The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast

Jim Cregan may not be a household name in the US but he has recorded over 50 gold and platinum records in his career. Best known for his days as a guitarist and songwriter with Rod Stewart, Jim joined us to talk about his new charity single and to relive some moments from his stellar career. Jim works with AngelForce USA, a non-profit dedicating to serving US veterans who may be at risk of suicide...

In early 1982, Van Halen was finishing up a tour of the US that included opening for The Rolling Stones for some stadium shows. After 5 straight years of touring and 4 consecutive platinum records, the members of Van Halen were looking forward to a much deserved vacation. But to make sure folks didn't forget about them, they released a cover of the Roy Orbison classic Oh, Pretty Woman. The song ra...

By 1987 Aerosmith had gone from 70s rock gods to broken up & broke to reunited while clean & sober. The band and Geffen records desperately wanted a hit after 1984's overlooked Done With Mirrors. Rock n Roll Hall of Famer John Kalodner suggested the band work with outside writers to generate some hits. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were reluctant at first but Desmond Child, Jim Vallance and Holly Kni...

The world had changed for Robert Plant in 1982. Led Zeppelin had broken up following the death of John Bonham in 1980. Big riff, classic rock had been replaced by punk, the new romantics, new wave and MTV was now the one place folks went to get their new music. Many of his peers from the 1970s had broken up, retired or were trying new things. So Robert put together a new band and released his firs...

The Who were ready to call it a day in 1982 which makes It's Hard their swan song. Of course they eventually came back but they were facing MTV, middle age, solo careers and examining life through different lenses. Keith Moon died in 1978 after the release of Who Are You and The Who soldiered on with Kenney Jones (The Faces) on the drums. But Pete Townshend's solo debut Empty Glass in 1980, which...

If you grew up in the 70s & 80s like we did, you knew Blue Oyster Cult for their radio hits Don't Fear (The Reaper), Burnin for You and Godzilla. Or you might know them from Fast Times at Ridgemont High - "No I don't have any Blue Oyster Cult, I ate 34 pairs last time around - where were you?" Of course children of the 90s will never forget the famous Cowbell Sketch with Christopher Walken. But Bl...

For The Wolf & Action Jackson, The Cult were a band that entered their lives in 1989 with Sonic Temple which delivered with hard rock anthem Fire Woman. But hearing the killer riffs of Billy Duffy and lead singer Ian Astbury's powerful vocals defined by spiritual lyrics, the boys had to dive into their back catalog and were delighted to unearth Dreamtime, Love & Electric. From there The Cult would...

As The Wolf has moved to London & around Europe he finds progressive rock to be a very English sub genre of rock music. Growing up an Anglophile when it came to rock music, he was fascinated by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Cream, Led Zeppelin and all the blues based guitar driven rock. But progressive rock has different textures and flavors, not to mention some bands that to this day...

Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets had to wait 2 years to tour due to COVID. But The Wolf & Action Jackson waited 27 years to see a live show together again; however, they all converged in Indianapolis on Friday, October 14. As proud members of Panteon Podcasts, we sponsored the The Echoes Tour and worked the show while greeting our VIP Experience winner, Heather. Listen to The Wolf's journey from...

Christian Swain is the Founder & CEO of Pantheon Podcasts - a network of music podcasts preserving the legacy of rock n roll and all its many sub-genres. We chat with Christian about being a musician in LA in the 1980s hanging out at The Roxy, The Rainbow and the Whiskey-a-go-go. We talk why certain bands make it and other don't, the role record companies play in those successes and failures and w...

Ronnie James Dio was legend of hard rock and heavy metal. From middle class beginnings in upstate New York to arenas around the world, Ronnie brought joy to the fans with his powerful voice and vivid storytelling. It's great to see not only former bandmates like Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler & Vinny Appice sing his praises but to hear from Roger Glover, Rob Halford, Glenn Hughes, Lita Ford, Sebastian...

Keith Richards made Talk is Cheap in 1988 as a response to Mick Jagger's efforts as a solo artist and the sniping the two had engaged in via the press in the mid-80s. But the Glimmer Twins made up, recorded Steel Wheels in 1989 and launched one of the biggest tours in rock history, reestablishing the Stones as a viable touring act. However, Keith didn't want to give up this fabulous band he'd crea...

