Rock in Retrospect

Rock Docs co-host David Lizerbram joins us to talk about Baz Luhrmann's recent biopic Elvis (2022). We talk about Austin Butler and Tom Hanks' performances, the narrative structure and aesthetic choices used by Luhrmann and Elvis' impact on contemporary culture. Lots of other topics discussed including our mutual love of all things Bob Dylan, the current state of rock star biopics a...

Darren Hines and Peter Waters return to discuss the nominees in the music categories at this year's Academy Awards. We analyze all ten scores and songs, give our personal rankings, our predictions on who will win and cap it off with great works that were snubbed. Support the show

Liza Lentini (Managing Editor at SPIN) joins us to talk about the life and career of singer-songwriter Tori Amos. Topics discussed include Amos' musical influences, her breakthrough debut album Little Earthquakes (1992), her work with the organization RAINN and her impact on alternative rock and pop music stars in the last three decades. We also talk about Liza interviewing Amos for SPIN and...

This episode is the first installment of our new monthly spotlight on recent music documentaries and movies. We're kicking it off with Jon Lamoreaux (Host of the Hustle Podcast ),  Patrick Dupuis (Host of the EETF Podcast ) and Michael Bagford joining Nick to talk about Brett Morgan's documentary Moonage Daydream (2022). This one-of-a-kind film focuses on the life and career of iconic mu...

Nick assembled an all-star line-up of Rock Hall experts to converse and analyze the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees. Recorded the night of the big announcement and released completely unedited,  we discussed each of the 14 nominees on this year's ballot and their chances for induction. We also find out who won our podcast's inaugural Rock Hall nominees draft! We mentioned many...

Music critic Tom Lane ( Tom Lane's Music Blog ) returns to discuss the life and career of R&B superstar Teddy Pendergrass. Topics discussed include Pendergrass' time as a member of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, his transition to a solo career, his infamous "Ladies Only' concerts, the life-altering car accident that occurred in 1982 and his emotional performance at Liv...

Tom Lane, Mark Lempke, David Schnelwar and Greg Peurach return to the show to discuss who they believe will be nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. To spice things up, we're gonna predict the ballot in a draft-style format! Over the course of 5 rounds, we each select 5 artists and make the case on why they should appear on the ballot. There's a lot of st...

Writer and Blues music expert Marty Weil joins us to talk about the legacy of Howlin' Wolf, one of the titans of that genre in the 20th century. Topics discussed include Wolf's time at Chess Records, his classic albums Moanin' in the Moonlight (1959) and Howlin' Wolf (aka The Rockin' Chair Album ) (1962), his partnership with legendary guitarist Hubert Sumlin, his tremendo...

Professor and blogger Rob LeBlanc ( The Exhaustively Detailed Music Analysis Blog ) joins us to discuss the career and impact of the band America. Topics discussed include the band's formation, their collaborations with legendary producer George Martin, Dan Peek's departure from the band, their legendary top-40 hits and the dozen or so times Rob has seen the band live. Rob even met the b...

Darren Hines returns to the show to share our thoughts on the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, an event we both attended. There's a lot to unpack, so sit back and enjoy this episode!!!!! Please note that this was recorded and released before the HBO telecast of the ceremony, which doesn't debut until Saturday November 19th.  Support the show

There's no better way to celebrate Halloween than to devote an entire episode to the filmmaker who helmed the iconic 1978 movie of the same name! Horror movie expert and Tik Tok influencer Peter Waters joins us to talk about John Carpenter's maverick career and the musical pieces he composed. We talk about Carpenter's musical background, the movies that inspired him, our favorite fi...

Mile Wiles (co-host of Retro Rock Roundup ) joins us to discuss the career and legacy of arena rock legends Styx. Topics discussed include the band's great run of albums in the 1970s and 1980s, their status as a great live band, Dennis DeYoung's departure from the band and their omission from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And just like any Blue Collar Man, Mike has lots of wonderful...

