Professor of Rock

A few weeks ago, I told you that I had a special gift for you this Christmas, and it’s a few days early. The most requested video in the history of my channel: a Rick Beat dit down. Over the history of my channel, I've had thousands upon thousands of requests asking for this video. I don’t know what you’d call it… Some have called it a crossover. Some have called it a collab. But whatever you want to call it, I had a blast. Over the summer, when I was drowning in the quicksand of claims and despair, this legend reached out to me to offer help, as he had been through my plight and then some. And we became fast friends. And since then, we've spoken on the phone many times and had some great talks about all things music. For today’s interview, I go down a rabbit hole of rock and roll with Rick Beato. From his early years to his extensive career, and along the way, I PICK HIS BRAIN and ask him the questions I've always been curious about in his musical journey... from his favorite records to the one song he would like to hear before he leaves this earth… to some things that I’m not sure anyone knows about him. This is one I guarantee you’ll enjoy. Let’s get into it. "See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it’s time to resurrect some of the greatest hits of the 70s and 80s that were actually huge hits in their time but have been somewhat forgotten in modern times. I’m going to prove why they deserve the Stranger Things treatment, meaning a renaissance in pop culture... including the rock song Midnight Blue that Lou Gramm brought to his band Foreigner, but was crestfallen when the leader rejected the song outright… So Lou put it out as a solo song, and it outsold Foreigner’s next album by a long shot… Sweet revenge. Then there’s The Tubes' song She's a Beauty, that everybody knows by heart, but nobody can remember the band’s name. It was their only big hit, and it came from an exotic dancer. Or how about The Little River Band that had 13 hits in a short time, including Cool Change and years later, they can’t even tour under their own band name because a bunch of impostors own it, even though none of them are original members. There’s also the stories of Throwing it all away by Phil Collins and Genesis. Atomic by Blondie that was stolen from a Nursery Rhyme. Also Same Auld Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg, the Best of Times by Styx and I’ll wait By Van Halen. The songs in this episode share one astonishing link: they were monster hits that faded from the cultural spotlight, seldom landing in TV, film, or social media. It’s time to change that…next on Professor of Rock!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, one of the most perplexing disappearing acts in rock history. Blondie with Debbie Harry defined the late 70s and early 80s and was the face of the musical movement. They were beloved by critics, and they ruled the charts with 7 huge hits in about 3 years. But they weren’t just hits; they defined the era. True masters of hook-laden classics that captivated punk kids, rock kids, and disco kids equally, but their label was so out of touch with their sound that even after several big hits, they doubted them. In fac,t they had an album that seemed completely hitless or at least that’s what the label told them after listening to it. Granted, the Autoamerican was very different from their other material. when it came out, the risky record got no love from the industry, but then it scored 2 number one hits in a row, including today’s featured song The Tide is High and Rapture flowing Blondie hits like Call Me and One Way or Another. . Today's song the Tide is High was beloved by one of the greatest rock legends ever John Lennon, who brought it up in an interview, ironically the next week the song he loved replaced him at #1 but sadly this song would be their swan song on the charts Worn down by a never-ending workload and label pressure to stay on top, these guys bottomed out and never had an other hit after having 7 big ones in just 3 years. . But was it really the end? We’ll find out… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So what happens when Weird Al, the world's most famous musical comedian—a guy who's made a career out of roasting rock’s biggest acts—completely snubs you? Or give us a short clip of what a full-blown parody might’ve been like, but never turned it into a full song. Today, we're talking missed opportunities… and hidden gems by the king of musical comedy and covering career-defining hits that were begging to be mocked… the biggest bands and artists who somehow escaped the ultimate honor in music: getting sonically skewered by the prince of parody. Most of these bands got a little taste of what a parody of their song could’ve been, but they never got the full monty. And many were huge missed opportunities, including Axl Rose, who was brilliantly mocked on multiple occasions… but just not when it counted most, as well as another rock frontman who really wanted to be skewered but Al declined. There’s also the hilarious send-up of Alanis Morissette's Ironic music video, where he rides shotgun and spazzes out right alongside her... but skipped the song parody. And then there’s a funny parody making fun of Metallica, who were fighting Napster. Many claimed it was Al, and the song started going viral, but was it the real deal? We find out next on PROFESSOR OF ROCK.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up a famously cerebral band that many think is one of the greatest ever, but they only had one radio hit, and guess what, they HATE IT. They Loathe It. Refuse to perform it, you’ve heard the cliché many times, but there’s a rub with this one. It's a song that spoke to a generation but was never intended to. The Band wrote it as a joke. The guitarist thought it sucked, so he played the most outrageously over-the-top dumb guitar solo ever to sabotage it, and it totally backfired. It made the song a classic. It was written about the lead singer’s awkward, drunken plea to a girl who thought he was a creep because he was stalking her. It was a confession made to this girl he was obsessed with… He crashed and burned, but the song rocketed up the charts, and even though it was a creepy joke, it was both cathartic and the epitome of self-deprecation. Let’s do it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.