We are proud to welcome 2 legends of music - Guy Pratt & Gary Kemp. Gary may be best known from his days as the guitarist & lead songwriter of Spandau Ballet but you may also know him as an actor (The Bodyguard). Guy Pratt took over for Roger Waters on bass in Pink Floyd and has worked with superstars like Michael Jackson, Madonna, David Gilmour and so many more. Not only are they inspirations bec...

By 1981, The Police had 3 hit records and the respect of their peers and the music industry. But meddling from the record company caused Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers to retreat to Canada and the isle of Montserrat to record their 4th album Ghost in the Machine. Producer Hugh Padgham had them work in separate rooms to get their sounds but it also may have been to keep them from each oth...

In 1992 Grunge was the only genre of music on the radio and in college dorms around the US. Alice in Chains were riding high (literally) on the success of their first album Facelift and hit single Man in a Box. After a successful opening stint with Van Halen and a best selling EP, Sap, Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley, Mike Starr and Sean Kinney were ready to rise to the top of the grunge/metal scene....

Signals was Rush's follow up to their biggest selling album Moving Pictures but it was not Moving Pictures II. Off the success of Moving Pictures and the tour, Rush were emboldened to further experiment with technology to evolve their sound to the 80s. Drummer & Lyricist Neil Peart started to draw inspiration from his own journey and the plight of those in the world around him. Geddy and Alex even...

In 1972, Genesis were gaining momentum and confidence. Thanks to the addition of Phil Collins on drums and Steve Hackett on guitar the year before, the band released Nursery Crime and embarked on a successful European tour. The tour's success inspired them to become more creative and stretch their material out not only for the album but to be played live as well. Foxtrot saw the band experiment wi...

It's great to welcome back our friend & HUGE Def Leppard fan Chris from My Rock n Roll Heaven & @rockthesetweets to our show to discuss seeing his favorite band live for the first time in 4 years. The Stadium Tour with Def Leppard & Motley Crue as alternating co-headliners was announced in 2019 but thanks to COVID, it was delayed until this year. Def Leppard took the downtime to record one of thei...

Jeff Beck is a true legend and genius of rock guitar. From his early days in The Yardbirds, through his hard rocking 70s incarnations to today, he's an innovator & someone who likes to collaborate with others. I bought tickets to see him pre-COVID and had to wait 2.5 years to see him. It turned out that during that time he had been collaborating with raconteur/actor Johnny Depp to work on some cov...

We're proud to have a sponsor like RareVinyl.com to not only support our show but to offer our listeners the high quality records, CDs, singles, programs, etc they crave. With over 250,000 items in stock the collection is overwhelming and the quality is incredible.  But how do they find all these treasures? Through their crack team of Record Buyers who sift through record collections to unearth th...

1987 in lined up perfectly for Whitesnake in North America. MTV was pushing bands like Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Def Leppard and hard rock was all over the charts. Bring in a seasoned veteran like David Coverdale, A&R legend John Kalodner and the muscle of David Geffen and you get 10 million copies sold in North America! With fiery guitar magic from John Sykes, Coverdales sometimes rasping yet smo...

This week we welcome our first guest who is a member of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Steve Hackett. Though a bit weary after wrapping a tour of Australia, New Zealand & Japan, Steve graciously joined us to talk about his travels, recent tour stops and all the exciting things he's been up to. Steve's Seconds Out & more tour has been very well received on 4 continents and he shows no signs of slowin...

Growing up in the 80s in the US meant being awestruck and beholden to MTV. Seeing artists from all over the world bring their music, color and performances to the small screen opened up the world to those trying to navigate the suburbs. For our generation, Duran Duran was as close as we got to the 2nd coming of The Beatles with their fashion, sound and innovative videos. To wrap up an amazing summ...

Prior to Screaming for Vengeance, Judas Priest had solidified their stature as a heavy metal act around the world but not so much in the US. Though 1980's British Steel gave them some chart success in the UK & other parts of the world, big success in the States still eluded them. Thanks to You've Got Another Thing Comin', Priest was able to get on MTV and graduate to headlining arena shows in Nort...

The pandemic caused the cancellation and postponement of rock shows all over the world for 2 years. Thankfully live music is returning and this week we review a couple of shows that prove it's back in a big way. After taking his family to see the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park for their 202nd London concert (but first without Charlie Watts), The Wold decided to return solo for the 203rd Stones show i...