Episode 26: Turn and Face the Strange

Episode 26: Turn and Face the Strange

Author: Pantheon Media February 19, 2025 Duration: 1:24:43
Glam rock was more than just a sound—it was a shift in how music, fashion, and identity intertwined.  We explore the rise of Glam in the early ‘70s, with David Bowie as its central figure. Through alter egos like Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke, Bowie use theatricality, androgyny, and science fiction themes to push the boundaries of rock music and stardom.  But Glam wasn’t just Bowie. UK Artists like T. Rex and Slade, and Americans like Lou Reed and Alice Cooper each brought their own take, blending rock with elaborate visuals and a playful disregard for traditional norms.  Glam faded after a few short years, but its influence is lasting. Glam style and attitude reappear, over and over, in Rock Music.  Producer and Host: Christian Swain  Head Writer: Richard Evans  Sound Designer: Jerry Danielsen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Digging through the layers of myth and memory, Rock N Roll Archaeology from Pantheon Media unearths the stories behind the soundtrack of our times. This isn't just a chronological retelling of famous bands and hit songs. Instead, each season functions as a deeply researched audio documentary, meticulously connecting the music to the forces that shaped it and that it, in turn, shaped. You'll hear how specific technological breakthroughs changed how music was made and heard, how political upheavals filtered into lyrics and attitude, and how cultural shifts were both reflected and accelerated by the rock genre. The podcast moves beyond biography to examine the interplay between the recording studio, the stage, the society, and the individual artist. It’s for anyone who has ever wondered not just who played a riff, but why that riff resonated when it did. With a narrative approach that blends storytelling with insightful commentary and a thoughtful touch of musicology, Rock N Roll Archaeology constructs a rich, contextual understanding of this powerful art form. Listen for a perspective that treats rock history as a vital part of our broader history, revealing how the music served as both a catalyst and a chronicle for the changing world from the latter half of the twentieth century into the present day. The production is crafted to be as immersive as the subject matter demands, making each episode a journey into the specific moments where sound, culture, and innovation collided.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Rock N Roll Archaeology
Podcast Episodes
Episode 23: Radio, Radio [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:10
We want the airwaves, baby! Chapter 23 of Rock N Roll Archaeology tunes into radio and radio culture in America and elsewhere. There was a brief moment in the 70s and early 80s where FM Rock Radio was something pretty sp…
Shorts: Diamond Dust (A Tribute to Jeff Beck) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:53
Remembering the late great Jeff Beck, the guitarist’s guitarist. An innovator and an iconoclast with a bold experimental spirit, Jeff left his unique stamp on hundreds of great songs. Songs Jeff Beck: “Diamond Dust,” fro…
Shorts: Secrets From A Saucer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:35
Bands in the van, and a band at the crossroads. In this episode of RNRA Shorts, we’ll get into the early days of Pink Floyd, and the latest from a Pink Floyd member: Nick Mason’s 2022 Saucerful of Secrets tour. Written b…
Shorts: The Art of the Steal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:36
Content warning: Here at RNRA, we don’t hide our views. At all. But when it comes to politics, we try not to be in-your-face about it either. Our little slogan is “Just tell the story, and the point will get made.”This t…
Episode 22: The Second Wave - On the Morning After the Sixties [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:38
We start with a tragedy, then a cautionary tale of the world not ready for a band. We then find more positive inspiration from an artist who delivers a huge seller. We end with a legend. Janis Joplin dies just before rel…
Shorts: The Juggalos are Alright [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:37
Welcome back to RNRA Shorts! This time, it’s Filth Through The Ages, and let’s meet some unlikely Free Speech Warriors. Yes, we said it, and we will die on this hill: The Juggalos Are Alright. Psst, hey! Got a topic sugg…
Shorts: Joni & the Prince [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:59
A quick look at an intriguing relationship: Joni Mitchell and Prince. Enjoy! Oh, hey! Got a topic idea for RNRA Shorts? Shoot us an email: rocknrollarchaeologyproject@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg…
Episode 21: Guitarmageddon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:40:51
The fuse was lit in 1966. Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Keith Moon came together to record a proto-metal classic. After the session an offhand quip from Keith Moon sticks with Jimmy Page. Then we meet The G…
Episode 20: Ohio [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:58
Rock N Roll as the First Draft Of History We begin in the midwest college town of Kent, Ohio, in the late spring of 1970. We’ll meet three future rockers--students at Kent State University, barely out of their teens--who…
Episode 19: 1969 Part II [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:58:59
This episode is dedicated with love to the memory of our dear friend Dennis Gordon. Dennis was the big booming voice on our show “bumpers” that would begin and end each chapter of Rock N Roll Archaeology. Thank you Denni…