Professor of Rock

It should’ve been the zenith of his career… On a fateful night backstage in Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of ’77… Instead…it was a coup de grace that led to his exit from the supergroup he helped create. Randy Meisner of the Eagles was allegedly too sick to sing his encore spotlight classic rock hit Take it To The Limit with its legendary high note finale. He and Glenn Frey got into a shouting match backstage on the Hotel California tour that night and it got really ugly when Randy punched Glenn in the face. Police tried to break it up but Don Henley called them off. The story behind the song that was the crowning achievement for one of the most beautiful voices of the 70s, and the infamous incident that centered around one of the most recognizable songs in Classic Rock history that sealed this artist’s fate as a member of one of America’s greatest bands… and a tribute to the late country-rock pioneer who’s high harmony helped bring so much depth to Eagles classics like Take It Easy and Witchy Woman 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 next, a very special interview that I was over the moon to get.. Mike Ness of Social Distortion. This Rock Icon released his debut album in the early 80s... It was self-funded, but then his career would take a long 5 year hiatus as he became homeless, sleeping on friends' couches while Struggling with addiction, and was even in and out of jail… He took these real-life born-to-lose experiences and released a classic album with three huge singles that took him from Homeless to Hit status with 2 straight gold records. Story of My Life and Ball and Chain and then a punk cover of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. He’s since become the heir to the Man in Black by way of punk and rockabilly. Up next this icon tells us his story. 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.

James Hetfield was exhausted from a world tour and to make matters worse he missed his girl so in a burst of inspiration he wrote an extremely vulnerable song called Nothing Else Matters that was hell bent on no one EVER hearing… Later his bandmates in Metallica happened upon this personal song and tried to talk him into recording it for their next record…but he wanted no part of it. Get this… He was convinced the song would make the band's fans HURL. Find out what happened next and how the song became Metallica's biggest song ever and how it propelled the Black album to the top of the charts 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 story of a song that epitomizes the powerful effect of music on the human soul. Leader of the Band by the late great Dan Fogelberg. He didn’t compose it to be hit…it wasn’t even a conscious thought… it just fell out of this gifted singer songwriter. It’ was bold, It was real and deeply vulnerable. So much so that Dan Fogelberg had no intention of releasing it. Certainly not as as single. Unlike most rockstars who rebel against their parents. this artist wrote a heartfelt tribute to his father Lawrence Fogelberg. one day he actually showed it to his dad and he broke down. Later he decided to put the song out there when his dad became sick. It be same his most important work and his father got to witness it march up the charts just before he passed. the story of the song that opened up a dialogue between father’s and sons the world over. 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.

Although He would become one of the biggest-selling male artists of his time, Bryan Adams failed for years… Missing the charts time and again. But this rookie rocker was brash and unrelenting, and even had enough swagger to convince one of the greatest frontmen of all time to sing backup on his album…For FREE And that may have made all the difference. Because that record propelled him to superstar status. Along with his co-writer Jim Vallance, Bryan Adams took Cuts Like A Knife toward the top of the charts with 3 big hits including Straight From The Heart, Cuts Like A Knife, and This Time and he never looked back. Plus, we tell the unexpected story of how he mumbled his way to his breakout, today’s featured track, and give you the lowdown on the secret to his songwriting success. It’s all 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.

One of the greatest Power anthems in rock history was actually sort of written by this legendary band’s fans! Queen and We Will Rock You was inspired by the band’s fans and the band wanting to include them. The legendary singer/guitar duo of Freddie Mercury and Brian May wrote a song that would unite the masses and It began as live improvisation and even though it has one of the biggest driving beats ever it doesn’t actually contain drums! It’s all natural. once you see this song story you’ll never hear the song the same way again… Finally when Queen was recording it, one of the most infamous bands in history kept interrupting them and their frontman made fun of their Freddie Mercury but he would have the last laugh creating a song that would blow everyone away the story is next. 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 mysterious new wave band name the Motels who haunted the first half of the 80s with 4 hits including the 1983 #1 hit that is so exotic, so strange it defies meaning. Suddenly Last Summer. The year before that they had another huge hit called Only the Lonely and both songs are truly haunting. I’ve actually waited for years to find out the stories behind their hits and we demystify them next with 2 original members including the singer Martha Davis and we find out why this iconic group disappeared from music for 22 years. 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 next, an interview with an 80s artist whose signature song has become a teenage anthem for the outcasts and a quintessential 80s classic… Nik Kershaw and his teenage anthem Wouldn’t It Be Good. It was recorded for his debut album and the song was so big it put the rookie on the biggest live stage in the world in front of billions of people at Live Aid including playing with many of his heroes… and then the next year his song was re-recorded by a former member of Three Dog Night, Danny Hutton. But the band was called something else, Danny Hutton Hitters and he had an unknown sing lead… so many didn’t make the connection. That version was used in a pivotal scene in the iconic 80s film Pretty in Pink and the song was all over the radio again… Up next we have both of these artists take on this song and try to find out why the movie didn’t just use the original hit instead of a remake. It’s a fun one next. 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… an interview with Kevin Cronin, the frontman about an 80 rock classic that is on the short list of greatest opening lines ever. Heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another you’ve been messing around. Yep, it’s Take it On the Run by 80s rock legend REO Speedwagon and it helped the band hit #1 for 15 weeks on the charts It’s become a part of 80s lore. A song everyone knows by heart… 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 off one of the most ground-breaking albums of the early 80s in The Hurting, today’s featured duo, Tears for Fears really upped the ante for their 1985 follow-up Songs from the Big Chair. True titans of rock and pop, nobody was bigger that year. And the echoes of today’s featured song still shake us…Shout not only went to #1 it became A key track that would have the arenas chanting along in unison, and the song was intended to be nothing more than an interesting album cut. In fact, it was just a repetitive chorus, and the song’s composer, singer Roland Orzabal was reluctant to even finish it. But his bandmates including his other half Curt Smith, knew it would be a worldwide hit It took some convincing, and a whole lot of time to finish: The longest process of the band’s career. and it’s a good thing too because it led to another #1 hit called Everybody Wants to Rule the World and an inside joke inside the song about a music exec bullying the band to cut 5 seconds off of it to make it radio-friendly. The story is 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.