The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast

In 2004, Green Day were in a bit of an existential crisis. It had been a decade since Dookie went Diamond in the US and platinum around the world and their appearance at Woodstock 94 helped propel them to one of the biggest bands of their generation. And while big hits and successful tours followed throughout the 90s, I can understand that it's hard to find things to rebel against when your rich a...

One of the best things about having a rock music podcast is hearing new albums before the general public has the chance. Once The Wolf and Action Jackson heard the ringing guitars and soaring vocals of October Drift on their 3rd album, Blame The Young (out September 27, 2024), they wanted to spread the word far and wide. So they tracked down lead singer and lyricist Kiran Roy to talk to them about...

After a grueling 100+ date tour to support their Piece Of Mind album, no one would blame the boys in Iron Maiden for taking some well deserved time off. Instead, after 3 weeks off they went back to start writing and rehearsing for their next album, Powerslave, which would prove to be HUGELY important in breaking them in the US, South America and all around the world. Thanks to having the same line...

On the 13th edition of the monthly sidecast from The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast, we relive a special night in the life of Gerry Schramm. As the co-host of the Something For Nothing Rush Fancast, Gerry is devotee of Rush for 4 decades. But Gerry didn't hear them on the radio and explore their catalog or have a friend share their record collection with him to find Rush. Instead, o...

August 28, 1989 saw the release of Dr. Feelgood, the album that would solidify Motley Crue as a sleazy, sunset strip band that had hit the big time. It included songs you would expect from Motley (She Goes Down, Slice Of Your Pie, Rattlesnake Shake) but thanks to producer Bob Rock also included 5 singles that hit the charts in the US. The band tries to be tender in spots (Without You, Time For Cha...

Oasis in the UK are more than just rock royalty. They are the foul-mouthed, big riff, council estate kids with unibrows and bad attitudes that helped lift the UK out of it's 1980's/Thatcherism malaisse and into the Cool Britannia of the 1990s. Out was the doom and gloom of American grunge, in were melodic songs that kids could relate to. Anthems like Rock N Roll Star, Columbia and Cigarettes and A...

Our long-time listeners know that The Wolf & Action Jackson have a special place in their hearts for the music of 80s pop/rock supergroup Asia. Asia's eponymous debut album was the top selling album in the US in 1982 and spent 9 weeks at the top of the chart thanks to hits like Sole Survivor, Only Time Will Tell and the #1 smash Heat Of The Moment. With John Wetton on bass & vocals, Steve Howe on...

By 1969 Eric Clapton had finally gotten what he wanted - out of Cream. He felt the band (and the machine around it) was too big and couldn't deal with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker constantly at each other's throats. And so he began to hang out and jam with his friend Steve Winwood who felt like he wanted a change from Traffic. As these two titans began to formulate some new material, the bosses at...

In the summer of 1984, Metallica were not yet the Metal Gods and household names they are now. They were a band with one record under their belt (Kill Em All, hear UAWIL #138 for our review with The Hook Rocks Jay Scott), some experience playing bigger stages as an opening act and a small but loyal following. However, their US record company didn't have the money to pay for a new album so James, K...

Bruce Springsteen is one of the all time great rock n rollers. From humble beginnings in New Jersey to selling out stadiums around the world for decades, The Boss is still out there delivering an amazing performance every night. On First Concert Memories 12, the monthly sidecast from your friends at The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast, we bring in our Pantheon Podcasts brother Jesse...

Though AC/DC are one of the most revered and successful bands in the history of rock n roll, in 1979 they hadn't cracked the Top 100 in the US. The killer riffs laid down by Malcolm Young had gained them a strong following in Europe and their native Australia but they had yet to breach the great big U-S-of-A. So in 1979 they brought in a new producer, Robert John "Mutt" Lange to give them an edge....

The Wolf & Action Jackson are HUGE Rolling Stones fans and count seeing the Steel Wheels Tour live in their respective cities as an important moment in their lives. Though the Stones never said it, many figured the Steel Wheels Tour would be the last chance for many people to ever see the Stones play. And because Bill Wyman retired after that tour, one could argue that definitely signaled the end...

Keyboard virtuoso Oliver Wakeman visited us on UAWIL #156 to talk about the John Wetton (Asia, King Crimson, UK) box set as it was being released. We had a wonderful time chatting with Oliver as we are big fans of John Wetton and John had been a mentor and friend to Oliver as they toured together in the early 2000s. We had so much fun that we asked him to come back to promote one of his own projec...

