“Rock in Retrospect” focuses on the lives, careers and legacies of artists who made a significant impact on the music industry. Host Nick Bambach invites a guest to discuss their favorite artists and why they matter. We also occasionally create episodes focusing on awards shows and music-related institutions such as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Oscars, and the Grammys. If you enjoy stimulating and often-humorous discussions about music history in a laid-back environment, then this is the podcast for you!
Scott Kummer and Josh Hohbein (hosts of the I Got That on Vinyl ) come on to discuss the 2022 Netflix documentary Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres . Send us a text
Writers David Cantwell ( No Fences Review ) and Tom Lane ( Music Blog ) return to discuss the career and legacy of Jerry Lee Lewis. We talk a lot about Ethan Coen's recent documentary Trouble in Mind (2022) and also emphasize Lewis' place in the both the rock and roll and country genres. We conclude with our favorite tracks from the Killer. Send us a text...
On the latest Movie Talk episode, things get a little weird...as we talk about all things Weird Al! I invited past guests Patrick Dupuis ( EETF Podcast ), John Mutford, Mike Drew, Hector Contreras and Kyle Hildreth to talk about the 2022 music biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story . Send us a text
The second of two episodes covering the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. For Part II, I invited Mark Lempke and Greg Peurach to talk about their experiences watching the ceremony live and in person! The ceremony took place at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday October 19th. Topics discussed include our favorite speeches (from both presenters and inductees), favorite musical performances and who they want to see honored at next year's ceremony. Send...
The first of two episodes covering the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. For Part I, I invited Darren Hines, Jordan Collins, Cliff O'Neill and Andrea Lewis to talk about their experiences watching the ceremony live and in person! The ceremony took place at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday October 19th. Topics discussed include our favorite speeches (from both presenters and inductees), favorite musical performances and who they want to see honored...
Mike Wiles ( Retro Rock Roundup ) returns to discuss the life and legacy of singer-songwriter Barry Manilow. Topics discussed include Manilow's status as one of the most versatile and talented creative forces in American music , his many collaborations with famous artists, and his catalog of classic songs. Send us a text
Albert Tsibu, who runs the @InductAaliyah campaign on various social media platforms, joins Nick to discuss his all-time favorite artist: the one and only Aaliyah. We have an in-depth conversation about the late singer's career and legacy. We discuss various topics such as Aaliyah's music videos, her status as a fashion icon, and our favorite songs from her catalog. We also talk about Aaliyah's recent induction into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame last year and her potential inducti...
Music writer and critic Tom Lane (check out his Music Blog ) returns to talk about Nelson George's documentary Thriller 40 (2023). The film focuses on the creation and legacy of Michael Jackson's iconic 1982 album. We have an informal discussion of the best and most memorable moments in the film, provide insight into the album's production history, celebrate the many talented individuals who contributed to Thriller 's success and we conclude with a ranking of every song on the album. It's a grea...
Returning guests Kailyn Champlin, Peter Waters and Sam Ratner join Nick to discuss the recent concert film Gaga Chromatica Ball (2024) starring the one and only Lady Gaga. We share how we became fans of her music, our thoughts on the film, and choose our favorite songs from her catalog. A really fun episode that was just born this way! Send us a text
We just celebrated our 3-year anniversary this past week and this is our 75th episode! To celebrate this achievement, I invited the great David Festini back on the show to talk about one of our favorite artists of the 1980s: Huey Lewis and the News. We discuss this hugely popular band's rise to fame, their unique sound, their status as icons of the 1980s and why they deserve to be considered for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Send us a text...
Jordan Raycine ( Needle Drops ) and Sam Ratner join Nick to discuss the new Disney+ documentary The Beach Boys (2024). The film covers the career of the iconic American band and we have plenty of thoughts on this one. With July 4th happening this week, there isn't a more perfect time to discuss this film! Send us a text
Andy Heller ( Fat Dude Digs Flicks Movie Podcasts ) joins Nick to discuss the recent music biopic Bob Marley: One Love . Send us a text
Patrick Dupuis ( EETF Podcast ), Hector Contreras and Kyle Hildreth join me to discuss the Beatles documentary Let It Be (1970). Long unavailable to the general public for many years, the film is now streaming on Disney+. Send us a text
Christy Alexander Hallberg ( Rock is Lit ) and Staci Layne Wilson ( Rock & Roll Nightmares ) return to discuss the recent Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black (2024). Send us a text
The Douche Caravan returns with Jon Lamoreaux ( The Hustle ), Patrick Dupuis ( The EETF Podcast ) and Michael Bagford coming on to discuss Bao Nguyen's Netflix documentary The Greatest Night in Pop (2024). The film tells the story of the charity single "We Are the World" spearheaded by Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie in 1985. They assembled a once-in-a-lifetime lineup of the biggest musical stars for the recording that included Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Bruce Springst...
