So In the past we’ve counting down the greatest television theme songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. We’ve covered movie scores and the best jingles. And through it all, I’ve had thousands of requests for Saturday Morning Cartoons or cartoon themes. Well On this episode, we’re counting down the greatest cartoon theme songs of the 80s. And we've got some crazy stories to tell. Like, did the J Geils Band secretly lift their risqué chart-topper Centerfold from a kids cartoon… about tiny blue creatures? We’ll also solve the bizarre internet rumor that’s persisted for decades, claiming the dignified host of Inside the Actors Studio was the secret mastermind behind the ThunderCats themes ever. How did that even start? And wait until you hear how Arnold Schwarzenegger indirectly launched one of the biggest action figure lines of the decade and one of the most iconic cartoon themes in history. Plus, a hit songwriter wrote one of the catchiest songs of all time… Everyone knew it would be a #1 smash, but it became a kids' TV song and never got released as a single. He missed a #1 hit, but decades later it’s more famous than any of the #1 hits from the year it came out.. Can you guess it from its first second? From bouncing bears to pizza-loving reptiles, we're covering it all. Let’s do it.

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Coming up, it’s a massive hit from a band that was absolutely clobbered by the rock press… At the center of a smear campaign, they called ‘em knock-offs, copy-cats, clones… And they were accused of being derivative of other popular bands at the time including Pearl Jam. Yes Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots took a lot of flack... But it was completely unwarranted… and untrue. In fact, in one Rolling Stone poll STP were voted the worst new band by critics, and the best new band by readers….but It was the fans that got it right. This band was hugely popular. And their breakthrough song… PLUSH was a commercial monster, ruling the rock airwaves and MTV. Written in a hot tub, this mysterious track was inspired by a tragic kidnapping and death, but its meaning is still something of a mystery. For decades, fans have tried to unravel its imagery… A classic by Scott Weiland….Smelling dogs, stolen masks, storms in your bedroom. See if you can figure out what it means. The story is NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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Coming up next, the Police, a rookie band that would start a 5-year trek that would take them from nobodies to the biggest band in the world. But their first couple of singles would be B.O.D. banned on delivery because they were about a hooker and suicide: Roxane and Can't Stand Losing You. And to discuss these two classics, I have 2 of the principals from the band, Sting and Stewart Copeland. Their first 2 songs were catchy and had the makings of big-time hits, but radio refused to play them due to their subject matter. But there’s more to it than that … it may be that the band stretched the truth about radio blacklisting them to stir up controversy and publicity. Well, let’s find out… coming up, the most famous song about a sex worker in history on Professor of Rock.

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Coming up I interviewed one of the most ICONIC rock stars in the history of planet earth.. Love him or hate him, he’s always got something to say and when he says it, you know it’s how he really feels, he doesn’t mince words and it was no different when I spoke to him It’s always interesting because the man has no filter and he doesn’t care about Political correctness or kowtowing to anyone or anything. . He says what he thinks, and in this interview, he gives us his truth behind some long-held myths about his band’s songs, and it rewrites some famous stories that have been told forever, including his band’s biggest hit, which was a B-side that sounded nothing like their typical rock songs, and who really wrote it. Everyone has said he hates it, but he tells us his real opinion on it and how it got the hard rock band to play on AM Radio next to Jonn Denver. He goes off on censorship and how certain songs get canceled, but others skate by, including certain rap songs. It’s Gene Simmons unfiltered. He says what he wants because he just doesn’t care anymore. Here it is.

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Sometimes the deepest cuts leave the most lasting marks. I’m talking about songs that never dominated the airwaves, but are worthy of regular rotation in our lives. Today we're celebrating 7 female hidden gems that deserve way more love than they ever received. We've got the story of Sandy Denny, the only female vocalist ever to appear on a Led Zeppelin studio album. She went toe-to-toe with Robert Plant to create a bona fide Zeppelin classic. Then there's the heartbreaking tale of an under-the-radar vocalist named Eve Cassidy who gave her final public performance while battling terminal cancer. Her haunting rendition of an iconic track became her devastating farewell to the world. Then there was the prolific male songwriter from ABBA who wrote a song about his brutal divorce… just so happens that the woman he was divorcing was the singer in his band and she had to sing this song next to him for years... and hear it for the next 45 years when it became a classic. Add to that stalker survivor Sarah McLachlan, and Kate Schellenbach, the only woman to ever be called a Beastie Boy, and you know this is going to be a must-watch episode. Let’s get started.

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Despite its eventual historic significance, there was a moment when the band’s iconic lead singer contemplated scrapping one of the greatest albums ever recorded, because he had second thoughts about the quality of the record. The story of what led to the creation of U2’s astonishing achievement The Joshua Tree NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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Coming up, some perfect songs that came out during the great downturn in mainstream music when rock was becoming extinct including Everlong, the greatest rock song of the last 30 years by Dave Grohl, a man who was in the shadow of one of the most revered frontmen in history, but he stepped out of the background and shocked the world with a one man band that I believe has superceded his original band. Then there’s the band Chumbawumba that had whose massive hit Tubthumping was flying off the shelves at record stores. But then a band member told fans she didn’t care if they shoplifted their new album…There were so many stolen copies that their label had to force stores to stop carrying the record! Then there’s the sappiest song of its time, Butterfly Kisses, that actually cost me my marriage.

Plus, the haunting classic Silver Springs that was unfairly pulled from one of the biggest albums ever Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, only to end up as a hard-to-find B-side. But it made the ultimate comeback when it was recorded as part of a live album 20 years later. Sweet revenge came when it not only charted but became one of the legendary band’s most-streamed songs. Plus Mark Morrison who wrote Return of the Mack a song about a comeback while he was in prison, and the song hit #1.

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Coming up the story of a classic song from one of our most precious singer-songwriters who has a debilitating disease and won’t be with us much longer… the great Neil Diamond. We hope for a miracle, but for the time being, we can celebrate his genius as one of the most beloved icons of the 60s 70s and 80s. Today we honor his classic song "I am... I Said," that was inspired by the experience of a failed screen test for a film about one of the most controversial comedians of the 20th century. It was the most personally challenging song of his illustrious career. And it took him 4 long months to write. It was a daily battle to put the song on paper, and it truly drained him emotionally. But when it was finished, it turned out to be one of the most fulfilling songs he had ever written. In fact, it came from therapy sessions he was having at the time. However, one lyric about a chair inspired a famous journalist to write a scathing book about Bad Songs, wherein he ripped this 70s classic to Shreds… However, the fans struck back with bags and bags of hate mail, and it was so insurmountable the journalist had to write a public apology, and he very nearly retired! The story of the most ridiculed song of it’s time and a tribute to a beloved icon next on Professor of Rock. Look for the new movie about Neil Diamond's music "Song Sung Blue" with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

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