The Surprising History of Glam Rock

The Surprising History of Glam Rock

Author: Curiouscast April 30, 2025 Duration: 34:09
At its best, rock is a transcendent experience, something that takes us somewhere away from the ordinary, the normal, and the safe…there’s a huge fantasy element to it…done right, rock removes us from this universe and transports us someplace completely different where anything could happen—at least for a little while. Sometimes the music alone is enough to take us there…but there’s so much more that can be done to enhance the experience. Costuming, for one…make-up and wild hair make a nice addition…how about going hard on the visuals and theatrics?...sure!...why not?...can’t hurt…how about dropping in some sci-fi…good…what about sex and horror and shock and the occult and then really, really exaggerate everything?... Bring it on.  And you know what else might be fun?...a big dollop of sexual ambiguity…that’ll freak people out. What I’ve just described is a lot of today’s music…the rock era has been around long enough and has gone through so many bouts of extremism that it seems like there’s we can’t be shocked by anything a rock star does anymore. But there was a time in the very late 60s and early 70s when a specific group of artists were very shocking…they did and said things that were so outrageous and wild that they kinda knocked the planet around on its axis a little bit. They also set in motion some knock-on effects that changed everything about rock…and then they became extinct…but the influence and fallout from that four or five-year period is still being seen and felt today…you just have to know where to look. This is the surprising history of glam rock…it still lives and it can still make things very interesting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over two decades, the Ongoing History of New Music has served as an essential audio documentary series, digging deep into the stories that shaped alternative rock, hip hop, and everything in between. Hosted by the legendary music historian Alan Cross, this podcast functions as a curated archive of musical culture, moving far beyond simple artist profiles. Each episode is a thematic exploration, connecting sonic dots across decades to reveal the hidden contexts, forgotten pioneers, and cultural shifts that define what we listen to. You’ll hear about the scenes that birthed genres, the technologies that changed production, and the personalities whose influence ripples through today’s charts. It’s less a linear history lesson and more an ongoing conversation about why music matters, delivered with Cross’s authoritative yet accessible narrative style. Tune in and discover the rich, often surprising backstories behind the songs and artists you thought you knew, gaining insights you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. This is Canadian broadcasting at its most inquisitive and enduring, making the Ongoing History of New Music a foundational listen for anyone curious about the forces that continually reinvent our sonic landscape.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Ongoing History of New Music
Podcast Episodes
Mighty Managers of Rock [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:04
If you’re a musical artist and you start to do well, the point will come when you need a manager. The manager is the person who looks after all the business stuff so the musician can get on with the business of making mu…
Stupid History: The Music Version 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:52
For some people, history is dry and boring…it’s all dates and wars and dusty facts about things that don’t have anything to do with life today…and yes, that can be true…but history also helps us understand why things are…
Survey Says: Useful and Odd Music Surveys and Polls [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:02
By the time this episode is over, you will learn things about your fellow music fans (and music in general) that you can use to astound your friends…and when they say “go on, that’s not true,” you can simply point them t…
Oasis at War Part 2 - Revisited [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:36
After years and years or rumour and speculation, we now have an Oasis reunion. The brother Gallagher have agreed to reunite…and possibly burry the hatchet. This for a series of shows next summer in the UK, Ireland, Canad…
The Last Moments of - Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:51
We don’t like to think about our favourite musicians as being mortal…because let’s face it, we believe that they do extraordinary things and make us feel in ways we otherwise wouldn’t. Rock stars are special, superhuman,…
Oasis at War Part 1 - Revisited [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:34
After years and years or rumour and speculation, we now have an Oasis reunion. The brother Gallagher have agreed to reunite…and possibly burry the hatchet. This for a series of shows next summer in the UK, Ireland and be…
Connections 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:35
It may not seem like it, but everything in this universe is connected in all kinds of unseen ways. Humans have always known that chaos is a capricious and fickle thing, something that can show up when you least expect it…
Lostwave [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:22
Tell me if this sounds familiar…you’re sitting around with a bunch of friends talking about music when someone says “what’s that song with the thing at the beginning and the boom-boom sound effects?....it’s got that guit…
Twee Pop: A History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:48
There’s a scene in the 2000 movie “High Fidelity” that introduced a lot of people to the name Belle and Sebastian. Rob, the owner of a record store, and his employee, Dick, are enjoying a new arrival. Then Barry, another…
A History of Moshing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:03
I do not dance…I’m too awkward and too self-aware of my awkwardness…I know we’re all supposed to dance like no one is looking, but when it comes to me, people will look, point, and judge… My wife realizes this…since we w…