Professor of Rock

Oh man, this one is going to be something else. Today we're counting down 6 songs that became pop culture punchlines… These tracks that got mocked, misunderstood, and in some cases, flat-out destroyed. I’m talking about one musical legend, Isaac Hayes, whose biggest song, the Theme from Shaft, was parodied in pop culture more times than you can count, including by the Cookie Monster. But if that w...

We've had a tough couple of weeks in the music world, with the recent passing of an incredible 80s songwriter, Billy Steinberg. He penned five number one 80s songs for some of the era's biggest female artists, making him a true legend in songwriting. Dive into this episode of the music podcast to remember his famous songs and the impact of 80s music. Songwriters Hall of Famer Billy Steinberg, wrot...

It was one of the biggest breakups in rock history. After creating a catalog of desert island albums, Pink Floyd was torn apart by bitter feuding, behind-the-scenes schemes, and as one band member described it, “borderline megalomania.” Sadly, the inability of its two principal members Roger Waters and David Gilmour to put their differences aside made it impossible to continue. Roger Waters said t...

We did the 80s, but after thousands of requests for the 60s and 70s… we are counting down the top cartoon themes of those decades… And there are some spectacular stories to tell here. Like how The Flintstones started out as a prime time show with the main animated characters selling cigarettes during the commercials and even smoking them!. Then there is the famous voice actor who fell into a coma...

Here we are… more than twenty-six years into the 21st century, and you can really feel how much has changed since the start of the 2000s. Pop culture has evolved in big ways. When you rewatch a movie or TV show from one of your favorite decades, the outfits and the way people spoke have that distinctive sound & look that perfectly reflect that era. Songs can be like that. Songs from that favor...

So today we’re coming back to a show that we did a little while back that you all absolutely loved. It was one of our most popular episodes of 2025… the funniest “non-parody” songs of the Rock Era. Well, we’re back for round two, and these tracks don’t pull any punches. And some of these are really ridiculous. Included in the ranks is one rock’s most famous “teen crush" anthems, Stacy's Mom, a Mrs...

Coming up. Let’s dive into the bizarre and sensational era of the Satanic Panic, a time when songs were accused of harboring "evil" hidden messages, and bands faced relentless scrutiny as alleged corruptors of society. While heavy metal bands were the primary targets, even the likes of today’s squeaky clean band ELO, the Electric Light Orchestra, found themselves entangled in the fanatical crusade...

Let's reach into the vault for this classic from 2021. The brothers Hawkins from the Darkness tell the story behind their evolution in music including getting inspired by Queen as well as the story behind their Rock smash I Believe in a Thing Called Love one of the last great hard rock classic. A truly hilarious take from Justin and Dan Hawkins. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

It Only HIT #105...But 40 Years Later It's CLEARLY the BEST SONG of 1987! | Professor of Rock Coming up, we are covering one of the years that’s consistently called one of the 4 or 5 best years in rock history. In fact, it was so good there were dozens of incredible songs that missed the charts that were far better than any of the biggest hits of the last 15 years! It was a year full of major labe...

The Love songs we love to hate and hate to love... Music at it's best...Including Billy Joel, Peter Gabriel, Journey, and some guilty pleasures like Nickelback, Bryan Adams and Color Me Bad. it’s an episode that may raise a few eyebrows. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m counting down the Top 10 love songs you shouldn’t be ashamed to love, or maybe we should say it’s a countdown of the songs we hat...

Coming up next a special tribute to a rockstar we lost recently in an interview I did with him that I’ve never shared on here. Brad Arnold of Three Doors Down passed away on February 7th 2026, after battling stage 4 cancer that had spread to his lungs for nearly a year. He was 47. He battled this horrible disease with Optimism to the very end. His last message to fans was on Christmas when he shar...

It's a music marathon. We’re shining a light on some of the most underrated songs from female artists… It’s the latest edition of Female Hidden Gems. But behind these beautiful melodies lie some of the wildest and most twisted stories in rock. Seriously. We've got the haunting duet where the female vocalist Hope Sandoval sang a love song with one brother while secretly dating the other. Then there...

