Rock N Roll Archaeology

07/17/2025

Episode 28 is now in production! Expected release in Mid August, wherever you get your podcasts.

07/14/2025

Patreon people, we've got one for ya, and it's AD FREE!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/ad-free-rnra-134109559?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

General release Wednesday on all the usual podcast feeds.

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07/03/2025

Chapter 26, "Turn and Face the Strange," is one of our most-downloaded episodes, so here's some lore for you that wasn't in the show. (Hey, there's a lot. We try, but there's no way we could get to all of it.)

Anyway, in 1973, during a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, David killed his alter ego, , on stage in front of thousands.

“Not only is this the last show of the tour,” he said, “but it’s the last show that we’ll ever do.” And then the band launched into "Rock and Roll Su***de."

The audience--and David's bandmates--didn't immediately grasp that he was just moving on from the Ziggy persona, they thought he was quitting music entirely. A very noisy public freakout ensued. Which of course, was exactly what David was after.

The real story: ever the chameleon, David wanted to switch things up, head in a different direction. He'd done hundreds of shows as Ziggy, and he'd had enough.

So he hung on to Mick Ronson, but let the rest of the band go, and put together a new outfit for the upcoming US tour.

Lots more about 70s Glam Rock in Episode 26 of Rock N Roll Archaeology.

Hit the link, or go to Patreon, give us a buck and skip the ads!

Podcast Episode · Rock N Roll Archaeology · 02/18/2025 · 1h 25m

06/30/2025

Five years ago today, on June 30, 2020, Illinois named Native Son John Prine the state's first Poet Laureate. It was a posthumous honor; sadly, John was an early victim of Covid, passing away on April 7 of that year.

His last recorded song was "I Remember Everything," released January of 2020. Like so much of his work, it's simple, poignant, and beautiful.

https://youtu.be/L21Tc_DtL6M?si=zSwTJSix-Yhq9mW1

06/29/2025

We didn't completely "get" Elvis until we saw this. In the early days of cable it was a staple: The Comeback Special, first aired on NBC in June of '68. For a long time it was unavailable on digital media, but it's out there now!

Buy/listen: https://Elvis.lnk.to/68ComebackSpecial!bwywmtdAbout the track:For his 1968 television special, Elvis Presley reunited with Scotty Moore and D.J. ...

06/25/2025

in 1967: performed "All You Need Is Love" on Our World, the first multinational satellite broadcast in history. 800 million viewers in 25 countries tuned in. Check out Episode 14 of Rock N Roll Archaeology for more.

Podcast Episode · Rock N Roll Archaeology · 07/07/2017 · 1h 12m

06/23/2025

Hello, Cleveland! Can you believe it's been 41 years since the world was first introduced to David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls in the masterpiece, This is Spinal Tap?
To celebrate, the remastered and remixed film is getting a special theatrical reissue! It's your chance to re-experience the sights, sounds, and smells of a hard-working rock band on the road—from the pod malfunctions to the quest for backstage catering.
We explore the genius of this iconic film and its place in music history on our "Celluloid Heroes" episode of the Rock N Roll Archaeology podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
What's your all-time favorite Spinal Tap quote? Let us know in the comments!

Watch the Official Trailer for This Is Spinal Tap - 41st Anniversary Re-ReleaseOnly in Theaters Starting July 5th --Created by Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest,...

06/20/2025

50 years ago today, Neil Young released the brutally honest, ragged "Tonight's The Night." We consider it one of his best, but that doesn't mean it's an easy listen.

Released on June 20, 1975, it was the final chapter of his famed "Ditch Trilogy."

The album was a direct expression of grief following the overdose deaths of his friend and roadie Bruce Berry and Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten.

Young shelved the album for two years, deeming it too raw and personal for release, but we think its unfiltered emotion makes it timeless.

What does this album mean to you?

We dive deeper into Neil's incredible career in episodes 15 & 20 of Rock N Roll Archaeology.

On our website, or wherever you get your podcasts.

06/18/2025

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31923069/
We've got a trailer! Video at the link.

Per IMDb, "Deliver Me from Nowhere" is in post production and expected to hit theaters on October 24th! We did a Short episode called Springsteen On Screen that will help tide you over till then. Get it on our website: rocknrollarchaeology.com or wherever you get great podcasts.

!

Deliver Me from Nowhere: Directed by Scott Cooper. With Marc Maron, Stephen Graham, Jeremy Allen White, Gaby Hoffmann. Bruce Springsteen's journey crafting his 1982 album Nebraska, which emerged as he recorded Born in the USA with the E Street Band. Based on Warren Zanes' book.

06/17/2025

https://megaphone.link/PAN5516678131
In general release! A new RNRA Short!

"Southern Rock Opera: Ghosts, Myths, and Monsters."

This one ties in strongly with our main show from last month, "Southbound."

Related note: Saw Drive-By Truckers at the Warfield in San Francisco last week, along with another excellent roots rock band, Deer Tick.

Great show, and they will be on tour together for another couple months. Highly recommend.

Explore the power of myth with Drive-By Truckers' landmark album, Southern Rock Opera.

06/16/2025

Come on down, Patreon People!
Public release on the usual podcast feeds tomorrrow.
Free tier on Patreon can listen or download the Ad Free version next week.

Get more from Rock N Roll Archaeology on Patreon

06/15/2025

As we have said in our latest Episode 27: Southbound (found wherever you get good pods), Southern Gothic is real and it is good. In fact, the godfather of that genre, William Faulkner makes an appearance himself. So, when we now hear those sweet magnolia and mint julip infused words spoken aloud, we melt.

And oh man, does Jerry Wayne Longmire imbibe and expresses even his electric bill in those sweet tea words...