Professor of Rock

Today, we put one of rock’s greatest years, 1970, under the microscope and explore songs that we all know and love but failed as hits. There’s a story about Gregg Allman, who was so excited to lay down a song that came into his head, he got high and broke into a closed recording studio in the middle of the night. But he was struggling to find that one lyric to finish it, and it was his roadie who gave him the perfect lyric. But did he do right by him and give him any royalties for it? We’ll find out. Plus John Lennon, who was annoyed by his wife and made that annoyance into the classic song Across the Universe, except for the fact that when he recorded it, he couldn’t hit the high notes, so in a bizarre idea, he went outside the recording studio and selected 2 fans to record those high notes. He regretted it for the rest of his life, calling the song crap, but it has become an all-time classic, and finally, the classic rock song that came from an angry wife’s pissed-off rant. It’s a special episode of NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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Rock and roll has always been a family business. And family… well, family is complicated. Growing up together, fighting together, making history together — and sometimes, destroying each other's dreams in the process. Today, we're counting down the most explosive sibling rivalries in rock history. And trust me, these stories are gonna entertain! Like the legendary Everly Brothers, whose decades of resentment finally detonated onstage — in front of a live amusement park crowd. The show prematurely ended with a smashed guitar and a stunning confession. Or how about the two brothers, Liam and Noel Gallagher, whose lifelong war with cricket bats and potato insults started back in their tiny shared bedroom… fighting over who had the best shoes. And then there’s the Carpenters brother-sister duo, where the brother called all the shots, literally telling his sister what notes to sing on every record. And when she finally broke free to make an album of her own… he destroyed it. Yeah, we all might need some therapy after this one. It’s brotherly and sisterly love gone so very wrong… next on The Professor of Rock.
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We started this series a month ago, and I was overwhelmed with feedback for another episode. So, for this one, I’ve got 7 more stories of rock and roll sabotage and treachery. You know, sometimes the music industry is a band’s worst enemy, but then again, sometimes a band can be their own worst enemy, too. And today’s episode is the proof. We’ll tell you about a Saturday Night Live performance where Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist John Frusciante was pissed at the band’s frontman, Anthony Keidis, so he made up his own version of their hit song Under the Bridge on the spot. And Anthony had no clue how to sing along… It was a train wreck, and he was embarrassed on live TV. Then there was the band Information Society, who was excited to release their new CD with high-tech tracks that were supposed to be interactive in the coming computer age. But instead, the CD caused many systems to crash, which led to massive album returns and radio stations blacklisting the band for having a virus on their album. And then there’s Pixies frontman, Black Francis, who systematically tried to erase his female bandmate Kim Deal on their albums and onstage because she was more popular with their fans. Talk about an ego. Let’s do it.

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So last year I was on David Letterman’s Show… Or Barbara Gaines Show. But I found out that David Letterman watches our show, and I was blown away. Well, I had the chance to interview his famous sidekick, Paul Shaffer, and was able to geek out with him on music... including some of my favorite moments on the Letterman show. So here is that interview session with Paul, including commentary about the great performances on the show, like an unknown band that came on the show and absolutely killed it. In fact,
I’ve watched that performance hundreds of times, according to my own stats. It’s a band that came out of nowhere, and their performance was so awe-inspiring that even Letterman was freaking out... plus, the accidental F bomb that was said on LIVE TV that caused a major ruckus. Let’s get into it!
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Coming up, we’re celebrating the birthday of legendary KISS guitarist Ace Frehley with this classic episode from 2024.
In this one, we dig deep into the catalog of one of rock’s greatest party bands—KISS—highlighting 5 essential tracks that help tell their wild story. From outrageous moments like concert car crashes to the band’s unexpected clash with disco, these songs capture the chaos, creativity, and larger-than-life spirit that defined KISS.
But this time, the stories aren’t just coming from me… we’re handing the mic to the Spaceman himself. Ace Frehley shares rare insights into these iconic songs—revealing which ones he loves, which ones he doesn’t, and what was really happening behind the scenes.
It’s a fun, revealing look at the band that taught the world how to rock.
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