VRP Rocks - Classic Rock Interviews

"I am the God of Hellfire and I bring you... Arthur Brown!!!"  Ok, I'm not the God of Hellfire, but he sure as heck is! Arthur Brown is my guest on this weeks big interview show, the man who scored a worldwide hit in 1968 with the anthem, 'Fire'! He's dazzled and bewitched fans for decades with elaborate stage shows, a hat of fire, face paint and much more - and now, in the year he turned 80 years...

"I Live Too Fast To Die Young" may be the name of his new album but it's also a line that could sum up Michael Monroe! The former Hanoi Rocks lead singer is an icon in Finland, he and his band credited as being pioneers of the hair metal movement, have been lauded by legendary icons such as Guns n Roses and the Foo Fighters and in 1985 Sounds magazine even ranked them the second best band in the w...

This weeks episode is another Side 2 – because it features the return of a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee back to VRP, someone I first interviewed in May 2021, someone part of one of the biggest bands of the late 60s and early 70s – I'm talking about the wonderful Doug 'Cosmo' Clifford from Creedence Clearwater Revival!  I wanted to get him back on to talk about previously unreleased music from...

2 years ago today the world lost one of rocks greatest guitarists - EDDIE VAN HALEN! On today's episode of THIS DAY ROCKS we hear memories of Eddie from his good friend, Ratt frontman STEPEHN PEARCY and former Black Sabbath lead singer TONY MARTIN. If you want to hear a longer episode which I released less than 48 hours after Eddie passed away then please check out the special Vintage Rock Pod Tri...

Today is the second anniversary of the launch of Vintage Rock Pod! Episode 1, featuring an interview with Rock n Roll Hall of Famer, Kenney Jones, was released on October 5th, 2020! In this short episode I thought I'd play out a couple of fun short clips that never made the episodes, mostly for good reason! Here's to a more years and more great guests in the future! Learn more about your ad choice...

Barry Goudreau is a founding member of the rock band BOSTON, playing with them on their first two iconic multi-platinum selling albums! In this open interview he talks about the early days before making it big, the impact that 'More Than a Feeling' had, touring with the likes of Black Sabbath and the circumstances surrounding his firing from the band. We also talk about his work with Brad Delp and...

This week's big interview show see's the return of one of my favourite guests, legendary Vanilla Fudge drummer, CARMINE APPICE! The Fudge are releasing a new record called Vanilla Zeppelin, an album of Led Zeppelin songs re-imagined in a way that only Carmine and the boys can do. We dive deep into the history of this new recording, hear more from the 60's when Vanilla Fudge took Led Zeppelin on th...

Today's guest is the incredible KEVIN GODLEY!! Kevin's career spans such a wide course, as part of Hotlegs he had a number 2 hit in the UK and then along with Lol Creme, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart formed 10CC who went on to score 5 top 10 albums in the UK, 3 number 1 singles and 8 other top 10 hits too! He and Lol Creme then left to form Godley and Creme and scored a couple more top 10 singl...

On this day in 1983 we got to see the actual faces of the band KISS! Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent appeared on MTV without their trademark make-up to promote their new album Lick It Up! With me to talk all about this momentous event in Kisstory is Tom and Zeus from Shout It Out Loudcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

STEWART COPELAND, rightly regarded as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, joins me on this episode to talk all about his career with The Police, their struggles to start with, the dynamics between him and Sting and what caused the friction, how the studio and song writing process evolved as the success built, the band's split at the height of their fame, their subsequent re-union tour a...

Todays guest is PAT TRAVERS, a Canadian guitar legend whose career has spanned almost half a century! From travelling to the UK to make his name, having a surprise hit, touring with Ritchie Blackmore right through to his new album 'The Art of Time Travel' we get into it all!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the biggest selling songs of 1982 hit the number 1 spot in the UK 40 years ago today! The classic Eye of the Tiger by Survivor was written especially for Rocky III, and on this episode you'll hear from former Survivor member JIM PETERIK how it all happened, starting with a voicemail from Sylvester Stallone! Hear the full interview with Jim Peterik on Episode 27 of VRP Rocks Learn more about...