Writer and editor Kailyn Champlin joins us to discuss all things Savage Garden, one of the most notable musical duos of the 1990s. Topics discussed include the literary inspiration for their group name, a deep analysis of their two studio albums, their breakup in 2001 and Darren Hayes' solo career. You will truly, madly, deeply love this episode! Check out Darren Hayes' latest work Homos...

Educator and former music writer Mike Drew joins us to discuss the career and legacy of the hair metal band Warrant. Topics discussed include the band's time on the L.A. rock scene in the 80s, a deep analysis of their first 3 albums, our shared disdain for their hit song "Cherry Pie" and the time Mike met and interviewed the band in the early 90s! This episode will make any Warrant...

Music journalist and educator Scott Heisel ( Colors of Insomnia ) joins us to discuss the career and legacy of modern rock legends Weezer. We talked about Scott interviewing members of the band, their inventive music videos, the complicated story behind Matt Sharp leaving the band and his favorite Weezer songs. We also discussed Weezer's prospects to receive induction into the Rock & Roll...

Eric and Mary Layton ( Hall Watchers ), Michelle Bourg ( Iconic Rock Talk Show ) and Greg Peurach return to discuss their reactions to the announcement of the 2022 Kennedy Centers Honorees: Gladys Knight, George Clooney, Amy Grant, Tania León and U2. We conclude listing each of our "dream classes" for the 2023 ceremony next year.  Support the show

Steve Knopper, Editor at Large at Billboard , joins us to discuss the legendary band Kool & The Gang. Topics discussed include Steve's recent New York Times  piece covering the band's legacy, the influence of jazz and R&B on their sound, the origin of their band name, their contributions to the development of hip-hop and and their chances for induction into the Rock & Roll Ha...

Jon Lamoreaux (host of The Hustle ) and Haydn Murdoch (co-host of INXS Access All Areas ) join us to take a deep-dive on the career and legacy of the legendary Australian rock band INXS. Topics discussed include the band's formation, analyses of their major albums,  Haydn's interactions with members of the band, the recent documentary Mystify and their omission from the Rock & Roll H...

Christy Alexander Hallberg recently published her novel Searching for Jimmy Page and we asked her to come on to discuss her book. She talked to us about her literary influences, favorite music memories and her writing process. We also have an in-depth discussion of some of the major characters and themes in Searching for Jimmy Page . If you haven't read it yet, it's a spectacular debut n...

Courtney E. Smith (host of the Songs in the Key of Death podcast) joins us to discuss the life and career of the legendary R&B singer Lloyd Price. Topics discussed include Lloyd's earliest success as a musician, starting an independent music label in the 1950s, his many business ventures outside the music industry, his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and the recent...

Michael Bagford and Carrie Scott join us to discuss the career and legacy of the Dave Matthews Band, one of the most popular rock bands of the last three decades. Topics discussed include the band's formation in Charlottesville, Virginia, their status as an iconic live act, Matthews' role at Farm Aid and their 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination. There's so much to say abou...

On this very special episode, we have 5(!) returning guests - Mark Lempke, Tom Lane, Michelle Bourg, Greg Peurach and David Schnelwar- joining us to give their reactions to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2022 inductees. We discuss each of the 14 inductees for this year's class and also which artists will likely be considered for next year's ballot.  Support the show

Josh Fitzgerald ( Movies That Rock: The Podcast ), Lisa Solak and John Mutford all return to the show to discuss the life and career of Kate Bush, one of the most important and influential artists of the last half-century. Topics discussed include Pink Floyd's David Gilmour "discovering" her while she was still a teenager, her unique approach to songwriting, her groundbreaking music...

Pat Francis ( Rock Solid ) comes on the show to discuss the legendary new wave duo Eurythmics. Topics discussed include the duo's formation, their iconic music videos, their side projects and solo careers and their recent Rock Hall nomination. We wouldn't lie to you....so you gotta listen to this episode! Support the show

Blogger Michelle Bourg and researcher Jonathan Raymond come on the show to discuss the life, career and legacy of Carly Simon. Topics discussed include Simon's troubled early life, her iconic song "You're So Vain," her many contributions to various film and television productions over the years, our favorite songs from her legendary catalogue and Simon's recent nomination...