Music journalist, filmmaker and podcast host Staci Layne Wilson ( Rock & Roll Nightmares ) joins us to discuss Nick Broomfield's documentary The Stones and Brian Jones (2023). The film covers the life and times of Rolling Stones founding member and multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones who died at age 27 in 1969. Send us a text...
Tom Lane, Michelle Bourg and Mark Lempke give their initial thoughts on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 inductees. Send us a text
Wes Gabrielsen returns to discuss the career and legacy of iconic singer-guitarist Peter Frampton. Topics discussed include Frampton's collaborations with legendary artists, his magnum opus Frampton Comes Alive! and our experiences seeing him perform live in recent years. We conclude with a discussion of Frampton's current nomination for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Send us a text...
The Douche Caravan returns with Jon Lamoreaux ( The Hustle ), Patrick Dupuis ( The EETF Podcast ) and Michael Bagford coming on to discuss Anton Corbijn's documentary Squaring the Circle: The Story of Hipgnosis (2022). The film tells the story of Hipgnosis who designed some of the most iconic album covers in rock and roll history. They worked legendary artists including Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, AC/DC and so many others. Send us a text...
Darren Hines and Peter Waters return to discuss the nominees in the music categories at this year's Academy Awards. We analyze all ten scores and songs, give our personal rankings, our predictions on who will win and cap it off with great works that were snubbed. Send us a text
Music journalist David Schnelwar returns to discuss the career and legacy of Lenny Kravitz. Topics discussed include Kravitz's musical influences, notable collaborations, his ability to stay relevant for 35+ years and our favorite songs from his iconic career. We also discuss Kravitz's recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination and why he deserves induction this year. Send us a text
Liza Lentini of SPIN returns to talk about the life and career of the late great Sinead O'Connor. We talk about Sinead's talents as a singer and songwriter, her activism, our favorite songs from her catalog and her recent nomination for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Nothing Compares talking 2 Liza about Sinead! Please check out Liza's pieces about Sinead O'Connor: a 2020 interview with the iconic artist, a 2022 piece on why she deserves induction into the Rock & Roll Hall ...
Tom Lane, David Schnelwar, Michelle Bourg and Greg Peurach return to discuss the nominees on this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot. Also...who won the previous episode's draft? Listen to find out! Send us a text
For our first episode of 2024, let's start with a draft....more precisely a Rock Hall Nominees Draft! Tom Lane, Mark Lempke, David Schnelwar, Michelle Bourg and Greg Peurach return to discuss who they believe will be nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Performers category in 2024. To spice things up, we're gonna predict the ballot in a draft-style format! Over the course of 5 rounds, we each select 5 artists and make the case on why they should appear on the ballot. T...
Returning guests Darren Hines and Greg Peurach discuss their experience attending the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. We share some funny stories about the venue as well as our favorite musical performances, speeches and moments. It was a memorable night that we won't forget anytime soon. Send us a text
On this very special Movie Talk episode, I invited Swifties Jordan Raycine, Kailyn Champlin and Sam Ratner to discuss all things Taylor Swift and her smash hit movie The Eras Tour . We talk about how they became fans of Swift's music, their experiences seeing the movie with rowdy crowds, their thoughts on the best moments during the movie, and their favorite songs from her prolific catalog. Send us a text...
Horror movie fanatic Peter Waters returns to help us pick the 31 greatest horror-themed songs to celebrate Halloween and we're calling this episode The Ultimate Halloween Playlist ! Listen to which songs made the cut and we'll also hear some great stories along the way! Send us a text
Tom Lane returns to discuss the new documentary Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback (2023) about the making of Elvis' triumphant NBC special. It marked the King of Rock & Roll's return to mainstream relevance and why he earned the honorific title. John Scheinfeld's film is currently streaming on Paramount+. Send us a text
This week we pay tribute to the late, great Jimmy Buffett. One of the most successful and prolific singer-songwriters of the last half-century, Buffett captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of fans across the world. One of those fans is Dr. Mark Lempke (Host of The Also--Rans ) who talks about Buffett's life, career and impact on both the music industry and popular culture. Other topics discussed include Buffett's extremely loyal fanbase (affectionately known as "Parrot Heads"), his d...
The Douche Caravan Returns! Jon Lamoreaux (The Hustle), Patrick Dupuis (The EETF Podcast) and Michael Bagford return to talk about Chris Smith's Netflix documentary Wham! centering on the iconic 80s duo. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley took the world by storm during that decade and ended at the top of their game. We talk about all things Wham! for this week's hilarious yet insightful episode! Send us a text...
