Professor of Rock

Struggling to stay faithful to his wife while on the road, the Man in Black, Johnny Cash wrote her a mournful love ballad backstage at one of his concerts to clarify his feelings he called it Because You’re Mine but it later turned into I Walk The Line. However, when he got the song to the studio, his producer increased its tempo, turning it completely on its head. And Cash hated it. Well, that is until he saw how audiences reacted to it. His fans went crazy for it. And with his deep baritone voice rumbling like a train down the tracks, it’s no surprise this song shot to #1. Today we’re not only giving the story behind this legendary hit but also interviewing another Icon who teamed up with this Johnny Cash to record an entirely new version of this track and we get a historic account of that recording that was a guaranteed #1 Mainstream Radio screwed him over. This untold story will blow your mind. 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.

Coming up we present the story of a song that is truly a musical miracle …Aerosmith and their classic 70s and 80s hit Walk This Way. First of all the masterful riff from this 70s and 80s classic instantly came out of nowhere at a soundcheck… Then the iconic lyric came to singer Steven Tyler when he was in the middle of a movie at a theater. Steven Tyler wrote the lyrics in a flash but on recording day he left them in a cab and they were never recovered so he had to start all over because he couldn’t remember them… The band including Joe Perry were livid. Well they came out better on the second try. The song was a hit in the 70s and then America’s band fell flat on their face… They couldn’t buy a hit. After years of nothing producer Rick Rubin gave them a chance to remake this hit with a new hip hop group called RUN DMC and it started one of the greatest comebacks in rock history. 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.

After Ozzy Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath, the band he’d fronted and helped make famous for a decade, a lot of people thought his career was finished. That he was a washed-up has-been. Exiled for being a drunk and a drug addict, and fighting demons and wild mood swings, you can’t really blame them. Even Ozzy thought his career was over. However, with the aid of an up-and-coming guitar hero named Randy Rhoades, he would surprise even himself… rising from the wreckage to become a larger-than-life rock icon. Even bigger than he had been with his former band. And kicking it all off was his seminal 1980 album Blizzard of Oz which delivered a full-speed-ahead, blazing rock track called Crazy Train that had listeners going off the rails… It missed both charts but spawned a classic following, a perfect moment in rock history. Come help us relive it. … 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 a full-speed, kick-you-in-the-teeth, adrenaline-fueled rocker… inspired by an 80s legend who literally had a death wish. Motley Crue and their once-in-a-lifetime rocker Kickstart My Heart from their 1989 classic Dr. Feelgood. It all happened on one notorious night back in 1987, Nikki Sixx the decadent rockstar overdosed after a night of reckless abandon… scaring the hell out of his bandmates Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Mick Marrs, and his fans in the process. Pronounced clinically dead, rumors of his demise spread like wildfire. And it would take some serious Pulp Fiction needle-piercing action to bring him back to life. He would actually say he was out of body witnessing his death Then he woke up in the hospital. and he ripped out his tubes and escaped. He bummed a ride off a fan who thought they were seeing a ghost and then when he got home he shot up again! Well needless to say the incident’s aftermath led to his band’s biggest song ever and it would eventually help him get clean. The unbelievable 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.

Legendary Producer and artist Jeff Lynne from Electric Light Orchestra, who was only a few years removed from writing and performing 8 top 10 hits with ELO, was producing George Harrison’s 1987 comeback album Cloud Nine. The comeback would be big with 2 huge hits.. including I Got My Mind Set on You and When We Was Fab. The two of them decided to put together a supergroup. They both agreed to find one person they admired and then make a record. However, in the process, they ended up bringing in 3 legends for a total of 5. Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Harrison and Lynne. The Traveling Wilbury’s were born. They created one of the greatest records of the 80s, Handle Me With Care. up next we tell their story… How 4 of these legends were so mesmerized by their bandmate they all stopped everything they were doing whenever he would record his part and the tragedy that followed their debut album. 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.

In 1985, pop music was not a forum for the dark subject of abuse, doors were opened leading up to that year to take about deep subjects from Tears for Fears to an awkward singer named Aimee Mann was fronting a New Wave band called Til Tuesday from Boston brought the taboo topic to light with a groundbreaking song about empowerment. Voices Carry was a New Wave revelation. It was one of the most memorable hits of the mid-80s, with an acclaimed music video that was daring & disturbing. When you hear the story of this haunting track, you’ll likely hear it with a whole new understanding & appreciation of its brilliance. But it has a lot of stories… so which one is true? That’s what we’ll be trying to solve. By the way, this may be the most haunting song of 1985 and it also might be the year's catchiest. it’s all coming 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.

Coming up, an interview with one of the most interesting frontmen in music on his band’s signature song. John McCrea of CAKE on their 90s classic GOING the DISTANCE A song that has one of the most iconic first lines of the last 30 years. I have to admit I was a little intimidated to interview Cake’s frontman because he’s wicked smart… You’ll have to see how I did. His explanation of the meaning of this song is pretty sobering. as he says you can’t explode into the world with great magnificence, and still feel like the guy underneath the Mickey Mouse head, with the fan batteries that have stopped working properly, and its dark under there, and everybody wants your autograph.” See what else he says 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.

The story of this next song is so good. So entertaining it almost feels made up, but it’s not. Van Halen with David Lee Roth at the helm headlined one of the first big festivals of the 80s… while they were in the middle of working on the song Jump from their blockbuster hard rock masterpiece 1984. The other big headliner was the Clash, the most famous punk band on the planet, and Joe Strummer and co dissed Eddie Van Halen’s band because they were getting paid more… Van Halen was already in disarray as the guitarist wanted to add more pop element to their hard rock while the David Lee Roth wanted to do cover songs. Eddie got so pissed he threatened to burn the masters. In the end, Eddie worked on a melody he’d had for a while and turned it into the band's biggest hit… Jump went to #1 for a month. But this happy-go-lucky 80s hit is actually pretty dark…Almost no one realizes some have said David Lee Roth wrote the song encouraging someone to take their own life… kind of... Find out the real 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.

It is arguably the most ambitious and iconic concept album ever created, written by a band that was coming apart at the seams. Pink Floyd the Wall. It was Born out of the mind of mad genius Roger Waters one of the rock era’s most provocative and insightful lyricists, its genesis began when a stadium-sized concert went sideways. Feeling disconnected from his audience, Roger Waters lost it when one fan tried to incite a riot. Roger got became so livid he spit in the fan’s face. It was a reprehensible action but it did lead to the creation of this blockbuster record. Today, we’re not only giving you the story behind this landmark album but also delving deep into one of its greatest tracks, Run Like Hell. First written by guitarist David Gilmour for a solo album along with Comfortably Numb, but it’s since become a powerful and dangerous warning against cutting ourselves off from reality. You’re not going to want to miss the breakdown on this one. 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.

Up next, a band that had to fight tooth and nail to get airplay on American radio in the late 70s. The Police struggled to get a fair shake in 1979 but just a few years later they were the #1 band in the world when Synchronicity and Every Breath You Take were #1 globally. Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland’s global domination would begin with today’s song that is a no doubt about it classic. The 70s classic Message in a Bottle and in a way it was written by the singer Sting's dog… while the music was written in the back of a van while the band was traveling 100 miles an hour on the autobahn. Decades later it’s a surprise the song was recorded at all because the band was at each others’ throats all the time…Fist fights and shouting matches… but it kept the creative juices flowing. the amazing 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.