out of bed one day with an awesome song idea… Tommy James and the Shondells would go through the ringer to get Crimson and Clover done. With some serious musical experimentation that regulated in a vocal that sounded like it was underwater. No one had heard anything like. it. He did the whole thing in a couple of hours merely putting his two favorite words together which people thought had a profound message even though it meant nothing. He had the artistic freedom to do this because the Mafia or Mob ran his label and let him do whatever he wanted! As he created layers of immaculate sounds and off the wall lyrics it all came together around cool guitar effect that’s grand result was a sound unlike anything of the radio ever. It was played without consent… without permission by a DJ that Tommy had showed a rough mix of the demo to privately. Well the DJ had recorded it, unbeknownst to Tommy and played it within minutes of tommy leaving the station. It went crazy, hitting #1 instantly. Tommy James tells the story of this incredible 60s #1 Psychedelic record. 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.

Whenever anyone talk about the greatest movie soundtrack of the 80s you hear the usual suspects… Top Gun, Footloose, some might say Dirty Dancing.. or any of the soundtracks from John Hughes films from Some Kind of Wonderful to the Breakfast Club to Pretty In Pink… but the soundtrack to Rocky IV is worthy of consideration... Up next I talk to several artist who participated the franchise defining film soundtrack. Eye of the Tiger was great but Rocky IV was a better overall soundtrack album with Burning Heart by Survivor, No Easy Way Out by Robert Tepper and of course Hearts on Fire by John Cafferty of the Beaver Brown Band!. Sylvester Stallone flew John Cafferty down to where he was filming Rambo First Blood part 2 and dressing full Rambo garb asked John to sing the song that would go over the 80s greatest movie montage. He was a big fan of John’s work from Eddie and the Cruisers… and so it was that he recorded the legendary song played at the end of Rocky IV and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say the song stopped the Cold War.. Ok I’m being funny now. Here is the definitive story of the Rocky IV soundtrack with interviews with John Cafferty and Jim Peterik of Survivor who co-wrote Burning Heart that went to #2… it’s an 80s marathon coming up… 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.

This song came hit the top 10 in America in 1980 and sounded like it was 100 years a head of it’s time..It came on pop radio where Kenny Rogers and Christopher Cross and Olivia Newton John were the norm. Gary Numan and his 80s synth pop masterwork sounded like it was from mars. It was the instigator of new wave, of dark wave, of industrial music of Electonica or EDM. GARY NUMAN IS a pioneer of every genre just mentioned , He even looked and sounded like an android. It was awesome. With a song that came from expressing the fear he felt as a victim from a bout of road rage. He wrote the song on a bass guitar in about 15 minutes…Up next he actual pioneer tells us the first hand account of creating a song that defined the 80s and a video that defined MTV up 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.

Up next New Wave 80s duo Wang Chung tell the story of writing one of the quintessential pop culture hits of the 80s. singer Jack Hues was worried about using the band’s name in the chorus of the song thinking it would be cheesy instead it became a part of the lexicon of the decade. The catchphrase of the 80s. Everybody Have Fun Tonight (everybody Wang Chung Tonight ) with a video that now has to have a warning on it do to it’s whacky cinematography that could cause medical issues, the story behind a song that takes you back to the best of the 80s as both Jack Hues and Nick Feldman relate the making and recording of the song that would make them a permanent part of 80s lore. 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.

This multi-million record-selling artist isn’t exactly known for taking suggestions. But that hasn’t stopped legions of fans from sending him ideas for his next song. In fact, Weird Al Yankovic is bombarded with so many pitches that he has called it the bane of his existence. However, that being said... there was one time that he did make an exception. Afterall, when an 80s Icon Madonna told a friend that she wished that Weird would make fun of her smash #1 hit from 1984. Weird Al Obliged with one of his funniest take ups ever. The video and song Like a Surgeon would land the comedy genius or Sonic comic back on the billboard hot 100 and drive his album Dare to be Stupid to the top of the charts. So, get ready, it’s the completely unexaggerated, absolutely true story about one of the greatest songs of our time. Am I being sarcastic? Find out next Coming up… 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.

After starting the 80s off with a bang these historic pioneers of New Wave had been through the ringer entering the final year of the decade. The B52s were looking at slumping sales and the tragic loss of their guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985 Kate Peirson, Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider and co had been in decline for years. They wrote their biggest hit ever, Love Shack! They would set mainstream radio on fire with one of the most UNLIKELY party hits ever and after 13 years as a band with not one top 40 hit, they had two top 3 hits back to back…Love Shack contained the most mispronounced phrase of the decade. Up Next Cindy Wilson sets the record straight on some long held urban legends behind the one of 1989’s biggest hits and says there’s no way it should’ve been a hit. It’s a celebration of the late 80s classic Cosmic Thing. 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.

The 60s rock classic White Room by Cream was at least 5 years ahead of it’s time and the amazing lyrics came from one of those ‘gut check’ moments in life, when a person faces great adversity, or despair. It’s at that moment you have to make a decision to fight through the pain to get to a better place,..or.. just give up and fall into the abyss forever.. This episode is about one of those critical life-changing events...With one foot in the grave, poet Peter Brown used a flophouse to be his sanitarium to get rid of a lethal drug addiction, and turn his life around. He wrote a poem about this watershed period of his life, but mostly about his Apartment. The members of Cream Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton shortened the poem and added their heavy touch to the song to make a smash in the late 60s influencing Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath with their dynamic approach that pretty much invented heavy metal. Even though the trio only last 3 years because Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker were about to kill each other. Peter Brown was shocked when it became a hit and all time classic. 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.

"On this episode, one of the greatest composers of the Rock Era, Mr. Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo wants to invite you to a party….Not just any party… "It will a party unlike any that you’ve ever attended….a party where no one’s still alive. When you arrive….please leave your body and soul at the door. Don’t run away….It’s only the story of an 80s macabre thriller called Dead Man’s Party inspired by the tragic history of a haunted hotel where 7 murders happened all at once. Danny Elfman stayed on the 11th floor where many have reported seeing the ghost of the 7 murdered. He turned it into an Oingo Boingo classic but it just missed the top 40 as did his 1985 hits weird science. the band had at least 20 classics but not one top 40 hit. Then Elfman quit too focus on composing some of the most famous scores ever such as the simpsons, Batman, and the Nightmare Before Christmas. 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.

How does one try to break down the Led Zeppelin standard Stairway to Heaven? It’s the constitution of Rock! It’s been talked about a million times. People have been trying to figure out what it means for ages. 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.