Coming up an interview with one of the biggest selling bands of the 70s, America, led by Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley, and Dan Peek. Here, the 2 principals, Dewey and Gerry, give us the story of a song that became their third consecutive top 10 hit and a radio staple of the early decade, Ventura Highway. The song conjured up imagery of a wondrous and mystical destination, although the group has ta...

Tribute to 3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold. who passed away from Cancer. Brad was one of the good guys. In this interview, Brad open up about 3 Doors Down and their Biggest hit Kryptonite which Brad wrote when he was only 15 years old in math class when he was bored... He did it in 5 minutes. Rest in peace Brad See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at http...

1987 was one of the most iconic years in music history, with classic releases from Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, George Michael, Michael Jackson, and more—but Whitney Houston ruled the year. Her euphoric anthem “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” hit #1 in 13 countries and became one of the defining songs of the 1980s. In this special From the Vault episod...

Today we're diving into one of the most underrated careers in rock history—Phil Collins, a guy who turned his own devastating heartbreak into a commercial empire, while simultaneously fronting one of the world’s biggest bands, Genesis, from the back of the stage. Haters call him vanilla… but digging into his catalog, Phil Collins is anything but ordinary. And we’ve got some insane stories to back...

Sadly this legendary band went down in flames. Lynyrd Skynyrd's famous album cover even predicted it. And so did one of their songs… Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote That Smell in 1977…It was an eerily prophetic rocker that warned them there would be hell to pay. They created their album cover with Fire and Flames around them! Truly, no one worked harder than Frontman Ronnie Van Zant and the wild bo...

Okay, it’s that time of year again. We’re gearing up for the Rock and Roll Hame of Fame’s class of 2026. And AS PER usual The Rock Hall is going to snub some of the best rock bands and musicians of all time. Hey, it’s what they do. So today, I want to make the case for some extremely talented artists who deserve to get in and see if we can create a groundswell for some of the most deserving musici...

Up next an interview with an icon of 60s rock and roll, Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits. Peter was only 15 years old when he became the singer behind Herman’s Hermits, who would go on to garner 18 hits, including an amazing 11 songs that hit the top 10 and several that went to #1. In fact, before Peter got to his 18th birthday he and Herman’s Hermits finished ahead of the Beatles on the Billboard...

Coming up next, an interview with a man who is on a shortlist of the greatest singers in music history but he never gets his due. Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship and Starship... He’s had numerous hits, and his voice is so gritty, and his range is so high that he can go toe to toe with anybody. And up next, we cover his greatest hits, including the song that put him on the map. But it was a tot...

Today, we're shining a light on eight 80s classics that deserve way more recognition, but I'm not talking about hidden gems here. A lot of these were huge songs, but they were quietly great four decades later; these songs don't get the headlines. like the overplayed ones. So what happened? In most cases, they've been overshadowed by bigger hits from their band. But make no mistake, these are top-t...

The amazing story of the first all indigenous band Redbone and their ultra catchy 70s smash Come and Get Your Love. The band was compelled by a burning desire to put the spirituality and history of their ancestry in the forefront of their music... the band featured in this episode risked commercial acceptance...disregarded music industry conventionalism, and scored the first major pop hit by a gro...

It was the year that lit the flame of Rock and Roll. The charts were full of remakes of hit songs by black artists that were re-recorded by white singers that became a trick of the trade in the record business. It's FASCINATING music history. At one point 4 different versions of one famous song competed for #1. One of those led to the first crossover hit by blues legend Fats Domino, and helped him...

Todays song is a music revelation. it's a song story that will kick you in the teeth. This killer 90s song is epic. Coming up a song breakdown of The Beastie Boys at their best with their big fat classic.. Sabotage. It’s so ferocious you have to blast it whenever it comes on and then crank it up some more. It’s the most badass song of the decade it came from.. this high-octane assault on the ears...

Alright, today, we’ve got a line-up of songs that were complete failures when they first came out… but fortune was with them. Because even though some of these tracks couldn't crack the charts to save their lives, they all became massive multi-million dollar money makers.  We've got a fascinating lineup of 'love failure songs' that initially stumbled but ultimately made massive comebacks, bec...