Stone Temple Pilots helped define the grunge-ridden days of the 1990s with their big downtuned riffs and lyrics soaked in heroin resin. Riding the wave from Seattle, their debut album Core sold over 8 million copies in the US alone. The record company couldn't wait to get more STP out into the market so in November 1993 they released the live Unplugged album featuring the new song Big Empty. Vocal...

Most of us went to our first concerts as teenagers, usually with like-minded friends in search of a good time. Britt Lightning - the lead guitarist in Vixen, the Musical Director of Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp and co-host of the Rock Camp Podcast - wanted just that when she and her high school buddies headed out Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts to see a full day's slate of bands with Stone Temple Pil...

As huge Van Halen fans growing up, The Wolf & Action Jackson always took a keen interest in the career of Wolfgang Van Halen and his band Mammoth. Though The Wolf had seen Wolfgang on tour with Van Halen on bass near the end of their run, he'd missed opportunities to see Mammoth in the past. However, he remedied when they hit Louisville on the last night of their latest tour of the USA and boy was...

Rock N Roll Hall of Famer Guy Fletcher joins UAWIL in a very special episode where we talk the charity single he produced, his days in Dire Straits, on the road and in the studio with Mark Knopfler and more. Going Home has for decades been the theme song to the movie Local Hero, which Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame not only composed but was the tune with which he always closed his shows. When...

Listeners of our show know that The Wolf loves Ronnie James Dio and his epic voice. We've done past episodes on his time in Sabbath (UAWIL #13), the Dreamers Never Die bio-pic/documentary (UAWIL #98) and last year's Holy Diver at 40 (UAWIL #129). So as Dio's sophomore effort turns 40 in 2024, we took the opportunity to celebrate Ronnie's voice and dive into The Last In Line. With the same lineup a...

Coming off the success of his 1999 album, Prince took everything to another level with 1984's Purple Rain. The album featured 5 singles that would get major airplay on different radio formats (pop, rock, r&b, dance) and MTV. The album would sell over 25 million copies worldwide but it was also the soundtrack to the movie of the same name which grossed over $70 million. Prince not only won Grammys...

By 1984, Bruce Springsteen had long been hailed by rock critics as the next great American bard for the working man. His ability to mix heavy lyrics about the struggles of everyday life with catchy pop/rock rhythms had elevated him to rock royalty status before he ever made his 7th album. Released June 4, 1984 as a follow up to the melancholy and personal Nebraska, Born in the USA reunited Bruce w...

Our monthly sidecast First Concert Memories was created as a vehicle to capture those special moments in our lives when we saw a band we loved for the first time. The anticipation, the build up, the people you're with, the performance, the party - all of if can bring back so many rich and happy memories. And it's great for artists, writers, journalists, podcasters and music fans - everyone has a s...

On May 24, 1974, the world were introduced to new "supergroup" on Led Zeppelin's Swan Song record label with the self-titled debut of Bad Company. Sporting a world-class lineup of Paul Rodgers (Free) on vocals, Mick Ralphs (Mott the Hoople) on guitar, Boz Burrell (King Crimson) on bass and Simon Kirke (Free) on drums, Bad Company were seasoned veterans of the studio and the road. After becoming di...

We developed our On First Listen series so we'd have the opportunity to give a good listen to albums which had somehow gotten past us. Maybe we'd always seen it in the record store and were curious or maybe friends had recommended the album but we never had a chance to listen. Perhaps, like Roger Waters 1984 solo effort The Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking, it was both as the distinct cover is a young b...

Don Jamieson is hilarious. His work as a comedian has landed him prime gigs like co-hosting That Metal Show on VH1 Classic, hosting the Monsters of Rock Cruise and performing his standup routine around the world. He joins the boys this week to talk about his new comedy album No Sleep 'Til McSorley's which was recorded at the legenday New York City drinking establishment. Out April 19, the album co...

As children of the MTV generation, The Wolf & Action Jackson grew up listening to and watching videos from Men At Work. The band from Down Under had some big hits and their first two albums, Business As Usual & Cargo, sold more than 20 million copies around the world. However, the quickly disappeared from the scene and it left us wondering where they went. In 2015, a documentary about their frontm...