My guest today has worked with some real legends over the years and has stories to tell about Rod Stewart, Jimi Hendrix and Grace Slick!    Pete Sears came through the British music scene in the 60's and played on Rod's first 4 studio albums (including the platinum selling 'Every Picture Tells A Story' and worldwide number 1 single 'Maggie May') and then became an ever present member of Jefferson...

Released in the US on this day in 1988, LOVE BITES became the groups first and so far, only number 1 single in America. It came from the monster album Hysteria and ended up topping the Billboard Hot 100 on October 8th that year. With me to talk more about this song and the impact it had, not just on the fans but on the band too, is Neil from Def Lep Pod. If you're a fan of Def Leppard then check o...

Legendary Cream musician JACK BRUCE is the main subject of discussion today with my guest JEFF BERLIN! Jack famously said that Jeff was the best bass player he had ever heard, the two were friends and Jeff has now released an album of Jack's music in remembrance of how Jack helped him to find his own musical path. The album 'Jack Songs' is an All-Star tribute which also features an incredible cast...

Today's guest is a guitarist thought of so highly that Pete Townshend personally asked him to join The Who, an offer he obviously couldn't refuse!! Steve Bolton, known as Boltz, first found fame in Atomic Rooster, a British rock band who scored big hits in the UK in the early 70's, before going on to work with a number of music legends. In this episode Boltz tells some great stories from his caree...

On this day in 1968, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham played together as a band for the very first time! They would of course go on to conquer the world. But for todays episode we hear from the other side, the bandmate Jimmy Page left behind when he took the Yardbirds name. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Great Rock Stories Vol.3 is a mix of some fascinating tales told by legendary rock stars themselves!  You'll hear about the biggest selling album in America of 1982, upsetting Rod Stewart and The Faces, a mix up with Bruce Springsteen and squirrels, moving to the UK to work with two-parts of ELP and much more! You'll enjoy these short snippets of the longer interviews which can all be found from E...

Def Leppard's 'HYSTERIA' was released on this day in 1987! It topped charts around the world and shifted 25 million copies! With me to talk about the albums impact on release and the legacy it left behind is Action Jackson from The Ugly American Werewolf in London Podcast!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Squeeze enjoyed huge success in the UK from the end of the 70's and in North America from the 80s onwards. The songwriting team of Glenn Tilbrook and today's guest Chris Difford were labelled as heirs to Lennon and McCartney in the early days and have collaborated for decades on so many big hit singles and albums. They also played a set on the first ever MTV Unplugged too!  Chris Difford joins me...

Alan Clark joined Dire Straits as their first - and only full-time - keyboard player, playing with Mark Knopfler and Co from 1980 until they finally called it a day in 1995. But despite being in one of the world’s biggest bands of the era, playing Live Aid, headlining the Nelson Mandela Concert, being a multi-award winner and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, that doesn’t tell half the story! A...

Rory Gallagher is remembered as one of the greatest guitarists of all time with Eric Clapton, Johnny Marr, The Edge and Brian May all citing him as an influence. His solo albums sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. With him throughout his entire solo career was Gerry McAvoy as his bass player. In this interview Gerry talks about his time with Rory, how Rory worked in the studio, the unusual...

Today we remember one of rocks greatest icons, a legendary drummer with one of the biggest bands of all time - JOHN 'BONZO' BONHAM - born on this day in 1948. To honour him we hear a fabulous story from one of his dear friends, Free and Bad Company drummer, SIMON KIRKE! Definitely do check out the full interview with Simon, one of my favourite shows to date, on Episode 31 of VRP Rocks! Learn more...

Today's guest is ANOTHER Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, inducted alongside his bandmates Bruce Palmer, Dewey Martin, Stephen Stills and Neil Young from Buffalo Springfield - RICHIE FURAY! With stories from the Sunset Strip, the big hit 'For What It's Worth', their 2011 reunion, their Rock Hall Induction, his other legendary group POCO and about his new album too, this is one not to miss! Learn more ab...

On today's THIS DAY ROCKS we are talking about one of the most controversial single releases of all time! The Sex Pistols released God Save The Queen during Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee to much horror. With me to tell the story behind it is Jason Barnard from Strange Brew Podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices