The Grateful Dead are among the most unlikely stars in the history of rock and roll. They created a culture and became one of the most famous bands in the world on their own terms. They toured relentlessly, made things up as they went and didn’t care about making mistakes. They never cared about being famous, and would probably hate me even calling them stars in this monologue. In this trippy episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re taking a look at Grateful Dead – the music, the drugs, the ...
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Summertime is the right time for heading to the beach, going to the lake, or sitting by the pool. And you can’t do any of that without some music. In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re talking about the best songs of summer. So open a cold beverage of choice, sit back in your beach chair, and turn up the volume. Our show is sponsored by our home base of McCusker's Tavern at 17th and Shunk Streets in Philadelphia. We are proud supporters of our friends at Boldfoot Socks. We are jus...
Jul 11, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Hey guys! Sorry you haven't gotten a new episode from us in a few weeks. Life outside of podcast land has been hectic, but we'll be back on July 11th. In the meantime, Check us out online , on Facebook and Twitter , or shoot us an email at prisonersofrockandroll@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jun 28, 2022•3 min
Like rock and roll before it, hip hop gave a new voice to generations of people and became a cultural movement just as much as a type of music. In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re taking a look at the Golden Age of hip hop. We’re going to look at the pioneers who started hip hop in the wake of disco. The rappers who helped bring hip hop to the mainstream like Run DMC and LL Cool J. And rappers like Public Enemy and NWA who used their music to speak up about how black people were...
Jun 05, 2022•1 hr 59 min•Season 2Ep. 42
The 1950s were an awesome time for music. And when rock and roll crossed paths with television, it blew the doors off of post-war America and changed everything it touched. These artists built the foundation of modern music and you can still hear their influence on artists 70 years later. Elvis. Chuck Berry. Buddy Holly. And more. But the story isn’t all sock hops and poodle skirts. The history of early rock and roll also contains stories of tragedy, scandal, and racism that ended this early era...
May 23, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Hair metal ruled the radio and the backs of denim jackets in the 1980s. A cornerstone of every hair metal band’s music output was a power ballad – this was a chance for the bad guys in rock and roll to show their softer side by slowing things down and singing about the women they love. These were the songs you put on a mixtape for the girl who sat in front of you in history class or requested on the radio on a Saturday night. On tonight’s episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re taking a loo...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Sub Pop was an independent record label that rose to fame by putting out albums by several Seattle rock bands before they got huge and had teenagers rocking Doc Martens and flannels. While the label is still around today, they’re best known for releasing early material from Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, L7, and more. In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we take a look at Sub Pop Records and the role they played on the Seattle music scene. We read read their famous rejection letter th...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Season 2Ep. 39
When it comes to rock and roll, nobody does it louder or bigger than KISS. They took the idea that rock is about having a good time and then turned that up to 11 with their bluesy music, soaring solos, and some of the most recognizable looks in rock and roll. In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re taking a look at KISS. Their rise to fame. The personality conflicts. The make up. The live shows with the explosions, fire breathing, and blood spitting. And of course, the merchandise! ...
Apr 04, 2022•2 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 38
By 1968, Elvis Presley he had been out of the music spotlight for a decade. He had only performed once since getting out of the army in 1960, and most of his time was spent turning out dozens of b-level movies that left him frustrated with his career. Then his manager and infamous jerk Colonel Tom Parker pitched an idea to NBC to have Elvis do a TV special. Presley took the stage in a black leather outfit and reminded EVERYONE that he was the King of Rock and Roll. In this week’s episode, we’re ...
Mar 21, 2022•1 hr 40 min•Season 2Ep. 37
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the nominees for the class of 2022. As always, the list includes some people who deserve to be inducted as well as some head scratchers. In this week’s episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re talking about artists who have been snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We’ve put together a list of 10 artists that we think should be nominated, and we want you to vote on who should get in. VOTE NOW. Plus, we’re going to send a song to the Electric...
Mar 07, 2022•2 hr•Season 2Ep. 36
David Bowie defied every category society tried to put him in. He constantly experimented with new sounds in his music and releasing albums that were glam, proto punk, industrial, and plastic soul. He blurred the lines of gender, fashion, and sexuality. He also combined theater and music by inventing characters that he played on stage and in his music. In this week’s episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re going to take a look at the faces of David Bowie including Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust,...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 51 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Rush is one of the most successful progressive rock bands of all time. They’ve made 14 platinum albums and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame calls them “the patron saints of brainy, technical, ambitious rock and roll.” But we just don’t like them. Are we missing something? Do we have bad taste in music? On today’s episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we agreed to put our opinions aside and objectively listen to some of their most popular and important cuts. Then we’re going to sit and down and di...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Season 2Ep. 34
1992 was a great year for music. Rock branched out into all sorts of different cool directions and we got to hear grunge and alternative albums from Alice In Chains, Faith No More, White Zombie, Soul Asylum, and the Gin Blossoms. We heard debut albums from Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, and Body Count. Industrial music took off with Psalm 69 from Ministry and Broken by Nine Inch Nails. Pantera made one of the best heavy metal albums of all time. We had TWO albums from Bruce Sprin...
Jan 24, 2022•2 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 33
American Pie by Don McClean is one of the most analyzed songs in rock and roll. This 8 and a half minute song looks at what happened to rock and roll – and America – in the decade after Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash in 1959. Don McClean has never fully explained the meaning of the song but there are references to Bob Dylan, Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Byrds, and Janis Joplin, as well as the JFK assassination, communism, the Manson Murders, a...
Jan 10, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Season 2Ep. 32
It's our second annual Christmas episode, where talk about some of the worst holiday tunes of all time. We discuss famously terrible songs by Kenny G, Mariah Carey, Paul McCartney, and the Carpenters. We also play the sequel to Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and some lesser known songs from Regis Philbin, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Insane Clown Posse, and the cast of Star Wars. If you want to hear some great rock and roll Christmas songs, check out last year's holiday episode. If you're loo...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 47 min•Season 1Ep. 31
In 1979, Pink Floyd released their amazing double album The Wall. It’s a rock opera about a dark and gloomy rock star named Pink who became so disenfranchised by the world around him that he built a wall around his life as he descended into madness. It’s one of the most famous concept albums of all time, selling more than 30 million copies. It also led to a full length movie and incredibly elaborate concerts. On this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re going behind The Wall of Pink Floy...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Johnny Cash was a county music legend and one of the founding fathers of rock and roll, but he thought he was washed up by the mid 1990s. The Man In Black had lost his edge. His record company didn’t care about him any more, and he was playing small venues for a few hundred people. Then, he met famous record producer Rick Rubin. The man who produced albums from Slayer and the Beastie Boys had a simple vision: he invited Johnny Cash to come to his house and record him playing his favorite songs. ...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 49 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Bob Marley was more than just a musician. He was a musical pioneer. An ambassador of Jamaican culture. A humanitarian, an activist, and a really competitive soccer player. He grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Kingstown, Jamaica, but thought music could change the world. His songs talk about standing up to oppression, hope, freedom, politics, and love. He survived an assassination attempt and then tragically died of cancer at just 36 years old. One today’s episode of Prisoners of Roc...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 40 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Motown Records is one of the most successful and influential record labels in music history. Between 1961 to 1971, they produced a staggering 110 top 10 hits from artists like Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. You know these songs, but do you know who played the music on them? Behind all of this amazing music and the Motown Sound was a relatively unknown group of studio musicians called Th...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Season 1Ep. 27
MTV did a lot for music before they went off the rails and became a carousel of crappy reality shows, and their greatest contribution might have been MTV Unplugged. On today's episode, we're unplugging the mics and talking about some of the most memorable episodes of the show: Eric Clapton, 10,000 Maniacs, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, LL Cool J, Nirvana and more. Check out our episode playlist . Part of Pantheon Podcasts . Check us out on Facebook and Twitter , or shoot...
Sep 27, 2021•2 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones is one of the greatest albums by the greatest bands in rock and roll. The story of how this record was made is a wild one. The band had fled the UK to avoid a huge tax bill, and they recorded most of it in the basement of a villa Keith Richards rented in Southern France that the Gestapo used for a headquarters in WWII. The house became a revolving door of celebrities, heroin, and music. On this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we honor the passing...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 23
We love our drummers and bass players, but the guitar is the backbone of rock and roll. It’s a relatively simple instrument that can sound so incredibly different in the hands of different people. Slash, Carlos Santana, Duane Allman, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Satriani, Hendrix, Jeff Beck, BB King. All amazing musicians making completely different sounds with the same instrument. On today’s episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re each sharing our top 6 guitar players of all time. We’re going to defe...
Aug 23, 2021•2 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 24
The Ramones and The Clash are two of the most important bands in punk rock, and they put out two of the greatest punk rock albums of all time. In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re debating their masterpieces -- the self-titled album from The Ramones versus London Calling by the Clash. It’s Hey Gabba Gabba versus the Only Band That Matters! Part of Pantheon Podcasts . Check us out on Facebook and Twitter , or shoot get in touch at prisonersofrockandroll@gmail.com Learn more about ...
Aug 09, 2021•2 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Summertime is the right time for taking road trips, and whether you’re taking a day trip or loading up the car for a cross country adventure, you gotta have some tunes. On today’s episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’ve put together the ultimate road trip playlist. We’re going to play some clips, share some insight, and talk about some great music to check out while on the road. Part of Pantheon Podcasts . Check out our episode playlist . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 22
The blues is the foundation for practically every type of modern music ever made, including rock and roll, rhythm and blues, jazz, and even hip hop. On today’s episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re going to explore the more than 150 year history of the Blues. We’re going to visit the plantations and juke joints of the deep south and follow African Americans as they moved out of the region and took the blues with them to places like Memphis, St. Louis, and Chicago where it went electric an...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 52 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Our show features has a segment every episode called The Electric Chair where we sentence a song to death for being terrible. We’re taking that to the next level by making the whole show about tunes that make our ears bleed. And we let a bunch of our listeners in on the fun too! Episode Playlist: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Prisonersofrockandroll Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrisonersofRock Web: www.prisonersofrockandroll.com Email: prisonersofrockandroll@gmail.com Part of Pantheon Podcas...
Jun 28, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Nothing goes better than a cold beer and some good tunes. In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we are celebrating the triumphant reopening of our home base at McCusker’s Tavern in Philadelphia by putting together a list of the greatest bar songs of all time. Grab a cold one and turn up the radio because we’re here to be your jukebox heroes! Check out our episode playlist for the full all the great jukebox songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1deuKxTPcKO02Ky5hLbdpa?si=a074b6caf6354b...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Rock and roll wouldn’t be what it is today without MTV. Before the rise of Napster and YouTube, MTV was where you discovered music and learned about what was going on with your favorite artists. There was something for everyone with shows like Headbangers Ball, Yo MTV Raps, 120 Minutes, and Club MTV. It also had shows like Remote Control, Singled Out, and Beavis & Butthead. On today’s episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re talking about the golden years of MTV. Part of Pantheon Podcast...
May 31, 2021•2 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 18
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three day music festival held in California during the summer of love during 1967. This is where the US got introduced to Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who. It also featured performances by the Grateful Dead, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Mamas and the Papas, Ravi Shankar, Jefferson Airplane, the Steve Miller Band, and more. On this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re going to San Francisco with flowers in our...
May 18, 2021•2 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Shock rock combines rock and roll with theatrical live performances that include costumes, special effects, and provocative behavior that pulls from circus sideshows, science fiction, horror, and religion. In this episode, we look at famous shock rockers like KISS, Gwar, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie, as well as a handful of other artists and their outrageous antics. Check out our episode playlists on Spotify or Apple Music to hear the music we're talking about. The links are on o...
May 03, 2021•2 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 16
